Canker Sores Glossary of Terms

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Abdominal: Relating to the abdomen, the belly, that part of the body that contains all of ...

Achromycin: See: Tetracycline.

Anxiety: A feeling of apprehension and fear, characterized by physical symptoms such as pa...

Aphthous ulcer: A small sensitive painful ulcer crater in the lining of the mouth. Commonl...

Bacteria: Single-celled microorganisms that can exist either as independent (free-living) ...

Biopsy: The removal of a sample of tissue for examination under a microscope to check for ...

Bowel: The small and large intestine.

Calamine: An astringent made from zinc carbonate or zinc oxide, customarily used in lotion...

Cancer: An abnormal growth of cells which tend to proliferate in an uncontrolled way and, ...

Canker sore: A common small, frequently painful and sensitive crater in the lining of the ...

Capsule: Capsule has many meanings in medicine including the following:

1. In medici...

Celiac sprue: An immune disorder whereby the small intestine is injured when exposed to gl...

Colchicine: A substance found in a plant that is used in clinical medicine for the treatme...

Colitis: Inflammation of the large intestine (the colon). There are many forms of coliti...

Crohn's disease: A chronic inflammatory disease, primarily involving the small and large ...

Cure: 1. To heal, to make well, to restore to good health. 2. A time withou...

Diagnosis: 1 The nature of a disease; the identification of an illness. 2 A ...

Diarrhea: A common condition that involves unusually frequent and liquid bowel movements. ...

FDA: Food and Drug Administration.

Folic acid: One of the B vitamins that is a key factor in the synthesis (the making) of nu...

Fungal: Pertaining to a fungus. For example, a fungal skin infection.

Gastric: Having to do with the stomach.

Genital: Pertaining to the external and/or internal organs of reproduction.

Gluten: A protein found in wheat or related grains and many foods that we eat. Gluten can ...

Hard palate: The first section of the bony part of the roof of the mouth, located in front...

Helicobacter pylori: A bacterium that causes stomach inflammation (gastritis) and ulcers i...

Heredity: The genetic transmission of characteristics from parent to child.

Herpes: A family of viruses. Herpes also refers to infection with one of the human herpesv...

HIV: Acronym for the Human Immunodeficiency Virus, the cause of AIDS (acquired immunodefi...

Ibuprofen: A nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) that is commonly used to treat pa...

Immune: Protected against infection, usually by the presence of antibodies.

Immune system: A complex system that is responsible for distinguishing a person from every...

Incidence: The frequency with which something, such as a disease or trait, appears in a pa...

Indicate: In medicine, to make a treatment or procedure advisable because of a particular ...

Infection: The invasion and multiplication of microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, an...

Inflammation: A localized reaction that produces redness, warmth, swelling, and pain as a ...

Interferon: A naturally occurring substance that interferes with the ability of viruses t...

Iron: An essential mineral. Iron is necessary for the transport of oxygen (via hemoglobin ...

Lesion: An area of abnormal tissue change. Lesions vary in severity from harmless to serio...

Lips: Aside from the lips of the mouth, there are two pairs of lips at the entrance to the...

Malabsorption: Poor intestinal absorption of nutrients. Malabsorption can occur from disea...

Menstrual: Pertaining to menstruation (the menses), as in last menstrual period, menstrua...

Menstrual cycle: The monthly cycle of changes in the ovaries and the lining of the uteru...

Methemoglobinemia: The presence in the blood of methemoglobin, a form of hemoglobin that...

Mouth: 1. The upper opening of the digestive tract, beginning with the lips and con...

Mucous: Pertaining to mucus, a thick fluid produced by the lining of some tissues of the b...

Naturopathic: Pertaining to naturopathy.

Oral cancer: Cancer within the mouth. Oral cancer is associated with smoking cigarettes an...

Oxygen: The odorless gas that is present in the air and necessary to maintain life. Oxygen...

Pain: An unpleasant sensation that can range from mild, localized discomfort to agony. Pa...

Palate: The roof of the mouth. The front portion is bony (hard palate), and the back porti...

Premenstrual: Just before the start of menstruation. As in a premenstrual headache.

Prescription: A physician's order for the preparation and administration of a drug or dev...

Prognosis: The forecast of the probable outcome or course of a disease; the patient's chan...

Proteins: Large molecules composed of one or more chains of amino acids in a specific orde...

Randomized: The use of chance alone to assign the participants in an experiment or trial t...

Recurrence: The return of a sign, symptom, or disease after a remission. The reappearance ...

Recurrent: Appearing or occurring again. For example, a recurrent fever is a fever that ha...

Remedy: Something that consistently helps treat or cure a disease.

Remission: Disappearance of the signs and symptoms of cancer or other disease. A remission...

Resolution: In genetics, the degree of molecular detail on a physical map of DNA. Resoluti...

Sensitivity: 1. In psychology, the quality of being sensitive. As, for example, sen...

Sodium: The major positive ion (cation) in the fluid surrounding cells in the body. The ch...

Sore: 1. (adjective) A popular term for painful, such as a sore throat. 2. (...

Steroid: One of a large group of chemical substances classified by a specific carbon struc...

Stress: In a medical or biological context stress is a physical, mental, or emotional fact...

Sumycin: See: Tetracycline.

Syndrome: A combination of symptoms and signs that together represent a disease process.

Systemic: Affecting the entire body. A systemic disease such as diabetes can affect the wh...

Tablespoon: An old-fashioned but convenient household measure of capacity that is equal to...

Taste: A perception that results from stimulation of a gustatory nerve. Taste belongs to t...

Teaspoon: An old-fashioned but convenient household measure that is equal to about 5 cc of...

Tetracycline: A family of broad-spectrum antibiotics effective against a remarkably wide v...

Therapy: The treatment of disease. Therapy is synonymous with treatment.

Tongue: A strong muscle that is anchored to the floor of the mouth. The tongue is covered ...

Toxicity: The degree to which a substance (a toxin or poison) can harm humans or animals. ...

Trauma: A physical or emotional injury.

Trigger: Something that either sets off a disease in people who are genetically predispose...

Ulcer: A lesion that is eroding away the skin or mucous membrane. Ulcers can have various ...

Ulcerative colitis: A bowel disease that is characterized by inflammation with ulcer forma...

Vesicles: In dermatology, vesicles are small blisters, most often on the skin. Vesicles al...

Virus: A microorganism that is smaller than a bacterium that cannot grow or reproduce apar...

Vitamin B12: A vitamin important for the normal formation of red blood cells and the healt...

Vitamins: The word "vitamin" was coined in 1911 by the Warsaw-born biochemist Casimir Funk...