Healthcare TopicsOsteoporosis Diagnostic Center Just say Valdosta Family Medicine for Osteoporosis Prevention... Osteoporosis is not an inevitable part of aging. It is a devastating disease with enormous impact. Fortunately, it is highly preventable and treatable if diagnosed early. That's why the osteoporosis prevention and treatment team at VFM emphasizes early intervention. We do everything possible to help you avoid osteoporosis and the early stage "osteopenia" (low bone mass) from occurring. We start by giving you a state-of-the art bone density test on our DXA scanner. This is a simple, painless, noninvasive test that tells us exactly how much bone density you may have lost. In addition, VFM provides Vertebral Fracture Assessment (VFA). VFA is a new technology that permits imaging of the thoracic and lumbar spine to evaluate for the presence of vertebral fractures. The early detection of vertebral fractures can help us to help you in providing appropriate treatment to lower the risk of other fractures in the hip, wrist, or spine. The VFA images can be obtained at the same time as a bone density during a DXA scan with VFM's GE Lunar Prodigy AdvanceIM bone densitometer. DXA is a highly sophisticated, diagnostic tool, providing the most accurate and advanced technique now available. This is exactly the kind of healthcare you have always wanted for your family. Friendly, accessible doctors who really care about the families and children in the community and show it in everything they do. No matter what kind of health concern your child has, Valdosta Family Medicine is here to help. Your child is in excellent hands with board-certified family physicians, experienced nurse practitioners and physician's assistants. We're devoted to giving your children the most complete, compassionate, friendly and personalized healthcare in the area. And we're uniquely qualified to diagnose and treat your children for a broad spectrum of illnesses while providing continuous care throughout their lives. We address children's health issues such as:
The healthcare experts at VFM are all friendly, caring, compassionate and easy to talk to. Our family physicians have extensive training and experience with children's health issues. They work closely with other pediatric specialists across the state for those children who need specialty care. We always put your family first. In fact, no other medical facility offers as many valuable services and conveniences as VFM. We even have an Urgent Care Center for those sometimes unavoidable emergencies. What is Coumadin® and why do I need to monitor my dosage? Coumadin® is an anticoagulant which helps reduce clots from forming in the blood. Valdosta Family Medicine offers the most efficient and effective Coumadin® Clinic in the region. If your doctor wants you to take Coumadin® it is because your body may make clots that you don't need. These clots can cause serious medical problems by moving to another part of your body. For example, if a clot moves to your brain, it can cause a stroke. The use of Coumadin® must be monitored closely to ensure correct dosage and to minimize the risk of bleeding due to excessive blood thinning. Until recently, a patient needed to come into the physician's office, have his or her blood drawn and sent on to a lab to be analyzed. This process is cumbersome and necessitates having blood drawn from an arm vein; additionally, results can take up to 48 hours. The VFM Coumadin® Clinic provides a finger-stick method of blood analysis. You will visit with a nurse each time. Any adjustment to your medication dosage can be made immediately, in consultation with your physician, if necessary. The test eliminates the need for blood draws, and ensures that accurate results are available within two minutes. You can then go home, confident that your medication dosage is right for you. Immediate modification to your treatment enhances your quality of life. Valdosta Family Medicine for diabetes & obesity care. As a diabetic, you have special healthcare needs that go beyond blood glucose monitoring. You have special nutrition needs, along with weight control, wound care, foot care and insulin regulation. The board-certified doctors at VFM can help you achieve and maintain optimal diabetic health. Our convenient on-site lab makes it easy to have blood tests. Valdosta Family Medicine’s CLIA certified laboratory offers employers convenient and efficient drug screen collection and breath alcohol testing services. All of our collectors are DOT trained and certified. We also offer a rapid on site drug panel for personal and non-DOT use. About 1.5 million Americans suffer heart attacks each year, resulting in over 150,000 deaths. Surprisingly, half of those occur in people with normal cholesterol levels. Many heart attacks also occur in people without other traditional risk factors such as high blood pressure, smoking, obesity, diabetes or a family history. Risk factors for heart attacks include:
We have expertise and experience in heart attack prevention and rehabilitation. We always put patients first. In fact, no other group practice offers patients as many comprehensive health services and conveniences as VFM. By working together we can lower heart attack risk significantly. There's an excellent chance we can help you, too, if you are at risk. Call us and take advantage of advanced, experienced, complete and compassionate heart care. We welcome and encourage referrals. LABORATORY: Certified Phlebotomy Technicians draw your blood, and registered Medical Technologists run your lab tests using state-of-the-art analyzers in our laboratory. We perform a wide variety of testing in-house, thereby reducing your healthcare costs. If your physician orders tests we do not perform in our laboratory, we will send your blood or urine samples to Quest Diagnostics or Solstas.
