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Multiple Sclerosis

A Mother’s Influence: Treating MS is Personal for Dr. Jameson Holloman

Jameson Holloman, MD, a BJC Medical Group neurologist at Missouri Baptist Medical Center, had a different challenge.
When he was in fourth grade, his mother, Karen, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS).
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Healthy Living

All in the Family

Cancer can feel like it comes out of nowhere, but sometimes the warning signs are in your DNA. About 10–20% of cancers run in families, passed down through inherited genetic mutations that increase the risk of developing certain cancers.
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Healthy Living

Let’s Talk: Conversations With Your Doctor That Can Protect Your Health

When it comes to protecting your health, one of the most powerful tools is conversation. Open, honest communication with your primary care provider (PCP) can lead to earlier diagnoses, faster treatment, and better long-term outcomes.

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Patient Story

Keeping a Close Eye, From Far Away: How Remote Aneurysm Surveillance Helped a Patient in Rolla, Missouri

When Berdie Kirby, 68, needed ongoing monitoring and specialized care for a life-threatening aortic condition, frequent trips from her home in Rolla, Missouri, to St. Louis, a journey of more than two hours, was sometimes challenging. But thanks to Missouri Baptist Medical Center’s Telemedicine Aortic Surveillance Clinic, Berdie was able to receive expert, ongoing care without long-distance travel.  

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Healthy Living

Healthy YOU: A Women’s Wellness Experience

Life’s busy. Putting others first comes natural to you. Taking care of yourself can get pushed to the backburner, especially during the busy holiday season.

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Diagnosis and Care

At Missouri Baptist Medical Center our Respiratory Care team can perform several tests for diagnosis including:

  • Pulmonary function test (with or without bronchodilators) – This four-part exam tests for asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and certain other conditions that affect breathing; vital capacity; total lung capacity; and lung diffusion. Depending on the results you may need further testing with a bronchodilator, a drug that widens the air passages of the lungs and eases breathing.
  • Methacholine Challenge or Bronchospasm Exam – Checks for asthma. The patient inhales medication and is then administered a spirometry test to determine how the lungs react.
  • Spirometry or flow volume loop – Is part of a full pulmonary function test or to periodically check how well the lungs are functioning during treatment for chronic lung conditions. It also measures how much air you can inhale and exhale and how fast you exhale.
  • Arterial Blood Gases – Part of a pulmonary function test or separate, blood is taken from an artery in your wrist to test oxygen levels.
  • Six Minute Walk – Measures oxygen levels while walking for six minutes to determine your need for supplemental oxygen.
  • Lung Diffusing Testing (DLCO) – Measures how well the lungs exchange gases.
  • Vital Capacity – As part of the full pulmonary function test, this determines the amount of air a patient can inhale and exhale.
  • Max Voluntary Ventilation (MVV) – Measures the maximum amount of air that can be inhaled and exhaled in one minute and your lung muscle strength.
  • Oximetry – Checks the level of oxygen in your blood without having to draw blood.