Medical Definition and 491 Threads

Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient and managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment or palliation of their injury or disease. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness. Contemporary medicine applies biomedical sciences, biomedical research, genetics, and medical technology to diagnose, treat, and prevent injury and disease, typically through pharmaceuticals or surgery, but also through therapies as diverse as psychotherapy, external splints and traction, medical devices, biologics, and ionizing radiation, amongst others.Medicine has been practiced since prehistoric times, during most of which it was an art (an area of skill and knowledge) frequently having connections to the religious and philosophical beliefs of local culture. For example, a medicine man would apply herbs and say prayers for healing, or an ancient philosopher and physician would apply bloodletting according to the theories of humorism. In recent centuries, since the advent of modern science, most medicine has become a combination of art and science (both basic and applied, under the umbrella of medical science). While stitching technique for sutures is an art learned through practice, the knowledge of what happens at the cellular and molecular level in the tissues being stitched arises through science.
Prescientific forms of medicine are now known as traditional medicine or folk medicine, which remains commonly used in the absence of scientific medicine, and are thus called alternative medicine. Alternative treatments outside of scientific medicine having safety and efficacy concerns are termed quackery.

View More On Wikipedia.org
  1. G

    Hello! Is there anyone out there?

    Hello everyone, new member here. I'll be doing my diploma in Medical Physics this year so I'll be sure to have many questions about particle physics and nuclear physics since I couldn't quite wrap my head around some of those concepts in undergrad. Hope to interact with more of you soon. P.S...
  2. P

    What would happen if I pinch my nose while I sneeze?

    hey everyone, I currently have an ear infection. I'm watching to see if it gets better and it seems like yesterday was the worst of it. Today it's better: I can completely clinch my jaw with minimal pain. I think I'll be ok by Tuesday, but I'm curious about something. I'm curious what would...
  3. Astronuc

    Science Fair winner studies Claudin-5, a potential biomarker

    https://www.yahoo.com/news/16-old-pocketed-50-000-135300578.html https://fluidsbarrierscns.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12987-019-0123-z I have read that chronic stress increases levels of cytokines. It's complicated. https://academic.oup.com/jes/article/3/7/1302/5489212...
  4. F

    What is the connection between physics and metaphysics?

    I'm an electrical engineer working in the medical device industry. As a hobby, always interested in both physics and metaphysics, want to know what this world is about at its core. Always open to any seriously and honestly driven discussion as long as it is not offending and has the goal of...
  5. murshid_islam

    Medical What are some cases (if any) of people coming back from the dead?

    I am looking for cases (if any) where patients were pronounced dead by doctors and then came back to life. Are there any such cases? I am not looking for cases of near-death experiences. I'm also not looking for cases where patients were mistakenly declared dead when they were still alive.
  6. BWV

    British Medical Journal study finds parachutes ineffective

    Dont believe the lies of Big Parachute! https://www.bmj.com/content/363/bmj.k5094
  7. 256bits

    What was the original purpose of the chainsaw?

    If given the question, I would not have fathomed that the chainsaw device with a continuous 'blade' was originally a medical device from the late 18th century. An effort saving machine for lumberjacks cutting wood would have been my first guess. But wrong. But when one thinks about it, the...
  8. Agongo 4

    Courses Becoming a Biomedical Engineer with a Bsc in Medical Physics

    Can I become a biomedical engineer after completing a Bsc in Medical Physics?
  9. JordanBolds

    Physics From biomedical engineering to bio-physics to medical physicist

    Hi everyone! I am also very new to this PhysicsForm site, hopefully I am not interrupting any conversation with this question. I have been thinking about switching from biomedical engineering to bio-physics as an undergrad degree with aspirations of eventually becoming a medical physicist. I do...
  10. qntm

    Physics Medical Physics: is it worth it?

    Hi all, I've been working in healthcare in some capacity for 10+ years now and started school a little later than your average undergraduate (started at 26). I caught the math bug and did well in my lower-division mathematics and physics courses and I am currently finishing up Classical...
  11. M

    Programs I'm a medical physicist, how can I get into astronomy/astrophysics?

