Our Lake Wales, Florida practice offers an opportunity to work with an experienced internal medicine doctor who continually seeks proven methods of reducing or eliminating pain without using medications that can have potentially negative side effects whenever possible. An internal medicine doctor who practices osteopathic medicine, or non-pharmaceutical pain management options, is qualified and licensed to perform all the duties of a general physician. However, unlike other physicians, the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine or "DO" is also trained to focus on disease prevention and whole-body restoration without the aid of medications.
Emphasis On Prevention
If you are the type of person who likes to take care of inflammation and potential inherited diseases before they become a major concern, then you want a doctor who will work with you to prevent the causes of injury and illness as opposed to treating the symptoms after-the-fact. This is where a DO comes in. In addition to the information gained from your annual medical exam, he will be curious about your lifestyle, health goals, and any discomfort you currently experience. For example, if you are training for a marathon and you have a tendency to get leg cramps or hip pain, a DO would be able to go beyond a medicinal prescription to discuss other treatment options.
Pain Reduction Without The Harmful Side Effects Of Medication
DO's try to avoid suggesting the use of medication when a therapy technique that would allow the body to heal itself is proven to be effective for the source of the pain. The search for the source and the start of the healing process stems from a desire to look deeper into the overall health of the individual as opposed to treating the symptoms alone. A DO is typically concerned with preventing further damage and healing the cause of the damage rather than alleviating the symptoms alone.
This is because we often experience what is known as "referred pain". For example, you may feel an ache in your back when your pancreas is inflamed. As the source is targeted for healing, the symptoms will reduce in number, strength, and frequency. Sometimes, however, the source of the disease or irritation requires medicine or surgery. Your DO will take into account all avenues of treatment before planning the safest and most effective path to recovery.
Treats the Whole Body
Have you ever had a deep tissue massage where you found out your shoulders or hips were extremely tight without ever realizing it? It is not uncommon for people to go through life with unnecessary inflammation or tension that can build up over time that they do not feel. Like a good massage therapist, your DO can look for signs of distress throughout your body. This is an important step because that process can lead to an early diagnosis where an illness can be more easily treatable.
No Reason To Fear Going To The Doctor
We understand the idea of hidden illness can be frightening, along with thoughts of shots, medicinal side effects, and surgeries. These fears can hold you back from going to see the doctor to uncover the truth about your health. With a DO, you can put these fears to rest because he will be trying to find the problem areas before they become an issue. Also, he will recommend the least invasive and most effective means of treating anything that he finds in the exam.
Growing Field In Medicine
Now that you are on board with switching to a DO, there is great news! This field of medicine is expanding rapidly. The American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine reports "there are more than 6,500 osteopathic physician graduates each year," and a whopping "25% of medical students are studying to become osteopathic physicians." Plus, if you live in or visit the state of Florida, Dr. Ricardo Navarro is an Internal Medical Physician and trusted DO. He currently has a practice in Lake Wales and welcomes new patients.
Whether you have heard of osteopathic medicine or not, the field of medicine is progressively evolving to include more of the holistic and non-invasive treatments this approach provides. Patients leave the office of a DO feeling more knowledgeable of their bodies and in control of their treatment options or preventative measures. While you may have thought a visit with your physician was only about diagnosing based on current symptoms, the DO method of taking all of the signs of the body into consideration, along with its self-healing properties, shows us the future of physician care has arrived.
Sources:
"What is Osteopathic Medicine?" The American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine, www.aacom.org/become-a-doctor/about-om.