BAKERSFIELD, Calif. -- Americans are making more trips than ever to the doctor's office, the emergency department and medical specialists.

A new National Health Statistics report from the government estimated that Americans made 1.1 billion visits for health care in 2006, which is nearly four per person and a 26 percent increase over just 10 years.

Much of the rise is due to the aging of our population -- older folks have more medical problems than younger people.

But the report also revealed that more of us are getting drug treatment -- 72 percent of the office visits had patients starting or continuing medication for a total of 2.6 billion drugs in all.

Painkillers and cholesterol-lowering medications were the most common prescriptions. Some surgical treatments are on the rise as well. The rate of knee replacement has more than doubled among middle-aged Americans since 2000.