Category: Ac-Ac

Increased pressure in the front chamber (anterior chamber) of the eye due to sudden (acute) blockage of the normal circulation of fluid within the eye. The block takes place at the angle of the anterior chamber- the space at the junction of the cornea with the iris. This angle can be seen by looking at one’s eye from…

Medical shorthand for the acute onset of abdominal pain. A potential medical emergency, an acute abdomen may reflect a major problem with one of the organs in the abdomen, such as appendicitis (inflamed appendix), cholecystitis (inflamed gallbladder), a perforated ulcer in the intestine, or a ruptured spleen.

Of abrupt onset, in reference to a disease. Acute often also connotes an illness that is of short duration, rapidly progressive, and in need of urgent care. “Acute” is a measure of the time scale of a disease and is in contrast to “subacute” and “chronic.” “Subacute” indicates longer duration or less rapid change. “Chronic”…

Mild electrical stimulation of acupuncture points done to control symptoms such as nausea and vomiting.

A person skilled in the practice of acupuncture, who may or may not be credentialed by an accrediting body.

The practice of inserting needles into the body to reduce pain or induce anesthesia. More broadly, acupuncture is a family of procedures involving the stimulation of anatomical locations on or in the skin by a variety of techniques. There are a number of different approaches to diagnosis and treatment in American acupuncture that incorporate medical…

A traditional Chinese medicine bodywork technique based on the principles of acupuncture. Acupressure is the application of pressure rather than needles on specific points on the body to control symptoms such as pain or nausea.

The clearness of vision, a measure of how well one sees.

The clearness of hearing, a measure of how well a person hears.

This test measures how well you see at various distances. It is the familiar eye chart test. The eye chart itself — the usual one is called Snellen’s chart — is imprinted with block letters that line-by-line decrease in size, corresponding to the distance at which that line of letters is normally visible. The letters on…