Healthcare Basics
Your birthday can act as a reminder for your annual physical, vision exam and dental checkup. A fasting blood-sugar test at least once every three years can alert you early to diabetes and high-cholesterol issues. Stepping on the scale helps point out a slower metabolism through weight gain, and checking blood pressure helps identify hypertension. An annual check of any moles or unusual skin spots can detect skin cancer early. Women need pelvic exams and Pap tests every one to three years, especially if sexually active, to guard against cancer and disease. Over age 50, they also need a mammogram to detect for breast cancer and a thyroid hormone test every five years. Both sexes at that age also need annual rectal exams to screen for colon cancer and, for men, prostate cancer. Its also a good idea to get an annual flu shot, and a tetanus booster shot every 10 years.
Recently Answered
- Q What is an internal medicine–pediatrics doctor?
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An internal medicine–pediatrics physician treats adults and children. These doctors complete four years of medical school, then four more years of specialized training: two in internal medicine and two in pediatrics. They can become board-certified... Full Answer
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- Q What is a pediatrician?
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Pediatricians are medical doctors who specialize in the care of children.Pediatricians can treat children with any type of problem, or they may specialize in specific areas, such as:Adolescent medicine (conditions and diseases common to... Full Answer
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- Q What is a hospitalist?
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Dr. Mehmet Oz, CardiologyThe hospitalist. Sounds like a Sylvester Stallone movie. Actually, it's a term for a doctor who only works (guess where) in a hospital and is specially trained to care for patients who are sicker and require more treatment than those your primary care... Full Answer
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- Q What kind of doctor is right for an adult with a pediatric illness?
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Transitioning from a pediatrician to an adult healthcare provider is not always easy, particularly for young children who have grown up with a congenital or chronic illness. For them, finding an adult doctor who is as familiar with their condition as... Full Answer
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- Q What is a med-peds physician?
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Transitioning from a pediatrician to an adult healthcare provider is not always easy, particularly for young children who have grown up with a congenital or chronic illness. For them, finding an adult doctor who is as familiar with their condition as... Full Answer
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- Q Are conventional drugs effective?
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Any drug which is approved by the Food and Drug Administration has been proven to efficacious. Efficacious means that in clinical studies the drug has been proven to work in the patients studied for the diseases evaluated. Full Answer
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- Q How can a medical home help someone with a complex medical condition?
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Kellie Ernzen Kruger, M.D., an internist and pediatrician at UCLA Medical Center, Santa Monica, says she has noticed significant improvement in the quality of care complex patients are provided through the medical-home concept. “When you are... Full Answer
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- Q Where should I get medical care if I don't have a doctor?
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“It’s important for patients to establish a relationship with a primary-care physician so that they can go to their physician for emergency or urgent medical problems, as well as for preventive care that may be able to head off some of... Full Answer
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- Q What conditions can be treated in urgent-care centers?
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Among the conditions that can be routinely treated in urgent-care centers are ankle sprains and simple fractures that can be treated with a splint or cast, bladder or upper-respiratory infections, abdominal discomfort, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or other... Full Answer
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- Q How many hospitalists are there in the United States?
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The ranks of hospitalists have soared to more than 30,000 in the United States barely 15 years after the term was first coined in a New England Journal of Medicine article. Hospitalists began to increase in numbers in the 1990s in response to managed... Full Answer
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