    Hi, I'm a recently graduated medical physicist (currently also working as a medical physicist) and I still have a thirst for physics, especially astronomy and astrophysics which are my hobbies. The problem is that we were only taught pure physics and mathematics during the first 2 years of our...
  12. Q

    Programs I am doing a BME PhD, and hope to transfer to medical physics

    Hi All, I am currently a third-year Ph.D. student working on PET image processing and tracer kinetic modeling, and about to graduate in two years. After three years study, I developed a high interest in clinical-related projects and found medical physics path is very suitable for me. I wish...
  13. A

    How can vinegar attenuate the pain of a bee sting? (acid base reaction)

    Hello, I have been working on this subject but I am not sure how to deal with it. I am looking to prove how can vinegar attenuate the pain of a bee sting. I have chosen a specific vinegar that is of 6° and 50 ml and Know the molecular weight of acetic acid is 60g/mol. The bee sting contains...
  14. F

    Other Undergraduate thesis topic ideas in medical physics

    I am a junior applied physics major. I am supposed to write my thesis topic proposal but honestly have no idea what to do. I wrote a proposal about using bipolar junction transistors to create a dosimeter but there are already studies on it and honestly, I am not sure about it so I am trying to...
  15. E

    COVID Examining the Efficacy of Virus Masks: CDC Findings

    Do virus masks have any effect on preventing or reducing risk of infection from CV19? Have there been any studies on this?
  16. Lyra

    Programs Exploring a Career in Medical Physics: Advice from PhD Physicists

    Hi All, I am currently doing a PhD in condensed matter physics (experiment) and want to enter medical physics. My ideal job is more like a mix of research and clinical as I want to be able to actually help people. I wonder whether anyone has any suggestions on what I should do. I already have a...
  17. AryaKimiaghalam

    Physics Will Automation Decrease Job Opportunities for Medical Physicists?

    Hi all, Hope you are safe and doing well. I was having a conversation with a friend of mine about the field of medical physics and its outlook. He seemed to like the field and was impressed by its career prospects. However, one worry he had was automation, in this case, it replacing the role...
  18. AryaKimiaghalam

    Programs Top Medical Physics Programs in Texas and Florida

    Hi all, Hope you are all safe and doing well. I recently made a decision to potentially move to the states permanently. I am currently in my fourth year of undergraduate degree in physics at a Canadian university (3.82 cGPA, 3.96 in major) and interested in a career in medical physics. For this...
  19. bhobba

    COVID Medical Information On Brisbane Lockdown

    I originally posted in the general section that where I am in Brisbane we are now in lockdown. Further medical information has emerged on what is happening with 8 new cases overnight so I will post it here...
  20. snatchingthepi

    Programs Exploring Benefits of Biomedical Engineering PhD vs. Medical Physics PhD

    Hey all I'm finishing up my master's degree in medical physics this year, specifically working in PET-MR data analysis. I have a definite professional interest in medical imaging, and am planning on pursuing this. I have an interesting choice where I've been offered a position as a PhD student...
  21. jim mcnamara

    US Pandemic related medical resource shortages

    US health care services under severe strain from pandemic. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7399859/ Would the United States Have Had Too Few Beds for Universal Emergency Care in the Event of a More Widespread Covid-19 Epidemic? R Jones, Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020 Jul...
  22. akshitha135

    Can you become an astronaut if you have a medical degree?

