Staying Well With Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Glossary of Terms

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Acupuncture: The practice of inserting needles into the body to reduce pain or induce anes...

Aerobic: Oxygen-requiring. Aerobic bacteria need oxygen to grow. Aerobic exercise requires...

Aerobic exercise: Brisk exercise that promotes the circulation of oxygen through the blood...

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

Bladder: A hollow organ in the lower abdomen that stores urine. The kidneys filter waste f...

Bone density: Bone density is the amount of bone tissue in a certain volume of bone. It ca...

Bowel: The small and large intestine.

Chronic: In medicine, lasting a long time. A chronic condition is one that lasts 3 months ...

Chronic illness: An illness that lasts 3 months or more.

Corticosteroid: Any of the steroid hormones made by the outer portion (cortex) of the adre...

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

Depression: An illness that involves the body, mood, and thoughts and that affects the way...

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

Fatigue: A condition characterized by a lessened capacity for work and reduced efficiency ...

Grief: The normal process of reacting to a loss. The loss may be physical (such as a death...

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

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

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

Meditation: A typically self-directed practice for relaxing the body and calming the mind....

Memory: 1. The ability to recover information about past events or knowledge. ...

Multiple sclerosis: A disease that is characterized by loss of myelin (demyelinization). A...

Muscle: Muscle is the tissue of the body which primarily functions as a source of power. T...

Neurologist: A physician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of disorders of th...

Neurology: The medical specialty concerned with the diagnosis and treatment of disorders o...

Nutritionist: 1) In a hospital or nursing home, a person who plans and/or formulates spe...

Osteoporosis: Thinning of the bones, with reduction in bone mass, due to depletion of calc...

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

Pharmacy: A location where prescription medications are sold. A pharmacy is constantly sup...

Physical therapist: A person who is trained and certified by a state or accrediting body t...

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

Pulse: The rhythmic dilation of an artery that results from beating of the heart. Pulse is...

Quality of life: The patient's ability to enjoy normal life activities. Quality of life is...

Red blood cells: The blood cells that carry oxygen. Red cells contain hemoglobin and it is...

Rehabilitation: The process of helping a person who has suffered an illness or injury rest...

Relapse: The return of signs and symptoms of a disease after a remission.

Respiration: The act of inhaling and exhaling air in order to exchange oxygen for carbon d...

Sclerosis: Localized hardening of skin. Sclerosis is generally caused by underlying diseas...

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

Tension: 1) The pressure within a vessel, such as blood pressure: the pressure within t...

Therapeutics: In medicine, the branch that deals specifically with the treatment of diseas...

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

Tired: A feeling of a lessened capacity for work and reduced efficiency of accomplishment,...

Tiredness: See: Tired.

Urinary: Having to do with the function or anatomy of the kidneys, ureters, bladder, or ur...

Urinary tract: The organs of the body that produce, store, and discharge urine. These orga...

Vitamin A: Vitamin A is retinol. Carotene compounds (found, for example, in egg yolk, butt...

Vitamin A deficiency: A lack of vitamin A.

Vitamin C: An essential nutrient found mainly in fruits and vegetables. The body requires ...

Vitamin D: A steroid vitamin which promotes the intestinal absorption and metabolism of ca...

Vitamin E: Alpha-tocopherol, an antioxidant vitamin which binds oxygen free radicals that ...