How We Can help

According to the World Health Organization, “Health” is defined as "a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease and infirmity"- meaning that overall health is more than not having a disease or condition, but encompasses the whole body inside and out, including mental health. Healthy individuals are exceedingly important to clinical researchers because they provide a crucial “starting point” of data because their health information can be used as a comparison where researchers need to compare healthy volunteers with people who have specific diseases or conditions. 

Those who have been diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder know that the path to stabilizing their health can frequently involve a lot of doctor visits- often to multiple different doctors, possibly resulting in multiple diagnoses. This is because an autoimmune disorder can affect any areas of the body including your eyes, heart, skin, muscles, glands, and so on. An autoimmune disorder is the product of when your immune system, which is present to fight off infection and disease, malfunctions and mistakenly attacks healthy tissues and cells instead of attacking the intruders. 

Scientists know of more than 80 different autoimmune disorders currently which affect more than 24 million individuals in the United States alone, according to National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIH), including but not limited to: Fibromyalgia, Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS), Optic Neuritis, Vitiligo, Graves’ Disease,  . Most of these disorders currently do not have a cure, and many require long-term treatment plans in order to lessen the symptom(s). New therapies and treatments are regularly making their way to study trial status to help combat the rising number of diagnoses!   

Cardiology is a branch of internal medicine that deals with the disorders of the heart as well as some parts of the circulatory system. The four main functions of the heart are: Pumping oxygenated blood to the other body parts, pumping hormones and other vital substances to different parts of the body, receiving deoxygenated blood, and carrying metabolic waste products from the body and pumping it to the lungs for oxygenation.  Common cardiology disorders include but are not limited to: Hypertension or High Blood Pressure, Congenital Heart Disease, Heart Attacks, Strokes, Atrial fibrillation or A-fib, and Deep Vein Thrombosis. 

With Heart disease being the leading cause of death for men, women, and people of most racial and ethnic groups in the United States (according to the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention), research studies are constantly being conducted to evaluate new testing methods, treatments, and prevention measures 

 Dermatology is the branch of medicine dealing with the skin. Skin disorders vary greatly in symptoms and severity. They can be temporary or permanent and may be painless or painful. Some have situational causes, while others may be genetic. Some skin conditions are minor, and others can be life-threatening. While most skin disorders are minor, others can indicate a more serious issue. Common skin disorders include, but are not limited to: Acne, Rosacea, Eczema, Psoriasis, Melanoma, Cellulitis, and Vitiligo 

Endocrinology is the study of medicine that relates to the endocrine system, which is the system that controls hormones- a chemical messenger that travels from one cell to another. Hormones are released in one part of the body, travel in the blood stream and can influence other parts of the body; This helps different parts of the human body to communicate with each other. Diseases related to endocrinology include but are not limited to: Types 1 and 2 Diabetes, Addison’s Disease, Graves’ Disease, Hypo and Hyper Thyroidism, and more. 

With diseases affecting the thyroid and other diseases such as diabetes are becoming more and more prominent in the world, with diabetes affecting more than 1 in 10 patients in the United States alone (according to the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention), clinical research is very prominent in this field, doing everything it can to learn more about and to help stop the growing rates of assorted endocrinology disorders.   

Gastroenterology is the branch of medicine focused on the digestive system and its disorders. Diseases affecting the gastrointestinal tract, which include the organs from the mouth to the anus along the alimentary canal, are the focus of this specialty. Disorders falling under the specialty of gastroenterology include but are not limited to: Diverticulitis, Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), Colon Cancer, Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD), Celiac Disease, Crohn’s Disease, and many more.

Infectious diseases are typically caused by organisms such as fungi, bacteria, parasites, or a virus. These types of conditions can present to any person that has been infected and people can even experience different levels of severity. Additionally, infectious diseases can be spread in different ways including from insect bites, animal contact, contaminated food(s), or  from person-to person. Unfortunately, each disease can have different signs or symptoms leasing to an official diagnosis, but fortunately some common diseases such as chickenpox can be prevented by vaccines.

