The adaptive immune system is a subsystem of the immune system that is composed of highly specialized cells and processes that eliminate or prevent pathogen growth and provide long-lasting protective immunity to the host.
An advance care directive is a legal document designed to indicate a dying person's wishes regarding care is case of terminal illnesses or during the dying process.
Alternative medicine refers to using a non-mainstream approach in place of conventional (Western) medicine.
Antibodies, also known as immunoglobulin, are large, Y-shaped proteins of the immune system used to identify and neutralize pathogens such as bacteria, viruses, toxins and allergens.
Bacteria are single-celled microorganisms that lack a membrane-bound nucleus that serve a variety of purposes.
A biopsy is the removal of a small piece of tissue for microscopic examination.
A table of blood donor compatibilities shows which individuals of certain blood types are able to donate blood to individuals of other blood types and which individuals of certain blood types can receive blood from individuals of other blood types.
Blood glucose, or blood sugar concentration, is the amount of glucose present in the blood of a human or animals, measured in millimoles per litre (mmol/L).
A blood group system consists of one or more antigens controlled at a single gene location or by two or more closely linked homologous genes with little or no observable recombination between them. Common human blood group systems include ABO and Rh.
Blood pressure is a measurement of the force exerted by the heart against the atrial walls when the heart contracts and relaxes, measured in millimeters of mercury (mm Hg).
Blood type is a classification of blood based on the absence of inherited antigenic substances on the surface of red blood cells.
Carbohydrates are compounds made up of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen that are derived from plants and provide energy.
Carbohydrate loading is a strategy used by endurance athletes to maximize the storage of glycogen in the muscles and liver by ingesting foods with low glycemic indices in advance of an event.
Cholesterol is an organic molecule found in animal fats and most body tissues that is required to maintain cell membrane structural integrity and fluidity.
A clinical trial is an experiment done in clinical research to answer specific questions about biomedical or behavioural interventions and that generate data on safety and efficacy.
Complementary medicine generally refers to using a non-mainstream approach together with conventional (Western) medicine.
Complex carbohydrates are nutrients composed of long chains of glucose molecules such as starch, glycogen and fibre.
Computerized tomography (CT) is a medical imaging technology that uses computer-processed combinations of many X-ray images taken from different angles to produce cross-sectional images of an object.
A culture swab is a sample of microorganisms or tissue taken from an area of the body for examination.
Degree of pain is a self-report measure of a patient's perception of pain intensity or other features.
Diagnosis is the process of determining which disease explains a person's symptoms and signs.
Diet is the sum of food consumed by a person.
A disease is any condition that interferes with the normal functioning of the body, most commonly as a result of the presence of pathogenic microbial agents such as viruses, bacteria, fungi, protozoa, multicellular organisms and prions.
Dissection is the process of disassembling and observing the human body to determine its internal structure and relationship of its components.
Dose refers to the quantity of a substance, such as a drug or ionizing radiation.
A drug is any substance other than food, that when inhaled, injected, smoked, consumed, absorbed via a patch on the skin or dissolved under the tongue causes a physiological change in the body.
Enzymes are proteins that cause or alter the rate of a biochemical reaction but are not changed themselves during the reaction.
Fats are organic substances that are insoluble in water and that serve as an important energy source during rest and low-intensity exercise
Food additives are substances intentionally put into food to enhance appearance, taste and quality.
Genetically modified foods are foods produced from organisms whose genetic material has been altered using genetic engineering techniques.
Growth hormones are hormones that stimulate growth, cell reproduction and cell regeneration in humans and other animals.
Health is the level of function or metabolic efficiency of a living organism.
A healthful diet is a diet that provides the proper combination of energy and nutrients for an individual and is adequate, moderate, balanced and varied.
Heart rate is a measure of the speed of the heartbeat, measured in the number of contractions of the heart per minute (bpm).
Hemoglobin is the iron-carrying protein of the red blood cells that carries oxygen from the lungs to the tissues.
High-density lipoprotein (HDL) is a lipoprotein that transports fat molecules around the body within the water outside cells and transports fat molecules out of artery walls.
Hormones are chemical substances produced in the body that control and regulate the activity of certain cells or organs.
An illness narrative is a way for a person affected by an illness to make sense of his or her own experience and typically follows a restitution, chaos or quest narrative.
Imaging modalities are the different sets of techniques used to produce images of internal aspects of the body.
Immunization is the process by which an individual's immune system becomes actively or passively fortified against an immunogen.
Indigenous health care is an integrative approach that seeks to balance the mind, body and spirit with community and environment.
