Most Common Types of Allergies

Those who suffer from allergies may also suffer to varying degrees - quite a few need to take some kind of medication for it. In the United States for example, allergies such as rhinitis (inflammation of the nose) tend to affect 40 to 50 million people.

Food Allergies
Food allergies are probably one of the most common and are often the first that many people will think of. Sufferers tend to be allergic to a wide range of foods, and the intolerances themselves can be quite specific. Celiac disease, for example, is an intolerance to gluten. However, this is also another rarer allergy in which a person will be allergic to most processed cereals - meaning that they are unable to eat bread, wheat, oats or anything else that has been processed by modern agricultural farming methods.

Allergies to Grass and Pollen
Grass pollen also tends to be quite a common allergen for a lot of people and the symptoms of this will usually manifest during the summer time. Those with a grass allergy will often try to avoid places where there is a lot of grass, which can sometimes have a serious impact on a person's quality of life depending on what kind of outdoor activities they do. In cases like this, certain types of medication will be taken.

The most well-known symptom of a grass or pollen allergy tends to be rhinitis when the nose gets inflamed and starts to cause a significant build-up of mucus. While this can be a nuisance in many cases, some people find that symptoms can get so bad that they end up being unable to work, go to school or even sleep.

Skin Allergies
Skin allergies can be quite varied as well. The most common symptom tends to be a hives and eczema, which can have a range of different causes. Eczema, for example, is often caused by contact with specific substances such as perfumes or latex. Other conditions may also be present which can exacerbate it, such as to have particularly dry skin.

What To Do If You Suspect You May Have An Allergy
If you feel that you may have allergic reactions to certain materials or substances, then it is best to first of all try and stop using them and see if there is any improvement. However, the best thing to do is speak to your doctor and try to get an appointment with an allergy specialist. If you suspect you have a skin condition, an appointment with a dermatologist is also a good idea.

The important thing, however, is to avoid kind of medication without consulting a doctor first. There may be a range of other treatments that you can use before trying to resort to stronger medicines.

Source: https://allergyclinicgreenpark.news.blog/2021/08/23/most-common-types-of-allergies/

Pros and Cons of an Internal Medicine Specialist

A doctor of internal medicine, also called an internist, specializes in diagnosing and treating adults. You can expect a physician of this type to be well-versed in many conditions that may plague patients during adulthood, as opposed to someone who treats children or patients of all ages. If you have the option to see this type of doctor, you should learn the pros and cons of doing so, compared to other doctors.

The main reason to see a doctor of internal medicine is that he or she focuses only on diseases that may appear in adults. For this reason, many physicians in this specialty know more about each condition than a general practitioner might, since the latter is not a specialist in the area. Therefore, even if you choose a general practitioner, you may be sent to an internist anyway when he or she cannot properly diagnose the issue. If you suspect the problem you have is rare or complicated, or your current physician seems to have never heard of it, you should likely see a doctor of internal medicine.

Allergy treatment - Of course, you should check with your insurance provider before you make this decision. Some providers require people to get a referral from their current practitioner before seeing a specialist. In addition, copays may be higher when you see a practitioner who specializes in any field. For this reason, if your insurance is restrictive or you are looking to save money on your copays, you might choose a general practitioner first. You can then switch to an internist if you need to in the future.

In addition, when you choose an internal medicine specialist, you cannot have your whole family go to the same practice. Many people like to go to a family practice so their children, spouse, and other loved ones of any age can all see the same physician. Clearly, an internist cannot provide this advantage unless your children are already adults. Therefore, if you seek the convenience of all seeing the same doctor, you should go to a family-oriented office first, and then switch to a specialist if you need to.

Knowing these facts may help you decide whether to go to an office of internal medicine or stick with someone who can treat your whole family at any age. You will need to weigh the pros and cons, considering both your health and insurance coverage while you are at it. Of course, you can always change your mind when necessary after you make your choice.

Source: https://allergyclinics.home.blog/2021/08/23/pros-and-cons-of-an-internal-medicine-specialist/

Cardiovascular & Pulmonary Physicians Keep Us Beating and Breathing

Cardiovascular and pulmonary physicians are certified medical specialists who diagnose and treat problems related to the cardiovascular and pulmonary systems respectively. Both are classified under internal medicine since both are able to practice their specialization based on their knowledge of internal medicine and other specialties. This educational background enables them to get certification. Cardiovascular physicians or cardiologists treat patients with problems related to the heart, arteries and veins while pulmonary physicians or pulmonologists diagnose and treat lung conditions and diseases.

Cardiovascular physicians are medical specialists dealing with the diagnosis and treatment of disorders of the heart and blood vessels. These include the different branches of cardiology:

congenital heart defects
coronary artery disease
heart failure
valvular heart disease
electrophysiology
Cardiovascular physicians are similar to other medical practitioners. They have to take up a four year pre-medical course before getting accepted in a medical school. Upon graduation from an approved medical school, cardiologists must complete an ACGME (American Council for Graduate Medical Education)-accredited internal medicine residency program for at least three years.

After satisfactory completion of requirements and graduate education, the physician will then be allowed to take the Internal Medicine board certification examination. Upon passing he or she will receive certification which is a pre-requisite to becoming certified in cardiology. Taking up a subspecialty educational program in cardiology including training and supervised experience will take three years, but once completed, he or she will be eligible to take the American Board of Internal Medicine cardiology examination. Passing this examination will make the physician a certified cardiologist.

Pulmonary physicians, on the other hand, are medical specialists who deal with the diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the lungs and the respiratory tract. Otherwise known as pulmonologists, they are also concerned with secondary prevention such as tuberculosis. Diseases which are treated by pulmonary physicians include asthma, chronic bronchitis, emphysema, lung cancer diagnosis, pneumonia, pulmonary embolism, pulmonary fibrosis, and sarcoidosis, among many others.

Similar to cardiovascular physicians, pulmonologists have to graduate from an approved medical school, complete an ACGME-accredited internal medicine program for at least three years, and take the Internal Medicine board certification examination. After passing the exam and receiving certification, he or she must undergo at least two years of full-time graduate training in pulmonary disease. This training also includes taking up courses in the basic sciences emphasizing on molecular biology, pulmonary physiology, and pulmonary immunology. After being trained, with 12 months spent in clinical training in diagnosis and management, he or she will be allowed to take the board certification examination in pulmonary medicine. Passing this examination will certify him or her as a full-pledged pulmonary physician.

Source: https://allergyclinicgreenpark.tumblr.com/post/660292449306132480/cardiovascular-pulmonary-physicians-keep-us