Category: Na-Ne

  • Nausea

    Stomach queasiness, the urge to vomit. Nausea can be brought on by many causes, including systemic illnesses (such as influenza), medications, pain, and inner ear disease.

  • Naturopathy

    A system of therapy that is based on preventive care and on the use of physical forces such as heat, water, light, air, and massage as primary therapies for disease. Some naturopaths use no medications, either pharmaceutical or herbal. Some recommend herbal remedies only. A few who are licensed to prescribe may recommend pharmaceuticals in…

  • Naturalistic study

    A type of study in which the researcher very carefully observes and records some behavior or phenomenon, sometimes over a prolonged period, in its natural setting while interfering as little as possible with the subjects or phenomena. In medical research, a naturalistic study usually involves observing people as they go about their normal activities. The presence of…

  • Natural immunity

    Immunity that is naturally existing, Natural immunity does not require prior sensitization to an antigen.

  • Natriuretic

    Causing natriuresis, the excretion of an excessively large amount of sodium in the urine. A hybrid of the Latin natrium = sodium and the Greek ouresis = a making water.

  • Natriuresis

    The excretion of an excessively large amount of sodium in the urine. Natriuresis is similar to diuresis (the excretion of an unusually large quantity of urine), except that in natriuresis the urine is exceptionally salty. Natriuresis occurs with some diuretics and diseases (as of the adrenal) and can lead to the salt-losing syndrome characterized by dehydration, vomiting, low blood pressure,…

  • National Institutes of Health (NIH)

    The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is an important U.S. health agency. It is devoted to medical research. Administratively under the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the NIH consists of 20-some separate Institutes and Centers. NIH’s program activities are represented by these Institutes and Centers. They are, along with a brief overview of their essential missions, as follows: The…

  • National Formulary

    Full name: United States Pharmacopeia and National Formulary (USP-NF). An official publication, issued first by the American Pharmaceutical Association and now yearly by the United States Pharmacopeial Convention, that gives the composition, description, method of preparation, and dosage for drugs. The book contains two separate official compendia — the USP and the NF. The United States Pharmacopeia (USP), established…

  • Nasopharynx

    The area of the upper throat that lies behind the nose. In contrast to the oropharynx, the area of the throat that lies behind the mouth. The word “nasopharynx” is a hybrid — part Latin, part Greek. “Naso-” is a prefix that has to do with the nose. It comes from the Latin “nasus” for…

  • Nasogastric tube

    A tube that is passed through the nose and down through the nasopharynx and esophagus into the stomach. Abbreviated NG tube. It is a flexible tube made of rubber or plastic, and it has bidirectional potential. It can be used to remove the contents of the stomach, including air, to decompress the stomach, or to remove small solid objects and fluid,…