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What Kind Of Doctor Do You See For Allergy Testing?

If you notice the signs of an allergic reaction, you should consider visiting a board-certified allergist for help identifying the allergen or substance that is triggering a specific allergic response. These specialists are highly trained and experienced in allergic testing, and can develop a personalized allergy treatment plan that includes allergy shots or immunotherapy, medications, and/or allergen avoidance to manage the symptoms.

Skin Tests

Allergy skin tests are fast, reliable, and cost-effective compared to blood tests, and can be used to diagnose a wide range of allergic conditions, including:

  • Food allergies
  • Dermatitis (eczema)
  • Allergic asthma
  • Bee venom allergy
  • Penicillin allergy
  • Hay fever (allergic rhinitis)
  • Latex allergy

The three common types of skin tests are:

  • Skin prick test – results are available the same day
  • Intradermal test – results are available the same day
  • Skin patch test  – results take several days

In general, skin tests can be safely used with people of all ages, from infants to seniors, except in a few cases, like when:

  • You had a previous severe or life-threatening allergic reaction to that substance
  • You’re taking medications, such as antihistamines and antidepressants that may affect the test results
  • You’re suffering from specific skin conditions that affect large areas of the skin, like severe eczema, dermatographism, or psoriasis, which limit the amount of clear, uninvolved skin to perform an effective test.

Blood tests

If you’re not a good candidate for skin tests, your specialist may recommend in vitro immunoglobulin E antibody tests. These tests check for the level of antibodies in your blood to determine how much it’s trying to fight certain allergens.

Treatment

If the test is positive, it means that you’re allergic to that substance, with bigger wheels indicating greater sensitivity. Your specialist will then develop a custom treatment plan based on the results. It may include dietary changes, adjustments to your home or work environment, medications, or immunotherapy.

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Which Is The Best Treatment For Diabetes?

Treatment For Diabetes

If you’re diagnosed with diabetes, it means that your body is unable to produce or use insulin. The hormone insulin is secreted by the pancreas and facilitates the transfer of sugar or glucose into the cells. Diabetes is a chronic metabolic disorder where your body fails to respond to the insulin it produces or fails to produce enough insulin, denying your body of its main source of energy.

Since glucose cannot transfer to the cells, it begins to build up in the blood, increasing your blood sugar level. This can lead to serious health problems, including the increased risk of stroke, heart attack, and limb amputation. Fortunately, diabetes can be successfully managed through medication, diet, and lifestyle modifications.

Depending on your case, your doctor can provide one of three treatment options, namely:

Oral treatments

Type 2 diabetes, which is the most common type of diabetes, can be successfully managed with a prescription to modulate your glucose levels in different ways. The pills can stimulate the pancreas to produce more insulin, slow down glucose absorption from the digestive system, reduce glucose production from the liver, or lower glucose production in the liver.

Insulins

People with type 1 diabetes often need to inject themselves frequently with insulin to manage their glucose levels. Insulins are quite easy to administer using injection pens with pre-measured doses and high-pressure jet injection devices that shoot the insulin under your skin.

Injectable non-insulin medications

There are other injectables besides insulin that can be used in diabetes treatment, such as: GLP-1 receptor agonists, which stimulate insulin secretion and lower glucagon production, and Symlin, which slows gastric emptying to reduce your appetite and suppress glucagon production.

Final note

Diabetes is a chronic condition, meaning that you will have to constantly monitor your blood glucose levels and actively strive at living a healthy lifestyle. Please visit your physician for professional help staying in control of your condition and to prevent any complications.

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What to expect from an internist?

insternist

An internist is a doctor specializing in internal medicine – a discipline dedicated to the treatment of adults. Internists spend almost half of their seven years of medical training learning to diagnose, treat and prevent diseases that affect adults.

What to expect from an internist?

A typical visit to the office of an internal medicine doctor is not different from one to a general physician’s.

