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Dr. Deborah Josefson

Primary Care, Internal Medicine
Glen Allen, VA
30 years experience female

About

Specialties
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

Pathology

Travel Medicine

Urgent Care

Licenses

United States: Arizona, California, Colorado, District Of Columbia, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia

Languages spoken

English, Hebrew

Doctor Q&A

308 Answers
146 Agrees
The number of answers this doctor has agreed with.
A male asked:
Dr. Deborah Josefson
Internal Medicine 30 years experience
Liver and kidney: Overdose of acetaminophen can damage your liver and kidneys. Extrastregnth tylenol contains acetaminophen. If your ingestion was recent maybe you sho... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
A 18-year-old male asked:
Dr. Deborah Josefson
Internal Medicine 30 years experience
Go to a doctor : You need to be evaluated on person .This,mmay be nothing or something. You may need a biopsy to find out for sure.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
A 34-year-old female asked:
Dr. Deborah Josefson
Internal Medicine 30 years experience
There is hope & help: Anorexia nervosa is complex. The fact that you are seeking help and treatment means you will likely recover. It is extremely important that you have ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
A 32-year-old male asked:
Dr. Deborah Josefson
Internal Medicine 30 years experience
Get checked out: First,, stay hydrated. Drink lots of water and Gatorade or coca cola. You need to exclude an infectious diarrhea so go to a,doctor or clinic and have ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
A member asked:
Dr. Deborah Josefson
Internal Medicine 30 years experience
No reason not to go: Rabies vaccination should not stop your son from going to an amusement park. Did he get bit by a rabid animal? Generally the vaccinations are precaut... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
A 35-year-old female asked:
Dr. Deborah Josefson
Internal Medicine 30 years experience
SAME DRUG: BENADRYL (diphenhydramine) AND DRAMAMINE CONTAINE THE SAME ANTIHISTAMINE. IT IS IMPORTANT NOT TO TAKE TOO MUCH OF THE DRUG AS THEY ARE ANTICHOLINERGIC... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
A 27-year-old female asked:
Dr. Deborah Josefson
Internal Medicine 30 years experience
Lymphadenitis : Sounds like an inflamed lymph node. It can also be a sebaceous cyst or the beginning of huradenitis suppurvita. The fact that it us painful makes me l... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
A 20-year-old female asked:
Dr. Deborah Josefson
Internal Medicine 30 years experience
Lumbar stenosis: Could be sciatica from lumbar spinal stenosis or a herniated disc- an MRI can confirm this
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
A 76-year-old male asked:
Dr. Deborah Josefson
Internal Medicine 30 years experience
Spinal tap: CSF is cerebrospinal fluid which is obtained through a lumbar puncture or spinal tap. It would be sent for culture to check for bacterial vs. viral or... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
A 52-year-old male asked:
Dr. Deborah Josefson
Internal Medicine 30 years experience
Ulcers: H.pylori can cause gastritis and stomach ulcers so perhaps if you were symptomatic they want to decrease the acidity to promote wound healing and decr... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
A female asked:
Dr. Deborah Josefson
Internal Medicine 30 years experience
See a doctor: This is a good question and in part it may depend on the reason for your collapsed lung. Presumably you had a pneumothorax. Do you have bullous lung ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
A 27-year-old female asked:
Dr. Deborah Josefson
Internal Medicine 30 years experience
Should be safe: Tattoo removal if done in a sanitary manner should not affect your brain or spinal cord. I do not see what relationship it would have with lymphomas. ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
A female asked:
Dr. Deborah Josefson
Internal Medicine 30 years experience
Probably, but see MD: There may have been a reason for the antibiotic switch but both antibiotics are effective for many of the bacteria responsible for bronchitis/
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
A 29-year-old female asked:
Dr. Deborah Josefson
Internal Medicine 30 years experience
See a therapist/psyc: Sounds like social anxiety. You may benefit from talk therapy. In some cases, symptoms may respond to prophylactic Beta Blockers. Johnny Carson and ma... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
A 27-year-old female asked:
Dr. Deborah Josefson
Internal Medicine 30 years experience
HEMATOMA, ? INFECTED: YOU PROBABLY HAVE A HEMATOMA WHICH MAY HAVE GOTTEN INFECTED, GO TO THE DOCTOR FOR AN EXAM AND POSSIBLE ANTIBIOTICS.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
A female asked:
Dr. Deborah Josefson
Internal Medicine 30 years experience
Muscle strain: Coughing hard can produce musculoskeletal pain in the chest and diagpragm as well as possibly induce stretching pain in your lung lining.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
A 32-year-old female asked:
Dr. Deborah Josefson
Internal Medicine 30 years experience
See a doctor & biopsy: It would be difficult to know what this is without e Examining it and sampling for pathology via a biopsy. Important things to know are how long it’s ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
A 31-year-old female asked:
Dr. Deborah Josefson
Internal Medicine 30 years experience
R/o infection: if you are having discolored cervical mucus you shoud go to the doctor and make sure you dont have an infection or cervicitis, espedcially as you are ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
A 38-year-old male asked:
Dr. Deborah Josefson
Internal Medicine 30 years experience
I don't know the time course for your liver to decrease in size but cutting down on your alcohol would be a good idea since you already have hepatomeg... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
A 27-year-old male asked:
Dr. Deborah Josefson
Internal Medicine 30 years experience
All findings must be placed in the proper clinical context - you should discuss these findings with the doctor who ordered the test for you. What was ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
A 16-year-old male asked:
Dr. Deborah Josefson
Internal Medicine 30 years experience
Paint fumes have volatile organic oils and materials in them some of which are likely carcinogenic. It is not advisable to purposefully inhale such fu... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
A 74-year-old female asked:
Dr. Deborah Josefson
Internal Medicine 30 years experience
Hyperplasia means overgrowth or enlargement. Your adrenals elaborate different types of hormones and are responsive to signals in the endocrine sys... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
A 26-year-old female asked:
Dr. Deborah Josefson
Internal Medicine 30 years experience
You need to ask your doctor about this as the description itself is non specific and needs to be interpreted in concert with your symptoms. A densit... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
A female asked:
Dr. Deborah Josefson
Internal Medicine 30 years experience
Vascular disease: you may have peripheral cascular disease or pedal.edema. SEE a doctor in.prrson.to check it out.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
A 23-year-old male asked:
