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May 26, 2013


Tension Headache Glossary of Terms

The following are health and medical definitions of terms that appear in the Tension Headache article.

Abscess: A local accumulation of pus anywhere in the body. The following are some example...

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Acetaminophen: A nonaspirin pain reliever or analgesic. Acetaminophen may be given alone t...

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

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Antidepressants: Anything, and especially a drug, used to prevent or treat depression.

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

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Aspirin: Once the Bayer trademark for acetylsalicylic acid, now the common name for this a...

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Brain: The portion of the central nervous system that is located within the skull. It func...

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

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Cell: The basic structural and functional unit of any living thing. Each cell is a small c...

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

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Cluster: In epidemiology, an aggregation of cases of a disease or another health-related c...

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Consultant: An individual to whom one refers for expert advice or services. The use of con...

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Contraction: The tightening and shortening of a muscle.

Contrast: Short for "contrast media." Contrast media are X-ray dyes used to provide contra...

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CT scan: Computerized tomography scan. Pictures of structures within the body created by a...

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

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

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Dopamine: An important neurotransmitter (messenger) in the brain.

Dysfunction: Difficult function or abnormal function.

Emergency department: The department of a hospital responsible for the provision of medica...

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Encephalitis: Inflammation of the brain, which may be caused by a bacterium, a virus, or a...

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Fever: Although a fever technically is any body temperature above the normal of 98.6 degr...

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Headache: A pain in the head with the pain being above the eyes or the ears, behind the he...

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

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

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

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Lyme disease: An inflammatory disease that is caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi...

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Malignancy: A tumor that is malignant (cancerous), that can invade and destroy nearby tiss...

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Meningitis: Inflammation of the meninges, the three membranes that envelop the brain and t...

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Metabolic: Relating to metabolism, the whole range of biochemical processes that occur wit...

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Migraine: Usually, periodic attacks of headaches on one or both sides of the head. These ...

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Migraine headache: The most common type of vascular headache involving abnormal sensitivit...

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MRI: Magnetic resonance imaging.

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

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Narcotic: 1. A drug that causes insensibility or stupor. A narcotic induces narcosi...

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Nausea: Stomach queasiness, the urge to vomit. Nausea can be brought on by many causes, in...

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Neck: The part of the body joining the head to the shoulders. Also, any narrow or constric...

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Neurological: Having to do with the nerves or the nervous system as, for example, a neurol...

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

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Neuromuscular: Pertaining to both nerves and muscles, as in neuromuscular blockade by an a...

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Onset: In medicine, the first appearance of the signs or symptoms of an illness as, for ex...

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

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Pain management: The process of providing medical care that alleviates or reduces pain. Mi...

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

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Psychogenic: Caused by the mind or emotions.

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Radiation: 1. Rays of energy. Gamma rays and X-rays are two of the types of energy ...

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Rash: Breaking out (eruption) of the skin. A rash can be caused by an underlying medical c...

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Rule out: Term used in medicine, meaning to eliminate or exclude something from considera...

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Scan: As a noun, the data or image obtained from the examination of organs or regions of...

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Sensation: In medicine and physiology, sensation refers to the registration of an incoming...

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

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Serotonin: A neurotransmitter that is involved in the transmission of nerve impulses. Sero...

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Skull: The skull is a collection of bones which encase the brain and give form to the hea...

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Sleep: The body's rest cycle.

Sleep disorders: Any disorder that affects, disrupts, or involves sleep. The most common...

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

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Stroke: The sudden death of brain cells due to lack of oxygen, caused by blockage of blood...

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Symptom: Any subjective evidence of disease. In contrast, a sign is objective. Blood comin...

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

Temple: The area just behind and to the side of the forehead and the eye, above the side o...

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Temporal: 1. Pertaining to time, limited in time, temporary, or transient.
...

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Temporal arteritis: Also called giant cell arteritis or cranial arteritis, this is a serio...

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

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Therapeutic: Relating to therapeutics, the branch of medicine that is concerned specifical...

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

Thyroid: 1. The thyroid gland. Also, pertaining to the thyroid gland. 2. A p...

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Trauma: A physical or emotional injury.

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