If you’re going for a general internal medicine (GIM) evaluation, it may take four to seven days for the procedure to be completed. For this reason, it is wise that you find an internist that can adjust their program to fit in your schedule. Here’s what an evaluation process entails:

  • Review of your medical information

     This is important to determine whether or not you need lab sessions prior to the main evaluation.

  • Initial appointment  The internist will conduct a full evaluation and may refer you to a specialist for more tests and evaluation.

  • Return appointment

    This will only be necessary if you have been referred to a specialist. It allows your internist to review your new test results.

 

Seeing an internist helps ensure you’re diagnosed and treated by someone who has the right experience and has possibly handled a case similar to yours before. Call (818) 986-7399 to schedule an appointment to meet one of the best internists in Encino.

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What do addiction doctors treat?

addiction doctor in sherman oaks

The life-changing cycle of addiction is difficult to end but it is doable. Talking to an addiction doctor is a big step towards defeating the problem and starting a new life. A professional addiction doctor, with the help of modern equipment, can help you know your problem and understand it the many facets that define it.

What do addiction doctors treat?

You may plausibly be wondering if an addiction doctor really has the ability to end your specific kind and degree of addiction.

Most specialists are trained in the treatment of common alcohol, drug, and behavioral addiction, though special treatment plans can be prepared for special kinds of addiction.

Treatments can be as little as a month and as long as three months or even more, though extended custom prepared care options may be made available if there is a need for it.

Drug and Alcohol Detoxes

Detox is both difficult and damaging to your physical and mental health if attempted alone. There are many unforeseeable consequences that abrupt and uncontrolled withdrawal can bring an individual. Some addiction doctors have detox clinics and even partnerships hospitals to help make your transition back to a healthy lifestyle as quick and smooth as possible. Unsurprisingly, medically-supervised detox programs have been shown to be way more successful than do-it-yourself attempts.

Questions to ask your addiction doctor

  • How can I overcome my addiction problem
  • What withdrawal symptoms am I likely to experience
  • Will I finally regain my health
  • Will I receive outpatient or inpatient treatment
  • What are the treatment alternatives available to me
  • What can I do or avoid to speed up the recovery process

If you are looking for an addiction specialist for your loved one or yourself, consider our addiction doctor in Sherman Oaks. Call us today to inquire about our services and schedule a consultation appointment.

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Which Doctor is authorized to do immigration exam?

immigration exam

Anyone looking to become a permanent United States citizen is supposed to undergo a medical exam to ensure they are not a threat to the people of the United States. The medical exam, which is way smaller than an annual physical, is made up of predetermined tests and can only be performed by an authorized immigration doctor.

Who is an authorized doctor?

The immigration department only accepts assessments received from authorized doctors. The exam will not be the same if it is done by your family practitioner. Also, the doctor doesn’t decide your fate personally. They will focus on the conditions requested, perform tests and make a summary from which the immigration department will infer conclusions.

Preparing for the exams

You will start by finding a doctor from the State Department’s medical exam information page. Our immigration doctor in Encino can help take you through the exam and make you identify aspects of the procedure that you may not understand.

The tests are usually the same regardless of who performs the exam. Always remember to be honest with your doctor to avoid complicating your visa application. You, however, don’t need to add any information outside of what is required by the immigration officials.

Have the following at the ready during the appointment:

  • Vaccination records
  • Medical history records
  • Identification documents
  • Chest x-rays, if any
  • Samples of medications you’re taking or have been taking recently

During the exam

You will be taken through a series of tests that include a basic checkup, blood test, skin test and urine test for TB, gonorrhea and syphilis. If you’re found to not have had some mandatory vaccines, the immigration doctor will administer them to you.

After the exam

At the end of the exam, your doctor will give you the assessment form sealed in an envelope. The envelope must be received unopened by the UCSIS officials. If you need a copy, request your doctor to make one before sealing the envelope.

Call us today to schedule an appointment or visit our office in Encino for an instant immigration medical exam.

