Training Room 4
1. Training Room 4
1.3. Page 4
Training Room 4: Public Health
The Language of Health and Wellness
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Education and access to health care are two of the determinants of health and wellness. In order to be well-informed consumers of health and wellness, it is important to understand some health care terminology. Get started by using Health-Care Terminology.
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When someone in your family feels ill, how does the individual treat the situation? Does the person access any kind of treatment? What kinds? Would the person take medicine? Would she or he see a doctor or other health practitioner?
Reflect on the influences that have formed your approach to health and wellness. How great an impact does your family, your culture, your religion, your friends, where you live, and your economic and social status have on your approaches to health and wellness? Which factor has the most influence?
Discuss your findings with a friend, family member, or classmate. Add your comments to a course discussion of social and cultural determinants assigned by your teacher. You might use the heading “Personal Determinants.”
Medical Speak
Have you ever heard someone describing a medical condition or treatment with words that sounded like a foreign language? It might help your understanding to know a few common medical prefixes and suffixes.
Prefix (descriptors that come at the beginning of a word) |
Meaning | Examples |
| a | absent, deficient, lack of | atrophy: occurs when a tissue gets smaller |
| adipo | fat | adipose tissue: body fat |
| bronchi | refers to the air passages in the lungs | bronchitis: inflammation of the air passages |
| cephal | head | hydrocephalus: a condition with excess fluid in the brain |
| ecto | outside or external | ectocornea: the external layer of the cornea |
| endo | within or internal | endometrium: the inner lining of the uterus |
| epi | on, upon, at outer, covering | epidermis: outer layer of skin |
| hetero | different, other | One X and one Y chromosome constitute a heteromorphic pair. |
| homo | same | Two X chromosomes constitute a homomorphic pair. |
| hydro | water | hydrotherapy: the therapeutic use of water (as in a whirlpool bath) |
| intra | inside, within | intramuscular injection: an injection given into the muscle |
| inter | between | interstitial fluid: fluid between cells |
| infra | below | infraspinatus muscle: muscle that originates below the muscle of the scapula |
| lipo | fat | liposuction: a procedure to remove fat cells |
| macro | large | macroscopic: large enough to be observed by the naked eye |
| micro | small | microscopic: so small as to be invisible without the use of a microscope |
| morph | form or structure | morphology: the study of the form and structure of organisms |
| myo | muscle | myopathies: neuromuscular disorders in which the primary symptom is muscle weakness |
| neuro | nerve | neuromuscular disorders: disorders that result from a breakdown of the nervous system causing deterioration of the muscle |
| osteo | bone | osteoarthritis: a condition of the bones that causes pain in the joints |
| peri | around | pericardium: covering around the heart |
| pneumo | air | pneumothorax: occurs when there is a puncture in the cavity around the lungs |
Suffix (descriptors that come at the end of a word) |
Meaning | Examples |
| cyte | cell | monocyte: a large white blood cell |
| cide | destroy | spermicides: substances used to kill sperm |
| itis | inflammation | arthritis: an inflammation of a joint |
| ology | study of something | biology: the study of life |
| osis | a state or condition, usually indicates an increase in the condition | prognosis: the predicted course of a disease |
| stomy | surgical opening | colostomy: the opening of the colon for surgery |
| plasty | reconstruction | rhinoplasty: the reconstruction of the nose |
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Can you think of other examples of common medical prefixes and suffixes that you have heard? You can use MedlinePlus to determine word parts and their meanings.
Post two or three examples of medical words and their breakdown in the course discussion area assigned by your teacher. You might use the heading “Medical Terms.”
Compare your examples with those of your classmates.