Author: Glossary
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Diatomaceous earth
Silica containing fossilized shells of microscopic algae with a siliceous or calcium-containing cell wall. It is used in insulating material and filters and as an absorbent.
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Alkaline earth
A general term for the oxides of calcium, strontium, magnesium, and barium (these metals are referred to as the “alkaline earth” metals).
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Earth
The soil on the surface of the planet earth.
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Ear plug
A device for preventing sound from entering the ear by occluding the external auditory canal.
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Early supported discharge
Methods to facilitate the return of hospitalized patients to lower levels of care, including nursing care facilities, foster care, or home. Early supported discharge optimizes the management of patient length-of-stay, relieves caregiver stress, and empowers patients to return to higher levels of functioning.
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Ear lobe
The soft bottom edge of the outer ear containing no cartilage.
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Eardrops
A medication in liquid form for instillation into the external ear canal, usually to treat infections or loosen cerumen.
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Ear candling
An alternative medicine practice in which a cone of waxed paper is placed in the patient’s external auditory canal and then set on fire. It is promoted as a treatment for cerumen impaction and for removal of unspecified toxins from the body. The practice is dangerous; it occasionally results in bums or perforation of the…
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Pierced ear
An ear lobe that has been pierced with a needle so that a permanent channel will remain, permitting the wearing of an earring attached to the ear by a connector that passes through the channel.
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Nerve supply of ear
The branches of the facial, vagus, and mandibular nerves and the nerves from the cervical plexus. Middle: The tympanic plexus and the branches of the mandibular, vagus, and facial nerves. Internal. The vestibulocochlear nerve (eighth cranial).