Your heart is one of the most important organs in your body because it does a very important job: pump blood through your body. As blood pumps in and out of the heart, a sound can be detected made up of two beats. Sometimes, another sound can interrupt the normal beating of the heart. This is called a heart murmur. A heart murmur is a different than a heart beat, typically sounding similar to a “whooshing” noise. A doctor can detect a heart murmur through a stethoscope. Although it may sound ... [Read More]
Internal Medicine
Is Internal Medicine Different from Primary Care?
A primary care health provider or PCP is the doctor who cares for your total health on a regular basis. Primary care physicians provide wellness visits, care for illness, and help manage chronic conditions. They also act as the “point person” for all of your medical care when you require treatment from a specialist for a specific condition, to make certain that everything is going right for you. A doctor of internal medicine, or an internist, often serves as a primary care doctor. Internists ... [Read More]
Why Would My Doctor Recommend a DEXA Bone Scan?
If you’re a woman or man of a certain age and your doctor recommends a bone-density test, don’t be surprised. The test, called a DEXA scan, is a kind of X-ray that measures the strength of your bones, and it’s highly recommended for women at age 65 and men age 70 and up. That’s because there is a greater risk of bone loss, called osteoporosis, in our senior years. Osteoporosis affects more than 50 million Americans, and the sooner it’s detected, treatment options are better and fractures more ... [Read More]
Why would I chose a family practice doctor for primary care?
We will all get injured or sick at some point in our lives, and need a medical diagnosis and treatment. Choosing a primary care physician is the first step toward properly managing medical care. Your primary care doctor is considered your medical “home base”. It is the doctor you visit for most medical needs, including routine screenings, wellness visits, and non-emergency illnesses like sore throats and earaches. Your relationship with your primary care doctor is an important one. You need ... [Read More]
What is Internal Medicine?
Internal medicine is the medical specialty dedicated to the diagnosis and medical treatment of all adults who are chronically ill, or the care of those who are healthy. The difference between a family doctor and an internist, is that internists will generally only treat adults, whereas a family medicine doctor will cover the whole family, including children. An internist is a doctor who has completed a three-year internal medicine residency, following medical school. During their academic ... [Read More]
