Category: Ah-Al

A member of a large group of chemicals that are made by plants and have nitrogen in them. Many alkaloids possess potent pharmacologic effects. The alkaloids include cocaine, nicotine, strychnine, caffeine, morphine, pilocarpine, atropine, methamphetamine, mescaline, ephedrine, and tryptamine.

Water that has a high pH level than normal drinking water. The pH of pure water is neutral at 7.0. Alkaline water has a higher pH and may be produced with additives or may be naturally sourced from springs or wells. Alkaline water has been marketed with the claim that drinking it can neutralize acid…

An enzyme that liberates phosphate under alkaline conditions and is made in liver, bone, and other tissues. Alkaline phosphatase can be measured in a routine blood test. Abnormally high serum levels of alkaline phosphatase may indicate bone disease, liver disease, or bile duct obstruction.

The digestive tract. The stomach and intestines.

Concerning food, nourishment, and the organs of digestion. From the Latin alimentum meaning nourishment.

French term for a psychologist, a psychiatrist, or another practitioner who cares for the mentally ill.

The feeling that one’s hand is possessed by a force outside of one’s control. The syndrome typically arises after trauma to the brain, after brain surgery or after a stroke or an infection of the brain. A person with the alien hand syndrome can feel sensation in the affected hand but thinks that the hand is not part of…

English physician and epidemiologist who discovered the connection between fetal X-rays and childhood cancer. Dr. Stewart found that a single diagnostic X-ray during pregnancy was enough to nearly double the risk of cancer for the baby. Although some have disputed her numbers, most major medical groups now recommend that pregnant women should not be X-rayed, unless there is an overwhelming medical reason to do…

A syndrome of distorted space, time and body image. The patient with the Alice in Wonderland syndrome has a feeling that their entire body or parts of it have been altered in shape and size. The syndrome is usually associated with visual hallucinations. The majority of patients with the syndrome have a family history of migraine headache or have…

An abnormal and persistent fear of pain. The fear is excessive, beyond that which is expected under the circumstances, producing an anxiety reaction. From the Greek “algos” (pain) and “phobos” (fear). Note that an “algometer” is an instrument for measuring pain (it does so by gauging the smallest pressure that produces pain).