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Medical Evaluations

General Physical examinations and:

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  • Laboratory Tests

  • Drug interactions

  • Lifestyle behaviors: smoking, alcohol use, sexual health, diet, and exercise

  • Sleep studies

  • DNA testing for health predispositions and genetics

  • Live imaging (MRI, CT, PET)

  • Medical history

What is a Medical Evaluation?

The medical evaluation is a crucial part of any doctor’s visit, thoroughly reviewing your medical history and current conditions. It involves questions about your history and examining symptoms, helping to diagnose and plan treatment. A complete physical examination, typically performed by a doctor or general practitioner (GP), assesses major body systems such as the heart, lungs, digestive, and nervous systems. Additional tests may be ordered depending on the case. The goal is to confirm existing issues and uncover any hidden pathologies following the clinical history.

 

Why do I need a medical evaluation?

 

A thorough medical evaluation is essential before starting treatment for any medical condition, whether physical or psychological.

 

Health problems can sometimes manifest as pain or psychological issues related to work, family, finances, or society. Medical science emphasizes the importance of properly assessing a problem before prescribing treatment. While clinical history and physical examination have long been cornerstones of medicine, advancements in technology now allow many diseases to be diagnosed earlier through blood tests and imaging. Modern techniques, such as those used for detecting prostate or colon cancer, can identify conditions that may not have been evident in traditional physical exams.

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How often do I need a medical evaluation?

 

The frequency of medical evaluations depends on factors such as age, health status, and personal or family medical history. An annual check-up is often recommended for generally healthy adults to monitor vital health markers and detect any early signs of potential issues. However, individuals with chronic conditions or specific risk factors may require more frequent evaluations to manage their health effectively.

 

As we age, the need for regular screenings increases as certain health problems, such as heart disease or cancer, become more prevalent. Ultimately, the timing of medical evaluations should be tailored to each person’s unique health needs and lifestyle. So, in short, ask your doctor!

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What happens during a physical examination?

 

Before a physical examination, the doctor will ask for the patient's consent. If the doctor is of a different gender, a chaperone may be required, especially for male doctors examining female patients. Consent is also obtained for any necessary exposure of body parts during the exam.

 

The physical examination usually starts by measuring your weight, height, and vital signs, including heart rate, blood pressure, respiratory rate, and temperature.

 

Generally, there are four parts of physical examination.

 

  • Inspection: looking for signs

  • Palpation: feeling for signs

  • Percussion: tapping for signs, used when doing a lung and gut examination

  • Auscultation: listening using the stethoscope

 

Physical exams gather information about the patient's current or undiagnosed conditions. While the doctor prioritizes patient comfort, tender areas (areas of concern) may need to be examined for accurate diagnosis. Afterward, the doctor will discuss clinical findings and, along with the patient's history, decide on further investigations or treatment.

TESTIMONIALS

“I have always been able to talk to the doctor and get my problems resolved. Coming here is like dealing with a trusted family. Would not consider changing doctors.”

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John P.

“I was truly impressed with your nice facility and the caring staff and friendly can-do attitude and smiles. All this adds up to customer service you rarely see these days! THANK YOU ALL SO VERY MUCH!!!”

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Aaron

"I have been at the health center twice now and everyone listens to all of your problems and cares about you personally."

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Edna

"This was a great experience visiting here. I never felt rushed, and they took their time going over my diagnosis."