    How do you get into research if you are interested in medicine and want to work in research with space? Can you also become an astronaut but not be involved with space missions, thanks for your answers.
  23. snatchingthepi

    Programs PhD in Medical Physics vs Biomedical Engineering

    I have two paths I can take in my graduate studies. I'm currently an MSc student studying hybrid PET-MR systems in a medical physics program. My advisor is adjunct to the department of biomedical engineering, as well as the medical physics department. We were discussing doctoral work and it came...
  24. .Scott

    COVID Medical Science, Medical Ethics, COVID-19

    There is a COVID-19 issue that has been brewing for at least a couple of months: Is the primary COVID-19 communication vector aerosols? But only in the past couple of weeks has this issue started to come to a boil - as in this article...
  25. K

    Programs Radiation Therapist to Medical Dosimetrist or Physicist

    Hello! I’m currently in the process of earning my bachelors of science in radiation therapy. I plan to get my masters in dosimetry, but I was wondering if anyone know if it was possible for a medical dosimetrist to advance their career by earning their PhD in medical physics. Essentially, I’m...
  26. BigPapaSmurf123

    Physics How to become a Certified Medical Physicist in the UK?

    Hello there! I am currently studying Astrophysics (3rd year) in Scotland and would like to shift my premature career path into medical physics. Now, I have few questions that I cannot answer online so I though it would be better to do it here. Here we go.. My question is how to actually...
  27. W

    Can a dosimetrist with an M.S. become a medical physicist PhD?

    Hi, I am new here and I am pursuing a BS in radiation therapy and I am planning on becoming a Dosimetrist hopefully sometime in the future and I am wondering if a dosimetrist can become a medical physicist? has it been done before and how would the process look like? hard/easy? any alternative...
  28. Faisal Moshiur

    Admissions Recommendations for an institution for a PhD in Medical Physics

    Excuse me guys. I have been in some stress while choosing to pursue a career in Medical Physics. I would like to enroll for PhD course in Medical Physics concentrating on Radiology/ Oncology. However, I found it hard to choose between CAMPEP accredited institutions. I have a BSc in Physics with...
  29. areamer02

    How do peak flow meters measure flow rate?

    I am in pharmacy school and my professor recently went over lung diseases with us. An important (and cheap) tool that many patients can use to detect whether their lung function is declining is a peak flow meter, which tells the patient how much air they are moving when they exhale with as much...
  30. B

    From MSc Nuclear Physics to PhD medical physics is it possible?

    Hi I need help. I have my masters in Nuclear physics from Ahmadu Bello University Zaria Nigeria but am passionate about studying for medical physics in my PhD specializing in either Nuclear medicine or radiotherapy. Please any University that will admit on fully funded scholarship am open to...
  31. callie123

    Can an immune person be the key to finding the cure to a disease?

    Hey, I'm writing a science-fiction novel, and trying to keep as much "sci" in there as I can! Scenario: A character has been successfully cured of a deadly disease, using cool (insert hand wave) stuff. But all records of the cure have been destroyed (files of info, samples, etc). Now the...
  32. B

    Other Medical Physics: Masters or Ph.D?

    Hello everyone, I am a current undergrad physics major looking to pursue a career in clinical medical physics. I currently have an internship in radiation therapy physics and absolutely love it. I have recently become aware of the issue there is with medical physics residencies favoring Ph. D...
  33. magnetic flux

    Tutoring medical students for their physics exam

    I am a pure physicist (M.Sc.) and on the side I do tutoring. Right now I have medicine students who have to take a physics course as part of their curriculum. Their course consists of one lecture (2 h/week) and a lab course with 10 experiments. The exam in the end are 20 questions where only the...
  34. E

    Job Skills Medical physics: additional training

    I've been working as a medical physics expert (still not really an expert, I have the EU to thank for the name) for more than a year now and I have just finished all the relevant academic training and internships. However, I like to learn new things, be it in the hospital or the university. So I...
  35. BillTre

    What Are 10 Medical Myths That Have Been Debunked by Recent Studies?

    Summary: A variety of studies have contradicted several medical practices and theories. This NY Times article lists 10 findings that contradict what were once widely held theories:
  36. L

    How Can Electrical Impulses Trigger Needle Movement in Medical Devices?