Dr. Deborah Josefson
Internal Medicine 30 years experience
Check for h. pylori,: You should see a doctor and get checked for a bacteria called H. Pylori. This baceteria can cause stomach ulcers = if you have it you will need to t... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
A 43-year-old female asked:
Dr. Deborah Josefson
Internal Medicine 30 years experience
Go to MD for ekg: I am not familiar with this particular instrument or with its accuracy.You should get a 12 lead EKG read out by a cardiologist for definitive diagnosi... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
A male asked:
Dr. Deborah Josefson
Internal Medicine 30 years experience
No: This is common with epidermal inclusion cysts. It may make them a bit harder but generally this a benign process. You should have the cysts removed an... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
A 18-year-old female asked:
Dr. Deborah Josefson
Internal Medicine 30 years experience
Stand stretch: Take frequent breaks by standing, strectching and walking and doing neck exercises.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
A 36-year-old member asked:
Dr. Deborah Josefson
Internal Medicine 30 years experience
To check for tumors: Polyps are tissue growths that stick up from the surface of the mucosa. There are different types of polyps. Some are benign and some may serve as pre... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
A 26-year-old female asked:
Dr. Deborah Josefson
Internal Medicine 30 years experience
R/o bartholin's cyst: this most likely is a Bartoholin's dcut cyst or a blocked sebaceous cyst. You should soak /wash it in arm water and make an appointment with your ob... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
A 18-year-old female asked:
Dr. Deborah Josefson
Internal Medicine 30 years experience
Underweight: Sounds like you're underweight. See a doctor for evaluation.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
A 29-year-old female asked:
Dr. Deborah Josefson
Internal Medicine 30 years experience
Muscle cramps: likely this is musculosketeltal strain
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
A 47-year-old member asked:
Dr. Deborah Josefson
Internal Medicine 30 years experience
CARTILAGE &BONE: CARTILAGE &BONE ARE DIFFERENT TISSUES. Articular cartilage occurs at the end of joints and is smooth surfaced and avascular. Cartilage is not bone... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
A 23-year-old female asked:
Dr. Deborah Josefson
Internal Medicine 30 years experience
Possibly allergic: It sounds a bit like your itchy breasts may be from eczema- the flakes in your bra represent dead skin that has flaked off. Maybe try a new laundry de... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
A 23-year-old male asked:
Dr. Deborah Josefson
Internal Medicine 30 years experience
Consider testing: Diarrhea can have a number of causes including infection and malabsorption. You might consider eliminating foods such as dairy and wheat from your die... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
A female asked:
Dr. Deborah Josefson
Internal Medicine 30 years experience
Rule out ulcer: You have taken too much aleve (naproxen) in a short time. This can irritate your stomach ( gastritis) and possibly cause a stomach ulcer. You can try ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
A 20-year-old female asked:
Dr. Deborah Josefson
Internal Medicine 30 years experience
Yes: The chance of pregnancy in a healthy fertile couple is 25% during each encounter in while in the fertile window. Sperm can survive up to 72 hours in ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
A 18-year-old female asked:
Dr. Deborah Josefson
Internal Medicine 30 years experience
Yes, it can: The tests measure a hormone, BhcG, The level increases exponentailly early as the pregnancy progresses, so if you think you might be pregnant, check ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
A 16-year-old female asked:
Dr. Deborah Josefson
Internal Medicine 30 years experience
See a doctor: You need to rule out Sjorgen's syndrome and other autoimmune disorders. It may just be an allergic condition as well. There are drops such as Restasis... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
A 46-year-old male asked:
Dr. Deborah Josefson
Internal Medicine 30 years experience
Probably muscular: Sounds like a pulled muscle or tendon type injury. Try stretching prior to working out. You can use nonsteroidals like aspirin or advil (ibuprofen) to... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
A 38-year-old female asked:
Dr. Deborah Josefson
Internal Medicine 30 years experience
See a doctor: there are many reasons you may be bleeding ranging from relatively harmless things such as benign polyps, to hematologic disorders to malignancies. Yo... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
A 71-year-old male asked:
Dr. Deborah Josefson
Internal Medicine 30 years experience
Possibly allergic: Sounds like a seasonal allergic response, or senstivity to an inhaled substance however given your age, it's best to get it checked out. Dry cough a... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
A 24-year-old female asked:
Dr. Deborah Josefson
Internal Medicine 30 years experience
Yes, not significant: Anxiety is known to cause changes in your period,, A two day change is probably not signficant.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
A 20-year-old female asked:
Dr. Deborah Josefson
Internal Medicine 30 years experience
POSSIBLY PUS: Go to the doc and get checked out for strep throat. Most sore throats are viral in origin but strep is a bacterial infection and may warrant antibioti... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
A 47-year-old female asked:
Dr. Deborah Josefson
Internal Medicine 30 years experience
Cramp: sounds like a nocturnal leg cramp These are very common. Often they are a result of electrolyte shifts and overworked muscles. I recommend drinking c... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
A 20-year-old male asked:
Dr. Deborah Josefson
Internal Medicine 30 years experience
Yes: If she is in her fertile window and not on contracepitves and the ejaculate contained sperm there is a chance that some will migrate up her cervix and... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
A member asked:
Dr. Deborah Josefson
Internal Medicine 30 years experience
Needs workup: Your father should see a doctor as soon as possible. It can be Anything from.a benign condition.to.a bladder or Kidney tumor to.a renal disease.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
A 32-year-old female asked:
Dr. Deborah Josefson
Internal Medicine 30 years experience
R/O SCIATICA.: SOUNDS LIKE SCIATICA . POSSIBLY YOU HAVE A HERNIATED DISC AS WELL, FOR PROPER DIAGNOSIS SEE YOUR DOCTOR - THEY CAN DO SOME SIMPLE TESTS AND ALSO ORDER... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
A 61-year-old female asked:
Dr. Deborah Josefson
Internal Medicine 30 years experience
Biopsy will tell: there are several causes of a thickened urterine lining: Hyperplasiis, polyps, horomonal ( estrogen excess) can also cause a thicker uterine liniing.... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
A 26-year-old female asked:
Dr. Deborah Josefson
Internal Medicine 30 years experience
Stay out of the sun: Sun exposure is the main cause of aging skin. If you stay out of the sunk or use hats and sun block, you will prevent most of the bad effects of ski... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.

