Dr. Joseph Ortiz
Internal Medicine
Grand Haven, MI
22 years experience male
Locations
Spectrum Health Medical Group
Grand Haven, MI
My office hours
Friday: 7:00am - 5:00pm
Show morePhone
Practice website
Insurances accepted
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan
Aetna
Other
Office
Grand Haven, MI
About
Bio
Enjoy balancing my life as an internal medicine specialist and that of a husband and father. Love to travel, spend time with family, playing tennis, basketball, tennis, and all kinds of exercising - including dancing, and zumba. Many medical conditions I deal with are of the chronic type - many of which are preventable, which is where I place much of the emphasis in my practice. If patients already have certain conditions - the focus is towards preventing complications and death. But at all times the goal is to bring all my patients back to primary care - managing risk factors and preventing disease conditions.
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.
Internal Medicine
Doctor Q&A
48 Answers
49 Agrees
The number of answers this doctor has agreed with.
A 30-year-old member asked:
Dr. Joseph Ortizanswered
Internal Medicine 22 years experience
Primary Care!: To do an initial evaluation i would recommend seeing a primary care family medicine doctor or internist. If you are having new headaches, numbness, t... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 44-year-old member asked:
Dr. Joseph Ortizanswered
Internal Medicine 22 years experience
Prevention: Best way to treat constipation is to prevent it by having a diet rich in fiber and making sure that you are drinking adequate amounts of fluids (water... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 48-year-old female asked:
Dr. Joseph Ortizanswered
Internal Medicine 22 years experience
No: Stress is not known to be a factor that can worsen hemochromatosis.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 24-year-old female asked:
Dr. Joseph Ortizanswered
Internal Medicine 22 years experience
Pregnant?: I would advise that you have a pregnancy test done - this can easily be accomplished by purchasing a pregnancy test kit at the pharmacy, or visiting w... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 19-year-old female asked:
Dr. Joseph Ortizanswered
Internal Medicine 22 years experience
Peptic ulcer: An inflamed stomach (gastritis) can lead to stomach rupture if it develops into a gastric ulcer that becomes perforated - a complication where by the ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 26-year-old female asked:
Dr. Joseph Ortizanswered
Internal Medicine 22 years experience
Several side effects: Sodium and fluid retention
sweating incr.
Headache
vertigo
insomnia
nervousness
mood swings
edema
muscle weakness
bp elevated
glucose intole... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 23-year-old male asked:
Dr. Joseph Ortizanswered
Internal Medicine 22 years experience
Maybe: If the edema (swelling) is around a small joint like the joints of the hand - then it may be effective, as the edema may be a sign of inflammation, an... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 30-year-old female asked:
Dr. Joseph Ortizanswered
Internal Medicine 22 years experience
Solution: Using over the counter vaginal yeast preparations such as monistat-7 or other similar products can help relieve the symptoms.
An easy solution to p... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 31-year-old female asked:
Dr. Joseph Ortizanswered
Internal Medicine 22 years experience
Consider sleep study: You may want to consider undergoing a sleep study to observe how you sleep and also to take measurements to see if you have obstructive sleep apnea = ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A male asked:
Dr. Joseph Ortizanswered
Internal Medicine 22 years experience
None: There are no b vitamins that are known to lower cholesterol.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 35-year-old member asked:
Dr. Joseph Ortizanswered
Internal Medicine 22 years experience
No: Pressing on the vagus nerve or doing a carotid massage usually induces a vagal response which by definition translates to a slowing of the heart rate,... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 49-year-old member asked:
Dr. Joseph Ortizanswered
Internal Medicine 22 years experience
Yes: The next two common areas to investigate would be loss of blood through the gastrointestinal tract or lack of iron entering the GI tract - either due ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 27-year-old male asked:
Dr. Joseph Ortizanswered
Internal Medicine 22 years experience
Non specific: Your symptoms are vague...There are several stds which can produce those symptoms. Best to be checked appropriately and treated correctly- see a phys... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 56-year-old female asked:
Dr. Joseph Ortizanswered
Internal Medicine 22 years experience
Non fasting sugar: If you are diabetic, any non fasting blood sugar less than 180 is preferred.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 40-year-old member asked:
Dr. Joseph Ortizanswered
Internal Medicine 22 years experience
Arthritis?: Stiffness to legs can be due to a problem with the joints (hips, knees, ankles) or the muscles (quadriceps, hamstrings, calves). If it is the joints ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 39-year-old member asked:
Dr. Joseph Ortizanswered
Internal Medicine 22 years experience
