Branches of medicine often have long, technical names that make it difficult for those not in the health care field to understand what they really entail.
Preventive medicine, a branch with a seemingly simple description, still remains somewhat elusive.
Even so, this type of medicine has far-reaching implications for nearly all people.
Consider a few key pieces of information that may help you to understand the field of preventive medicine and how it impacts you.
What Do Preventive Medicine Doctors Do?
Doctors who specialize in preventive medicine, such as Los Angeles practitioner Dominique Fradin-Read, have a wide range of responsibilities.
Generally speaking, these professionals address potential health concerns with the aim of stopping them from becoming wide-spread issues.
Some preventive medicine doctors focus on research, such as studying the effects of certain pharmaceutical products.
Others work in the public health arena in order to inform policymakers.
Still, other doctors meet regularly with patients to address individualized preventive medical concerns.
Why Might You Visit a Preventive Medicine Doctors?
Although many physicians working in the field of preventive medicine do not regularly see patients, some do.
Additionally, primary care doctors can address preventive health issues.
You may wish to visit or receive a referral for a preventive medicine doctor such as Dr. Dominique Fradin-Read if there is some aspect of your lifestyle that can be expected to lead to future health problems.
These lifestyle choices may include whether you smoke, what you eat or what sort of work you do.
How Does Preventive Medicine Affect Your Everyday Life?
Even if you never go to see a preventive medicine doctor in person, their work still impacts people on a grand scale.
For example, preventive medicine often involves on-the-job health and safety concerns.
This helps to ensure that your workplace does not negatively impact your health.
This affects everyone from factory workers to astronauts to undersea workers.
Preventive medicine doctors are also able to influence common medical practices such as routinely testing for certain conditions even before symptoms appear.
Additionally, these professionals can address contagious diseases in order to minimize their spread.
Although the work of a preventive medicine doctor may not seem to be as glamorous or dramatic as some other specialties, their work affects huge groups of people all at once.
By preventing health issues today, these physicians are able to save you from having to go through expensive and uncomfortable medical procedures in the future.