Dr. Thomas Stern
Pulmonary Critical Care
Huntersville, NC
26 years experience male
Locations
Advanced respiratory and SLeep Medicine, PLLC
Huntersville, NC
Phone
Practice website
About
Bio
Dr Stern has an undergraduate degree in computer science. After completing medical school he did residencies in internal medicine and pediatrics. He then completed fellowships in pulmonary, critical care, and sleep medicine. He also completed a masters in clinical research. He worked for the department of internal medicine at Carolinas Healthcare System for 5 years where he established the first ABMS accredited fellowship in the history of the department. He started Advanced Respiratory and Sleep Medicine, PLLC in January 2010 that focuses on high quality patient centered care. He is a founding partner of Advanced Medical Research, LLC which participates in clinical trials for a variety of pharmaceutical and medical device companies.
SpecialtiesDoctors may have more than one area of specialty interest. Board certification in a specialty area means the doctor has completed formal training and has practice experience in that specialty, and has passed the certification examination from the corresponding accredited medical specialty board.
Doctors may have more than one area of specialty interest. Board certification in a specialty area means the doctor has completed formal training and has practice experience in that specialty, and has passed the certification examination from the corresponding accredited medical specialty board.
Pulmonary Critical Care
Licenses
United States: North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina
Doctor Q&A
50 Answers
7 Agrees
The number of answers this doctor has agreed with.
A 21-year-old member asked:
Dr. Thomas Sternanswered
Pulmonary Critical Care 26 years experience
Asplenia: Yes - without a spleen you are more susceptible to infection with all encapsulated bacteria - of which capnocytophaga canimorsus is one.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.4k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 52-year-old member asked:
Dr. Thomas Sternanswered
Pulmonary Critical Care 26 years experience
Oxygen and COPD: I would be more concerned with other COPD symptoms you are having - such as shortness of breath, cough, etc. - rather than just oxygen level. We att... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6.1k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 24-year-old member asked:
Dr. Thomas Sternanswered
Pulmonary Critical Care 26 years experience
COPD and climate: I am not aware there is any one answer to the best climate for people with copd. Altitude decreases oxygen concentration and can cause shortness of b... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6.1k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 29-year-old member asked:
Dr. Thomas Sternanswered
Pulmonary Critical Care 26 years experience
Sleepiness: Sleepiness is a symptom. If you are spending enough time sleeping and in bed then you most likely have a sleep disorder such as sleep apnea. Discuss... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6.1k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 52-year-old member asked:
Dr. Thomas Sternanswered
Pulmonary Critical Care 26 years experience
Creatine and asthma: There is limited scientific evidence that creatine may make asthma worse. There is limited scientific evidence that suggests creatine might help athl... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6.1k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 25-year-old member asked:
Dr. Thomas Sternanswered
Pulmonary Critical Care 26 years experience
COPD treatments: There are two natural remedies that i can think of that improve COPD symptoms. The most important is smoking cessation. A second natural remedy that... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 54-year-old member asked:
Dr. Thomas Sternanswered
Pulmonary Critical Care 26 years experience
Interstitial lung dz: Interstitial lung disease is a loose description of the part of the lung that is affected by the disease. Asthma and COPD are airway diseases. Sarco... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 30-year-old member asked:
Dr. Thomas Sternanswered
Pulmonary Critical Care 26 years experience
COPD treatments: The treatments for COPD are based on your symptoms and lung function. Mild asymptomatic COPD does not require treatment. Symptomatic patients may be... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 30-year-old member asked:
Dr. Thomas Sternanswered
Pulmonary Critical Care 26 years experience
SIDS and apnea: Babies with apnea of prematurity are at a slightly increased incidence of sids but there is no link between obstructive sleep apnea and sids. The ris... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.9k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 32-year-old member asked:
Dr. Thomas Sternanswered
Pulmonary Critical Care 26 years experience
High altitude: It is difficult to predict what will happen to your sleep apnea at high altitudes. People without sleep apnea can develop cheyne stokes respirations ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.9k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 38-year-old member asked:
Dr. Thomas Sternanswered
Pulmonary Critical Care 26 years experience
Bird flu: The symptoms of the bird flu are essentially the same as the regular flu - fever, malaise, cough. The bird flu can progress to pneumonia, respiratory... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.9k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 45-year-old member asked:
Dr. Thomas Sternanswered
Pulmonary Critical Care 26 years experience
Sinusitis: Yes it is fine to use Nasonex (mometasone) with sudafed - they work by different mechanisms and are often used together, .