Testimonials
Recommendations and Thank you notes are endorsements given from patients or other doctors.

12
Recommendations
240
Thank you notes
HealthTap member
Mar 16, 2016
thank you for responding you were a breathe of fresh air. I would love to have a referral if possible so I can get some help
HealthTap member
Mar 30, 2015
Dr. Josefson is an amazing doctor! #nationaldoctorsday2015 #virtualflower1
HealthTap member
Mar 31, 2015
Dr. Josefson is an amazing doctor! #nationaldoctorsday2015 #virtualflower1
HealthTap member
thanks but please help me understand what you mean! Gargle and speak, how is that done? Or do you mean just say alphabet/sentence all in one breath? Thanks again.
HealthTap member
This was very helpful. Thanks! Drinking water, the feeling off needing a wee has gone, still pain, I'm not signed up to doctors because recently moved, thanks
HealthTap member
This was very helpful. Thanks! Thank you Dr.Josefson for your kind professional advice i appreciate your details too from England UK

Education & Training

Medical/Graduate school

Tel Aviv University, Sackler School of Medicine, Israel
Graduated 1993MD

Awards

Top General Internist, Second Place, Virginia - Fall
2014
Top Doctor, Third Place, Richmond Region - Fall
2014
Most Influential Doctor, Second Place, Virginia - Fall
2014

Virtual Visit Ratings

4.5
270 ratings

20 top reviews

35-year-old female
Aug 5, 2022 Cedar Lake, IN
Very thoughtful and took my concerns seriously.
19-year-old female
Jun 5, 2022 Woodville, TX
24-year-old female
Mar 20, 2022 Fort Bragg, CA
Very good experience!!
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