There are many infectious diseases that are still being researched or that evolve over time rendering former treatments irrelevant. Other common infectious diseases include but are not limited to: West Nile Virus, E. Coli, Toxoplasmosis, and even the “common cold”. Infectious diseases are regularly being studied and restudied to either find a cure or better treatment options 

Psychiatry is the branch of medicine with particular focus on the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders and conditions. The scope of psychiatry grows rapidly year over year as general medical research uncovers more information about the brain, and how individuals and different groups of people interact in their day-to-day lives. The study of psychiatry is very complex because research has proven that no matter what your gender, economic background, race, ethnicity, age, sexual preference, etc., people can all be diagnosed with the same types of mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders, though some groups of people may be affected disproportionally and like any other branch of medicine, one treatment that works well for one person may not be equally as affective for another person suffering from the same condition. Common psychiatric conditions include but are not limited to: Anxiety, Depression, Obsessive Compulsion Disorder (or O.C.D.), eating disorders such as Anorexia or Bulimia, Schizophrenia, and Bipolar Disorder. 

Ongoing research is very important to psychiatry because it gives researchers better understanding on how the mind operates and how it can be best treated. With social stigmas frequently being lessened around mental and emotional well-being, more information and knowledge of psychiatric conditions as well as ongoing knowledge of the brain itself, coupled with the ever-changing world we live in, psychiatric research has made many breakthroughs in treating many conditions and is still learning more every day.  

Neurology is a branch of medicine dealing with disorders and conditions involving the central and peripheral nervous systems as well as the surrounding and involved anatomy which includes the brain and spinal cord. Neurology is an interesting branch of medicine because much of it involves conditions that affect other parts of the body, how you interact with yourself or others. Common neurological disorders and conditions include but are not limited to: Headaches (no, really! It is the most common neurological disorder and can affect any body at any age for a range of reasons), Epilepsy, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s.

The brain is an incredible organ, and one that science is still trying to completely find out. Breakthroughs in neurological medicine are a big deal because many conditions that fall under the neurology banner do not yet have clear causes, treatments, or cures 

Oncology is a branch of medicine that deals with the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer.  According to the National Cancer Institute, cancer is one of the leading causes of deaths worldwide with 18.1 million NEW cases of cancer worldwide and 9.5 million cases of cancer-related death in 2018 alone; By 2040, the number of new cancer cases per year is expected to rise to 29.5 million and the number of cancer-related deaths to 16.4 million.  The good news is that since 1990, the rate of deaths related to cancer has been declining thanks to the increasing knowledge surrounding the disease, prevention techniques for certain types of cancer, and treatment options for certain types of cancer- thanks largely to clinical research opportunities!

There are many types of cancer including but not limited to: Basal Cell Carcinoma (a type of skin cancer), breast cancer, Endometrial Cancer (Uterine), Intraocular Melanoma (a type of eye cancer), Leukemia (a type of cancer affecting the blood cells), Pancreatic Cancer, Prostate Cancer, and many more.  Some types of cancer are common, some types are very rare, and cancer can affect people very differently. With over 12,000 different cancer studies currently underway 

Pulmonary medicine is the subspecialty of internal medicine that focuses on the diagnosis and management of disorders of the respiratory system including the lungs, upper airways, thoracic cavity, and chest wall.  Common pulmonary disorders include but are not limited to: Asthma, COPD, Lung Cancer, Sarcoidosis, and many more!

Currently there are over 3,000 active clinical research studies underway for various potential treatments, preventative therapies, and overall cures of many different types of pulmonary disorders!  

Pain can present itself to individuals in different ways- sometimes from trauma following a vehicle accident or workplace injury, sometimes from various medical conditions such as Sciatica, Diabetes, or various cancers, or general lifestyle situations ranging from age to sports injuries and even alcoholism. When patients present with pain, multiple doctors may be seen to come up with a treatment plan- and sometimes pain is temporary and treated with common over-the-counter remedies, but others require different prescriptions and can be long-term that don’t always eradicate all pain symptoms.

Treatment options for pain management can include patches, pills, therapies, and/or surgeries! New types of pain management techniques and drugs are regularly being developed and studied to help individuals suffering from various pain conditions to help them recover better and quicker!