Internal Medicine Doctor Sub-Specialties

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An internal medicine doctor may specialize in one of many subcategories. Here are some examples.

Internal medicine doctors are those who take care of adult patients. Their study focuses on one or several portions of the human body. The term -internal medicine- came from a German word meaning a physician who combines research with patient care. These physicians are extremely well trained in diagnostics, treatment and prevention of illnesses, so much that they often serve as consultants to others in the medical field. Within this classification of doctors, there are thirteen subspecialties which require an additional one to three years of education. They are:

1) Cardiologist: In the specialty of cardiology, a practitioner would care for all that is related to a person’s heart and pulmonary system. Heart disease and stroke are some of the most prevalent killers in today’s world, so the expertise of these docs is widely sought after.

2) Sports medicine: Whether injuries are from running, tennis, football, soccer, or any other malady that occurs due to physical fitness regimes, these practitioners are adept at health care for weekend warriors and professional athletes.

3) Adolescent Medicine: Adolescents may not be considered to be fully grown adults, but many of their bodies have reached physical maturity. When a teen has outgrown the pediatrician’s office, he or she may seek health care from this brand of internist.

4) Allergist: Allergies and immune issues are taken care of by this category of doctor. Allergy testing and immune response require precision and skill in diagnosing proper steps and treatments to alleviate symptoms.

5) Geriatrics: With the aging of our population, many elderly people need the skill of an internist within the geriatric classification.

6) Gastroenterology: The intestinal tract and colon are kept healthy or treated when problems occur by this group of internist physicians.

7) Infection disease: Illnesses aren’t always so easy to treat due to today’s super-bugs and antibiotic resistant strains of disease. Internists can help contain these contagious infectious strains.

8) Hematologists: These physicians study the blood and take care of diseases and conditions which are related to it.

9) Rheumatology: Arthritis affects many people in the form of swollen and painful joints. Osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis sufferers often seek help from these internal medicine specialists as needed.

10) Pulmonologist: The lungs can be afflicted with everything from chronic asthma to emphysema. These specialists can help their patients to breathe more easily.

11) Oncologists: Cancer specialists help with the diagnosis and treatment of cancerous development in nearly every body part. Chemotherapy and radiation are the normal courses of treatments to shrink tumors and destroy cancer cells.

12) Kidney Specialists: These internists are called Nephrologists. The kidneys must be kept well functioning in order to clear away toxins from a body. When kidneys shut down, the body goes into deep distress.

13) Endocrinology: Diabetes has risen sharply in the United States due to a variety of reasons including unhealthy diets, lifestyle and stress. Endocrinologists treat diabetics and those with glandular disorders.

Internal medicine doctors can offer their broad and deep range of knowledge in all of the above subcategories. Patients and other health care providers often come to them for answers.

It’s very important to know the areas that a internal medicine doctordoctor specializes in an event that a health problem comes up as it relates to that specific physician.For more information, visit http://www.angieslist.com

Ayurveda Medicine

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Ayurveda means the science of life. Followers and practitioners alike believe in this ancient form of medicine as well as its philosophy of treating the whole person.

Ayurvedic medicine consists of many different elements. In India, there are eight distinct branches of Ayurvedic medicine:

Internal Medicine
Surgery
Treatment of head and neck disease
Gynecology, obstetrics and pediatrics
Toxicology
Psychiatry
Care of the elderly and rejuvenation
Sexual vitality

Nearly 80 percent of the population of India use some form of Ayurvedic medicine for healing, with or without a combination of conventional medicine. In the United States, over 200,000 adults will use Ayurveda medicine in any given year.

The underlying basis of Ayurveda medicine is that the foundation of health has to do with our connection to the universe, namely the bodys constitution or prakriti and life forces or doshas.

The prakriti refers to a persons general health, the likelihood of them coming out of balance, and their ability to resist disease or recover from it. The prakriti is unique to each person, and describes the way their body functions to maintain health. Key elements are the way the body digests and disposes of waste. The prakriti generally stays the same over ones lifetime.

The doshas are the three life forces or energies found in us all, with some combination of all three found in everyone. The likelihood of a person contracting a disease are based on the balance of the doshas as well as the state of the body, and mental and lifestyle factors.

The three doshas are:

Vata this dosha respresents ether and air. It is the most powerful of the three as it controls vital body processes like breathing, the heart, cell division, the mind and waste disposal. This dosha can be upset by fear, grief, and lack of sleep, among other forces. Those with vata as their main dosha are susceptible to skin and neurological conditions, heart disease and rheumatoid arthritis as well as other afflictions.

Pitta this dosha represents fire and water, and controls both the hormones and digestive system. Pitta can be upset by spicy or sour food, fatigue and too much time in the sun. Those with pitta as their main dosha are susceptible to hypertension, heart disease, and others.

Kapha this dosha represents water and earth, and controls strength and immunity. Kapha is upset by greed, sleeping during the day, and too much salt and sugar in the diet. Those with kapha as their main dosah are susceptible to diabetes, cancer, obesity and respiratory illnesses.