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Mindy

  • What is Biofeedback?
    Biofeedback is a process that enables an individual to learn how to change physiological activity for the purposes of improving health and performance. Precise instruments measure physiological activity such as brainwaves, heart function, breathing, muscle activity, and skin temperature. These instruments rapidly and accurately “feedback” information to the user. The presentation of this information — often in conjunction with changes in thinking, emotions, and behavior — supports desired physiological changes. Over time, these changes can endure without continued use of an instrument.
  • What conditions are helped by Biofeedback training?
    Successful outcomes, not limited to those listed below, have been reported by Neurofeedback Practitioners for: ADD/ADHD, addictions. anger, anxiety, autism, chronic fatigue, chronic pain, closed head injuries, concentration, depression, headaches and migraines, learning disorders, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), pain management, reading skills, seizure disorders, sleep disorders and stroke recovery. Biofeedback has also proven effective when used for Peak Performance Training, such as developing memory skills, focusing abilities, and increasing concentration.
  • What childhood conditions is Biofeedback successful in treating?
    Biofeedback has been used to treat seizures and subclinical seizure activity, problems of attention and learning, bipolar disorder, autistic spectrum, and other conditions.
  • Why does Biofeedback work?
    The brain is amazingly adaptable. It is capable of making adjustments to improve its own performance if given cues about what to change. When the brain is regulating itself well and is alert and attentive, brainwaves (EEG) show particular patterns. We challenge the brain to maintain this “high-performance” alert and active state. Gradually, after 20 or more training sessions, the brain learns to stay at this high-performance state for longer periods of time and to retain these new skills.
  • Do the effects of Biofeedback training really last?
    If the problem being addressed is one of brain dysregulation, then the answer is yes, and that covers a lot of ground. Biofeedback involves learning by the brain and if that brings order out of disorder, the brain will continue to use its new capabilities, and thus reinforce them.
  • How is Biofeedback training done?
    At a training session, sensors are placed on your body. The sensors pick up information on your brain’s and body activity at very specific locations. (No electricity enters your brain. The sensors merely read information from the brain and body and relay it to the Practitioner’s computer.) You then sit back in a comfortable chair as you watch a computer monitor that displays a computer game, a movie, a bar graph, music, sounds or simply colors that change as your brainwaves change. The Practitioner monitors your brainwaves and sets training parameters which are based upon information obtained during your comprehensive intake process. This process gives your brain instantaneous feedback about its performance during the training session. On a subconscious level it begins to “work out” and It begins to produce more of the helpful type of brainwave patterns and less of those that are correlated with the symptoms you wish to address. With practice, your brain learns new patterns. Desirable neuronal pathways are strengthened and new pathways are created.
  • How long do sessions last?
    Each session takes between 45 and 60 minutes. The actual training period lasts a maximum of 30 minutes. Additional time is needed beforehand for sensor placement and adjustment. We also speak with our clients briefly before and after each training session to monitor how things are progressing. We reserve 60 minutes for each client to ensure that no one is rushed and that there will be time to discuss the results you are experiencing.
  • How many sessions will I need?
    Results from Biofeedback training are seen gradually, over time. Initial progress can be seen within 10 sessions for most conditions. A typical treatment program consists of between 15 and 30 sessions, depending upon the conditions being addressed, with the average being 15 sessions. Current understanding among Biofeedback providers is that it takes a minimum of 20 sessions for learning to be consolidated so the client can maintain the gains that have been made. Sometimes a client will complete 20 sessions, take a year off, and then return to complete training.
  • How frequent should the training session be?
    When starting neurofeedback training, sessions should be regular and frequent at two or three (or more) sessions per week. As learning begins to consolidate, the pace can be reduced.
  • What happens if Biofeedback clients are taking medication?
    With successful Neurofeedback / EEG Biofeedback training, the medications targeting brain function may very well no longer be needed, or they may be needed at lower dosages, as the brain takes over more of the role of regulating itself.
  • What is the research on Biofeedback?
    Research continues to show that biofeedback therapy training, results in patients learning to control their own brain activity, while effectively “retraining” their own brain waves toward healthier patterns. Since its inception in the 1960s biofeedback has been rigorously studied. A recent review of the term biofeedback on the National Institute of Health’s database ‘PubMed’ reported that Biofeedback has gained attention in recent years showing only 948 articles and peered-reviewed research published between 1990 and 1995, and 2,267 published since 2010 to present. For current researh articles and publication visit our research page here.
  • What is Neuroplasticity and how Biofeedback plays a role?
    Historically the brain was seen as hard wired with each area having its own function; when that area was injured the function was lost. Today the concept of neuroplasticity has replaced the hard wired model. Neuroplasticity refers to changes in neural pathways and synapses which are due to changes in behavior, environment and neural processes, as well as changes resulting from bodily injury. Neuroplasticity occurs on a variety of levels ranging from cellular changes due to learning to large-scale changes involved in cortical remapping in response to injury. The role of neuroplasticity is widely recognized in healthy development, learning, memory and recovery from brain damage, all from which Biofeedback can help.
  • How to prepare for a medical evaluation?
    Get a good night’s sleep (Try to get eight hours the night before your exam so your blood pressure is as low as possible.) Avoid salty or fatty foods. (Salty, fatty foods elevate your blood pressure and triglycerides. Avoid them for at least 24 hours before your exam, and two or three days would be even better.) Avoid exercise. (We’d never tell you not to exercise. But strenuous exercise before a medical exam can elevate your heart rate and drop your potassium levels.) Don’t drink coffee or any caffeinated products (Keep your blood pressure down and avoid caffeine for at least one hour before your exam.) Fast (Don’t eat for at least two hours before the exam to keep blood sugar and blood pressure from elevating. Twelve hours of fasting is preferred, so try to schedule your exam in the morning so you can fast overnight.) Drink water (To help produce a urine sample, drink water two hours before your exam.) Know your meds (Have a list of any medications (prescription and OTC) you’re taking for the examiner to record.)
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