No redness: If you are not experiencing pain , redness or discharge from the feeding tube site . And if the tube feeds enter without signs of obstruction- it is l... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 50-year-old female asked:
Dr. Joseph Ortizanswered
Internal Medicine 22 years experience
Non specific: The differential diagnoses or possible answers are varied. Given your age and sex the possibilities include perimenopausally related, anemia, to meta... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 70-year-old female asked:
Dr. Joseph Ortizanswered
Internal Medicine 22 years experience
Yes: Yes...You should be able to take these together without any significant interaction.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 40-year-old male asked:
Dr. Joseph Ortizanswered
Internal Medicine 22 years experience
Pinched nerve?: You may have a pinched nerve in your wrist arm or neck. You may also have some hand arthritis however your age is a little too young for this. Shou... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 22-year-old male asked:
Dr. Joseph Ortizanswered
Internal Medicine 22 years experience
Yes: Whatever part of the body can sweat, seborrheic dermatitis can develop - however the eyebrows would be a more common area than the pubic area.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 40-year-old member asked:
Dr. Joseph Ortizanswered
Internal Medicine 22 years experience
Yes: If you know you already have plaque formation to your carotid vessels or peripheral arteries at your age of 42 yo - it would be wise to focus on the r... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 41-year-old female asked:
Dr. Joseph Ortizanswered
Internal Medicine 22 years experience
Retinal problem?: I would highly urge you to seek consultation with an ophthalmologist, as your symptoms of shadows and flashing lights could be suggestive of a problem... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 31-year-old male asked:
Dr. Joseph Ortizanswered
Internal Medicine 22 years experience
Yes: One of the main symptoms of urethritis for a man is penis pain....Particularly when urine is existing the bladder. Other associated symptoms include ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
1 comment
A 38-year-old member asked:
Dr. Joseph Ortizanswered
Internal Medicine 22 years experience
Comfortable: To me stable heart failure is a person with a weakened or stiff heart that is not acutely decompensated - which means to say that the person is not fl... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 33-year-old member asked:
Dr. Joseph Ortizanswered
Internal Medicine 22 years experience
Possibly: Lower back pain is a common symptom a woman may experience with her monthly periods. Hip pain is a little less likely.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 47-year-old member asked:
Dr. Joseph Ortizanswered
Internal Medicine 22 years experience
Lack of sunlight: Most commonly lack of uv light exposure to the skin during the seasons of the year where sunlight is less. Other reasons would be gastrointestinal co... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 52-year-old male asked:
Dr. Joseph Ortizanswered
Internal Medicine 22 years experience
Sciatica: Sounds like sciatica - a symptom of a pinched nerve in the lower lumbar back region. Usually resolves with time. Key is to keep moving as tolerated.... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 30-year-old member asked:
Dr. Joseph Ortizanswered
Internal Medicine 22 years experience
No magic bullet: Focus on solutions to improve two of the most common associated problems - poor sleep quality, and chronic lack of physical activity. Symptom score... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsReviewed >2 years agoMerged
A 40-year-old female asked:
Dr. Joseph Ortizanswered
Internal Medicine 22 years experience
Unlikely: Having a urinary tract infection will likely not affect the results of a liver biopsy - however any infection , including your uti, should first be tr... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 24-year-old female asked:
Dr. Joseph Ortizanswered
Internal Medicine 22 years experience
Vicks vapor rub: Try applying Vicks vapor rub twice daily to the affected nail for 6-12 months. You should see a clearer healthy appearing nail grow in over that time... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 36-year-old female asked:
Dr. Joseph Ortizanswered
Internal Medicine 22 years experience
Muscle stain: Sounds like a muscle stain. Try applying alternating cold and warm most compresses three times daily. Your choice of an over the counter antiinflamm... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 32-year-old member asked:
Dr. Joseph Ortizanswered
Internal Medicine 22 years experience
Depends: It all depends on what the overall health status is of the individual. Are there any internal organ problems to begin with? Does the individual have... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 34-year-old member asked:
Dr. Joseph Ortizanswered
Internal Medicine 22 years experience
Possibly nothing: If you already adhere to a healthy diet and exercise regimen - unfortunately there is little to nothing you can do non-pharmacologically to alter you... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 36-year-old male asked:
Dr. Joseph Ortizanswered
Internal Medicine 22 years experience
"If: "if you keep doing what you've always done you're gonna get what you've always gotten!".
