Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

Garrulousness (chatterbox) a feature which may be exaggerated in certain states of mental instability.  

An opioid antagonist drug used to modify the symptoms of addicted patients undergoing opioid-withdrawal treatment.  

Usually shortened to ‘locum’, this means a doctor who stands in for another, for example during absence due to holidays or sickness. A substitute; a physician who temporarily substitutes for another.  

A misnomer applied to the brown macules often seen on the backs of the hands of those chronically exposed to sunlight. They have no connection with any liver disorder. A popular term for pigmentary skin discolorations, usually in yellow-brown patches.  

These drugs reduce the amount of low-density lipoproteins, which transport cholesterol and triglycerides in the blood, or raise the concentration of high-density lipoproteins. The aim is to reduce the progression of atherosclerosis and therefore help prevent coronary heart disease. These drugs should be combined with a reduction of other risk factors for raised lipid concentrations,…

An insecticide used in scabies and lice infestations; however, head lice are now often resistant. Used excessively, lindane may be neurotoxic (damage the nervous system). An erstwhile medication employed to manage infestations caused by scabies and certain varieties of lice. Lindane has been substituted with alternative drugs that pose lower levels of toxicity.  

Drugs used for non-health problems or for disorders that are in the grey area between a genuine health need and a desire to change a failing lifestyle by the use of medication. Examples are: sildenafil citrate, which is prescribed for men unable to achieve penile erection (erectile dysfunction); and orlistat, a drug used to combat…

A hereditary disease in which blindness develops at about the age of 20.  

Acronym for laser in-situ keratomileusis, which is a variety of surgery of the eye used to correct severe myopia. A thin flap of the cornea is lifted, the area underneath reshaped using an excimer laser, and the flap is then returned to its place, the altered contour of the cornea improving the patient’s sight. LASIK…

A device used to deliver anaesthetic gases directly to the larynx. A tube is inserted into the mouth, fitted with a small mask at its end which fits snugly over the entrance to the back of the throat.