Your internal medicine doctor provides preventive, acute, and chronic disease/condition services to keep you healthy. Careful analysis of symptoms and test results, imaging assessments, and more help formulate patient care plans for the various stages of life. Let’s talk more about the subspecialties your internal medicine doctor may provide and where you can find the best internal medicine doctor in Irmo.
What Your Internist Delivers
Your internal medicine doctor is your primary care physician or PCP. He or she provides a true medical home where you can go for treatment of acute diseases, such as pneumonia and strep throat, for the repair of lacerations and sprains, and for prescription medications to treat everything from arthritis pain and sinusitis to urinary tract infections and anxiety.
Also, your internist delivers preventive care, such as cancer screenings, blood sugar, and cholesterol levels monitoring, and geriatric services, such as cognitive and safety assessments. The PCP weighs how lifestyle and hereditary factors impact your health, and the doctor may recommend modifications to your diet, activity, stress levels, and more. The Internist updates your immunizations, keeps your medical record (chart), and refers to specialty care, such as neurology or orthopedics when needed.
Internists also have training and experience in medical subspecialties, including:
- Respiratory care for COPD
- Digestive care for GERD, irritable bowel, hemorrhoids, and more
- Allergies and asthma
- Endocrinology (diabetes and thyroid disease)
- Mental health issues, such as anxiety, depression, and dementia
- Cardiovascular issues, such as heart disease and hypertension
So, if you have a chronic health condition or suspect you have one, choose an internal medicine doctor who offers services to assess and treat your symptoms.
Medical Subspecialties Offered at SC Internal Medicine Associates and Rehabilitation
Medical Weight Loss
Medical weight loss involves individualized programs to help people achieve and maintain their ideal weight range. The internist not only recommends diet and activity level changes but also addresses the problems of metabolic dysfunction, hormone imbalances, and other factors contributing to chronic obesity.
Sleep Disorders
The Sleep Lab of Columbia, under the direction of Dr. Joseph Gabriel, uses state-of-the-art assessments to determine sleep patterns and disorders, such as sleep apnea. These studies give the internist information needed to regularize sleep and to manage the health impact lack of proper rest creates.
Diabetes Management Program
Under the supervision of our internal medicine doctors, our nurse practitioners and physician assistants teach patients the ABCs of blood glucose control, including diet, exercise, insulin pump instruction, and more.
Cardiology
Our internal medicine doctors use assessment tools, such as Holter monitoring, echocardiogram, high lipid screening, cardiac stress testing, Doppler vascular assessment for peripheral artery disease, EKG, and more to understand the impact heart function and rhythm have on overall health.
Gastroenterology
EGD and colonoscopy evaluate the upper and lower digestive tract for bleeding and malabsorption issues, cancer, irritable bowel syndrome and Crohn’s disease, ulcers, and more.
Precise and Patient-centered Internal Medicine Carein Irmo
At SC Internal Medicine Associates and Rehabilitation, our internal medicine doctors and their support professionals deliver the comprehensive medical care patients desire and deserve. From wellness visits to preventive care to diagnostic assessments and specialty services, we help people of all ages achieve and maintain their best possible physical and mental health.
If you are looking for a medical home with in-depth medical subspecialty expertise, call us for a consultation at (803) 749-1111, or request a visit by completing our online form. We are eager to serve you in all your health needs.