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Medical technology is the application of science and technology to
help improve the management of health conditions.  Two such medical
technology inventions that helped healthcare greatly were the gamma
knife and x-rays.

The gamma knife is a good example of
medical technology.  It was invented by Swedish neurosurgeon Lars
Leksell in 1976.  It can be used to treat brain tumors with radiation
therapy.  Patients that need this radiation therapy wear a specialized
helmet fixed to their skull so the gamma knife rays can send the
radiation to the brain tumor.  It has helped thousands of patients with
both benign and malignant brain tumors.  It was helpful to the medical
field because this type of medical technology is less invasive than
other types of surgeries performed on brain tumors.

Another
type of technology you are probably more familiar with is x-rays. 
X-rays are a type of electromagnetic radiation.  Its wavelengths are in
the range of 10 to 0.01 nanometers and it corresponds to frequencies in
the range of 30 to 30,000 PHz.  X-rays can be used to see the skeletal
system, but it can also be used to detect some diseases in soft
tissue.  For example, a chest x-ray can show diseases of the lung such
as pneumonia, lung cancer, and pulmonary edema.  Stomach x-rays can be
used to see a blockage of the intestine, but it is debatable as to
whether x-ray medical technology can actually be used to see things
such as gallstones and kidney stones.

Medical technologists use
medical technology to analyze body fluids such as blood, urine, sputum,
stool, cerebrospinal fluid, peritoneal fluid, and synvial fluid.  They
often work in clinics, laboratories, and reference labs.  If the
medical technology field seems like something you would like to pursue,
you will need to complete a four-year degree program, including a
clinical rotation.

There are two medical symbols associated with medicine – the single
serpent-entwined staff of Asclepius and the double serpent-entwined
with surmounting wings staff of Hermes (more commonly knows as the
Caduceus).  The single serpent staff represents the staff of Greek
demigod Asklepios.  He represents the healing aspect of medicine.  His
daughters Hygea, Meditrine, and Panacea also symbolize important
aspects of health (cleanliness, medicine, and healing).  The double
serpent staff represents Herms, the messenger of gods who has the
responsibility of carrying souls into the underworld.  In America, the
two serpent symbol is predominately used to signify the medical
profession while in the rest of the world, the one serpent symbol is
used.

Is the use of the modern caduceus based on a
misunderstanding of medical symbols?   Asklepios so exemplified the
ideal physician that the term “Asclepiades” was used to refer to many
early physicians, including Hippocrates.  The single serpent caduceus
comes from the Hermes, the son of Zeus.  It is said that he was a great
peacemaker and the caduceus was created when he separated two fighting
snakes with his staff.  The serpents entwined as a show of friendship. 

The Hippocratic Oath, the one all medical students pledge as
they graduate from medical school mentions Apollo, Asclepius, Hygea,
and Panacea, but makes no reference at all to Hermes.  Many of the
veterinarians and dentists have begun using the single serpent medical
symbol.  However, the physicians of this country continue to use the
double serpent staff as a medical symbol. 

If this was
indeed a mistake to use the medical symbols inappropriately, it may be
attributed to the English publisher of a medical textbook.  He used the
two serpent caduceus as the printer’s mark on the title page of medical
textbooks headed to the United States.  To further the use of the
caduceus, the U.S. Army Medical Corps used it as its medical symbol in
1902.

Perhaps it doesn’t matter which of the medical symbols is
used as long as the doctors using is remember the Hippocratic Oath and
take their profession seriously.

You have probably been seeing medical symbols all your life, but
never really paid much attention.  For example, most people are
probably familiar with the caduceus.  This is the symbol of the two
serpents entwined around a rod which has wings.  This is a medical
symbol of the medical profession.  If you were ina foreign country and
couldn’t speak the language, but saw this medical symbol, you would
know that symbolized a doctor was nearby. 

But doctors
are the only one with their own medical symbol.  Pharmacists have the
mortar and pestle they use as a medical symbol.  The mortar is a bowl
and the pestle is a heavy stick that is used to grind.  This has been
associated with pharmacists for year as they often had to crush up
several ingredients in the mortar to prepare a prescription.

