Health exams and in-office screenings

Preventive care begins with a physical.  If you haven't had one in the past twelve months, schedule one today. 

There are many ways you can improve your health and enjoy life more. Two important things you can do involve diet and exercise.

If you haven’t exercised in a long time, consult with your doctor before you begin. At the same time, diet can make a dramatic improvement to your health.

Two recommended healthy diets

Recommended by the National Institute of Health, two diets have been shown to significantly improve health, reduce blood pressure and stop hypertension.

The TLC Diet (For “Therapeutic Lifestyle Change”) will help reduce LDL (aka “bad” cholesterol); and

The DASH Diet (“For Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension”) can reduce high blood pressure and hypertension.

Screenings in our Office

The following health screens are provided in our office and provide immediate results. Click any of the links below to learn more.

ColonSentry™ from Enzo Labs determines the odds of your having colorectal cancer. By adding this risk stratification tool to your annual checkup, you can determine your need for having further diagnostic testing, such as a colonoscopy. Colorectal cancer is far more treatable when detected in its earliest stages.
Breath/Lung Testing
24-hour blood pressure
24-hour heart monitor
EchoCardiograms, including a Carotid Doppler
Circulation to legs & toes

Colorectal Cancer screening

ColonSentry determines your risk of having Colorectal Cancer. It should be part of a regular routine examination and be used prior to a colonoscopy as a pre-screening alert.

ColonSentry assesses your current risk at a particular point in time. It is different than a genetic test, which provides information about genetic predisposition or future risk. Regularly reassessing your current colorectal cancer status can help track changes over time – an essential element in personalized health management.
More information

Breath and lung testing

Spirometry is a simple and short examination to test your lung capacity and your ability to inhale and exhale. This testing is helpful to diagnose conditions such as asthma, bronchitis, emphysema and other respiratory diseases, and to take effective remedial action immediately, if needed.

A Spirometry test takes about 15 minutes and involves breathing through a mouthpiece while the spirometer measures the results.

Anyone who experiences breathing difficulties may be a candidate for a Spirometry test. People at greater risk for respiratory illnesses include:

• Smokers
• Workers who have been exposed to respiratory irritants, sensitizers and nuisance dusts
• People who experience sleep disorders or difficulty during sleep
• Diabetes patients for using Exubera, an insulin inhalant.

Peripheral Arterial Disease screening

“Peripheral Arterial Disease,” or PAD, reduces the flow of blood to the lowest part of the body and creates a risk of heart disease, aortic aneurysms and stroke. It is a condition similar to coronary artery disease, which restricts the flow of blood to the heart and carotid artery disease, which restricts the flow of blood to the brain.

People with PAD are at increased risk for heart disease and strokes. PAD can also be an indicator of diabetes, hypertension and other conditions. Early detection of peripheral arterial disease can help prevent amputation, heart attack and stroke.

24-hour blood pressure monitoring

By monitoring your blood pressure over a full night-and-day cycle, you provide your doctor with valuable information on variations in your blood pressure that are not detected by a single reading during your appointment.

If you take medication for blood pressure or hypertension, this test will also measure the medicine’s effectiveness over the period being monitored.

Here’s how it works
The cuff is worn on the arm. It will inflate and deflate at intervals over the course of the day and night. A diary comes with the 24-Hour Blood Pressure Monitor for you to write down the date and time and your activity at each interval. For example, you would make a note after you walk up stairs, sleep, smoke or engage in other types of activities. In addition, you record the times that you feel specific symptoms, such as headaches, stress, dizziness, etc. If you take medication, the medicine and doses are also recorded.

Your doctor will receive these results from the monitor after you return to the office. The results will provide a more complete picture of your heart’s condition, whether a treatment program is needed, or whether an existing program needs to be modified.

Who should consider using a 24-Hour Blood Pressure Monitor?

• Patients who suffer from hypertension
• Anyone who experiences episodic heart palpitations, or other irregularities in their blood pressure at different intervals over the course of a day
• Anyone who suffers from nervousness when having their blood pressure taken by a medical professional. This may give an abnormal result that is not indicative of the person’s typical blood pressure.

24-Hour heart monitoring

The Holter Monitor is a portable device worn on the patient, which measures the electrical activity of the heart over a 24-hour period. It is helpful for people who suffer from palpitations and detects irregular heartbeats (arrhythmias) and other electrical disturbances.

A Holter monitor provides your physician with more information than a standard electrocardiogram (EKG) because palpitations and irregular heartbeats may not be detected during a physical exam or during an EKG.

A diary comes with the Holter for the patient to write down the time and type of symptoms they feel so that they can be reviewed by the physician.

Who should consider using a Holter Moniter?
Anyone who experiences episodic heart palpitations or irregularities in their heart beating. Included are diabetics because diabetes often causes cardiac complications such as heart attacks, strokes and the need for heart bypass operations.

Cardiovascular diseases

Echocardiography is used to diagnose cardiovascular diseases. It shows the size and shape of the heart, its pumping capacity and the location and extent of any damage to its tissues.

An Echocardiogram is also helpful in evaluating the condition of the heart valves. It helps doctors determine if there are abnormalities in the pattern of blood flow, such as the backward flow of blood through partly closed heart valves. By assessing the motion of the heart wall, echocardiography can help detect the presence and assess the severity of coronary artery disease, as well as help determine whether any chest pain is related to heart disease.

An echocardiography is non-invasive, meaning that information about the heart can be obtained easily in the doctor’s office without penetrating the patient’s skin, without known risks or side effects.

Carotid Doppler

A Carotid Doppler is an ultrasound that shows the amount of blood flow in the carotid arteries, the major blood vessels to the brain located on either side of your neck. With this imaging technique, your doctor can see if there is any narrowing of your carotid arteries. This test is often used to evaluate people who have had a stroke or who might be at high risk for one because of reduced blood flow in the carotid arteries.

Anyone who suffers from heart disease symptoms should consider this test. These symptoms include shortness of breath, chest pains or other heart problems and even swelling in the legs.