The first thing any diligent family medicine doctor in Fort Worth does when attending to a patient is to have an honest and thorough conversation. Dr. John Staniland will spend as much time as you need to process and understand the issues at hand as he works toward finding the root cause.
The next step is to emphasize testing so that he can discover what’s causing the illness. Unfortunately, most standard lab work overlooks problems that the proper tests can easily identify. At that point, the medical team will supply you with a more holistic treatment plan that consists of alternative and traditional therapies to promote good health.
Our primary goal is to ensure you live a healthy lifestyle that only requires routine visits. Here in Fort Worth, we’re working hard to provide our patients with a higher quality of life.
What Is a Family Medicine Doctor?
Our Fort Worth family doctors offer medical care to all ages. They evaluate current symptoms while treating chronic conditions like high blood pressure, provide preventative care, and advise when it’s time to seek specialist care. Family doctors usually work within physician groups that consist of other family medicine doctors, or they have a private office setting.
You can also find them in hospitals or community clinics, serving disenfranchised populations in need. These areas have high poverty levels and limited community resources for health care.
What Does a Family Medicine Doctor Do?
Family medicine doctors that work in community settings offer numerous services, such as:
- Immunizations
- Health risk assessments
- Treatment for common chronic conditions
- Screening tests
- Child wellness checkups
- Routine checkups
- Healthy lifestyle counseling
These physicians may also be able to provide medical services for specialty areas like urgent care, internal medicine, sports medicine, public health, and emergency room treatment. They can coordinate with specialists when necessary to ensure you get the proper care.
If you suffer from allergies, know that It’s also possible to do an allergy test at your family doctor’s office using a test kit.
Pregnant people who are not at risk may also consult a family doctor, but a specialist will be able to provide a more comprehensive type of care.
What Age To Switch From Pediatrician to Family Doctor?
Each situation can vary, but between 18 to 21, young adults and adolescents generally transition from a pediatrician to a primary care doctor. Absent of severe medical conditions, a child can begin seeing a new doctor when they turn 18. However, significant medical issues can require more effort to arrange follow-up care. Therefore, they might remain with their pediatrician until they’re 21.
Some adolescents don’t prefer to stick with a pediatrician that long and are ready to transition much earlier. That’s where a family doctor comes in. A well-adjusted child should be able to make the switch without issue.
Tips for Making the Switch
As the parent, start speaking with your child early about transitioning from a pediatrician. You can begin these talks as they’re in middle school, when they start high school, and even during their yearly wellness checks.
Right around the time when their minds and bodies are going through multiple developmental changes, you should sit down and discuss whether they have any questions or apprehensions about seeing someone new.
A family medicine doctor can also assist by letting them know what to expect from an adult physician. It would be best if you encouraged your child to become more self-sufficient regarding their medical needs. For example, some doctors will motivate children 12 years or older to carry and use asthma inhalers independently.
Parents can try these same tactics regarding the child’s healthcare overall. That may include reminding parents when it’s time for specific medications, like pills, that they don’t have access to.
When the child has special needs like mental health counseling, physical or occupational therapy, or other special services, speak with your pediatrician well in advance. They can assist you with making sure everything is in order before you search for primary care physicians or switch to a new medical center or doctor.
Parents and caregivers should get the power of attorney or guardianship before their child becomes an adult. It depends on how much care you anticipate you’ll need to provide for them to function optimally.
Ask about your child’s health records. Your child’s new physician will need them. The good news is that electronic health records have made this transfer between doctors much more manageable.
What Is a Functional Medicine Doctor?
A physician that specializes in Functional Medicine utilizes alternative techniques and training to find the reasons behind complicated ailments. They usually evaluate several factors that could potentially cause the condition.
Doctors in functional medicine approach health from a holistic perspective. They look at the big picture, which consists of mental, physical, emotional, and even spiritual health.
They consider many factors like genetics, hormonal changes, diet, over-the-counter and prescription medications, and more. A functional medicine doctor is ideal for individuals who suffer chronic illnesses that are tough to manage with traditional medical techniques.