You
may also have noticed the six-pointed blue star with a rod in the
middle.  This is called the Star of Life and is the medical symbol for
emergency medical services (EMS) personnel.  It was originally designed
by the United States National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. 
The rod in the middle is actually the rod of Asclepius, the Greek
demigod of medicine and healing.  Each of the six branches on the star
signifies a task of emergency workers:  the first branch signifies the
first rescuers on the scene, the second branch signifies dispatch being
connected to the victims, the third branch signifies the first rescuers
providing first aid, the fourth branch signifies the arrival of EMS
personnel, the fifth branch signifies the transportation of the patient
by EMS personnel, and the sixth branch signifies the specialized care
provided by those at the hospital.

The nursing profession does not
seem to have one standard medical symbol, although sometimes a lamp is
used (to connote wisdom and enlightenment).  Sometimes the symbol of a
traditional nursing cap is used, but nurses rarely wear those caps
today and that is associated with a female nursing uniform.

A medical spa promises you a complete body treatment by combining
traditional day-spa comforts with usual cosmetics procedures. Like
traditional spas, medical spas offer services such as facials,
massages, saunas and body treatments. A medical spa, at the same time,
offers specialized cosmetic medical treatments like laser hair removal,
Botox and Restylane injections, medical microdermabrasions, photo
facials, hair restoration, laser vein treatments, laser acne
treatments, etc.

Recently, there has been a massive
improvement in anti aging technologies being offered at the medical
spas – most of the anti aging treatments are non-invasive, painless
procedures. Naturally, medical spas are being preferred over plastic
surgeries. Moreover, with The International Medical Spa Association
imposing the condition that all the spa services are to be performed by
or done under the supervision of licensed health care professionals,
medical spas have become a safe option.

Popular Medical Spa Categories

Medical
spas also provide procedures like aromatherapy and acupuncture. One
must make it a point to visit a medical spa if one is intent on using
natural methods for weight loss as well as for controlling complex
ailments.

Special category medical spas offer their clients
with nutrition and education-based facilities. Professionals at the
medical spas teach the clients about several procedures and essential
life style changes. These medical spas even provide education on how to
control obesity, menopause and diabetes.

A medical spa
meant especially for pregnant women provides convenient traditional
day-spa services in addition to personal education. In the educational
sessions, would-be mothers are given instructions on giving birth and
breastfeeding. (Here, it will be important to point out that the
medical spas emphasize natural birth and even help expecting mothers
with efficient midwives). Women are even counseled on appropriate
pregnancy based meal plans by nutritional counselors.

Advantages of Medical Spas

The
greatest advantage of a medical spa is the superior comfort-level it
pledges to those coming to its folds for essential medical procedures.
Thus, a client who is having a laser hair-removal treatment is given a
massage to make him feel more relaxed and comfortable.

Medical
spas usually have an on duty doctor all the time. Some spas even have
certified plastic surgeons, cosmetic surgeons, dermatologists and
licensed aestheticians so that you have a thoroughly rejuvenating
experience, both physically and mentally when you visit a medical spa.

Emergency Medical Services or EMS systems provide pre-hospital care
and attention to individuals suffering from illnesses and/or accidental
injuries. An organization engaged in emergency medical service is
referred to by different names like Emergency Squad, Rescue Squad,
Ambulance Service, Life Squad, First Aid Squad, Safety Squad, Ambulance
Squad and Ambulance Corps. The most popular and wide-known EMS network
is the Ambulance Organization.

In some instances, the term
‘emergency medical services’ is applied for in-hospital teams or squads
that extend their help in times of urgency. For example, if a patient
in the hospital has a cardiac arrest, workers of this in-hospital team
may come to the rescue even if they belong to other departments of the
hospital or medical organization.

The principal aim of EMS
networks is to treat patients who are in need of urgent medical care
and EMS even arranges for the timely removal of the patient to the next
step of definitive medical care. There are certain EMS units who are
responsible for handling technical rescue operations like water rescues
as well as searches and rescues.

