Doctors and Company: A Dictonary of Health Care Givers

Abdominal surgeon.
(ab-dom'-i-nl sur'-jun)
An abdominal surgeon performs surgery on the abdominal organs (stomach, intestines, liver, spleen, gall bladder, pancreas, uterus, and appendix).

Acupuncturist.
(ack'-you-punk'-chur-ist)
A person who practices the ancient Chinese medical procedure that treats illness, relieves pain, or locally anesthetises the body (make it insensitive to pain) by piercing the skin with fine needles at specific sites of the body where pain centers are located.

Adolescent medicine specialist.
(ad-oh-les'-ent med'-i-sin spesh'-uh-list)
A doctor who specializes in the health needs and problems of adolescents, this specialist studies, diagnoses, and treats disorders and diseases, and provides preventive care such as checkups and vaccinations.

Adolescent psychiatrist.
(ad-oh-les'-ent sy-ky'-eh-trist)
An adolescent psychiatrist specializes in the study, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of adolescent mental illness, emotional disorders, or addictions to drugs or other substances with psychoanalysis, prescription drugs, or both.

Adult nurse practitioner.
(ah-dult' nurs prak-tish'-uh-ner)
A registered nurse with special training in caring for ill or infirm (weak, feeble) adults. This person is qualified to diagnose and treat minor physical disorders and chronic illnesses.

Allergist.
(al'-er-gist)
An allergist specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of disorders that cause the immune system (the system that protects the body from organisms that cause disease) to overreact to ordinarily harmless substances such as dust, tree and grass pollen, certain odors, and foods.

Anesthesiologist.
(an-iss-thee'-zee-ahl'-oh-jist)
An anesthesiologist administers both local and general anesthesia (drugs that cause the loss of the abilility to feel pain), and monitors a patient's vital signs during and after surgery, an obstetric (childbirth), or diagnostic procedure (a method of analysing or finding disease). This specialist also diagnoses and treats patients with acute (severe) and long-lasting pain, people who are critically ill, and those with severe injuries, cardiac (heart), and respiratory (breathing) emergencies.

Anesthetist.
(a-nes'-thi-tist)
This person administers anesthetics for diagnostic procedures or surgery. An anesthetist is either a specially trained nurse or technician.

Alternative medicine practitioner.
(awl-ter'-na-tiv med'-i-sin prak-tish'-uh-ner)
This person uses one or more of a variety of well-known or exotic treatments that focus on stimulating the body (through diet, herbal medicines, nutritional supplements, massage, or manipulation, for example) to heal illness or disorders. The interrelationship of mind and body is as essential to successful treatment as is lifestyle, human relationships, societal and environmental influences, and an individual's perception of self and self-worth. Non-invasive treatments, such as lifestyle changes, developing a positive attitude toward one's body, mind, and spirit, relaxation, and meditation, natural substances rather than drugs, diet, and exercise are believed to be both safe and effective. Although the medical community dismisses most of the cures claimed by alternative practitioners, some techniques, such as chiropractic and accupuncture, are accepted for certain medical problems.