With so many vitamins and vaccines to keep track of, helping everyone in the family stay healthy can be overwhelming. Dr. Jennifer Szalkowski simplifies medical care by treating entire families at her Barnes West Primary Care practice. “Mom, children, even the grandparents, in one place,” she says. “I see husbands and wives in back-to-back appointments, or mom and the kids.”
There’s more to the concept than just convenience. When the same doctor treats the whole clan, it enables him or her to detect patterns and track family histories. “If there’s a medical problem that runs through the family, it’s easier to jump in and help out,” Szalkowski says.
A family doctor also is in an ideal position to help the entire family deal with weight loss, Szalkowski points out. Having struggled with weight loss herself, she approaches the topic with empathy and experience. “I really had to buckle down and change how I ate and lived to be healthier,” she says. “I encourage my patients to do that too. It’s not easy. I try to be a really good cheerleader to show people you can make changes and to guide them on food choices and activities.” She’s especially sensitive with overweight kids. “One of the hardest things to talk about is weight with younger patients,” she says. “If you’ve ever been overweight, there’s nothing worse than someone pointing it out. What I talk a lot more about is working on being healthy.”
Consulting with a doctor to lose weight helps patients steer clear of phony diet and exercise fads. “I’ve tried the quick fixes. There are people out there who will take advantage,” Szalkowski says. “When you watch television shows about weight loss, they focus so much on exercise, but it really comes down to diet.” Although slimming down is hard work, the health benefits, such as lowering blood pressure and cholesterol and reducing the risk of diabetes, are worth the effort. “There are so many things you can make better by changing your lifestyle instead of just taking a pill,” Szalkowski says. “If you’re prediabetic and make lifestyle changes, we maybe can even pull you back from that. It’s so much more beneficial in the long run.”
Checking in annually with the family physician is important to maintaining good health, even for adults in peak condition, according to Szalkowski. “Once they get out of high school, most people are young and healthy and they don’t necessarily need a doctor all the time,” she says. But she recommends patients come in once a year to check their vital signs and update their family histories. “There are vaccines you need when you’re older too,” she says. “It’s also really nice to have someone you’re already established with when you do get sick. Then you can see someone who knows you and knows your history.” Barnes West Primary Care is located on the campus of barnesjewish
By Rebecca Koenig
Photo by Bill Barrett
Pictured: Dr. Jennifer Szalkowski with a patient
[Barnes West Primary Care is located on the campus of barnesjewish west county hospital at 1020 N. Mason Road, Ste. 205. For more information, please call 314.996.3430 or visit barnesjewishwestcounty.org/szalkowski]
