Know the right doctor for your illness

If you don’t feel well, do you know which doctor to go to? I know a lot of patients are confused as to what kind of doctor to visit for their symptoms.

As a general rule, you can first consult a family medicine practitioner or a general practitioner for your medical concerns. And if your case needs it, you will be directed to the right doctor.

Thus, I’m giving you a rundown of some specialties of doctors and a short description of what they do. This is just a partial list.

• Allergologist. If you have problems with allergy, constant runny nose, sneezing, coughing or rashes that just come and go, see an allergologist.

• Cardiologist or heart specialist. If you have chest pains, heart disease, high cholesterol or high blood pressure, you need to see a cardiologist. There are several kinds of cardiologists. A general cardiologist diagnoses and treats diseases of the heart and blood vessels in adults. A pediatric cardiologist treats heart disease in children. They are the experts in congenital heart diseases, like if a baby is born with a hole in the heart. If you need an angiogram or an angioplasty, you need to see an interventional cardiologist.

• Cosmetic surgeon. Well, this line of work needs no explanation. If you want to be beautiful, have your eye bags removed, and turn back the years, this is the doctor you need.

• Dermatologist. For skin problems, removing unsightly blemishes and warts or hair removal, you need to see a dermatologist.

• Ear, nose, throat specialist. For ringing ears, dizziness, deafness and, sometimes, objects stuck inside the ear, see an ENT specialist. ENT doctors are experts, too, in nose bleeding, polyps, mouth sores, and tonsillitis.

• Endocrinologist. Think diabetes, fatty foods, and obesity. Also add problems like goiter and hyperactive thyroid. You need the diabetes experts, the endocrinologists.

• Gastroenterologist. I guess you know that gastro doctors treat ulcers, abdominal pains, and constipation. But they’re experts in problems of the liver (like hepatitis), gallbladder, and pancreas, too. Gastroenterologists are the ones who perform a proctosigmoidoscopy and colonoscopy to rule out colon cancer.

• Infectious disease specialist (IDS). For prolonged fever and difficult-to-treat infections, ranging from dengue, swine flu and typhoid to sexually-transmitted diseases, you need the IDS experts.

• Nephrologist or kidney specialist. If you have urinary problems or swelling of the feet, you should see a nephrologist. Nephrologists handle all matters related to kidney diseases, including kidney failure, dialysis, and kidney transplants.

• Neurologist or brain specialist. If you have persistent headache, dizziness, or tingling of the hands and feet, you should see a neurologist. They’re the experts in diseases of the nervous system, the brain, spinal cord, and nerves.

• Obstetrician and gynecologist. They provide care during pregnancy, childbirth, and also treat conditions of the female reproductive system. There are some doctors who train in oncology and gynecology combined (the gyne-onco), which makes them the experts in treating masses and cancers of the uterus, cervix, and ovaries.

• Oncologist or cancer specialist. This line needs no explanation. They’re the cancer experts.

• Ophthalmologist or eye specialist. Is this article blurry or foggy? For any problem related to the eyes, see your ophthalmologists who are the experts in cataract, glaucoma, and red eyes.

• Pediatrician. These kid specialists take care of patients from birth through their teenage years, maybe until they’re 15-16 years old. Everyone needs a pediatrician, at one time in their lives, for vaccines and check-ups.

• Psychiatrist. A psychiatrist treats depression, anxiety disorders, and mental illness. They handle drug addiction problems, alcoholism, and relationship/emotional problems, too. And don’t worry, majority of their patients are not mentally ill. They’re really a pleasure to talk to.

• Pulmonologist or lung specialist. Have difficulty breathing? Coughing out phlegm? Smoking every day? Losing weight? See a lung specialist before it’s too late. Pulmonologists also treat asthma, allergies, and those with sleep apnea.

• Rheumatologist: A rheumatologist specializes in arthritis problems. Any joint, bone, and muscle pain is within his field of expertise, too.

Here are the surgical specialties:

• Cardiothoracic surgeon. A heart bypass, fixing an aortic aneurysm, and removing a mass in the lung are jobs that belong to cardiothoracic surgeons who perform these delicate and difficult operations within the heart and chest area.

• General surgeon. A general surgeon diagnoses and removes diseased organs such as the appendix, gallbladder, thyroid, breast masses and other cysts.

• Neurosurgeon. Brain tumors, brain aneurysms, spinal nerve problems are all delicate operations reserved for the steady, deft hands of our neurosurgeons.

• Orthopedic surgeon. For bone problems like fractures, osteoporosis, and various bone-related aches and pains, see your orthopedic surgeon. They also handle hip and knee problems, especially those injuries related to sports.

• Plastic surgeon. This miracle worker repairs the physical defects of our skin, muscles, face, extremities, breast and external genitalia.

• Urologist. Here’s the favorite doctor of guys above 50. They’re the experts in impotence, prostate problems, and sex concerns. All your secrets are safe in the office of your favorite urologist.

There are many more important specialties and fields in medicine (such as rehabilitation medicine, geriatric medicine, anesthesia, colorectal surgery, bariatric surgery, alternative medicine, public health medicine, and many more). Maybe in the future, I could write a second part to this article.

Finally, for your medical problems, my advice is to look for PRC-board certified doctors and you can’t go wrong. More power to all our Filipino doctors!