- Osteoporosis
- Medical Weight LossTriglyceride is fat in the blood which, if elevated, has been associated with heart disease, especially if over 500 mg. High triglycerides are also associated with pancreatitis. Triglyceride levels over 150 mg/dl may be associated with problems other than heart disease. Ways to lower triglycerides: 1) weight reduction, if overweight; 2) reduce animal fats in the diet: eat more fish; 3) take certain medications your physician can prescribe; 4) get regular aerobic exercise; 5) decrease alcohol and sugar consumption—alcohol and sugar are not fats, but the body can convert them into fats then dump those fats into your blood stream 6) restrict calories - carbohydrates are converted to triglycerides when eaten to excess.
- RheumatologyIn prior years, Dr. Lawrence Schaeffer (Neurology), Dr. Ed Dodson and Dr Stephen Usala (Endocrinology), Dr Janet Schwartzenberg (Rheumatology), Dr Milton Giron, Dr Georges Maliha (Kidney Diseases) and Dr Jesus Sahad (Pulmonary Medicine) have also been included on the Texas Monthly Super Doctors list, and Dr. Joanna Wilson (Primary Care Medicine) has been listed as a Texas Monthly Rising Star.
- Pediatric Care
- Primary CareWe are extremely excited to welcome Dr. Kaylee Shepherd to our AMS Adult Primary Care team. Her office is open and accepting appointments beginning January 3, 2023. New patients are welcome !
- High Cholesterol
- ElectrocardiogramServices in Office: Continuous Glucose Sensor, Insulin Pump training and management, high complexity comprehensive blood and urine analysis facility, X-Ray, Bone Densitometry, Nuclear Medicine, radioactive iodine treatment, ultrasound imaging, thyroid and parathyroid fine needle aspiration testing, EKG, Cardiac Stress Testing, Heart Echo, Vascular Testing, Pulmonary Testing, computer analysis of glucose meter results.
- Gynecology
- Pregnancy
- Internal MedicineDr. Neese is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, and Texas Tech School of Medicine, and was specialty trained in Internal Medicine at Texas Tech's Amarillo campus.
- Nephrology
- Kidney StonesBlood: Normally there is no blood in the urine. Blood can indicate an infection, kidney stones, trauma, or bleeding from a bladder or kidney tumor. The technician may indicate whether it is hemolyzed (dissolved blood) or non-hemolyzed (intact red blood cells). Rarely, muscle injury can cause myoglobin to appear in the urine which also causes the reagent pad to falsely indicate blood.
- Urinary Tract InfectionLeukocyte esterase: Normally negative. Leukocytes are the white blood cells (or pus cells). This looks for white blood cells by reacting with an enzyme in the white cells. White blood cells in the urine suggests a urinary tract infection.
- Neurology
- Psychiatry
- Diabetes CareThe AMS Clinical Research team is headed by Dr. Biggs. We do clinical research in new medications, educational methods, and devices to improve the health of our patient population. Our work has been published in JAMA, Clinical Diabetes, and Diabetes Care medical journals.
- EndocrinologyMember: American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (Charter Member), American College of Endocrinology (Fellow), American Diabetes Association Professional Section,, American Medical Association, Texas Medical Association, Potter-Randall County Medical Society, American Medical Informatics Association.
- HypothyroidismFree T4: (FT4) This test directly measures the free T4 in the blood rather than estimating it like the FTI. Because it is a more reliable test that the Total T4, many labs such as ours do the Free T4 routinely rather than the Total T4. High levels suggest hyperthyroidism, and low levels are found in hypothyroidism and chronic illness.
- ThyroidTotal T3: (TT3) This is usually not ordered as a screening test, but rather when thyroid disease is being evaluated. T3 is the more potent and shorter lived version of thyroid hormone. Some people with high thyroid levels secrete more T3 than T4. In these (overactive) hyperthyroid cases the T4 can be normal, the T3 high, and the TSH low. The Total T3 reports the total amount of T3 in the bloodstream, including T3 bound to carrier proteins plus freely circulating T3.
- Thyroid CancerAnti-Thyroglobulin Antibody also becomes elevated in some cases of autoimmune thyroiditis. It tends to be positive more frequently in Graves' Disease than Hashimotos. This test is also commonly used when following patients with thyroid cancer. In thyroid cancer patients, the Thyroglobulin test is used a marker for residual thyroid tissue. However if antibodies such as Antithyroglobulin Antibody are present, this makes the Thyroglobulin test uninterpretable.
- UltrasoundDr. Biggs has had additional training in reading thyroid ultrasound, and thyroid nodule fine needle aspiration, and has been credentialed by the American College of Endocrinology with the Endocrine Certification in Neck Ultrasound (ECNU). When necessary, fine needle aspirates are performed in our ultrasound suite which is usually more comfortable and lower cost than the hospital setting.
- X-Rays
- Nuclear Medicine
- AllergiesDr. Biggs was born and raised in Amarillo and understands the local landscape and local allergens. She attended medical school and completed her Internal Medicine residency at the University of Texas Medical Branch. She is board certified in Internal Medicine and completed her fellowship in Allergy and Immunology at Augusta University and the Medical College of Georgia. Medical College of Georgia is a nationally known and respected center for allergy treatment and research.