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.7k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 38-year-old member asked:
Dr. Thomas Sternanswered
Pulmonary Critical Care 26 years experience
Insomnia: The first step in treating insomnia is to follow good sleeping habits which are summarized here: http://www.Drstern.Info/files/ahygiene.Pdf.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.8k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 32-year-old female asked:
Dr. Thomas Sternanswered
Pulmonary Critical Care 26 years experience
Fatigued or sleepy: It is important to determine of you are fatigued or sleepy. Sleepiness is the likelihood you will fall asleep given the opportunity. You can be fatig... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 34-year-old member asked:
Dr. Thomas Sternanswered
Pulmonary Critical Care 26 years experience
Pulmonary embolus: A pulmonary embolus is when a blood clot from another part of the body travels through the veins and reaches the lungs. All the veins in the body emp... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.7k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 38-year-old member asked:
Dr. Thomas Sternanswered
Pulmonary Critical Care 26 years experience
Central apnea: Central apnea is from dysfunction of the systems that control your respiratory drive. It is seen in patients with cardiovascular disease like heart f... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.9k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 39-year-old member asked:
Dr. Thomas Sternanswered
Pulmonary Critical Care 26 years experience
Apnea treatment: There are 2 dental devices that I am familiar with - a mandibular advancing device and a tongue repositioning device. There are multiple manufacturer... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.8k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A member asked:
Dr. Thomas Sternanswered
Pulmonary Critical Care 26 years experience
Central sleep apnea: In order to treat central sleep apnea you have to determine the underlying cause and try to correct it. Narcotics and other sedating meds can cause c... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.8k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 41-year-old member asked:
Dr. Thomas Sternanswered
Pulmonary Critical Care 26 years experience
Respiratory failure: There are a couple causes of respiratory failure that can manifest differently. Respiratory failure from not getting enough oxygen usually causes peo... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 51-year-old male asked:
Dr. Thomas Sternanswered
Pulmonary Critical Care 26 years experience
Symbicort (budesonide and formoterol): I don't think those symptoms are related to symbicort (budesonide and formoterol) or prednisone eye drops.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
3.2k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 36-year-old member asked:
Dr. Thomas Sternanswered
Pulmonary Critical Care 26 years experience
Pulmonary embolus: The pain caused by a pulmonary embolus varies. A pulmonary embolus can cause sudden onset, severe, sharp chest pain or the pain can be non-existant. ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.7k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 21-year-old member asked:
Dr. Thomas Sternanswered
Pulmonary Critical Care 26 years experience
Fever in kids: Most children get several viral infections a year which result in high fevers. Luckily children with normal immune systems will take care of the infe... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.4k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 24-year-old member asked:
Dr. Thomas Sternanswered
Pulmonary Critical Care 26 years experience
No chane needed: Airplane cabins are pressurized so you should not need to change your oxygen settings. You will need to make arrangements so you can bring oxygen wit... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6.1k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 44-year-old member asked:
Dr. Thomas Sternanswered
Pulmonary Critical Care 26 years experience
Copd progression: Yes it is possible for COPD to progress even after you stop smoking. There are genetic diseases and exposures that can cause COPD independent of smok... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 29-year-old member asked:
Dr. Thomas Sternanswered
Pulmonary Critical Care 26 years experience
Chest pain: In order to stop the symptom you have to treat the underlying cause. The list of ailments that can cause chest pain with breathing is very long. In ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 30-year-old member asked:
Dr. Thomas Sternanswered
Pulmonary Critical Care 26 years experience
Dead space in lung: Dead space is a term used to describe an area of the lung where gas exchange cannot occur - it does not mean dead lung tissue. Everyone has dead spac... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.8k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 37-year-old member asked:
