| Reviewed and edited by: MDVIP Editorial Team |

Concierge medicine is a membership-based model of primary care in which patients pay a practice an annual fee and the physician cares for far fewer patients, which allows the physician to provide more appointment options, easier scheduling, longer appointments, and help outside of business hours.

Meet Cheryl. She’s 82 years old, and she and her husband retired to Aiken, South Carolina, in 1998 to enjoy the golfing amenities and beautiful surroundings.

Cheryl became a patient of Dr. Alyssa Degnan and joined her MDVIP-affiliated practice after attending the patient forum. After listening to how the model works and why Dr. Degnan was transitioning her practice, Cheryl thought that MDVIP sounded like a good thing.

As fate would have it, she soon learned that it really was a good thing. She began experiencing abdominal pain and called Dr. Degnan.

Choosing the right primary care physician (PCP) is a very important decision, as your PCP serves as the quarterback of your healthcare. They perform annual examinations, manage chronic diseases, educate you on preventive care and refer you to specialists. While many factors are involved when selecting a PCP, one of the most important considerations is availability and convenience. Here’s why.
 

Popular media, gyms, coaches, diet programs and the diet industry often promise to speed up or boost your metabolism to help people lose or maintain weight or avoid weight gain as they age. But metabolic health isn’t just about a slim figure. It affects physical and mental health beyond body weight. Good metabolic health lowers your risk of chronic health conditions such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and kidney disease. It’s even related to mental health conditions.

Meet Noreen. She’s dean emeritus and professor of social work at the Thompson School of Social Work and Public Health, University of Hawai`i at Mānoa. As a native and lifelong resident of Hawaii, she was raised with and respects Hawaiian culture.

For instance, there’s a belief that health and well-being exist only when the connections (or pilina) in life, i.e., friends, community, spirituality and the environment, are balanced and aligned (pono). She attributes some of the pilina and pono in her life to her MDVIP-affiliated physician, Dr. DeBoard.

If you’re like most people, you’ve probably kept track of your weight throughout your life. However, the metric you should rely on is your body composition. Why? Your weight is merely a number on your bathroom scale. It doesn't provide an accurate picture of your body size, shape or health. What really matters is your body composition — the percentage of fat, bone, water and muscle in your body.

Meet Yvonne. She's an Atlanta-based wedding planner. She loves “love” and the promise of all that’s to come with the couple. As a result, she’s built a career around making sure every detail is perfect, and nothing falls through the cracks. 

Nobody likes to get sick – especially when they’re on vacation. But sickness happens, unfortunately, no matter where we are. You can sprain an ankle in Peru or get food poisoning in Italy. You can lose your luggage – and your prescription meds — on the first leg of your dream trip.  

But what do you do if the sniffles hit you on the slopes? Or you experience Montezuma’s revenge in Mexico City?  

I am amazed by our innate ability to learn. When children are young, they absorb new concepts and learn new skills every day. That’s expected, and for most of the last century, scientists believed our brains did most of their learning from birth to around age 25.

Nearly 50 million Americans suffer from seasonal allergies, which cause uncomfortable symptoms such as a stuffy or runny nose, itchy or swollen eyes, sneezing, coughing, post-nasal drip and fatigue.