• Chemistry tests (Electrolytes, glucose, lipid panel, liver & renal function tests, and thyroid tests) Are you feeling tired? Fatigue? Decreased libido? Having trouble losing weight? If you answered yes, then come in and have your testosterone checked. Valdosta Family Medicine offers a variety of services to address men's health concerns, from nutritional counseling and weight loss through fitness programs and sexual dysfunction. VFM is your one-stop shop to getting on track towards a healthier lifestyle or treatment of health concerns. Our physicians provide excellent care both in family practice and internal medicine for men. Our physicians, nurse practitioners and physician assistants use a team approach to deliver evaluation, treatment and education to address men's health issues such as:
About 25 million Americans suffer from osteoporosis. It's a bone-weakening disease that makes bones so brittle, they break easily. Fractures associated with osteoporosis can lead to pain, height loss, difficulty moving, spinal curvature and possibly permanent disability. That's why the osteoporosis prevention and treatment team at Valdosta Family Medicine emphasizes early intervention. We'll do everything possible to help you avoid osteoporosis and its early-stage cousin, osteopenia. We start by giving you our state-of-the-art bone density test on our new DXA scanner. This is a simple, painless, noninvasive test that tells us exactly how much bone density you may have lost. This test is an important indicator because there are no symptoms of osteoporosis. Prevention is important because osteoporosis is not curable and cannot be reversed. Prevention steps include:
Your DXA bone studies are performed by a certified densitometry technologist and interpreted by a board-certified physician and clinical densitometrist on staff. VFM also offers patients comprehensive value-added services and conveniences. Call us and take advantage of the most experienced, complete and compassionate osteoporosis care available. We also welcome and encourage referrals from patients and other physicians. Valdosta Family Medicine’s physicians are leaders in South Georgia. Our board certified physicians offer a large variety of specialized physicals. Same day appointments are often available just by calling 229-244-1400. Physicals offered include the following:
Drug and alcohol screening is available without an appointment Monday through Friday. As board-certified physicians, Valdosta Family Medicine provides comprehensive, affordable healthcare for women, men and children of all ages. The family physicians specialize in preventative care to add to your quality of life and to provide you with the most up-to-date methods of preventing disease and injury. Do you have respiratory or breathing issues with known or suspected pulmonary lung disease or dysfunction? Valdosta Family Medicine physicians work closely with local hospitals and other specialists in the treatment, management and care of patients with deficiencies and abnormalities associated with breathing. These functions are accomplished by therapeutic administration of oxygen, rehabilitation techniques, and maintenance of natural and artificial airways. Our physicians and clinical staff would be happy to help you in addressing any respiratory issues you may have. Valdosta Family Medicine employs the most sophisticated ultrasound and echocardiography services in the region. VFM's certified ultrasonographer and echocardiographer provide caring and professional services to all patients that need this diagnostic service that is safe, convenient, and less costly than the same services provided in most hospital facilities. Plus you can receive fast, reliable feedback and interpretation from physicians at VFM related to any diagnosis determined through this state-of-the-art technology. We provide vaccinations for teens, college students abd and adults. We employ a triage nurse who is readily available to provide these services. Valdosta Family Medicine offers comprehensive care for women in prevention, diagnosis and treatment of many health problems. Our physicians provide excellent care both in family practice and internal medicine for women. Our physicians, nurse practitioners and physician assistants use a team approach to deliver evaluation, treatment and education to address women's health issues such as:
Our physicians and nurse practitioners have vast training and experience with women’s health and wellness. We consider lifestyle, nutrition and emotional factors, and the roles they play in various health challenges. The health care experts at VFM -- from family physicians to nurse practitioners and physican assistants -- are all friendly, caring, compassionate and easy to talk to. We always put you and your family first. In fact, locally no other medical facility offers you as many value-added services and conveniences as VFM. Since 1989, we have helped tens of thousands of families overcome all kinds of health challenges. We can help you too. We also welcome and encourage referrals from our patients and other physicians. |
