Seyeda Abedi, MD

Physicians in Internal Medicine provide comprehensive care for adults ages 18 and over. This includes preventive care, care for acute illnesses, and ongoing care for chronic conditions. Some physicians in Internal Medicine have a subspecialty such as infectious diseases or geriatrics.

Internal Medicine physicians, family medicine physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants may practice in the Internal Medicine department. Internal Medicine physicians specialize in treating adults 18 and over. Family medicine physicians are trained to provide care to people of all ages. Nurse practitioners are nurses with advanced education and licenses that allow them to diagnose and manage medical conditions within their specialty. Physician assistants are licensed to work under the supervision of a physician.

In addition to graduating from medical school, our Internal Medicine and family medicine physicians have completed a 3-year residency training program in internal or family medicine. If they decide to pursue further specialty training, then they complete an additional fellowship. After training is completed, an Internal Medicine or family medicine physician takes an exam in order to become "board certified." This distinguishes the physician as a true specialist in his or her field. Continued certification is achieved through periodic exams and specialized classes throughout the physician's career. All of our internal medicine and family medicine physicians are board certified or are in the process of achieving this designation.

You can browse through the professional and personal profiles of physicians in internal medicine on this Web site. Our Choose your Doctor page will allow you to find physicians in your area. You can also see whether a physician is fluent in your primary language. Talk to your friends or to another physician you see at Kaiser Permanente; they might recommend a physician in your area.

How often you come in for a visit is something you and your personal physician can discuss. Depending on your age and whether you have a chronic condition, you may need screening tests or immunizations. We feel it's very important to get all the preventive care you need.

You may reach us by calling our 24-hour Appointment and Advice line or by sending us a secure nonurgent message through your kp.org account. I will respond within 2 business days if I am not away from the office. Please e-mail nonurgent concerns only. For urgent concerns, call the 24-hour Appointment and Advice line.

For any genuine medical emergencies, you should call 911 or go to the nearest Emergency Department.

Usually, yes! However, you may not see your own doctor if you want a certain day and/or time for your appointment and your physician is not in the office at that time. You may also see a new doctor if you need an urgent or same-day appointment.

You can make or cancel routine appointments and view future appointments anytime at kp.org/appointments. (You must be registered to access these secure features on our Web site. To register, visit kp.org/register.) To schedule routine and urgent care appointments by phone, call our 24-hour Appointment and Advice line.

You don't need a referral for Health Education, work-related injury/Occupational Medicine, travel clinic, Ob/Gyn, Optometry, or Psychiatry. In addition, if you have seen another specialist within the last 13 months, you can contact them directly by phone or e-mail.

Yes. Most of your lab test results will be available for viewing online. Due to privacy concerns and regulations, some may not be. If you do not see the test results you are looking for online, you can call or send an e-mail message to your personal clinician.

Yes. You can send secure, confidential e-mail to your doctor at any time during the day, night, or on weekends. We are usually able to respond to your messages within 2 business days if not away from the office. Since we may not be in the office all the time, it's best to contact our Appointment and Advice line with any urgent concerns.

You can visit any of our main or satellite pharmacies to fill prescriptions. You can refill prescriptions online through the Prescriptions section on my Web site. To refill prescriptions using our mail-order service, fill out the preprinted order forms available at our pharmacies. By telephone, you can call the number on your prescription label. If you order online, by telephone, or by mail order service, you can get most of your refills delivered to your home, postage paid, within 7 to 10 days.

Certain medications such as controlled substances and narcotic pain medications require additional processing time due to prescribing regulations. We recommend you submit requests for these medications at least two business days in advance of when you them. Walk in requests for most controlled substances and narcotic pain medications will generally not be approved unless authorized by your primary care physician.

If you have no refills left when you place your order, the pharmacy will contact me to request additional refills. Please allow an additional 2 business days to process your order when you have no refills remaining.

Your prescription bottle may say "0" refills, but if you called us in the past for a refill, you may have more refills available. You can check the prescription number online and see how many refills you have, or call us.

We recommend that you start by choosing a personal physician. You can do this online or by phone.

To transfer a prescription from a non-Kaiser Permanente pharmacy to any of our pharmacies, simply give your Kaiser Permanente pharmacist your prescription number and the pharmacy’s name and phone number. Your Kaiser Permanente pharmacist will handle the rest. Please allow two or more working days to process the transfer.

You don't need paperwork or an appointment to get a lab test. You can do lab tests at any Kaiser Permanente lab.

With My Health Manager on kp.org, you can e-mail your doctor, find results of most lab tests, schedule and cancel routine appointments, view future appointments, view past office visit information, refill prescriptions, view immunization records, view eligibility and benefit information, act for a child or other family member, and take advantage of health tools, resources, and information online. You must be registered to access these secure features on our Web site. To register, visit kp.org/register.

