Category: C

A secondary eruption; the second stage of syphilis. The warts are painless, moist, gray-white to red, and found under breasts, in armpits, fingers, toes, and the genital area. Condyloma latum is highly contagious; it is treated with antibiotics. A procedure in which a cone-shaped or cylindrical section of tissue is removed from a woman’s cervix…

The mental capacity to focus attention and effort on a particular task. Fixation of the mind on one subject to the exclusion of all other thoughts. Concentration refers to the proportion of solute within a solution, relative to the overall amount of solvent. It is a measure of how much solute is dissolved in a…

A method of restoring health by applying colors to the body; chromotherapy. Color therapy is based on the idea that colors, derived from light, represent energy states that can be delivered to the body. In color therapy, sick bodies, are considered deficient in one or more of the color types, and balance is restored by…

A surgeon who has received special training in the diseases, repair, and removal of the colon and rectum. Colon and rectal surgery, also called colorectal surgery, may involve removal of hemorrhoids, polyps, and parts of the intestine and other surgical interventions.  

A method used to relieve pain by administering enemas containing caffeine from coffee. The method was invented accidentally by a field nurse n World War I, who administered enemas to several badly wounded soldiers because she had run out of painkillers. Coffee enemas have been used by some alternative practitioners to treat people with cancer…

Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA)-Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA). COBRA addresses the issue of continuation of health insurance coverage after termination of employment. EMTALA covers the requirement of hospital emergency departments to provide care for individuals who come to the emergency department for treatment.  

A drug used to prevent heart attacks, strokes, and other circulatory problems. Clopidogrel (Plavix) is used to treat vascular diseases caused by narrowed blood vessels (“hardening of the arteries”). It works by inhibiting the formation of blood clots, which can impair blood flow to the brain, heart, and body.  

A fertility drug. Clomiphene citrate (Clomid, Serophene) is used to treat women who have ovulation problems and want to become pregnant. Clomiphene citrate induces ovulation by stimulating the production of certain hormones related to pregnancy. The drug is associated with multiple ovulations and increased probability of multiple births. A drug used as part of infertility…

Also known as main en griffe, an abnormal condition of the hand in which the fingers are in extreme flexion. This is often seen in an ulnar neuropathy (compression of the ulnar nerve at the elbow), in which the muscles innervated by the ulnar nerve are weakened by nerve damage. A hand marked by hyperextension…

A drug formerly used to treat heartburn caused by gastroesophageal reflux disease. In 2000 the manufacturer removed cisapride (Propulsid) from the US market because of potentially serious cardiac side effects. Cisapride is available only for patients who meet specific criteria.