Dr. Thomas Sternanswered
Pulmonary Critical Care 26 years experience
Peds sleep apnea: The types of sleep apnea in children are the same as those in adults. Obstructive apnea occurs when the airway closes off usually form large tonsils a... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.9k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 34-year-old member asked:
Dr. Thomas Sternanswered
Pulmonary Critical Care 26 years experience
Copd: A chronic pulmonary disorder is a disease that affects the lungs for a long time. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is the lung disorder people g... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.7k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 30-year-old member asked:
Dr. Thomas Sternanswered
Pulmonary Critical Care 26 years experience
Insomnia: The first step to address insomnia is to optimize sleep hygiene. Good sleep hygiene is summarized here : http://www.Drstern.Info/files/ahygiene.Pdf.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.8k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 32-year-old female asked:
Dr. Thomas Sternanswered
Pulmonary Critical Care 26 years experience
Hypersomnia: Physicians trained in neurology, psychiatry, and sleep medicine frequently prescribe wake promoting medicines. Some primary care physicians are comfor... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.9k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 36-year-old member asked:
Dr. Thomas Sternanswered
Pulmonary Critical Care 26 years experience
Asthma or copd: Spirometry is a way to measure how the airways of the lungs are working. It is the measure we sue to make the diagnosis of asthma and copd. It is al... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.7k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 47-year-old member asked:
Dr. Thomas Sternanswered
Pulmonary Critical Care 26 years experience
Heart failure: The major symptoms of dialted cardiomyopathy can include shortness of breath with exertion, shortness of breath layng down, swelling of the lower ext... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.8k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 46-year-old member asked:
Dr. Thomas Sternanswered
Pulmonary Critical Care 26 years experience
Sleep apnea tretment: I am not aware that there are any beds that improve sleep apnea. Positional therapy - sleeping on your side or sitting up - may improve sleep apnea i... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.9k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 33-year-old member asked:
Dr. Thomas Sternanswered
Pulmonary Critical Care 26 years experience
ILD research: Interstitial lung disease is a general term for a group of disorders that affect the area of the lung that supports our alveoli - or air sacks. There... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.8k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 41-year-old member asked:
Dr. Thomas Sternanswered
Pulmonary Critical Care 26 years experience
Pulmonary embolism: Bones themselves do not cause a thrombus or embolus. When doctors treat bones with casts or surgery it slows the blood flow in the veins around those... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.7k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 22-year-old member asked:
Dr. Thomas Sternanswered
Pulmonary Critical Care 26 years experience
Crying it out: Children who cry themselves to sleep will frequently have sigh breaths even after they are asleep. There is no right way or wrong way to teach a chil... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.9k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 48-year-old member asked:
Dr. Thomas Sternanswered
Pulmonary Critical Care 26 years experience
Shortness of breath: I would start with your primary care physician. Typically shortness of breath is due to a heart condition or a lung condition. They can determine if... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.7k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 43-year-old member asked:
Dr. Thomas Sternanswered
Pulmonary Critical Care 26 years experience
Apnea + fatigue: People with sleep apnea can be chronically fatigued, but not everyone with chronic fatigue has sleep apnea. Fatigue is a feeling of mental of physica... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 31-year-old female asked:
Dr. Thomas Sternanswered
Pulmonary Critical Care 26 years experience
Night terrors: The episodes at night sound like sleep terrors which are common in children. He is asleep when this is happening so there is nothing to worry about a... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.8k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 18-year-old female asked:
Dr. Thomas Sternanswered
Pulmonary Critical Care 26 years experience
