What Do Internal Medicine Doctors Treat?
“Most of the great leaders in medicine in general have come from internal medicine because of the breadth and depth of its academic and clinical work. It draws the best and brightest.”
— David Gremillion, MD, FACP, Fellow of the American College of Physicians
Internal medicine doctors are specialists that draw upon centuries of scientific research and discovery to create a model of care that provides extensive benefits to patients.
The term “internal medicine” (which was actually adapted from a German term of innere medizin) was used to describe a doctor who could seamlessly combine the essence of laboratory science with compassionate, personalized care for patients.
The result was a physician who exemplified the best of both worlds–one who could not only help patients with chronic diseases but also one who could apply his or her abilities to solve even the most challenging cases.
At Raleigh Medical Group, we have a team of internal medicine specialists who can help you with a variety of conditions ranging from high blood pressure, to diabetes.
If you’d like to know what internal medicine doctors treat, we’ll review an extensive list with you, as well as explain the differences between a family doctor vs. internal medicine doctor.
What Is Internal Medicine?
Every system in your body is connected. High blood pressure can cause heart disease, while diabetes can place you at greater risk for multiple health conditions.
Internal medicine focuses not only on the scientific, laboratory approach to medicine but it also carefully examines how all these systems work together and affect each other. This means that internal medicine physicians are experts at helping those who have chronic diseases or even more than one chronic disease.
Internal medicine physicians may also be referred to as ‘internists.’ This is not to be confused with the term “intern,” which is a doctor who is still in training.
What Does an Internal Medicine Doctor Do?
While the scope of conditions they treat is very large and extensive, essentially, internal medicine doctors help you live the healthiest life possible.
This means not only helping you manage chronic diseases, but also conducting regular wellness exams to help you avoid serious health issues before they start.
Internists can treat conditions including—but not limited to—
- Chronic allergies
- Diabetes
- High blood pressure
- High cholesterol
- Heart disease
- Sinus infections
- Sports medicine
They also can provide regular health screenings for men and women, including prostate exams and Pap smears.
In addition, our office offers the convenience of providing:
- Bone density scans
- Echocardiography
- EKGs
- Stress tests
- Ultrasound services
- Nutrition services
What’s the Difference Between Family Doctors versus Internal Medicine Doctors?
At first glance, there are a lot of similarities. Both family doctors and internal medicine doctors have the extensive expertise to provide patients the help needed to live a healthier life.
However, the big difference is that internal medicine doctors don’t treat children. At our practice, we also have two family medicine doctors who only see adults.
You can learn more about the difference between family doctors vs. internal medicine by examining one of our earlier blogs.
What Are The Advantages of Going to Internal Medicine Doctors?
There are several advantages of seeing one of our physicians at Raleigh Medical Group. We’ll highlight a few of them.
1. They establish a continuum of care.
By continuum of care, we mean that patients are guided throughout the entire health care process. For example, during a regular physical, we may find that a patient has high blood sugar which has led to diabetes.
We are able to be with that patient throughout every step of their treatment process, from diagnosis, to testing, to follow up and then to establish a care plan.
2. Issues that arise between check-ups can be addressed in a timely manner.
Because we know your medical history and understand the overall picture of your health, we’re able to deal with any problems and devise timely solutions.
3. Internal medicine physicians cover many facets of preventative medicine.
The essence of an internist is establishing a relationship. That’s why at Raleigh Medical Group, we want to work with you to establish a comprehensive plan of care that will help ensure that you remain healthy.
RALEIGH MEDICAL GROUP: ALL THE BENEFITS OF INTERNAL MEDICINE IN YOUR COMMUNITY
We provide more than state-of-the-art care. We’ve been dedicated members of the Raleigh, Cary and Triangle communities for more than 45 years.
That means 45 years of helping diabetics control their blood sugar, conducting cancer screenings, and offering in-office evaluations.
Our philosophy is simple: We consider it a privilege to care for you. We understand this is a sacred trust.
We have helped thousands of Triangle area residents live healthier lives, and we would welcome the chance to care for you.
Contact us today for an appointment.
