Internal medicine is the practice of treating the whole person,
rather than only symptoms and is a comprehensive treatment often
dealing with disease of the internal organs and an attempt to cure
non-surgically. Internal medicine looks at the overall lifestyle,
nutrition habits, family history and possible risk factors of an
individual and may use nutrition and exercise modifications, coupled
with medical treatment, as a way of preventing and combating serious
illness.
Those who practice internal medicine are
often referred to as “internists” and have completed three years of
internal medicine training in addition to acquiring their medical
degree. General internists treat patients for ongoing wellness, minor
illness and serious disease. Many adults use an internist as their
primary care physician due to the overall holistic and integrative
health care provided. However, some doctors specialize in a sub-field
of internal medicine, which often deals solely with one of the major
organs or body functions. For instance, cardiologists are internists
who treat the heart while endocrinologists are specially trained in the
body’s glands and hormones and treat diseases related to their
malfunction. Internists are often consulted by other doctors for help
with particularly puzzling cases as this is where their specialized
talents lie.
Internal medicine originated as a
discipline in the late 19th Century. Its name is of German origins and
means putting lab research to practice in caring for individual
patients. With the advent of advanced medical technology, internists
now have an array of research and diagnostic tools at their disposal
which are less invasive and may therefore be performed by the internist
rather than requiring a surgeon. For instance, the use of tiny cameras
allows for various procedures such as a colonoscopy to inspect the
colon or an endoscopy which views the lining of the digestive tract and
can help with the diagnosis of various gastrointestinal disorders.
Having less evasive procedures to work with, many treatments done by an
internist can be done non-surgically and with relative ease by the
patient. Additionally, given the very nature of internal medicine, some
better nutrition and exercise habits may need to be incorporated into
the overall treatment plan.
Internal medicine offers a holistic and integrative approach to the treatment and prevention of serious illness.
The history of alternative medicine can be traced back to some 5000
years, when the Chinese and Indians discovered traditional and
Ayurvedic therapies to heal the body and the mind. The real objective
was to identify the deterrents in the body system, which caused the
ailments and strengthen the body’s immunity. The therapies mainly
incorporated self-care, lifestyle changes and...
Related Articles:
-
Medical Help
As the average lifespan on men and women continue to increase, so
does the need for medical help for the elderly. Many people are faced
with parents who wish to maintain their independence...
-
Ancient Chinese Medicine
To find the roots of ancient Chinese medicine, one must reach back
through several thousand years of history. As early as the Stone Age,
Chinese practitioners were developing primitive medical...
-
Ancient Eqyptian Medicine
The practitioners of Ancient Egyptian medicine were very advanced
for their time. One of the few cultures that had an extensive and
reasonably accurate concept of the human anatomy, Egyptians...
-
Ancient Greek Medicine
Ancient Greek medicine is widely considered the foundation of the
medical knowledge used in today’s modern societies. The first culture
known to have applied scientific thinking to the...
-
Colonial Medicine
Life in the colonial United States was one filled with hardship and
trial in which life spans were relatively short and the threat of an
incurable disease or food shortage weighed heavily on...
-
History of Medicine in America
The history of medicine in America is a patchwork of traditions and
methods ranging from those practiced by the Native Americans to English
medical practices brought over by the early pilgrims....
-
Homeopathic Medicine
Homeopathic medicine emerged as an alternative to conventional
medicine when founded in 1796 by a German doctor and chemist, Samuel
Hahnemann, who became discouraged with the practice of routine...
-
Internal Medicine
Internal medicine is the practice of treating the whole person,
rather than only symptoms and is a comprehensive treatment often
dealing with disease of the internal organs and an attempt to...
-
Medieval Medicine
The medieval period or Middle Ages is generally used to refer to the
period of European history from 350 AD to 1450 characterized by the
growth of cities and towns mainly under the feudal...
-
Naturopathic Medicine
Naturopathic medicine originated in the early 20th Century by a
group of therapists who believed in the healing power of nature. Based
on the belief of the body’s inherent ability to heal...
-
Renaissance Medicine
Renaissance medicine was critical to the development of our modern
medical system, advancing the science rapidly. As with all intellectual
pursuits during the period, the Renaissance stimulated...
-
Roman Medicine
Roman medicine has a rich history and illustrates the contributions
to the early stages of an evolving tradition of Western medicine. I
believe it is important to first note the use of the...
-
Sports Medicine
Considering the physical demands that are put on athletes in every
major sport worldwide there are bound to be many injuries and there are
many doctors worldwide that focus solely on sports...
-
Diabetes Medicine
The past thirty years have seen many advances in diabetes medicine.
In the past, people who were diabetic, particularly if they had Type 1
(juvenile) diabetes, had to eliminate most...
-
Women in Medicine
Through the ages women in medicine have played an important role in
shaping how we treat and care for women today. In older times medicine
women also known as wise women were whom the villagers...
-
Civil War Medicine
In the eighteen hundreds western medicine was very poor and many
doctors did not due anything to prevent infections, and due to this
many soldiers died. Civil war medicine practitioners did not...
-
Alternative Medicine
Seeking out alternative medicine is a personal choice, but there are
some ways to determine whether or not one would be a good choice for
this type of treatment. The first test of whether one...
-
History of Medicine
There is a long and storied history of medicine that can be dated
back to approximately 13,000 to 25,000 B.C. where cave paintings have
been discovered in France that have shown evidence of...
-
Holistic Medicine
Holistic medicine is often referred to as alternative medicine by many
people and it takes a whole different approach to treating illness and
overall health. There are many different aspects of...
-
Herbal Medicine
Many of the medicines our ancestors found highly effective in the
treatments of many different illnesses were various types of herbal
medicine, and there are millions of people in the world...