|  The list of the different types of physicians seems endless. These are a few helpful hints on how to find the right physician for the medical or health condition that you are suffering from.
For teeth, start with your dentist. There are several different subspecialties under dentistry, but your dentist can make the appropriate medical referral if they feel it is warranted.
For joints and bones there are doctors of chiropractic, osteopathathic doctors, and orthopedic doctors. The chiropractic doctors are considered conservative and their treatment centers around spinal function and its relationship to the rest of the body. Osteopathic and orthopedic physicians are generally less conservative and are licensed to give prescriptions and perform surgery. It is not uncommon these days to see osteopathic doctors dealing with more than joints and bones. They may be in general practice or performing body enhancing surgeries. For internal disorders, there are health care professionals of internal medicine, called internists. This is an area of medicine that warrants more classifications of specialists that deal with the more specific elements of your body's internal functions, i.e... gastroenterologists, urologists, endocrinologists, etc.
Doctors specializing in the heart are called cardiologists. As with most other specialties, there are numerous subspecialties for the area of the heart, but your cardiologist can refer you to the appropriate physician if necessary.
For muscles, there are physical therapists and massage therapists. In general, physical therapists retrain muscles after injuries and massage therapists help balance the muscles by massage.
For mental distress, there are psychologists, counselors and psychiatrists. A psychologist is a doctor of psychology. Most psychologists specialize in testing, but this is not always the case. A counselor usually has a Masters degree in counseling and these are the people who do most of the talk therapy in this country. Psychiatrists rarely engage in talk therapy and focus mainly on diagnosis and prescribing appropriate medication. It is not unusual for all these mental health care professionals to work together on one case.
A good place to start to look for the proper health care professional for a particular problem is with your favorite general practitioner. Sometimes it is hard to know which body system is having difficulty and therefore, it is hard to know what type of doctor to see. Your general practitioner should be able to help you sort this out.
Our service is unique in that we offer numerous disciplines that are available in one place. Each health care staff member is aware of each other's area of expertise and therefore we can always guide you to the appropriate level of care, whether that is of a medical nature, an emotional concern, or a combination of both.
Dr. Thomas Field, D.O. began his health care experience as a Respiratory Therapist, from there he became a Registered Nurse. After spending much of his time around physicians and the medical field, he decided that was what he wanted to achieve. He graduated from Osteopathic Medical School as a doctor in 1989 and on to a Family Practice Residency, which he completed in 1992. He then elected to spend a fellowship in Sports Medicine at the Center for Sports Medicine in Phoenix, Arizona, which he completed in 1993. Since that time he has been in Tempe, Arizona where he now is a physician practicing Family and Sports Medicine. His emphasis is in the medical care of athletes from the weekend warrior to the professional, as well as industrial medical injuries. He also does general family medicine from pediatrics to geriatrics. In addition, he volunteer his services as a clinical instructor at the Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine in Glendale, Arizona. He enjoys teaching and feels it keeps his skills sharp and up to date |
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