Ayurveda medicine has been around for centuries, and is here to stay. It is an alternative, holistic, and complete medicine and its list of patients grows each day.

Medicines And Drugs To Be Avoided During Pregnancy

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Cortisone & Prednisolone: These are corticosteroids. If taken during the later part of pregnancy, these may cause deficiency of adrenal hormone on withdrawl of the drug. They delays growth and promote infection.

Cyclizine : The effects are the same as chlorocyclizine.

Cyclophosphamide: This has the same effects busulphan.

Dexamethasone: Its effects are the same as cortisone.

Dexamphetamine : This is used as a slimming drug. It may cause developmental defects of the heart in the foetus, if taken during pregnancy.

Diazepam: An anti-anxiety drug, if taken in a large quantity during late pregnancy, it may cause lowering of the body temperature and muscular weakness in the newborn baby.

Diazoxide: It may lead to abnormal distribution of foetal hair formation and hypoglycaemia in the new born baby.

Dicoumarol: Its effects are the same as bishydroxycoumarin.

Dihydrogesterone: It is likely to produce male characteristics in female babies.

Estrogens: If taken during pregnancy, they may cause vaginal cancer in the female children at a later age and feminization of male offspring.

Ethionamide: This is an anti-tubercular drug. Its use during pregnancy may cause physical defects in the foetus.

Ethisterone: The effect of this drug are similar to dihydrogesterone.

Furosemide: This is a diuretic (increases urine output), it should not be used during pregnancy as it may cause the death of the foetus due to decreased circulation.

Glibenclamide: It may cause prolonged hypoglycaemia in neonates (newborn babies) if taken during late pregnancy.

Hydralazine: It increases the heart rate of newborn babies.

Hydroxy progesterone: The effects are the same as those of dihydrogesteron.

Ibuprofen, Indomethacin & other pain relievers: This drug is sometimes used in rheumatoid arthritis. If used during the early part of the pregnancy, it may cause physical defect (premature closure of ductus) in the foetus.

Iodides: These are ingredients of many cough mixtures and also used in a hyerfunctioning thyroid. Their use during pregnancy may alter thyroid function in the newborn babies. It may also affect their mental functions.

Lithium Carbonate: This is an antidepressant drug. If taken during the first trimester it may cause physical defects in the foetus and poor suckling in the neonate.

Meclizine: Its effects are common to chlorcyclizine.

Melphalan: This has the same effects as busulphan.

Methyldopa: Destruction of red blood cells (hemolytic anaemia) and decreased activity of the intestines occurs.

Morphine: A potent pain reliever, it is an addiction causing drug. The newborn babies of addicted mothers may be premature and exhibit withdrawal symptoms. The chances of death among such babies are very high.

Nitrofurantoin: Commonly used in urinary tract infection its use should be avoided during the last few days of pregnancy as it may cause bursting of red blood cells, specially in individuals who are genetically deficient in certain enzymes:

Norethisterone: The same effects occur as in dihydrogesterone.

Norethynodrel: The same effects occur as in dihydrogesterone.

Opium: The same effects occur as in morphine.

Oral contraceptive: These are used by women for birth control but if by any chance pregnancy occurs, the doctor should be consulted because of the possibility of adverse effects on the foetus.

Pethidine: The same effects occur as with morphine.

Phenobarbitone: The effects are the same as with barbiturates.

Phenytoin: This is an anti-epileptic drug. If taken during the last few days of pregnancy, the newborn baby may suffer from bleeding disorders (hypoprothrombinaemia and haemorrhage). The use of anti-epileptic drugs may cause physical defects in the foetus.

Prednisolone: This produces the same effects as cortisone.

Primaquine: It is an anti-malaria drug. If taken during pregnancy, the newborn baby may suffer from haemolysis and jaundice.

Primidone: The effects are the same as with phenytoin.

Progesterone: The same effects occur as with dihydrogesterone.

Propranolol: This is used in some heart disorders and high blood pressure. Its use should be avoided during pregnancy as it may cause slowing of the heart rate and decrease of blood sugar in neonates.

Propylthiouracil: The same effects occur as with carbimazole.

Purgatives: These are used in constipation. Strong purgatives may cause abortion.

Pyrimethamine: Sometimes used in malaria, its use may cause foetal malformation.

Quinine: Now quinine is used in chloroquine-resistant cases of malaria. Use in early pregnancy may cause abortion. It has been associated with deafness and vision defects in offspring, if taken during pregnancy.

Salbutamol: It increases the heart rate in newborn babies.

Stilboesterol: The same effects occur as with estrogen.

Streptomycin: This is an anti-tubercular drug. It may produce deafness and weakness of the muscles in the newborn baby if taken during pregnancy.

Sulfonamides: These drugs should be avoided during the last few days of pregnancy as they may cause jaundice in newborn babies. These drugs may also combine with the haemoglobin of red blood cells (methaemoglobenaemia) rendering it unable to carry oxygen.

Tetracyclines: These antibiotics, if taken during pregnancy, are deposited in developing bones and lead to discolouration of teeth and impair bone growth of the foetus.

