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 131,635 practicing internal medicine doctors. Broken out by state, internal medicine doctor density in Alabama is 1,418, in Alaska is 180, in Arizona is 2,531, in Arkansas is 567, in California is 14,949, in Colorado is 1,764, in Connecticut is 2,282, in Delaware is 431, in District of Columbia is 873, in Florida is 7,157, in Georgia is 3,528, in Hawaii is 765, in Idaho is 248, in Illinois is 6,823, in Indiana is 1,905, in Iowa is 791, in Kansas is 857, in Kentucky is 1,578, in Louisiana is 1,454, in Maine is 570, in Maryland is 3,360, in Massachusetts is 7,511, in Michigan is 5,384, in Minnesota is 2,179, in Mississippi is 763, in Missouri is 2,702, in Montana is 274, in Nebraska is 602, in Nevada is 867, in New Hampshire is 731, in New Jersey is 4,459, in New Mexico is 670, in New York is 11,058, in North Carolina is 3,353, in North Dakota is 179, in Ohio is 5,211, in Oklahoma is 1,045, in Oregon is 1,674, in Pennsylvania is 7,090, in Rhode Island is 1,001, in South Carolina is 1,443, in South Dakota is 231, in Tennessee is 2,372, in Texas is 6,839, in Utah is 614, in Vermont is 263, in Virginia is 2,841, in Washington is 2,516, in West Virginia is 650, in Wisconsin is 2,049, and in Wyoming is 108.
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