Endocrinologists are specially trained physicians who diagnose diseases related to the glands. The diseases they are trained to treat often affect other parts of the body beyond glands. While primary care doctors know a lot about the human body, for diseases and conditions directly related to glands they will usually send a patient to an endocrinologist.

A patient’s goal when facing a hormonal disease diagnosis should be to take care of the condition as best as possible. This is often done with the support of an endocrinologist.

Endocrinologists are specially trained physicians who diagnose diseases related to the glands. The diseases they are trained to treat often affect other parts of the body beyond glands. While primary care doctors know a lot about the human body, for diseases and conditions directly related to glands they will usually send a patient to an endocrinologist.

A patient’s goal when facing a hormonal disease diagnosis should be to take care of the condition as best as possible. This is often done with the support of an endocrinologist.

Meet Dr. Valeria Cunha Guimaraes.

Dr. Guimaraes is Director and an endocrinologist in clinical practice at Endocrinology and Nephrology Associated Physicians (ENNE) in Brasília, Brazil.

Dr. Guimaraes completed her residency in endocrinology at the University of São Paulo-Brazil and was a fellow at the Thyroid Study Unit of the University of Chicago.

In Brazil, Valeria has developed, led and contributed to local and national public awareness campaigns tackling topics such as childhood obesity, thyroid disease awareness, and early detection of thyroid cancer.

Her advocacy campaign lobbied the Brazilian government to adopt the World Health Organization’s Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity, and Health. She also worked on an amendment to the Brazilian Constitution that paved the way for PET scans to be used nationwide as a tool for diagnosing cancer.

Dr. Guimaraes recently received the 2015 Laureate Award for Outstanding Public Service of the Endocrine Society and is an active member of the Hormone Health Network Committee since 2014.

Patients have questions. We have answers. Here are some commonly asked questions to help patients understand why an endocrinologist will provide the level of support and care they need with a hormonal disease diagnosis.

What is an endocrinologist?

Endocrinologists are specially trained physicians who diagnose diseases related to the glands.

Endocrinologists treat people who suffer from hormonal imbalances, typically from glands in the endocrine system. The overall goal of treatment is to restore the normal balance of hormones found in a patient’s body.

Some of the more common conditions treated by endocrinologists include:

  • Menopause
  • Diabetes
  • Metabolic disorders
  • Lack of growth
  • Osteoporosis
  • Thyroid diseases
  • Cancers of the endocrine glands
  • Over- or under-production of hormones
  • Cholesterol disorders
  • Hypertension
  • Infertility

Most of the work performed by an endocrinologist serves as the basis for ongoing research. Some endocrinologists work solely as research physicians. The goal of the research is to come up with new ways to better treat hormonal imbalances, including the development of new drugs.

What does it take to become an endocrinologist?

The first step to become an endocrinologist is earning a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university. Toward the end of the bachelor’s program, a student will then have to apply for and be accepted to medical school.

Once accepted, four more years of schooling will have to be completed.

Most endocrinologists will complete a residency that lasts anywhere from three to four years. After schooling has been completed, it is then mandated that a state licensure be obtained. It usually takes at least 10 years for a person to complete all of the necessary coursework, schooling, and training to become an endocrinologist.

What are the benefits of seeing an endocrinologist?

Here are some reasons why an endocrinologist will provide the level of support and care that you need when facing a diagnosis of a hormonal condition, like diabetes or thyroid disease:

1. An endocrinologist is a true specialist. An endocrinologist is a specialist who has thoroughly studied hormonal conditions and knows the best possible treatments, even when conventional treatments do not work well. Unlike a family doctor or general practitioner, an endocrinologist studies hormones and hormonal diseases in depth, and this specialist will be able to provide the best possible treatment. Most general practitioners have the skills necessary to diagnose and treat basic hormonal conditions, but sometimes the help of a specialist is needed.

2. An endocrinologist helps nontraditional patients. Some patients have diseases that progress as the textbooks say they should. The standard treatments work and they are able to manage their conditions with oral or injected medication with minimal disruption to their day-today living. Other patients find that conventional treatment does not work. They stick with the treatments religiously, but they achieve no results. In these cases, an endocrinologist is necessary to ensure all possible treatment avenues are pursued.

3. An endocrinologist knows the latest treatments. Our knowledge and understanding of hormonal diseases is constantly changing. An endocrinologist’s job is to know these changes and understand the newest treatments that are available to today’s patients. Patients who choose an endocrinologist will have access to the latest, most innovative treatments for their conditions.

4. An endocrinologist works with your primary care doctor. Visiting an endocrinologist does not mean you will never see your primary care doctor again. Going to an endocrinologist when struggling with a hormonal condition gives you another set of eyes to ensure your health is as good as it can be.