Tolbutamide: The effects are the same as with glibenclamide. It may also cause a decrease in platelets, causing bleeding.

Trimethoprim: This drug is used in certain infections. It may increase blood bilirubin.

Valproic acid: This can cause defects of spinal cord.

Vitamin A & Isotretinoin: Large doses, if taken during pregnancy, may cause developmental defects of head, face, in the urinary and genital system, in the foetus (Isotretinoin never used).

Vitamin D: Very large doses should be avoided during pregnancy. It may cause mental retardation and defects in bones.

Vitamin K : Large doses during pregnancy may produce jaundice in the newborn.

Warfarin : The same effects occur as with bishydroxycoumarin.

Note: Exposure to X-ray radiation must be avoided during pregnancy especially in the first six months as it may cause malformation of the foetus.

Acupuncture an Alternative Medicine

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Acupuncture is often associated with pain control; in the hands of a well-trained practitioner, it has much broader applications. Acupuncture is a part of the health care system of China that can be traced back at least 2,500 years. The general theory of acupuncture is based on the premise that there are patterns of energy flow (Qi) through the body that are essential for health. Disruptions of this flow are believed to be responsible for disease. The goal of this procedure is to restore the well-being and the health of the individual. While it may seem strange, acupuncture uses a method of inserting needles into specific points in the body. It should only be performed by a skilled individual, one that has received training in the. It is a method of encouraging the body to promote natural healing and to improve functioning. Acupuncture can be effective as the only treatment used, or as the support or adjunct to other medical treatment forms in many medical and surgical disorders. One should always plan their activities so that after the treatment one can get some rest. This is especially important for the first few visits. Do not eat an unusually large meal immediately before or after the treatment.

With increased globalization and exchange of views and other parameters, the system of medicine also attempts to enter into the others territories. It is an ongoing process, which results in giving world class treating mechanisms and ultimately results in better way of healing. As there are many cases that represent the audacity of the claim of treating by one system of medicine establishing itself as superior, yet there are no guarantees that a particular medicine system will eventually succeed in giving relief to the patient. However, there are attempts that go on in justifying the superiority of a particular medicine system and it applies to all the healing systems of the world. In fact, it is primarily the result of enhanced globalization.

Some of the people on the western side of the fence think that Chinese Medicine is confined to magic and associate it with being hocus-pocus. They see it primitive and since the basis of Chinese Medicine owes its origins to herbs or acupuncture, it is largely related to one of yet another term, placebo effect. Chinese Medicine is largely taken upon as non-working when it comes to serious cure and genuine diseases or illnesses. Moreover, Chinese Medicine is taken as ancient leaning towards spiritualism, and more taken as falling in the category of religious healing practices.

However, the fact of the matter is entirely different. Chinese Medicine is actually coherent and independent system of thought and practice that took quite a long time to evolve and reach the current stage. Chinese Medicine approaches the human body and attempts to restore it with an progress understanding and curing skills. That is where it is gaining immense popularity not only in the areas where it is already established but also in the far-flung world regions.

Internal Medicine – Medical Detectives

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Internal medicine experts are the detectives of the medical world, diagnosing problems affecting multiple areas of the body at once in a way that specialists cannot.

Generally speaking, all medicine is at it’s most basic level internal medicine. The body is a complex and extraordinary machine, made up of vastly different mechanisms all working in unison to propel our bodies through life. From the minutiae of our genes to the ways in which our body movies across our homes, the body is many parts that make a whole. However complex and beautiful the body may be, it is not invulnerable to harm.

There are many, many different ways in which we may injure ourselves and our bodies. In some cases, these injuries may in fact be the cause of genetic factors that have slowly, quietly been working on our bodies for years, seemingly beyond our control. To treat the myriad of problems that may befall our bodies, you will need a doctor well-versed in the study of internal medicine.

When presented with a problem, doctors will often become like detectives as they pursue the path to a diagnosis. Since our bodies entail so many different components that all affect each other, a quality doctor must be well-versed in all of these different body components in order to suss out the proper diagnosis.

The doctor will usually begin by examining the problem itself and how it presents itself. Using information gained from this primary examine, the doctor will next begin to look at your history and lifestyle, looking for direct factors that may explain the injury as well as factors not directly related to the injury or disorder that may still affect your treatment.

Once the problem has been diagnosed using all available information, your doctor will establish a plan of action to treat the problem. The goal during treatment will be treat the problem completely and quickly while also insuring that the treatment in no way further injures or stresses your body.

Both before and after a problem arises, your doctor can also work with you to prevent future problems. As in the diagnoses process, the doctor will examine your medical history, the available medical history of your family, and your lifestyle. Your doctor may even have you seek out detailed genetic testing. With all of this available information, your doctor will be able to help you preemptively treat problems before they arise.

To keep your whole body healthy and working fine, take the first step and find an internal medicine expert in your area today.

Internal medicine in Indianapolis is like medical detective work. Learn more at http://www.angieslist.com

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