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4 Commons Questions About Allergy Doctor

allergy doctor

75 million Americans are suffering from some type of allergy, according to the CDC. That is nothing to sneeze at, considering how badly some allergies are capable of lowering one’s quality of life.

Before acquiring any medication over-the-counter to control your allergy, here are a few things you may need to know and/or do about your problem.

 

  1. Who is an allergy doctor?

 

An allergy doctor is a professional who specializes in the handling of allergies such as hay fever and asthma. Allergy doctors or allergists are specially trained to look for triggers to individual allergies, prescribe medication, if necessary, and offer advice on lifestyle change to manage one’s allergy.

    2. Before First Appointment: Medications to stop taking

Leading up to the visit, let your doctor in on any medication you’re taking or have taken recently to avoid altering your diagnosis. Antihistamines are an example of drugs that can interfere with the allergy tests.

   3. What does your allergy doctor want to know?

The first appointment with an allergy doctor is about introducing them to your problem, hence you should come armed with as much information as possible.

Mostly, keep a diary of your meals a few days leading up to the visit, and record all significant reactions that follow. This is the information your allergy doctor uses in developing an assessment of your allergy. The more information you give, the more accurate your diagnosis is bound to be.

    4. What questions should you ask your allergy doctor?

Have the following questions on the ready for the day of the appointment:

  • How do I avoid triggers to my allergy?
  • Are my symptoms serious?
  • What needs to be monitored after the appointment?
  • Is the problem going to get better or worse over time?
  • What should I consider as an emergency?

Get Tested Today

Don’t hesitate to see an allergist if you suspect you have an allergy. Call (818)-986-7399 today to speak with an allergy doctor in Encino and schedule a diagnosis appointment.

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8 Possible Causes of high blood pressure

high blood pressure in sherman oaks

Hypertension is a common health threat in the United States. It affects a whopping 75 million people in the country, with a great deal of the sufferers not aware they have it.

High blood pressure has no obvious signs and is referred to as a silent killer for this reason. The only way most people come to know they have the condition is when it is extremely advanced and has started causing complications such as heart disease and kidney disease.

Symptoms of high blood pressure

High blood pressure hardly shows any obvious signs or symptoms. However, one or a combination of the following symptoms could be an implicit sign you have the condition:

  1. Incessant headaches
  2. Facial flushing
  3. Dizziness
  4. Nosebleeds
  5. Bloodspots in eyes

It is worthwhile to note that some of these signs cannot be directly associated with hypertension. If anything, most people with these signs do not have hypertension.

Causes of high blood pressure

Doctors may not always be able to tell you the cause of your high blood pressure. However, look out for the following factors as they may increase your risk for the condition:

  1. Alcoholism
  2. Too much use of tobacco
  3. Being overweight or obese
  4. Advanced age
  5. Being male below the age of 65 and female above it
  6. Being African American
  7. If your parent or a close relative has high blood pressure
  8. If you’re physically inactive

It is clear that you have little control over most of these risk factors, which makes hypertension in Sherman oaks a little difficult to prevent. However, you can ensure your condition remains manageable by getting diagnosed and receiving treatment while it is still in its early stages of development.

Start hypertension treatment today

Consider seeing a high blood pressure specialist for testing if you have any of the above risk factors or just want to know your status early. Call (818)-986-7399 today to schedule an appointment with a qualified Sherman Oaks high blood pressure specialist.

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How to prepare for an immigration medical exam?

medical immigration exam

A medical exam is one of the basics in the application for a USA permanent residency visa. Medical exams are carried out to ensure applicants are safe and do not pose a health risk to citizens of the US.

How to prepare for an immigration medical exam?

