STAT means now. Everything else means consult a specialist.
When blood pressure and circulation decide to go haywireābasically your cardiovascular system having a meltdown.
Magnetic Resonance Imagingāusing powerful magnets and radio waves to create images without radiation, perfect for hypochondriacs.
A molecule that acts as nature's light switch, turning genes on and off like a microscopic electrician. In social contexts, it's someone who convinces you to do something regrettable.
To examine by listening, usually with a stethoscopeāthe method that makes everyone think doctors are contemplative.
When your blood performs a disappointing job of oxygen deliveryācourtesy of too few red blood cells or hemoglobin skipping work. The result: paleness, fatigue, and the sudden discovery that climbing stairs is now a cardio event.
Anything remotely related to digestion or the digestive systemāas 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.
A disease that gets better and worse in cyclesābasically playing emotional roulette with your health.
Treatment given before surgery to shrink tumors firstāreverse-order medical strategy that confuses patients.
The organism (you) that a pathogen invades and uses as real estateābasically becoming an unwilling landlord.
Abnormally low blood pressureāwhen your cardiovascular system decides to work in slow motion.
A substance that kills bacteria or inhibits their growthāhumanity's favorite chemical weapon against microscopic invaders.
Complete Blood Countāa laboratory test that counts every type of blood cell to determine if your immune system is throwing a party or having a meltdown.
Excessive urine productionāwhen your kidneys decide to practice their dilution strategy to an extreme.
The classification and naming of diseasesātaxonomy for the things trying to kill you.
A consequence or complication that shows up after a disease resolvesāthe unwelcome gift that keeps giving.
In evolutionary biology, your reproductive success scoreāmeasured not in gym visits but in viable offspring that survive to breed. That gaudy peacock's tail? Terrible for dodging predators, excellent for fitness, which explains why he has so many descendants despite being a walking target.
To examine by touchāthe doctor's way of pressing on you while maintaining professional composure.
An obscure protein in your blood plasma that acts as hemoglobin's personal bodyguardābinding to free hemoglobin to prevent oxidative damage and keep your blood chemistry from rusting from the inside out. It's the unsung hero of hemolysis prevention.
An objective indication of disease that the physician observes or measuresāthe evidence that proves the patient isn't imagining it.
A sign or symptom uniquely characteristic of a diseaseāthe smoking gun that makes diagnosis obvious.
The percentage of people in a group who die from a particular causeābasically medical math about inevitable human demise.
A medical spy camera on a stickāflexible or rigidādesigned to peek inside your body's various cavities and hollow organs without making a bigger mess. It's your doctor's way of eavesdropping on your insides.
Cancer's worst party trickāwhen tumor cells go on a malignant road trip and set up shop in new locations throughout your body. It's the medical term for 'really bad news, now distributed.'
The complete absence of sexual desire; what you've got when your libido took an indefinite vacation and forgot to leave a forwarding address.