Northshore magazine showcases the best that the North Shore of Boston, MA has to offer.
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58 | MARCH 2016 nshoremag.com Ed Soul wanted peace of mind. His father had died at age 51 of a heart attack, his whole family had high cholesterol, and his cholesterol was on the high side, too. Plus, a friend had recently passed away of cancer. Knowing the value of early detection, Soul asked his doctor for a full-body scan, and his doctor rec- ommended he visit Beverly–based Internal Vision. The scan, which took just 10 min- utes, revealed that Soul was in good health. "All my arteries were clean as a whistle," says the 62-year-old Soul, who lives in Hamilton and owns Beverly Athletic Club and Cambridge Athletic Club. "Peace of mind was huge afterwards." Early detection and peace of mind are exactly what Internal Vi- sion aims to provide its clients with its full-body scan offering. Using GE Healthcare's Optima CT660 Scan- ner, Internal Vision scans can detect things like lung disease, certain can- cers, gallbladder and kidney stones, blood vessel aneurysms, and degen- erative changes of the spine, among other conditions, often before clients are symptomatic. In addition, the scanner emits less radiation than traditional CT scanners. "We want to catch things early so they can be treated before they become fatal," says board-certified emergency physician and Internal Vision founding partner Steven Krendel, MD, FACEP, FAAEM. He says that since Internal Vision opened a little over a year ago, they've found lung cancer, kidney tumors, lympho- ma, kidney stones and gallstones, thyroid tumors, aneurysms, and high coronary artery calcium scores. Those who receive clean scans have not only peace of mind but also a health baseline to compare future scans or tests against. Krendel says patients can't gen- erally get a full-body scan at their doctor's office or hospital, making Internal Vision a good alternative for clients who either have a family history of certain conditions, are experiencing worrying symptoms, are smokers, have diabetes, or just aren't feeling quite "right." The scan itself is super quick. "We can do your head to your thighs in under 10 minutes," Kren- del says. After the scan, a radiologist reads it immediately, and Krendel reviews the results with the client in a private consultation room. The appointment usually lasts about an hour, and the office is furnished with comfortable chairs, TVs, free WiFi, and coffee. "We try and make it a quiet, pleasant environment," Krendel says. After the appointment, clients go home with a written report and a CD-ROM of their digital images. Because Internal Vision provides information, not medical care, it can send copies of the report to the client's primary care or specialist physician. Although Internal Vision clients don't need a physician referral for a scan, Krendel says their clients aren't healthy, asymptomatic 19-year-olds with no family histo- ries of disease; they won't radi- ate people just for the sake of it. "Usually there's some reason to be there," he says. For Soul, getting the scan made a lot of sense, and he says he hopes to repeat the scan every three years to stay on top of his health and make any needed lifestyle modifications to get better or stay well. "I think knowledge is power," he says. Internal Vision 900 Cummings Center, suite 118U Beverly 978-998-4155 internalvision.com CONTACT photograph by Elise Sinagra BY ALEXANDRA PECCI Internal Vision's body scan proves an effective way to keep tabs on your health. Scan Saver A full-body scan takes about 10 minutes to complete.