There is so much medical jargon that can be described in a more empathetic way to people.

Scroll below for an exhaustive list of healthcare terminology translated into everyday people-speak!

1. Anosognosia: inability to recognize a defect or disorder that is clinically evident

2. Anxiogenic: producing anxiety

3. Aphthous stomatitis: canker sores

4. Borborygmi: stomach growling

5. Bradykinesia: having slow movement or reflexes

6. Bruxism: teeth grinding

7. Cardialgia: heartburn; pain in the heart

8. Cardiovalvulitis: inflammation of heart valves

9. Cerumen: earwax

10. Choledocholithiasis: stones in the gallbladder or common bile duct

11. Conjunctivitis: pink eye

12. Costochondritis: chest pain caused by the inflammation of the cartilage that connects the ribs to the breastbone

13. Crepitus: cracking your joints

14. Dysphagia: difficulty swallowing

15. Dyspnea: shortness of breath

16. Enuresis: peeing yourself; nocturnal enuresis if you wet the bed at night and diurnal enuresis if you have involuntary urination during the day

17. Epistaxis: nosebleed

18. Fasciculation: muscle twitch

19. Formication: the feeling that small insects are crawling on (or under) the skin when there is nothing there

20. Gossypiboma: an object accidentally left inside of a patient after surgery

21. Gustatory Rhinitis: runny nose from spicy food

22. Heloma: having a callus on your foot; heloma molle if it’s soft, and heloma durum if it’s hard

23. Horripilation: goosebumps

24. Hyperhidrosis: excessive exercise

25. Lachrymation: crying or having tears

26. Levator Labii Superioris Alaeque Nasi: a muscle in your face that widens the nostrils and elevates the upper lip, thus allowing you to "snarl"

27. Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome: shin splints

28. Morsicato Buccarum: cheek biting; repetitive chewing, biting, or nibbling the inside of your cheek

29. Muscae Volitantes: having “eye floaters”; little transparent threads that you see floating across your eyeball that are just little bits of protein in your eye

30. Obdormition: when a limb falls “asleep”

31. Onychocryptosis: ingrown toenail

32. Oophorohysterectomy: surgical removal of ovary and uterus

33. Orthostatic Hypotension: getting dizzy from standing up too fast

34. Paresthesia: tingling or prickling of the skin, also known as “pins and needles” or a limb “falling asleep”

35. Photalgia: when your eyes hurt whenever you step outside because it’s too bright; light-induced pain of the irises

36. Pneumoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis: lung disease from inhaling very fine ash and sand (or “silica dust”); also known as silicosis or the black lung

37. Procidentia: the descent of any internal organ (prolapse)

38. Proctalgia: literal pain in the butt

39. Prosopagnosia: inability to recognize faces

40. Pyrexia: fever

41. Rhinorrhea: runny nose

42. Sphenopalatine Ganglioneuralgia: brain freeze; having a headache from ice cream

43. Sternutate: sneeze

44. Synchronous Diaphragmatic Flutter: hiccup; also known as myoclonic twitches

45. Transient Lingual Papillitis: “lie bumps”; swollen taste bud on your tongue

46. Transient Diaphragmatic Spasm: getting the wind knocked out of you

47. Trichotillomania: hair pulling

48. Vasovagal Syncope: fainting

49. Veisalgia: hangover

50. Xerosis: dry skin

About Wingspan Health

Wingspan Health is a healthcare technology company that believes that quality healthcare should be accessible for everyone.

Our tool, Wingspan, helps you manage your healthcare by bringing all of your health records in one place – any patient portal account from each of your healthcare providers.

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