It encompasses a range of practices evolved to maintain and restore human health by the prevention and treatment of illness. Contemporary medicine applies health science, biomedical research, and medical technology to diagnose and treat injury and disease, typically through medication, surgery, or some other form of therapy. The word medicine is derived from the Latin ars medicina, meaning the art of healing

Everyone knows what medicines are for - to make you feel better when you are sick. But many people don't realize that all medicines have risks as well as benefits. The risks of medicines include unwanted side effects or interactions with food or other medicines you may be taking. Some risks are not very serious, like an upset stomach. Others, like liver damage, are more serious.

To reduce the risk of a problem, follow the directions carefully when taking medicines. Make sure that your health care provider knows all of the medicines and supplements you are using. Also, make sure to mention if you are pregnant or nursing. Some medicines can hurt your baby.

Those are two ways medicine can be given, but there are others. Medicines are given in different ways, depending on how they work best in the body. A lot of medicines are swallowed, either as a pill or a liquid. Once the medicine is swallowed, the digestive juices in the stomach break it down, and the medicine can pass into the bloodstream. Your blood then carries it to other parts of your body.

But some medicines wouldn't work if the stomach's digestive juices broke them down. For example, insulin is given as a shot under the skin and then it can be absorbed into the bloodstream. Other medicines would take too long to work if they were swallowed. When you get an IV in the hospital the medicine gets into your blood quickly. Other medicines need to be breathed into the lungs where they work best for lung problems, like some of the medicines used to treat asthma. Still others work best when they are put directly on the spot that needs the medicine — like patting ointment on an infected cut or dropping eardrops into a clogged-up ear.