Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.
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Immunosuppressant
An agent that acts to suppress the body’s natural immune response. This is totally understandable in tissue and organ transplants, and in some dangerous inflammatory conditions, but nearly all anti-inflammatory medications are immunosuppressant, including cortisone, antihistamines, and even aspirin. Some medical radicals are convinced that the chronic virill and fungal disorders of our age are…
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Hypersecretory
Over-secretion of fluids by a gland. It may occur from irritation, infection, or allergy, as in the nasal drooling in a head cold or hay fever, or, as in gastric hypersecretion, from a functional imbalance in the chemical and neurologic stimulus of the stomach lining. Excessive discharge refers to the surplus production of gastric acid…
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Homeopathy
Almost two centuries old, it is a system of medicine in which the treatment of disease (symptom pictures) depends on the administration of minute doses (attenuations) of substances that would, in larger doses, produce the same symptoms as the disease being treated. Homeopaths don’t like that “disease” word, preferring to match symptoms, not diagnostic labels.…
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Gram-positive/negative
Gram’s Method is a staining procedure that separates bacteria into those that stain (positive) and those that don’t (negative). Gram-positive bugs cause such lovely things as scarlet fever, tetanus, and anthrax, while some of the gram negs can give you cholera, plague, and the clap. This is significant to the microbiologist and the pathologist; otherwise…
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Glycoside
A plant compound containing one or more alcohols or sugars and a biologically active compound. The sugar part is called a glycone, the other stuff is called an aglycone. The important things to remember about some glycosides is that they may pass through much of the intestinal tract, with the hydrolysis of the molecule only…
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Gardnerella
Formerly Haemophilus, this is an anerobic bacteria that is a main contributor to bacterial vaginosis. It is sometimes sexually transmitted, but can stick around for years as a passive part of the vaginal flora, only to flare up. It seems to occur in up to a quarter of relatively monogamous women, but in half of…
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Extrasystole
A premature contraction of the heart. It can be caused by nervousness, indigestion, a tired and enlarged heart-anything up to an overt organic heart disease. An extra heart beat, systole. Premature contraction of the heart. Premature contraction of the heart; depending on the site of origin and the clinical picture, may be a normal variant…
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Dyscrasia
Presently a term referring to improper synthesis of blood proteins by the liver, especially clotting factors. Formerly it was used to describe an improper balance between blood and lymph in an organ or the whole person. Archaically, it referred to an imbalance between the four humors: blood, phlegm, yellow bile, and the postulated black bile.…
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Diverticulosis
Having congenital pouches of the type found in many organs, particularly the colon, that are benign, but, being little cul-de-sacs, are likely to become inflamed from time to time. Diverticulitis is the term for inflamed diverticula. An inflammation and ballooning of the intestinal wall in the lower colon. Symptoms include fever, abdominal pain, and constipation…
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Die-off
The phenomenon of killing so many infectious organisms so quickly that the amount of dead biomass itself causes liver overload, allergic reactions, or a mild foreign-body response. It can occur with antibiotic therapy, treatment of candidiasis, and even with use of some herbal antivirals. Outside of prescription antifungals, it is seldom acknowledged as a medical…
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