The American health care industry is enormous, and many different medical conditions or injuries may require a visit to one’s family medical clinic or hospitals for care and treatment. Many Americans have private health insurance through one of many insurance companies, or insurance through their employers if they ever visit a doctor’s office or a hospital. Americans may visit these offices or hospitals for any number of reasons, from visiting a diabetes specialist to cardiology to back pain treatment and more. What are some of the most common reasons why Americans visit the hospital or their doctor, and what sort of treatment might they expect?
Diabetes
Many American adults or even children may visit the hospital or their doctor because of diabetes. This is a common medical issue today; an estimated 100 million American adults are either diabetic or prediabetic, meaning that they are close to developing the condition fully. Often, sugary and carb-heavy diets are to blame for high diabetes rates, when the pancreas becomes exhausted supplying a lot of insulin and can no longer produce it properly. Diabetes may result in dangerously high blood sugar, and other effects such as numbness in the feet or hands. Someone who visits their doctor may explain their suspicion that they are diabetic, and the patient may be referred to an endocrinologist who can look further into this. Someone with a confirmed diabetes diagnosis, meanwhile, may report regularly to their endocrinologist to keep abreast of their diabetes and its progress. The patient may provide updated medical records and fill out forms to keep the doctor informed, and allow more accurate treatment to be done.
ENT and Virtual Doctors
These ENT doctors often deal with medical issues in the ears, nose, and throat, hence the name, but in fact they often can deal with any problem in the human head or even the neck. Common ear infections, throat issues such as strep throat, and nasal or sinus infections or problems may be examined and diagnosed with an ENT’s help, and these doctors may prove to be highly flexible physicians. What is more, they can refer a patient to a more specialized doctor depending on the diagnosis, such as sending their patient to a hearing clinic due to progressing hear loss, tinnitus, and related issues.
Many doctors see their patients in person, and this is the standard model for care. However, some doctors’ offices may be filled to capacity with patients, and some people who want to visit may lack transportation to the office or they may be unwilling or unable to be in the same room as a crowd. Instead, these patients may make use of online virtual doctors. This is when doctors make use of online, live video chat with Skype and related services to converse in real time (with images) with their patients. This is helpful for patients who can’t easily visit a doctor’s office for one reason or another, and this constitutes the field of telemedicine. This field is young, but it is growing and has proven popular among many patients. Doctors may also use the Internet to access their patients’ medical records as needed, such as through Cloud data storage.
Back Issues
The human skeleton is a marvel of nature, being adapted for a lifetime of bipedal movement. This results in an S-shaped spine, an upright pelvis, long and tough leg bones, and arched feet to fight gravity and walk upright. Over time, however, a person may suffer from chronic back pain, and more serious spinal issues or deformations such as slipped discs may call for a visit to the hospital for surgery. More minor back issues, however, may be taken care of with non invasive methods.
Adults may suffer back pain from years of manual labor, constant stress, an injury, or even from pregnancy or simple old age. In any case, a patient may visit their doctor for help, and back pain is the second most common reason for visits to one’s doctor today (behind upper respiratory issues). Doctors may refer their patients to chiropractors, who can use simple tools or their bare hands to fix problems with the spine, joints, and bones. Yoga experts may be hired to guide the patient through poses and stretches that naturally relieve back pain and muscle/bone issues.
