Pulmonology, toxicology, radiation exposure, and many other hazards of the workplace are just some of the main areas of focus of an occupational medicine specialist. For individuals who live in or near Alabama and are suffering from workplace injuries or disabilities and diseases, they should consult an occupational medicine specialist in Alabama for the best diagnostic and treatment results.

Workplace Hazards

There are many different hazardous conditions in a lot of workplaces that would require the services of an occupational medicine specialist. Some workers breathe in asbestos or other harmful dust and fumes. Others ingest the odors of coal and various other toxic chemicals in the plants and factories that they work in. Even with wearing protective masks and special protective uniforms, exposure to these noxious and often poisonous substances still occur. Radiation exposure is one of the biggest hazards that an occupational medicine specialist has to deal with when treating such an infected patient. This problem can occur in nuclear plants when there is a leak or an accident and radioactivity reaches an enormously high level. This special type of healthcare practitioner must known how to most appropriately deal with these serious medical issues.

Treatment Procedures

Many times, patients come in to see this type of physician because they have great difficulty breathing. In this case, the doctor will often prescribe certain inhalers as well as oxygen tanks that the patient has to utilize 24 hours a day. For some radiation poisoning or toxic effects, simply administering an iodine pill will help prevent thyroid cancer. The doctor has to draw extensive blood samples and send them to the laboratory to study the biochemistry, bacteriology, parasitology and toxicology levels of each individual's blood sample in order to make the most accurate medical diagnosis and treatment protocol possible. It's not often an easy process of simply eliminating one workplace-induced disease from another.

Extensive workups are always required to be performed in the office. Sometimes people who come to see this specialist will have to be injected with certain fluids to overcome the internal trauma inflicted by workplace accidents, while other times this type of healthcare practitioner will have to physically stitch up workplace inflicted wounds and deep cuts from on the job machinery after an accident has occurred. He has to know how to perform a wide variety of diagnostic and treatment procedures to successfully treat the individuals who come into his office. But he's a very well trained physician who has had years of extensive experience behind him, so people can feel safe in his hands and definitely trust him that he knows exactly what he's doing to help them.