Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.

A medication that helps bring up mucus and other material from the lungs, bronchi, and trachea. An example of an expectorant is guaifenesin, which promotes drainage of mucus from the lungs by thinning the mucus, and also lubricates the irritated respiratory tract.

Originating from outside the organism. Insulin taken by a diabetic is exogenous insulin.

Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI): a condition characterized by a deficiency of the digestive enzyme produced by the pancreas, leading to impaired digestion of food. Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency can occur in association with other diseases that affect the pancreas, like chronic pancreatitis and cystic fibrosis. The symptoms of exocrine pancreatic insufficiency are related to the defect in digestion and include abdominal pain, gas, diarrhea, and…

Pertaining to the secretion of a substance out through a duct. The exocrine glands include the salivary glands, sweat glands and glands within the gastrointestinal tract. Exocrine is as opposed to endocrine which refers to the secretion of a substance (a hormone) into the bloodstream. The exocrine glands are the “glands of external secretion” while the endocrine glands are…

Exhibitionism is characterized by intense, sexually arousing fantasies, urges or behaviors involving exposure of the individual’s genitals to an unsuspecting stranger. The individual with this problem, sometimes called a “flasher,” feels a need to surprise, shock or impress his victims. The condition usually is limited to the exposure, with no other harmful advances made, although “indecent exposure” is…

To scratch or wear off the skin resulting in an abrasion. Skin picking disorder (SPD) (also called excoriation disorder) is characterized by deliberate and repetitive picking, scratching, rubbing, digging, or squeezing of skin, resulting in tissue damage. It is a type of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

Exclamation point hair is a key diagnostic finding in a disorder called alopecia areata. Alopecia areata is patchy baldness (alopecia means baldness and areata means occurring in patches), which typically begins with patchy hair loss on the scalp and sometimes progresses to complete baldness and even loss of body hair. The hair loss tends to be rather rapid and asymmetrical…

1. Surgical removal, as in the excision of a tumor. 2. The removal as if by surgery, as in excision of a tumor; implying at least partial, if not complete, removal.

To cut out entirely. For example, a scalpel or laser beam may be used to excise a tumor. The terms excise and resect are not synonymous. Excise implies total removal, whereas resect does not.

A rash. The word “exanthem” comes from the Greek “exanthema” which means “a breaking out.” “Anthos” in Greek is “a flower,” particularly a flower blossom, so a child breaking out with an rash is likened to a flower bursting into bloom.