Category Archives: Glossary

If basic treatment works for Constipation, it’s usually not necessary to perform tests. This can even be managed without a physical exam, by telemedicine. Very Basic (and Essential) Lifestyle Interventions: Increase fiber in diet Increase fluid intake Increase exercise (cardio) Simple Medications: If hard stools, options include: Stool Softeners (taken twice a day, every day).Continue reading “Constipation — Basic Treatment”

The menstrual period occurs 14 days after ovulation, when the uterus sheds the lining it had been preparing to nourish an expected pregnancy which never occurred.  High levels of estrogen and progesterone hormones from the ovary had been directing the uterus, but since there was no pregnancy, the ovary stopped producing them (“progesterone” means “toContinue reading “Ovulation and The Brain (& Its Diseases)”

It’s called Erythema Migrans, doesn’t itch or hurt. It’s the only manifestation of Early Lyme Disease, which occurs 1-2 weeks after the tick bite (maximum 1 month). Blood tests then are usually still negative, and treatment always works. See Lyme Disease. The rash usually begins as a red spot that enlarges. The center may beContinue reading “Lyme Disease Rash”

Fingernails look pinkish because we have red blood in our capillaries, the tiniest of our blood vessels. If we push on a nail, it forces the blood back out, up our arterioles (the narrowest of the arteries), so the nailbed turns white for a split second. Then the blood rushes back in within 2 seconds,Continue reading “Capillary Refill”

Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV) is due to flakes of calcium in the semicircular canals of the Labyrinth, the part of the inner ear which maintains our sense of balance, disrupting its normal function (see Anatomy of the Ear). The Epley Maneuver (see picture below) aims to maneuver the head in ways to coax thoseContinue reading “Dix-Hallpike Test and Epley Maneuver”

Long-standing Diabetes, especially if poorly-controlled (blood sugar often too high) can damage nerves.  This is most famous for affecting sensation in the feet (leading to amputations).  But it can also affect the Autonomic Nervous System, which controls involuntary function of body organs. If nerves in the gastrointestinal tract don’t work well, a variety of manifestationsContinue reading “Diabetic Autonomic Neuropathy”

When we hear the word “hormone,” we think of sex. But that’s not what the word means, nor how we use it medically; “sex hormones” are simply one type of hormone. A hormone is nothing more than a chemical messenger produced in one organ, but which travels to another organ where it has an effect.Continue reading “Hormones”

Detecting an Afferent Pupillary Defect (APD), also called a “Marcus-Gunn pupil,” is the best way of all to diagnose a problem with the optic nerve, which goes from the eye to the brain & lets us see (see Diagram – Anatomy of the Eye).  Most clinicians don’t know about it.  We test for it byContinue reading “Afferent Pupillary Defect”

Very few clinicians besides eye specialists realize how valuable a Pinhole test is.  A pinhole essentially corrects nearsightedness & farsightedness, both classified as “refractive error,” meaning nothing more than that you need glasses.  Light bounces off whatever image we see, carrying its reflection through the lens to land on the retina (upside-down).  Near-sighted eyes areContinue reading “Pinholing”