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managed health care

(Encyclopedia)managed health care, system of health-care delivery that aims to control costs by assigning set fees for services, monitoring the need for procedures such as tests and surgical operations, and stressi...

e-cigarette

(Encyclopedia)e-cigarette or electronic cigarette, a device that produces an aerosol from a liquid containing nicotine or another active ingredient, allowing it to be inhaled in a manner similar to smoking a cigare...

holistic medicine

(Encyclopedia)holistic medicine, system of health care based on a concept of the “whole” person as one whose body, mind, spirit, and emotions are in balance with the environment. Stressing personal responsibili...

National Institutes of Health

(Encyclopedia)National Institutes of Health (NIH), agency of the U.S. Public Health Service, with headquarters in Bethesda, Md. It was established initially in 1887 as a laboratory in the U.S. Marine Hospital on St...

Pan-American Health Organization

(Encyclopedia)Pan-American Health Organization, inter-American health organization. It was established in 1902 as the International Sanitary Bureau; the present name was adopted in 1958. Its members include all the...

advance health care directive

(Encyclopedia)advance health care directive: see living will. ...

statin

(Encyclopedia)statin, any of a class of drugs that reduces the amount of cholesterol in the blood by interfering with the production of cholesterol in the liver; commonly prescribed statins include atorvastatin, lo...

lung cancer

(Encyclopedia)lung cancer, cancer that originates in the tissues of the lungs. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the United States in both men and women. Like other cancers, lung cancer occurs aft...

Occupational Safety and Health Administration

(Encyclopedia)Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), U.S. agency established (1970) in the Dept. of Labor (see Labor, United States Department of) to develop and enforce regulations for the safety an...

nicotine

(Encyclopedia)nicotine, C10H14N2, poisonous, pale yellow, oily liquid alkaloid with a pungent odor and an acrid taste. It turns brown on exposure to air. Nicotine, a naturally occurring constituent of tobacco, is t...