    Hello , I have an medical device assembly, where I trigger the needle for injection, mechanically, with a pretensioned spring. Injection takes 3 minutes, then I have to retract the needle. How can I trigger the needle, using an electrical impulse ?
  37. snatchingthepi

    Studying Useful guidance for research in medical physics

    It's looking like I'm going to get funding for a research MSc in medical physics, working specifically with MRI technology on in-vitro rat brains looking at models of diagnosing disorders of the nervous system. I was just wondering if anyone had any useful advise or guidance for some things to...
  38. BillTre

    Medical "Ethics and Liabilities of Medical DNA Sequencing" -- Symposium

    As DNA sequence information from individual patients becomes more available, and the amount of information associated with particular sequence variants increases, this kind of collection and analysis of sequence data will assume great importance to medical practitioners. With medical importance...
  39. T

    Physics Experienced Medical Physicists looking for employment in Dubai

    Hi, My partner and I are both UK state registered medical physicists in radiotherapy. We are currently looking to relocate to Dubai but I'm having difficulty finding any jobs online. I can find plenty for other Emirates but we are specifically looking for Dubai. I know if a physicist was...
  40. A

    Programs Medical physics vs theoretical physics

    Is medical physics as informative as normal physics in terms of the courses I'll do in the University and can it be used as a pathway into medicine and surgery?
  41. AndresPB

    Programs Medical Physics Graduate Programs

    Good night to all, I would really appreciate if everyone could give me their opinions on: MS in Medical Physics in Duke University MS in Medical Physics in Columbia University MS in Medical Physics in Vanderbilt University MS in Medical Physics in Cleveland State University Ph.D in Radiological...
  42. Fatima7

    Studying Medical (Radiography) and Astronomy

    Good morning, I would like to know if its possible to do my Master degree in any field related to space and astronomy, actually I graduated with bachelor of applied science (Medical Imaging). I deal with x-ray and imaging machines. My courses were somewhere between biology, x-ray (radiation)...
  43. A

    Programs Advice for 2nd Year Physics Student on Pursuing Medical Physics

    Hello fine friends, I'm looking for some advice. I'm a second year physics student and my GPA is 3.66. I currently work full time in sleep medicine as a registered polysomnographic technologist (RPSGT) and really enjoy working with patients, treating their sleep disorders, and, essentially...
  44. M

    Physics Medical Physics from the UK to Canada

    Hi I am a medical physicist in the uk with a desire to transition to Canada. I am in the process of applying for permanent residency via the Canada express entry. We have a similar organisation to CAMPEP that accredits our physicists in the UK, called IPEM. I have an accredited MSc from IPEM...
  45. D

    Understanding the Cardiac Cycle: Diastole & Systole

    I am unsure about the underlined parts of the cardiac cycle. I was taught that the cardiac cycle started when the blood flowed into the atrium, but wouldn't there be a period when both artia and ventricles are at diastole simultaneously? For the second underlined part I was taught and read that...
  46. E

    Other Ph.D. after medical physics residency?

    Finished up my masters in medical physics a couple years ago and am about to complete my residency. Have been considering getting a Ph.D. since that's always been a life goal but I'm facing a conundrum: as far as I know, I will likely end up with a similar job whether or not I get a Ph.D. I want...
  47. T

    Engineering Pathway from medical physics to biomedical engineering?

    Throughout this forum, I've seen numerous posts discussing the transition to medical physics. However, I'm curious to learn about what advice can be shared on having an interest to work in biomedical engineering with a background/ experience as a medical physics. Would this entail completing a...
  48. prashantakerkar

    Medical Can Comatose Patients Undergo Surgery?

    https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coma Can Surgery be done for a patient who is in Coma? If no, What is the medical reason ? Thanks & Regards, Prashant S Akerkar
  49. AgusCF

    I Solving Planar Fluence: Ratio of Electrons per cm2

    Hello everyone, Suppose a situation where you have a broad plane-parallele beem of electrons which is perpendiculary incident upon a thin foil which scatters the e- for an angle X. I did calculus and the ratio of flux density below the foil respect with the foil remove is 1.06. But, What are...
Back
Top