Infection is the invasion of an organism's body by infectious agents such as viruses, bacteria, prions, nematodes, arthropods, fungi and other micro parasites.
Informed consent is a process for obtaining permission before conducting a healthcare intervention on a person.
The innate immune system is a subsystem of the overall immune system that provides immediate defense against infection.
Institutional review boards, or ethical review boards, are committees that approve, monitor and review biomedical and behavioural research involving humans.
Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) is a lipoprotein that transports fat molecules around the body within the water outside cells and transports fat molecules into artery walls.
Macronutrients are the carbohydrates, fats, and proteins that humans need in large quantities to support normal health and body functions.
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a medical imaging technology that uses strong magnetic fields, radio waves and field gradients to form images of the body.
Medical aid in dying refers to the practice in which a physician provides a competent, terminally ill patient with a prescription for a lethal dose of medication, upon the patient's request, which the patient intends to use to end his or her own life.
Micronutrients are vitamins and minerals that are needed in small amounts to support normal health and body functions.
Minerals are inorganic substances that are not broken down during digestion and absorption, are not destroyed by heat or light, and assist in the regulation of many body processes.
Nuclear medicine is a branch of medicine involving the application of radioactive substances in the diagnosis and treatment of disease.
Nutrition is the science that studies food and how food nourishes our body and influences human health.
Nutrition supplements, or dietary supplements, are products such as a vitamin, mineral, fibre, fatty acid or amino acid that may otherwise not be consumed in sufficient quantities.
An octoscope is a medical device used to look into ears.
Organ donation is the donation of biological tissue or the organ of the human body from a living or dead person to a living recipient in need of transplantation.
Oxygen saturation is a measure of the fraction of oxygen-saturated hemoglobin relative to total hemoglobin in the blood.
A pathogen, or infectious agent, is a biological agent that causes disease or illness to its host.
Phytochemicals are compounds found in plants that are believed to have health-promoting effects in humans.
Positron emission tomography (PET) is a nuclear medicine, functional imaging technology that is used to observe metabolic processes, by detecting gamma rays that were emitted indirectly by a positron-emitting radionuclide.
Proteins are macronutrients that contain nitrogen and are broken down into amino acids and reassembled to build new cells and tissues and to regulate the breakdown of foods and our fluid balance.
Pulse is the pressure of the blood felt against an artery as the heart contracts.
The recommended daily intake (RDI) is the daily intake level of a nutrient considered sufficient to meet the requirements of 97-98% of healthy individuals in a particular life stage and gender group.
Respiration is the movement of oxygen from the outside air to the cells within tissues and the transport of carbon dioxide in the opposite direction.
Respiratory rate is a measure of the number of breaths in one minute.
Saturated fats are fats in which the fatty acids all have single bonds.
Simple carbohydrates are nutrients composed of one or two sugar molecules.
A sphygmomanometer is a medical device used to measure blood pressure.
Standard anatomical position is the position in which a person is standing, feet apace, with palms forward and thumbs facing outwards.
A stethoscope is an acoustic medical device used for listening to the internal sounds of a human body.
Traditional medicine is the sum total of the knowledge, skills, and practices based on the theories, beliefs, and experiences indigenous to different cultures, whether explicable or not, used in the maintenance of health as well as in the prevention, diagnosis, improvement or treatment of physical and mental illness.
Trans fats are a type of unsaturated fat that have a trans rather than a cis configuration.
Type 2 diabetes is a metabolic disease in which there are high blood sugar levels, insulin resistance and relative lack of insulin.
Ultrasound is a medical imaging technology that provides real-time images by sending pulses of sound waves with frequencies greater than 20 kHz into tissue using a probe.
Unsaturated fats are fats in which there is at least one double bond within the fatty acids chain.
Urinalysis is a medical test used to examine the appearance, concentration and content of urine.
A vaccine is a biological substance given to an individual to produce immunity to a disease.
Viruses are infectious microorganisms that are smaller than bacteria, lack independent metabolism and incapable of growth or reproduction apart from living cells.
Vital signs are determinations that provide information about body conditions including temperature, pulse, respirations and blood pressure.
Vitamins are organic compounds that assist in regulating body processes.
Wellness is generally used to mean a healthy balance of the mind, body and spirit that results in an overall feeling of well-being.
Western medicine, also called allopathic medicine, conventional medicine, mainstream medicine and evidence-based medicine is a system in which doctors, nurses, pharmacists, therapists and other conventional healthcare providers treat symptoms and disease using drugs, radiation or surgery.
X-ray imaging is a medical imaging technology that uses X-rays to view the internal structure of non-uniformly composed and opaque objects.