Fasting is having nothing to eat or drink except water and any medication you take. It is important to fast before certain tests or procedures. If you have diabetes, check with us before fasting.

Radiation is simply waves of energy. There are 2 main types of radiation:

• Non-ionizing radiation, which is not considered dangerous. 
• Ionizing radiation, which in high levels or large doses, can be harmful to cells.

Even so, at lower levels, non-ionizing radiation can have several highly beneficial uses in medical care.  For example, we use ionizing radiation in controlled ways to help create diagnostic images, such as X-rays, CT scans, and nuclear scans. Radiation can also in the treatment of some cancers. Our goal is to avoid unnecessary patient exposure.

You cannot avoid radiation entirely. Ionizing radiation comes from cosmic rays that reach us from space, and also from radioactive elements present in rocks and soil. You can minimize your exposure to ionizing radiation, but not eliminate it. The low level of radiation that we are exposed to at all times in our environment is known as “background” radiation.

Most medical X-rays use small amounts of ionizing radiation. A standard chest X-ray, for example, uses approximately the same amount of ionizing radiation as 10 days of natural background radiation, which we are all exposed to in day-to-day life. A mammogram has similar amounts of radiation exposure as 3 months of natural background radiation.

CT scans use more radiation and the amount depends on how much of the body is scanned. For example, a CT scan of the head is equivalent to several months of normal background radiation while a CT scan of the pelvis and abdomen may be similar to several years of natural background radiation. Even then, a CT scan can be life-saving when used appropriately. However, repeated CT scans may increase cancer risk.

In most instances, the diagnostic value of an X-ray or CT scan is considered well worth the small risk associated with the amount of radiation delivered. No single test can significantly increase a person’s lifetime chance of developing cancer. However, if someone has previously had radiation treatments or many CT scans over the course of a lifetime, this can add up to a risk factor that may be taken into account before ordering additional tests and procedures.

We work hard to ensure that our imaging machines only use the lowest effective dose of radiation to get the images we need.

Ask if there are safe alternatives to ordering tests (especially the higher dosage CT scans). If you are tempted to ask your doctor for a test, consider the possible risks. Remember that in many conditions the test results are unlikely to change the treatment. And many tests show unimportant abnormalities that may require additional testing and even more unnecessary radiation exposure. 

If a diagnostic test is strongly recommended, it is done so with good reason. For example, the small radiation exposure of regular mammograms in women may save lives by detecting early, curable breast cancer. We will work closely with you to help make sure you get only the essential tests you need, and help you avoid unnecessary radiation exposure.

No. Ultrasound imaging uses sound waves not X-rays or ionizing radiation. The ultrasound cannot harm an unborn baby during pregnancy.

In general, X-ray exposure from a single diagnostic procedure does not result in harmful effects to the baby. This is also true if you receive an X-ray before you know you are pregnant. However, we make every effort to avoid any X-ray procedures in women who are pregnant. If you continue to have concerns, be sure to discuss these concerns with us.

Nuclear scans involve swallowing or injecting a tiny amount of radioactive material that acts as a tracking dye or coloring inside the body. The radioactivity allows a special camera to detect abnormalities or problems in targeted areas of the body such as bones or organs. The amount of ionizing radiation in a typical dose of nuclear medicine is very small and passes through the body in a few days.

Certain types of nuclear medicine may affect a mother’s breast milk for a short period of time, typically 24 to 72 hours. Many lactating mothers use a breast pump before a nuclear imaging study so that they can bottle feed breast milk to their babies for a few days following a nuclear medicine test.

The type of radiation used to destroy cancer cells is ionizing radiation. During treatments the radiation is focused as much as possible on the cancer cells and avoids healthy tissue. However, there is some risk that radiation therapy may increase a person’s chances for developing a second cancer years later or other problems.

Current evidence suggests that cell phone use does not pose a significant health hazard in terms or radiation exposure. Radio waves, power lines, cell phones, cell phone towers, TV screens, computer monitors, and microwave ovens all emit low-frequency, non-ionizing radiation, which is not considered a health hazard.

Airport security scanners emit a very tiny amount of ionizing radiation – about one-thousandth of a standard chest X-ray. Ionizing radiation may be used to kill harmful germs on irradiated food, but the food itself does not remain radioactive.

Cigarettes and tobacco products, however, do contain low levels of ionizing radiation that come from the soil, and may significantly increase smokers’ exposure to radiation over time.

No, because the sun’s ultraviolet rays – which are the ones that can potentially cause skin cancer – are not strong enough to penetrate through the skin. However, ultraviolet radiation used in tanning beds and sun lamps can increase the risk of skin cancer.

No. Iodine pills (also known as potassium iodide) decrease or even shut down thyroid function, which can cause many problems. If an emergency situation arises, health officials will advise the public about the best and safest ways to prevent radiation exposure.