Modern medicine offers ever-expanding ways to heal and prevent disease, but it also can cause harm. The best medical treatments are those that minimize the risk of harm and are used by health care providers who are trained to spot problems.
A health problem is a condition that affects the body and mind. A health care provider can treat or help prevent a medical problem by using medicines, therapy or surgery. A treatment is something that helps to control a health problem, such as fungus, or makes it go away for good. It may be used on only one part of the body or on both the inside and outside. A treatment can be a pill, a cream or powder that can kill the fungus, a surgery that removes the fungus or a procedure that is done in the lab to examine the fungus.
The study of the causes, processes and effects of diseases, and the treatment of them is called medical science or, more specifically, biomedical science. It is a scientific field that grew out of the ancient Western traditions of herbalism, the four humours and the like, and it really began with Edward Jenner’s development of the smallpox vaccine at the end of the 18th century and Robert Koch’s discoveries about bacteria and viruses in the early 1900s.
Medicine is divided into many different specialty fields. For example, family medicine (also known as primary care or general practice) is the first port of call for patients with non-emergency problems in many countries. Other specialties include medical genetics, which is concerned with hereditary disorders; neurology is concerned with the nervous system; and obstetrics and gynaecology, which is concerned with childbirth and female reproductive organs.
All medical procedures have benefits, risks and side effects. Doctors will usually talk to you about any medical procedures they are considering before carrying them out. They will tell you what the procedure is likely to achieve and how long it is likely to last. They will also explain how much it is likely to cost and discuss any regular follow-up care that might be needed afterwards.
Some medical treatments involve a number of different steps, such as removing an infection, taking blood and performing x-rays and other tests. Other treatments are a series of interventions, such as cleaning a wound, applying antiseptic and a bandage, or giving patients medications including antibiotics. First aid is the treatment of minor injuries such as cuts and burns.