Excessive sleepiness: Your level of sleepiness is abnormal and likely represents a sleep disorder. I would schedule an appointment with your primary care physician right a... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.9k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 41-year-old member asked:
Dr. Thomas Sternanswered
Pulmonary Critical Care 26 years experience
ILD progression: Interstitial lung disease refers to a group of disorders that affect the area of the lung that supports the alveoli. In order to give a prognosis for... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.8k viewsReviewed >2 years agoMerged
A 33-year-old member asked:
Dr. Thomas Sternanswered
Pulmonary Critical Care 26 years experience
Sleep apnea diagnose: The only way to tell if you have sleep apnea is to be tested. Testing can be done both at home and in a sleep lab.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 34-year-old member asked:
Dr. Thomas Sternanswered
Pulmonary Critical Care 26 years experience
COPD treatment: The most important thing you can do for COPD is to stop smoking. Other treatments include inhaled medicines such as albuterol, ipratopium, tiotropium... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.9k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 31-year-old member asked:
Dr. Thomas Sternanswered
Pulmonary Critical Care 26 years experience
Insomnia: The best treatment for insomnia is to identify the underlying cause and address it. The most common cause of difficulty falling asleep is stress or b... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.9k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 37-year-old member asked:
Dr. Thomas Sternanswered
Pulmonary Critical Care 26 years experience
ADHD and sleep apnea: The diagnosis of adhd is based on observed symptoms outlined in the dsm 4 (see http://www.Cdc.Gov/ncbddd/adhd/diagnosis.Html). One exclusion criteria... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 42-year-old member asked:
Dr. Thomas Sternanswered
Pulmonary Critical Care 26 years experience
Apnea risk: The biggest risk for sleep apnea is either being a man or post menopausal female. Other risk factors include obesity, age greater than 50, a neck siz... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.8k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 54-year-old female asked:
Dr. Thomas Sternanswered
Pulmonary Critical Care 26 years experience
COPD treatments: While the underlying damage caused by cigarettes cannot be reversed, COPD symptoms can be greatly improved with current treatments.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.4k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 34-year-old member asked:
Dr. Thomas Sternanswered
Pulmonary Critical Care 26 years experience
Peds sleep: All children wake up briefly several times an hour. Most go back to sleep immediately. Why is your child becoming fully awake? Ways to promote sleep... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.9k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 44-year-old member asked:
Dr. Thomas Sternanswered
Pulmonary Critical Care 26 years experience
DVT and PE: A thrombus is a blood clot that is attached to a vein and does not move. An embolus is a blood clot that has broken free and moves through the veins ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.7k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 50-year-old female asked:
Dr. Thomas Sternanswered
Pulmonary Critical Care 26 years experience
Pulmonary fibrosis: Pulmonary fibrosis is a pattern seen on ct scanning of the lung. There are several things that can cause fibrosis such as smoking, exposure to asbest... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.4k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
TestimonialsRecommendations and Thank you notes are endorsements given from patients or other doctors.
Recommendations and Thank you notes are endorsements given from patients or other doctors.
2
Recommendations
195
Thank you notes
HealthTap member
Mar 30, 2015
Dr. Stern is an amazing doctor! #nationaldoctorsday2015 #virtualflower1
HealthTap member
Mar 31, 2015
Dr. Stern is an amazing doctor! #nationaldoctorsday2015 #virtualflower1
HealthTap member
Didn't have room to say that I'm using my CPAP nightly, and having very low apnea readings now. I almost fell asleep on the escalator and I kept dozing off on the trolley this morning. Yet, I don't th...Read More
HealthTap member
Thank you! I've sent a letter to my sleep specialist, insistent on further investigation of my fatigue. My mother's health has worsened and relocation to a place where I may have to start driving has ...Read More
HealthTap member
Thank you, your answer was very helpful! I have severe sleep apnea 2. i will realize I'm not breathing too
Education & Training
Medical/Graduate school
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences/UAMS College of Medicine, AR
Graduated 1997MD
Awards
Founding Rx Editor, First Place, National - Winter
2015
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