Internal medicine is the branch of medicine that deals with treating the whole patient. An internal medicine physician, also called an internist, can treat many illnesses and conditions, and is skilled in treating a patient who has several illnesses or disorders at the same time. This internist, who can be a primary care physician, emphasizes disease prevention and wellness, but can treat problems of the eyes, ears, skin, nervous system and reproductive organs, along with mental health or substance abuse issues.
The internal medicine physician can also treat cancer or diseases of the heart, blood, kidneys, joints, and digestive, respiratory and vascular systems, while concentrating on the wellness of the patient as a whole.
Physicians in this specialty treat patients suffering from numerous diseases and illnesses, but some of the most common are Broncho-Esophagology, Pneumonia, pectus excavatum, Hyper / Hypoglycemia, Bronchitis, Macular Degeneration, Diabetes, cystic fibrosis, Asthma, osteoporosis, Osteoarthritis , Emphysema, cancer, infection, Yeast infection, Autism, Congestive heart failure, Anemia, Heart Attack, and Aneurysm.
Once properly diagnosed, practitioners can perform numerous procedures on patients including Lithotripsy, Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP, dialysis, mechanical ventilation, cardioversion, angioplasty, endoscopy, intra-aortic balloon pump, cardiac ablation, and Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP).
To diagnose patients with possible illnesses and diseases, specialists will often perform one of many tests including Bone density test, dialysis, physicial / check up, FAA-Flight Physicial, physicial examination, x-ray, biopsy, Blood Test, Electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG), Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), ultrasound, Computed Axial Tomography (CT or CAT Scan), Upper GI (Barium Swallow), electrolyte test, Lower GI (Barium Enema), stool test, pH probe test, and microbiological culture.
Doctor density varies by specialty and location. The United States has 130,026 practicing internal medicine doctors. Broken out by state, internal medicine doctor density in Alabama is 1,408, in Alaska is 178, in Arizona is 2,506, in Arkansas is 574, in California is 14,864, in Colorado is 1,758, in Connecticut is 2,293, in Delaware is 432, in District of Columbia is 863, in Florida is 7,074, in Georgia is 3,527, in Hawaii is 759, in Idaho is 256, in Illinois is 6,750, in Indiana is 1,913, in Iowa is 795, in Kansas is 884, in Kentucky is 1,568, in Louisiana is 1,471, in Maine is 571, in Maryland is 3,350, in Massachusetts is 7,482, in Michigan is 5,344, in Minnesota is 2,129, in Mississippi is 767, in Missouri is 2,707, in Montana is 279, in Nebraska is 592, in Nevada is 863, in New Hampshire is 717, in New Jersey is 4,442, in New Mexico is 668, in New York is 10,993, in North Carolina is 3,328, in North Dakota is 181, in Ohio is 5,186, in Oklahoma is 1,034, in Oregon is 1,682, in Pennsylvania is 6,989, in Rhode Island is 1,001, in South Carolina is 1,450, in South Dakota is 228, in Tennessee is 2,372, in Texas is 6,671, in Utah is 625, in Vermont is 267, in Virginia is 2,844, in Washington is 2,536, in West Virginia is 649, in Wisconsin is 2,037, and in Wyoming is 112.
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