STAT means now. Everything else means consult a specialist.
Latin abbreviation for 'pro re nata' (as needed), indicating medication should be taken when necessary rather than on a fixed schedule—basically healthcare's version of 'your call.'
Medical procedures performed by puncturing or otherwise accessing the body through the skin, bypassing the need for major surgery. It's the medical equivalent of taking a shortcut through someone's fence instead of using the gate.
An abnormal hole in an organ (like your stomach deciding it's tired of being contained)—basically when your internal architecture develops an unauthorized skylight.
The initial patient in a family study who brings a genetic disorder to medical attention, thus becoming the unwitting protagonist in a multigenerational medical investigation. Your relatives will never forgive you for the genetic testing that followed.
The molecular copy machine that reads your DNA or RNA template and churns out brand new genetic material, like a biological Xerox technician working at the nanoscale. These enzymes are the unsung heroes of every biology experiment, forensic investigation, and COVID test. Without them, we'd still be in the scientific dark ages, manually trying to copy genes with tweezers or something equally absurd.
The origin story of disease—how a pathogen or condition goes from zero to hero (or villain, more accurately) in your body. It's the 'why your body betrayed you' explanation for medical mysteries.
The approximately nine-month period when a person is literally growing another human inside their body—nature's most demanding renovation project. The condition that changes everything.
The observable characteristics of a patient that result from their genetics and environment, as opposed to their genotype (the actual genetic code).
A sign or symptom uniquely characteristic of a disease—the smoking gun that makes diagnosis obvious.
To examine by touch—the doctor's way of pressing on you while maintaining professional composure.
Excessive urine production—when your kidneys decide to practice their dilution strategy to an extreme.
Anything remotely related to digestion or the digestive system—as in 'peptic ulcer,' that burning sensation caused by stomach acid throwing an absolute tantrum against your stomach lining. It's the body's passive-aggressive way of complaining.
Medicine's first line of defense against disaster—a health intervention designed to stop disease before it crashes the party. Rather than waiting for illness to strike, you take a preventative measure (like vaccines or medication) to avoid getting sick in the first place.