If you’re a pilot, flight attendant or astronaut, you may benefit from consulting with an aerospace medical physician. They specialize in health risks and conditions associated with traveling into abnormal air and space environments, usually caused by pressure and altitude changes or reduced oxygen levels. This includes hypoxia, ebullism and hypobaria.Other areas of expertise include jet lag, dehydration and your body’s response to thermal stress, which can influence your decision making ability. More serious conditions might include G-induced loss of consciousness (known as G-LOC), spatial disorientation and space adaptation syndrome, a sickness common when your body is adjusting to weightlessness.

An emergency physician is a doctor who is an expert in handling conditions of an urgent and extremely dangerous nature. These specialists work in the emergency room (ER) departments of hospitals where they oversee cases involving cardiac distress, trauma, fractures, lacerations and other acute conditions.Emergency physicians are specially trained to make urgent life-saving decisions to treat patients during an emergency medical crisis. These doctors diagnose and stabilize patients before they are either well enough to be discharged, or transferred to the appropriate department for long-term care.

A family practitioner is a doctor who specializes in caring for people of all ages, at all stages of life. Rather than focusing on the treatment of one disease or patient population, family practitioners are often the doctors that people see for their everyday ailments, like cold and flu or respiratory infections, and health screenings. When necessary, family practitioners will provide referrals for conditions that require the expertise of another specialist.The doctors may also provide physicals, inoculations, prenatal care, treat chronic diseases, like diabetes and asthma, and provide advice on disease prevention.

A general dentist is your primary care dental provider. This dentist diagnoses, treats, and manages your overall oral health care needs, including gum care, root canals, fillings, crowns, veneers, bridges, and preventive education.

An internist is a physician who focuses on the diagnosis and treatment of conditions that affect the adult population—both acute and chronic.These doctors are often who adults see as their primary physicians because they treat a broad range of illnesses that do not require surgical or specialist interventions. They also work to help a patient maintain optimal health in order to prevent the onset of disease.In addition to treating the common cold and flu, internists also treat chronic diseases like diabetes and heart disease.

An obstetrician & gynecologist, or OB/GYN, is a physician who cares for women throughout their pregnancies, straight through to the delivery of their baby (obstetrician). They also specialize in annual care, as well as the diagnosis and treatment of disorders of the female reproductive system (gynecologist). Many physicians specialize in both of these fields in order to provide complete overall health services to women at every stage of life.

A pediatrician is a doctor who specializes in the regular care of children, as well as the diagnosis and treatment of illness in children. Young patients are often more complicated to treat because they are still growing and developing. While pediatricians may sub-specialize in specific therapy areas like oncology, surgery, ophthalmology, and anesthesiology, in general, pediatricians provide services like vaccinations, health exams, and treatment of common ailments and injuries. In addition, pediatricians are trained to handle the complex emotional and behavioral issues faced by children, especially during puberty. Pediatricians normally see their patients from birth until the age of 18, although some may agree to treat patients into their early 20s, if requested.