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 21-year-old female asked:
Dr. Joseph Ortizanswered
Internal Medicine 22 years experience
Probably: Most people who have to take thyroid supplementation have to continue taking their medication indefinitely. There are only few exceptions.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 49-year-old female asked:
Dr. Joseph Ortizanswered
Internal Medicine 22 years experience
Urine flow blocked: A condition which arises when the outflow of urine is blocked thereby leading to loss of kidney function. Relieving the obstruction can reverse the k... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 53-year-old female asked:
Dr. Joseph Ortizanswered
Internal Medicine 22 years experience
Yes: Sounds like at the very least the doctor thought you had an infection....Strep being a specific type of infection, commonly affects the respiratory tr... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 42-year-old member asked:
Dr. Joseph Ortizanswered
Internal Medicine 22 years experience
URGENT: I recommend you seek immediate physician consultation - you are high risk of having a stroke and other severe complications with a blood pressure that... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 31-year-old member asked:
Dr. Joseph Ortizanswered
Internal Medicine 22 years experience
Not necessarily: A tsh-receptor antibody would be the more appropriate blood test to test for graves disease.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 17-year-old male asked:
Dr. Joseph Ortizanswered
Internal Medicine 22 years experience
All natural: Exercise. Avoid obesity. Eat healthy. Avoid illicit drugs, excessive alcohol, and tobacco.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 21-year-old male asked:
Dr. Joseph Ortizanswered
Internal Medicine 22 years experience
More testing: You may need to consider that the antibiotics you are taking is possibly causing an unwanted side effect. If this doesn't help - further testing may ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A member asked:
Dr. Joseph Ortizanswered
Internal Medicine 22 years experience
No: You suspect trichomoniasis because your partner had it too? It would be wise to see a physician as other sexually transmitted infections should also ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 36-year-old male asked:
Dr. Joseph Ortizanswered
Internal Medicine 22 years experience
If: If you smoke: quit smoking to improve back pain and lessen disability.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 34-year-old female asked:
Dr. Joseph Ortizanswered
Internal Medicine 22 years experience
It's possible: If you had shingles in the same area where you are experiencing rib pain - it is possible that you have a case of post-herpetic neuralgia, a type of n... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 36-year-old male asked:
Dr. Joseph Ortizanswered
Internal Medicine 22 years experience
Those: Those who quit smoking report more improvement in back pain than those who continue to smoke.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 34-year-old member asked:
Dr. Joseph Ortizanswered
Internal Medicine 22 years experience
See your doctor: If your symptoms are reproducible when using a treadmill - your heart needs to go through further testing - see your doctor. If the pain is very se... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 57-year-old male asked:
Dr. Joseph Ortizanswered
Internal Medicine 22 years experience
Work up needed: At the very least it may suggest that you have been exposed to tuberculosis. You should visit with your doctor to have questions asked about whether ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 43-year-old female asked:
Dr. Joseph Ortizanswered
Internal Medicine 22 years experience
Naturally: 40 min weekly of direct sunshine to the face, upper extremities and lower extremities should be enough to give you the lowest amount of healthy, natur... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.2k viewsReviewed >2 years agoMerged
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.
4
Recommendations
84
Thank you notes
Apr 7, 2013
I would like to welcome Dr. Ortiz to Health Tap. He is providing an excellent service to the public. His responses are clear and accurate. He is clearly knowledgable about Internal Medicine. I recomm...Read More
Oct 29, 2013
HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS REFRESHINGLY THOROUGH AND PERCEPTIVE DOCTOR. IMPRESSIVE BREADTH OF KNOWLEDGE.
HealthTap member
Mar 30, 2015
Dr. Ortiz is an amazing doctor! #nationaldoctorsday2015 #virtualflower1
HealthTap member
Thanks for your quick reply! I do take vitamin d plus other supplements..I have a physical job as well..I have just been going through a slump here in the last week..
HealthTap member
Thank you, your answer or tip was very helpful! I appreciate your help. I'm very discouraged and checking this answer off will help
HealthTap member
Thank you Dr.! Mum had a lap surgery spent two nights in the hospital & I guess thats how it started its been a while so got worried
Education & Training
Medical/Graduate school
Emilio Aguinaldo College of Medicine AKA De La Salle University College of Medicine, Philippines
Graduated 2001MD
Residency
spectrum HEALTH - BUTTERWORTH CAMPUS
Awards
Top Doctor, Second Place, Muskegon, MI - Winter
2013
Most Influential, Third Place, Muskegon, MI - Winter
2013
Thought Leader, Second Place, Muskegon, MI - Winter
2013
Affiliations
American College of Physicians
Publications
Antibiotic Therapy of An Enterococcal Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt Infection
Chemoprophylaxis for household contacts of index cases of invasive non-type b Haemophilus influenzae disease
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