"I am a specialist in Internal Medicine, a disease detective. I use your complaints to diagnose your problem. I help you fix fix it or refer you to someone who can, often a sub specialist of Internal Medicine such as a allergist, cardiologist, endocrinologist, gastroenterologist, infectious disease doc, nephrologist, neurologist, or pulmonologist. I am also a specialist in Geriatrics, an age defined subspecialty of Internal Medicine. Over 80 % of the clues I need to diagnose a problem are based on what you tell me. That is why I still adhere to the advice of Sir William Osler, MD to "Listen to Your Patient. He is Telling You the Diagnosis." I use the physical exam to evaluate your complaints. I may find an unexpected problem (e.g. high blood pressure) I use our fancy tests to confirm what I suspect. Tests are not good screening tools, but are useful to confirm diagnoses and monitor treatment. I am happy to perform your routine physical and support your healthy life style decisions, but I am most interested in solving problems and managing your health over the long term. I'll cure what is curable and help you manage chronic health problems. I am trained to treat you with medication, but there is no such thing as a totally safe medication and I do not prescribe without careful consideration of the risk/benefit ratio. I also help coordinate and monitor your specialty care. I emphasize education. I will explain physiology, pharmacology, and disease processes so that you understand them and can collaborate with me rather than be dependent on my knowledge."