You can contact EMS
through an emergency telephone number and speak with the EMS control
center; they will arrange for suitable resources for apposite handling
of the situation.

Members of EMS organizations belong to vastly different professional spheres and/or have different educational qualifications.

Government Emergency Medical Services

This
organization works separately but here ambulances and other necessities
are funded by the national and the local governments.

Voluntary Emergency Medical Services

Several
charitable or non-profit companies readily provide ambulances either in
emergencies or for transporting a patient from one destination to
another. Services undertaken by these voluntary bodies include
providing ambulances for the community, for sports or private events,
etc. Other essential emergency medical services include:

Private Ambulance Service
Combined Emergency Service
Hospital Based Service

EMS
systems work from two levels – BLS that is Basic Life Support and ALS
that is Advanced Life Support. People involved in both these levels of
operation include

Ambulance care assistant
Ambulance drivers
Doctors
Emergency Care Practitioner
Emergency medical technicians
First Responder
Paramedics

Saving lives is the only mission of emergency medical services.

If you’ve ever wanted to quickly identify the cause of a symptom,
chances are you’ve wished for a medical search engine. Here are some
ways to effectively use a medical search engine for maximum benefit.

First,
take time to know your symptom. If you’re experiencing abdominal pain,
for instance, consider: is it more pronounced on one side than the
other? If so, it could be appendicitis or an ectopic pregnancy. Is is
sharp? Dull? Concentrated? Spread out? These are questions that your
doctor will ask you anyway, so it’s good to be prepared. If you’re
experiencing severe pain, get yourself to the E.R. right away or call
an ambulance—it could be serious. Using a medical search engine might
waste valuable time if you are experiencing major pain. Leg pain could
be an indication of deep vein thrombosis, a serious problem.

Next,
assuming your pain isn’t severe, you can research different symptoms.
It might be useful to write down a list of potential diseases or health
issues based on the research that you’ve done with a medical search
engine. Then, you can ask the doctor about your symptoms. It’s good to
be pro-active when it comes to your medical care, and although your
doctor will certainly have a better grasp of your condition than a
medical search engine will, extra information never hurts. Look for a
doctor who is not too rushed to fully listen to your concerns.

Finally,
when you visit the doctor, bring a comprehensive list of symptoms and
describe your symptoms as well as you can. This will help your doctor
determine what course of treatment to take. Be sure to notify your
doctor of anything like allergies, potential pregnancy, or family
history of heart disease or cancer. A medical search engine can help
you be an educated patient, which can in turn help you stay healthy and
fight illness.

As someone without medical training, assessing the validity of a
medical reference is an important task. You should begin by determining
who wrote the medical reference text you are considering using. Find
out if the people who wrote it have medical degrees and also if they
have specialties in the topics about which they are writing. This issue
is key online as many medical reference websites do not have doctors or
other medical professionals writing.

While you may be
tempted to trust the first information you find, one way to verify the
validity of a specific reference site or text is to try to determine
whether or not the text under consideration has information that you
can find replicated. You want to have the same general information
available in other places. If the text you are considering varies
widely from the accepted standards on a certain medical issue, then you
should make sure that the writer explains that this opinion is
unorthodox and why. For example, the American Academy of Pediatrics
holds that ear infections and teething are not related. Many
pediatricians disagree with this opinion, but you should make sure the
person to whom you are listening can explain to you why he or she feels
differently.

Any medical reference also should have clear
information. Some texts simply are not meant for people without medical
training. Be sure that you are reading information intended for a
non-medical reader. Otherwise, you could be looking at information that
will not make sense to you. Another potential problem is giving
yourself an amateur diagnosis because you do not understand fine
distinctions. Seeking out a text intended for you should help to make
sure that you are reading information that is geared toward a general
audience that gives you succinct and easy to understand information.

