Family practice is the branch of medicine concerning the total health care of the person and the family. A family practice physician can have a varied and extensive medical background, including internal medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, psychiatry, and geriatrics. A family physician has the skills and knowledge to provide care and health maintenance education for all ages. This physician is trained to diagnose and treat each member of the family, no matter what the problem.

Physicians in this specialty treat patients suffering from numerous diseases and illnesses, but some of the most common are emphysema, broncho-esophagology, pneumonia, osteoarthritis , bronchitis, cystic fibrosis, asthma, pectus excavatum, osteoporosis, infection, diabetes, cancer, acne, alzheimer's disease, hypertension, autism, yeast infection, strep throat, anemia, and aneurysm.

Once properly diagnosed, practitioners can perform numerous procedures on patients including wart removal and mole removal.

To diagnose patients with possible illnesses and diseases, specialists will often perform one of many tests including bone density test, faa-flight physicial, physicial / check up, physicial, biopsy, computed axial tomography (ct or cat scan), magnetic resonance imaging (mri), electrocardiogram (ecg or ekg), ultrasound, x-ray, blood test, upper gi (barium swallow), stool test, lower gi (barium enema), electrolyte test, microbiological culture, and ph probe test.

Doctor density varies by specialty and location. Iowa has 2,026 practicing family doctors. Broken out by city, family practice doctor density in Adel is 5, in Altoona is 6, in Ames is 28, in Ankeny is 41, in Arlington is 5, in Atlantic is 11, in Audubon is 2, in Aurelia is 3, in Bedford is 5, in Bettendorf is 91, in Bloomfield is 8, in Blue Grass is 10, in Bondurant is 3, in Boone is 20, in Burlington is 3, in Carroll is 16, in Cedar Falls is 34, in Cedar Rapids is 126, in Chariton is 7, in Cherokee is 8, in Clarinda is 12, in Clinton is 21, in Clive is 62, in Coralville is 10, in Correctionville is 2, in Corydon is 10, in Council Bluffs is 47, in Creston is 8, in Dallas Center is 1, in Davenport is 113, in De Witt is 24, in Decorah is 18, in Denison is 9, in Des Moines is 292, in Dubuque is 25, in Dunlap is 9, in Emmetsburg is 7, in Fairbank is 5, in Fairfield is 12, in Fort Dodge is 36, in Fort Madison is 9, in Gladbrook is 6, in Glenwood is 11, in Greenfield is 4, in Grinnell is 18, in Hawarden is 11, in Hiawatha is 9, in Holstein is 4, in Hull is 9, in Huxley is 3, in Independence is 13, in Indianola is 21, in Iowa City is 106, in Iowa Falls is 14, in Ireton is 5, in Johnston is 17, in Keokuk is 10, in Knoxville is 20, in Le Claire is 2, in Le Mars is 9, in Leon is 4, in Lone Tree is 18, in Malvern is 5, in Manchester is 15, in Mapleton is 6, in Maquoketa is 15, in Marcus is 7, in Marion is 19, in Mason City is 78, in Muscatine is 24, in Newton is 25, in North Liberty is 27, in Norwalk is 7, in Oelwein is 11, in Oskaloosa is 14, in Ottumwa is 8, in Pella is 26, in Perry is 28, in Pleasant Hill is 11, in Sergeant Bluff is 5, in Seymour is 3, in Sibley is 4, in Sioux Center is 11, in Sioux City is 87, in Sloan is 3, in Spencer is 20, in Spirit Lake is 20, in Storm Lake is 12, in Stuart is 2, in Toledo is 6, in Urbandale is 70, in Vinton is 10, in Waterloo is 101, in Waukee is 5, in Waukon is 6, in Waverly is 12, in West Burlington is 15, in West Des Moines is 49, in Windsor Heights is 3, and in Winterset is 7.

Iowa’s capital is Des Moines, home to Drake University. Iowa achieved Statehood 1846, and the state’s population is now 2,996,334. The Mississippi river borders the state on the east, and a majority of the state’s economic output is agricultural. Many cultural and entertainment opportunities exist for visitors to the “quad cities” of Davenport and Bettendorf, IA, and Rock Island and Moline, IL. Numerous museums, arts, music and sports events are available in Iowa, including the Herbert Hoover National Historic Site, the Amana Colonies, and the Buffalo Bill Cody Homestead. Famous people born in Iowa: Buffalo Bill, entertainers Johnny Carson and John Wayne, and former president Herbert Hoover.

According to 2005 Census estimates, Iowa has a population of 2,966,334. Of this population, 656,031 are under the age of 18 and 434,196 are at or above the age of 65.