Glossary
Health Meditations
Health Information for Body, Mind and Spirit
Health Information for Body, Mind and Spirit
- A Holistic Approach to Health
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
S
saturated fat — fat that is usually solid at room and refrigerator temperatures. It is found in
greatest amounts in foods from animals, such as fatty cuts of meat, poultry with the skin, whole-
milk dairy products, and lard, as well as in some vegetable oils, including coconut and palm oils.
schizophrenia — a brain disease that can cause loss of personality, agitation, catatonia (being
in a statue-like state), confusion, psychosis (a disorder in which a person is not in touch with
reality), unusual behavior, and withdrawal. The illness usually begins in early adulthood. No one
knows the exact cause of schizophrenia, but a problem with a gene called COMT has been
found to raise the risk of developing it.
scrotum — the external sac of skin in males that contains the testicles.
sedative — a drug that calms a person and allows her or him to sleep.
seizures — uncontrollable contractions of muscles that can result in sudden movement or loss
of control, also known as convulsions.
self-esteem — how you feel about yourself – how you feel about who you are, the way you act,
and how you look. When a person does not think too highly of themselves, she is said to have
low self-esteem.
semen — the fluid (which contains sperm) a male releases from his penis when he becomes
sexually aroused or has an orgasm.
sexual harassment — Sexual advances (like touching, grabbing) or sexual comments (that can
be offensive and/or joking) that are not wanted or appropriate. This can happen in the workplace
and a person can feel like they have no control over it. They may decide not to deal with it
because they fear they will lose their job or not get a raise or promotion.
sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) — diseases that are spread by sexual activity.
sickle cell anemia — a blood disorder passed down from parents to children. It involves
problems in the red blood cells. Normal red blood cells are round and smooth and move
through blood vessels easily. Sickle cells are hard and have a curved edge. These cells cannot
squeeze through small blood vessels. They block the organs from getting blood. Your body
destroys sickle red cells quickly, but it can’t make new red blood cells fast enough-- a condition
called anemia.
social worker — A licensed clinical social worker (L.C.S.W.) is trained in psychotherapy and
helps people with many different mental health and daily living problems to improve overall
functioning. Usually has a master's degree in social work (M.S.W.).
sodium — in reference to food, the salt content of food is usually given in terms of "sodium." For
instance, the label of a can of soup may list "Sodium 400 mg" per cup. Excess sodium from
high sodium foods like french fries is excreted in the urine. Having too much or too little sodium
in a person's body can cause the body's cells to not work properly.
speech therapy — therapy aimed to help a person with a speech or language disorder or
problem to restore basic speech skills.
spermicides — chemical jellies, foams, creams, or suppositories, inserted into the vagina prior
to intercourse that kill sperm.
spider veins — a smaller version of varicose veins. They occur in the capillaries, which are the
smallest blood vessels in the body. Spider veins are commonly found o the legs and face.
They usually resemble a spider web or tree branch in shape. Spider veins may be red or blue.
They are usually not a medical concern.
spina bifida — the most common of all birth defects. Its name means "clef spine," or a failure of
a fetal spine to close the right way when it is developing before birth. It occurs very early in
pregnancy, roughly three to four weeks after conception, before most women know that they are
pregnant. Any woman can have an affected pregnancy. Most women who bear a child with Spina
bifida have no family history of it.
stethoscope — instrument used by health care professionals to detect sounds produced in the
body. Commonly used to listen to your heartbeat to detect any heart-related problems and to
listen to your lungs for sounds that they could have fluid inside them.
stillbirth — when a fetus dies during birth, or when the fetus dies during the late stages of
pregnancy when it would have been otherwise expected to survive.
stroke — sometimes called a "brain attack," is caused by a lack of blood flow to the brain, or
bleeding in the brain. A person's speech, writing, balance, sensation, memory, thinking,
attention, and learning are some of the areas that can be affected as a result of suffering a
stroke.
sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) — the diagnosis given for the sudden death of an infant
under one year of age that remains unexplained after a complete investigation. Because most
cases of SIDS occur when a baby is sleeping in a crib, SIDS is also commonly known as crib
death. Most SIDS deaths occur when a baby is between 1 and 4 months of age.
symptothermal method — a method of pregnancy planning or birth control that combines
certain aspects of the calendar, the basal body temperature, and the cervical mucus methods. It
takes into account all these factors as well as other symptoms a woman might have, such as
slight cramping and breast tenderness.
synthetic — made in a lab and not from a natural source.
systemic lupus erythematosus — an autoimmune disease that can cause inflammation and
damage to the joints, skin, kidneys, heart, lungs, blood vessels, and brain.