Should you ever decide that you need your medical records, you will
find that you should be familiar with your right. The first thing you
need to know about your medical records is that they are yours. Now, a
doctor’s office or hospital does have the obligation in most places to
provide you with copies only. That does not apply to records, such as
x-rays, in which copies are not possible. For the other records,
though, you are their legal owner. A doctor’s office cannot deny you a
request for a copy of your medical records.

That request does
not have to be filled immediately, however. An office should have a
written policy about the records releases. They must require proof of
identification to guarantee the confidentiality of your medical
records. In most cases, they have a maximum time frame, usually 30
days, within which to fill the records requests. You cannot demand a
copy sooner, though in emergencies they have the obligation to provide
the records immediately. Now few offices will need the entire 30 days,
but they do have the policy as a precaution. It is your job to make
sure that you request the records well before you need them.

The
office also can have its own policies about whether they will fax or
mail the records. You must be able to accommodate their requirements in
this case or ask if there is an alternate. As with most items of a
sensitive nature, the records staff members are more likely to help you
in extreme circumstances if you approach them asking for understanding.
While the records do belong to you, a pleasant demeanor will help you
to get the records in a timely fashion. Should you come to an impasse
about getting your records, one option is to consult the medical review
board in the state of the office or to go through an attorney, but
these measures should be undertaken only in dire situations.

If you are seeking information that will help you get your medical
questions answered, it’s important to consider the source of the
information that you find. Information from a hospital, clinic, or
university medical research website is most likely to contain accurate
information. You should also know that your doctor is the best person
to contact for getting your medical questions answered. If you do not
have a doctor, you can go to an urgent care clinic rather than the
emergency room (depending on the severity of your condition).
Obviously, severe pain, bleeding, or seizures demand an E.R. visit
right away. Use your judgment. If your symptoms are not too painful or
impairing your function, you should visit a clinic rather than the
emergency room—you’ll probably get seen faster.

Doctors at
an urgent care clinic will be able to examine you in person, and their
medical training enables them to find out about signs and symptoms that
you may not have thought of. It is important to be one hundred percent
honest with your doctor. If you’re taking any drugs, prescription or
otherwise, a doctor needs to know that to treat you properly. The same
holds true for other information. Be sure to notify your doctor of any
allergies, hazardous working conditions, or conditions such as
pregnancy or possible pregnancy.

That said, it is an
excellent idea to inform yourself as much as possible about your
symptoms and possible diseases. Doctors are extremely busy, and they
are human too—they might overlook some detail that could be the key to
your problem or disease. It never hurts to find out more when you’re
trying to have those medical questions answered, but it’s also a good
idea to take a break from your research. Otherwise you might start
feeling like you have every symptom that’s mentioned. Your doctor will
be able to reassure you or treat you, depending on your needs. Getting
medical questions answered is easier than ever these days.

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Medical pictures have a number of great benefits. For starters, they are generally educational. If patients are in rooms waiting, they will have the opportunity to look at the medical pictures that are behind the door, on walls, or in brochures. These medical pictures may be of the body part or organ system in question on the visit and will give the patient the opportunity to see a different view. Most people do not know what the ear looks like on the inside, for instance, but a chance to see a poster of the inner ear system will give a patient a better idea of why ear tubes may be beneficial.

Doctors can use these medical pictures in their visits with patients as well. These doctors can show the patients, using the medical pictures, what is wrong with them. Because many doctors have a hard time speaking in a way that patients will understand, the pictures make that job easier. The doctor simply points to the areas with problems and uses the diagrams to give the patients a clear idea of what is happening. Some pictures even have various conditions and diseases drawn onto the diagram, which makes the problem even easier to solve.

Finally, doctors who see patients who do not speak the same language or speak it only in a rudimentary form will find medical pictures invaluable to their practice. Instead of relying on a broken form of the language, doctors can use the pictures to show the patients what is wrong. The patients, too, can use the pictures to show where they have pain or discomfort, which can make the diagnosis process easier for everyone involved. Relying on pictures should not be the only method doctors use to deal with cultural or language barriers, but they certainly can be helpful in otherwise sticky situations.