Firstly, you should note that all immigration exams are performed by doctors designated by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). It is an incomprehensive exam that typically doesn’t cover beyond what is required by the immigration authorities. Have the following documents on the ready before going for this exam:

 

  • A passport-style photo
  • Form I-693
  • Payment as indicated in the instruction packet or as required by your doctor’s office
  • Proof of vaccinations or immunizations

 

  • Copies of medical records as proof a chronic disease is under control or is being treated

What an immigration medical exam tests for

Medical conditions uncovered by an immigration medical exam are classified as either Class A or Class B. Class A conditions, which can render you inadmissible to the USA, include smallpox, polio, yellow fever, plague, diphtheria, influenza, viral hemorrhagic fevers, severe acute respiratory syndromes, cholera, gonorrhea, syphilis, tuberculosis and leprosy.

HIV was until 2010 a Class A condition but it is now categorized as class B. Waivers are sometimes issued for Class B conditions. You may also be given a visa if your class A condition has been cured.

During the medical exam

The doctor will examine your eyes, ears, skin, nose, heart, lungs, neck and throat, lymph nodes, abdomen and external genitalia. You will be required to be open and honest in everything your doctor asks to avoid compromising your visa in the future. Do not feel obligated to provide more information than is required.

Immigration medical exam in Tarzana

Complete your medical examination in Tarzana with the help of a qualified and licensed immigration doctor. Call us today at (818)-986-7399 to schedule an appointment.

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How to prepare for a typical internal medicine appointment

Irrespective of why exactly you want to see an internist, you need to have a rough idea of what the appointment entails so that you can prepare for it. These preparation tips will help you make the most of your upcoming appointment with your internist:

Tip #1 – Prepare a list of questions you would like the doctor to answer. This will make the appointment quick and easy as you will have all your important question in one place and in the right order.

Tip #2 – Have a copy of the list of all the medications you’re taking or have been taking recently. This is in fact a requisite in most internal medicine centers. Your internist has to know about your current medications before prescribing any other treatment to you.

Tip #4 – Find a family member you will want to accompany you to the appointment. Make sure they are someone with a good knowledge of your family history and someone you will be willing to answer private questions around.

Tip #5 – Know about your internist’s method of payment beforehand.

What to expect during the appointment

Before any tests or treatment, your doctor will listen to your expectations and objectives and answer your questions if any.

You will be asked about your family health history, previous conditions and the severity of their symptoms, your diet, health habits and so forth. Your internist will then perform tests on you based on your initial complaint and a rough assessment derived from your answers.

A diagnosis may be made during these tests.

Find an internist in Tarzana

If you’re looking for an internist around Tarzana, CA, call Dr. David Zarian at (818)-986-7399 today to schedule an appointment and have your problem treated.

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Four reasons why weight loss management is important

weigh loss management

Experts insist on the importance of consulting a health professional before committing to a weight loss program. Most people, however, choose to follow poorly conceived personal regimens that may not always work, or even impact their health negatively.

While at-home programs sometimes work perfectly, consulting a healthcare professional may help make your regimen more efficient and ensure you’re doing it in a healthy way. Here are four reasons why you should have your weight loss managed by a health professional.

  1. You’re not making headway

If you have been following a legitimate weight loss program but haven’t been making significant progress, a medical condition could be nullifying your effort.

Notorious culprits behind such circumstances include depression, thyroid conditions, and hormonal imbalances. These can only be unearthed by a qualified health professional.

  1. You want to lose weight by medication or surgery

For people who may find it difficult to adhere to heavy workout programs and voluntary dietary changes, medication and surgical removal of fats provide a shorter and surer way of achieving your desired body weight.

  1. You’re under medication

Paxil and prednisone are among a long list of medications that have been associated with weight gain. Your doctor will help tailor a program that harmonizes with your medication or prescribe an alternative medication.

  1. You have a separate medical condition

New meal plans and workout routines may affect some conditions negatively causing them to develop complications.

If you are diagnosed with any of such conditions, your doctor will help come up with a weight loss regimen that doesn’t impact on other aspects of your health.

Get a healthcare professional to manage your weight loss

Dr. David Zarian offers weight loss management in Encino for individuals who want to lose weight healthily under the supervision of a trained and qualified weight loss coach.

Call (818)-986-7399 today to discuss our services and make an appointment.

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