Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

Coconut, palm kernel or palm oil. Like all fats and oils, these three oils contain various types of fatty acids but, unlike other plant oils, they contain a great deal of saturated fatty acids. Coconut oil is 92%, palm kernel oil 82% and palm oil 50% saturated fat. These oils are found in commercial cakes, cookies and “snack foods.” The…

A small medicated lozenge designed to dissolve. For example, to soothe the throat as a cough drop. Strictly speaking, a troche should be circular since the word derives from the Greek “trokhiskos” meaning “a little wheel.” Pronounced trOh-key

One of the bony prominences toward the near end of the thighbone (the femur). There are two trochanters: The trochanters are points at which hip and thigh muscles attach. The greater trochanter gives attachment to a number of muscles (including the gluteus medius and minimus, piriformis, obturator internus and externus, and gemelli muscles), and the…

A class of drugs introduced in the 1990s for the treatment of migraine that act as agonists for 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) receptors. The triptans are often very effective in relieving migraine but do not prevent future attacks or lessen their frequency. Migraine is believed to be due to dilatation of cranial blood vessels and the release of pro-inflammatory neuropeptides through…

Street name for alpha-ethyltryptamine and for LSD.

In obstetrics, one of the three divisions of three months each during pregnancy, in which different phases of fetal development take place. The first trimester is a time of basic cell differentiation. The second trimester is a period of rapid growth and maturation of body systems. A second-trimester fetus that is born prematurely may be viable, given…

The major form of fat stored by the body. A triglyceride consists of three molecules of fatty acid combined with a molecule of the alcohol glycerol. Triglycerides serve as the backbone of many types of lipids (fats). Triglycerides come from the food we eat as well as from being produced by the body. Triglyceride levels are influenced by recent fat…

Something that either sets off a disease in people who are genetically predisposed to developing the disease, or that causes a certain symptom to occur in a person who has a disease. For example, sunlight can trigger rashes in people with lupus.A predisposing event.

Also called tic douloureux. Inflammation of the trigeminal nerve (the fifth cranial nerve) that most commonly causes paroxysms of very intense lightning pain in the areas of the face the nerve supplies — the lips, eye, nose, scalp, forehead, gums, cheek, and chin — on the involved side of the face. A less common “atypical” form of the disease causes…

One of a class of medications used to treat depression. The tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) are also used for some forms of anxiety, fibromyalgia, and the control of chronic pain. “Tricyclic” refers to the presence of three rings in the chemical structure of these drugs.