There is so much medical jargon that can be described in a more empathetic way to people.
Scroll below for an exhaustive list of healthcare terminology translated into everyday people-speak!
Anosognosia: inability to recognize a defect or disorder that is clinically evident
Anxiogenic: producing anxiety
Aphthous stomatitis: canker sores
Borborygmi: stomach growling
Bradykinesia: having slow movement or reflexes
Bruxism: teeth grinding
Cardialgia: heartburn; pain in the heart
Cardiovalvulitis: inflammation of heart valves
Cerumen: earwax
Choledocholithiasis: stones in the gallbladder or common bile duct
Conjunctivitis: pink eye
Costochondritis: chest pain caused by the inflammation of the cartilage that connects the ribs to the breastbone
Crepitus: cracking your joints
Dysphagia: difficulty swallowing
Dyspnea: shortness of breath
Enuresis: peeing yourself; nocturnal enuresis if you wet the bed at night and diurnal enuresis if you have involuntary urination during the day
Epistaxis: nosebleed
Fasciculation: muscle twitch
Formication: the feeling that small insects are crawling on (or under) the skin when there is nothing there
Gossypiboma: an object accidentally left inside of a patient after surgery
Gustatory Rhinitis: runny nose from spicy food
Heloma: having a callus on your foot; heloma molle if it’s soft, and heloma durum if it’s hard
Horripilation: goosebumps
Hyperhidrosis: excessive exercise
Lachrymation: crying or having tears
Levator Labii Superioris Alaeque Nasi: a muscle in your face that widens the nostrils and elevates the upper lip, thus allowing you to "snarl"
Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome: shin splints
Morsicato Buccarum: cheek biting; repetitive chewing, biting, or nibbling the inside of your cheek
Muscae Volitantes: having “eye floaters”; little transparent threads that you see floating across your eyeball that are just little bits of protein in your eye
Obdormition: when a limb falls “asleep”
Onychocryptosis: ingrown toenail
Oophorohysterectomy: surgical removal of ovary and uterus
Orthostatic Hypotension: getting dizzy from standing up too fast
Paresthesia: tingling or prickling of the skin, also known as “pins and needles” or a limb “falling asleep”
Photalgia: when your eyes hurt whenever you step outside because it’s too bright; light-induced pain of the irises
Pneumoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis: lung disease from inhaling very fine ash and sand (or “silica dust”); also known as silicosis or the black lung
Procidentia: the descent of any internal organ (prolapse)
Proctalgia: literal pain in the butt
Prosopagnosia: inability to recognize faces
Pyrexia: fever
Rhinorrhea: runny nose
Sphenopalatine Ganglioneuralgia: brain freeze; having a headache from ice cream
Sternutate: sneeze
Synchronous Diaphragmatic Flutter: hiccup; also known as myoclonic twitches
Transient Lingual Papillitis: “lie bumps”; swollen taste bud on your tongue
Transient Diaphragmatic Spasm: getting the wind knocked out of you
Trichotillomania: hair pulling
Vasovagal Syncope: fainting
Veisalgia: hangover
Xerosis: dry skin
About Wingspan Health
Wingspan Health is a healthcare technology company that believes that quality healthcare should be accessible for everyone.
Our tool, Wingspan, helps you manage your healthcare by bringing all of your health records in one place – any patient portal account from each of your healthcare providers.
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