Functional medicine doctor decides to specialize in their field after they’ve completed their conventional medical training fully. Other health practitioners may also focus on functional medicine, such as naturopaths and chiropractors.
What Does a Functional Medicine Doctor Do?
Functional medicine doctors will review your entire medical history to get a better understanding of the primary causes for various illnesses. They conduct a thorough discussion during which they gather pertinent information regarding your condition and lifestyle as a whole.
Questions may focus on:
- Sleep patterns
- Exercise habits
- Personal relationships
- A timeline of symptoms
- Nutrition
- Stressors
- Emotional wellbeing
Next, a functional medicine doctor will come to design a course of action that will address several variables that could be causing the patient’s chronic conditions. Such treatments could include supplements, therapies, and prescription medications.
Your functional medicine doctor will keep track of how your treatment is working, and make adjustments if necessary. Treatment plans vary from one person to the next.
You’ll work with your doctor who takes your input and also holds you accountable for your lifestyle decisions as they relate to your condition and treatment plan.
The field of functional medicine believes in treatment centered around the affected body system and not necessarily the condition. The physician conducts research on the underlying causes and develops a personalized approach.
What to Expect
Before visiting the doctor, you must complete a detailed medical history questionnaire first.
The information that the doctor gleans from your questionnaire provides them with the basis of their investigation into the root causes of your condition.
The medical history questionnaire will question you concerning the following:
- Genetics: This section inquires about your family’s physical and mental conditions.
- Lifestyle: This section assesses your activity level, diet, hobbies, stressors, and work life.
- Environment: These questions ask if you’ve been exposed to toxins or have allergies.
When you arrive at your appointment, you’ll have a one-on-one visit with your provider and a group session with other patients as you listen to a registered health coach and dietitian.
Your first visit will last approximately three to four hours. Giving us time to do the following:
- Look at your health history
- Conduct a physical exam
- Perform blood tests as needed and order lab tests
- Identify your health goals.
- Tell you about our “food as medicine” philosophy
- Discuss follow-up care and treatments
A Family Physician You Can Trust
Dr. John Staniland began his career as a mechanical engineer, and his propensity for math has driven the entirety of his career. He enrolled in medical school in 1988; however, just before he did that, he worked for Messerschmitt, designing helicopters.
Instead of pursuing a master’s program in mechanical engineering, he decided to go into medicine, which was a lifelong dream. Dr. Staniland went on to graduate from the University of Calgary in 1991.
He completed his degree program in 1993 for Family Medicine from Memorial University of Newfoundland.
Next, Dr. Staniland would work as a traveling doctor for the Alberta Medical Association. His mission would be to relieve doctors in rural locations who had difficulty finding people to give them needed rest and time off.
Interestingly, Dr. Staniland’s firsthand experience in rural family medicine was ideal for his engineering mind. Rural doctors typically don’t have specialists to refer patients to when they get stumped.
The buck stops with rural doctors, and it is up to them to find a medical solution to the problem, and Dr. Staniland had a knack for meeting such challenges with grace.
It was 1996 when Dr. Staniland took rural talents to Fort Worth, located in north Texas, where he would become a team doctor for the University of Texas at Arlington.
Over the years, Dr. Staniland would grow dissatisfied at the medical school because of their reluctance to explore the use of natural remedies and medicines.
He discovered that homeopathic remedies and treatments would work better than prescription medications. He delved into integrative medicine and has increasingly implemented these methods into his Texas healthcare practice. Dr. Staniland is a family doctor in Fort Worth that you can trust.
Taking the Next Step
You can take charge of your health from the inside out. We provide both in-person and virtual options for shared and one-on-one medical appointments.
Do you need help determining which program is ideal for you? Do you have any concerns about whether your insurance plan qualifies?
You can learn more about our programs and choose the best plan for your family. If you wish to speak with a member of our team regarding a family doctor in Fort Worth, please call (817) 346- 5111.