S
saturated fat — fat that is usually solid at room and refrigerator temperatures. It is found in
greatest amounts in foods from animals, such as fatty cuts of meat, poultry with the skin, whole-
milk dairy products, and lard, as well as in some vegetable oils, including coconut and palm oils.
schizophrenia — a brain disease that can cause loss of personality, agitation, catatonia (being
in a statue-like state), confusion, psychosis (a disorder in which a person is not in touch with
reality), unusual behavior, and withdrawal. The illness usually begins in early adulthood. No one
knows the exact cause of schizophrenia, but a problem with a gene called COMT has been
found to raise the risk of developing it.
scrotum — the external sac of skin in males that contains the testicles.
sedative — a drug that calms a person and allows her or him to sleep.
seizures — uncontrollable contractions of muscles that can result in sudden movement or loss
of control, also known as convulsions.
self-esteem — how you feel about yourself – how you feel about who you are, the way you act,
and how you look. When a person does not think too highly of themselves, she is said to have
low self-esteem.
semen — the fluid (which contains sperm) a male releases from his penis when he becomes
sexually aroused or has an orgasm.
sexual harassment — Sexual advances (like touching, grabbing) or sexual comments (that can
be offensive and/or joking) that are not wanted or appropriate. This can happen in the workplace
and a person can feel like they have no control over it. They may decide not to deal with it
because they fear they will lose their job or not get a raise or promotion.
sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) — diseases that are spread by sexual activity.
sickle cell anemia — a blood disorder passed down from parents to children. It involves
problems in the red blood cells. Normal red blood cells are round and smooth and move
through blood vessels easily. Sickle cells are hard and have a curved edge. These cells cannot
squeeze through small blood vessels. They block the organs from getting blood. Your body
destroys sickle red cells quickly, but it can’t make new red blood cells fast enough-- a condition
called anemia.
social worker — A licensed clinical social worker (L.C.S.W.) is trained in psychotherapy and
helps people with many different mental health and daily living problems to improve overall
functioning. Usually has a master's degree in social work (M.S.W.).
sodium — in reference to food, the salt content of food is usually given in terms of "sodium." For
instance, the label of a can of soup may list "Sodium 400 mg" per cup. Excess sodium from
high sodium foods like french fries is excreted in the urine. Having too much or too little sodium
in a person's body can cause the body's cells to not work properly.
speech therapy — therapy aimed to help a person with a speech or language disorder or
problem to restore basic speech skills.
spermicides — chemical jellies, foams, creams, or suppositories, inserted into the vagina prior
to intercourse that kill sperm.
spider veins — a smaller version of varicose veins. They occur in the capillaries, which are the
smallest blood vessels in the body. Spider veins are commonly found o the legs and face.
They usually resemble a spider web or tree branch in shape. Spider veins may be red or blue.
They are usually not a medical concern.
spina bifida — the most common of all birth defects. Its name means "clef spine," or a failure of
a fetal spine to close the right way when it is developing before birth. It occurs very early in
pregnancy, roughly three to four weeks after conception, before most women know that they are
pregnant. Any woman can have an affected pregnancy. Most women who bear a child with Spina
bifida have no family history of it.
stethoscope — instrument used by health care professionals to detect sounds produced in the
body. Commonly used to listen to your heartbeat to detect any heart-related problems and to
listen to your lungs for sounds that they could have fluid inside them.
stillbirth — when a fetus dies during birth, or when the fetus dies during the late stages of
pregnancy when it would have been otherwise expected to survive.
stroke — sometimes called a "brain attack," is caused by a lack of blood flow to the brain, or
bleeding in the brain. A person's speech, writing, balance, sensation, memory, thinking,
attention, and learning are some of the areas that can be affected as a result of suffering a
stroke.
sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) — the diagnosis given for the sudden death of an infant
under one year of age that remains unexplained after a complete investigation. Because most
cases of SIDS occur when a baby is sleeping in a crib, SIDS is also commonly known as crib
death. Most SIDS deaths occur when a baby is between 1 and 4 months of age.
symptothermal method — a method of pregnancy planning or birth control that combines
certain aspects of the calendar, the basal body temperature, and the cervical mucus methods. It
takes into account all these factors as well as other symptoms a woman might have, such as
slight cramping and breast tenderness.
synthetic — made in a lab and not from a natural source.
systemic lupus erythematosus — an autoimmune disease that can cause inflammation and
damage to the joints, skin, kidneys, heart, lungs, blood vessels, and brain.
| Dr Deborah White Email:drdwhite@healthmeditations.com |
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