Medical treatment is care that helps a person heal or manage a health problem. It may involve medicine, devices, tests or surgery. Some medical treatments can cure a disease, while others relieve symptoms and prevent complications. For example, regular mammograms help detect cancer in the earliest stages. The field of medicine includes many different specialties, such as cardiology (heart), gastroenterology (intestines) and psychiatry. Each specialty has its own research, education and training programs.
If your doctor recommends a medical treatment, ask for more information. Ask your doctor to explain the benefits, risks and side effects of that treatment.
Also ask your doctor about other treatment options. For example, if your doctor prescribes an antibiotic for a bacterial infection, consider alternative medications such as antiviral drugs. If you have health insurance, check to see whether the drug is covered by your plan.
You also can request a second opinion from another physician, or “second opinion.” If your doctor does not have a specific expertise in the disease you are diagnosed with, she or he may refer you to an outside specialist.
Visiting a specialist can be a good idea, because a specialist often has seen your medical records and test results and is familiar with your case. A visit to a specialist is often short, and the specialist may be able to provide you with information quickly and accurately. If you do go to a specialist, ask your doctor for a referral from the hospital or a list of physicians who specialize in that illness.
Your doctor can also suggest nonsurgical procedures to diagnose or treat a disease or injury. These are usually less invasive than surgical procedures. Some examples include endoscopy, in which a slender tube is inserted into the body to make a visual inspection, and cystoscopy, in which a tool is used to remove fluid from a cyst or tumor.
Many diseases cause uncomfortable sensations, such as pain, coughing or sneezing. But some illnesses have no symptoms at all, such as blindness and leprosy. Still other diseases have unpleasant symptoms, such as a dry mouth or itchy skin.
Some health problems have no treatment or cure, but a health care provider can treat the symptoms to reduce discomfort. For example, insulin treats diabetes, but it will not cure the disease. Scientists are making rapid progress in finding new treatments. If a treatment proves successful in animals or in laboratory testing, it may be more effective in humans. The goal of precision or personalized medicine is to find the right drug or treatment for each patient, based on his or her genetics, lifestyle and reactions to other medicines. A related area is pharmacogenomics, which studies how genes influence your response to medication. This can help doctors avoid harmful drug interactions and minimize side effects. This article was reviewed by the American College of Radiology’s Board of Editors and is based on the American College of Radiology’s Guideline for Imaging of the Abdomen (available in PDF form). This document has been peer-reviewed and approved for use in the practice of radiology.