Medical Terminology and How Drugs Work in Your Body

Posted on Nov 12, 2025 in Medicine & Health

Essential Medical Vocabulary

Common Terms and Translations

  • Over-the-counter (OTC): Medicamento sin receta
  • Drops: Gotas
  • Painkillers: Analgésicos
  • Prescription: Receta
  • Dosage: Dosis

Symptoms and Conditions

  1. Itchy: When you want to scratch your skin.
  2. Drowsy: Tired, feeling like you want to sleep.
  3. Dizzy: Feeling like everything is turning around and you may fall.
  4. Rash: Red spots on your skin.
  5. Constipated: Unable to get rid of solid waste from your body.
  6. Insomnia: Difficulty falling asleep.
  7. Nausea: The feeling that you want to vomit.
  8. Diarrhea: Discharging body waste frequently and in liquid form.

How Medication Works in the Body

Medication works by entering the bloodstream and traveling to the areas where it is needed.

The Mechanism of Painkillers

If you take a painkiller for back pain, for example, how does the medication get to the right place?

When you take a painkiller, it dissolves in the stomach and is absorbed into the bloodstream. The medicine then travels through the blood to the nervous system, where it blocks pain signals before they reach the brain.

Key Vocabulary for Body Processes

1. Swallow
To make food, drink, medicine, etc., go down your throat into your stomach.
2. Foreign Substance
Something that comes from outside your body.
3. Blood Vessel
A small tube through which blood circulates in your body.
4. Liver
An organ that cleans your blood.
5. Molecule
A group of two or more atoms.
6. Enzyme
A substance that is produced to make a chemical change happen.
7. Kidneys
Organs that remove waste from the blood and produce urine.
8. Label
A piece of paper on an object such as a bottle that gives information about it.

The Body’s Process for Medication (Ibuprofen Example)

  1. You take an Ibuprofen tablet for a sore ankle.
  2. The tablet disintegrates in your stomach.
  3. The Ibuprofen goes into your blood vessels.
  4. The Ibuprofen reaches your liver.
  5. The Ibuprofen travels around your body through your veins.
  6. The Ibuprofen molecules find the place where you are feeling pain.
  7. The Ibuprofen molecules stop the pain signals.
  8. Your kidney eliminates the Ibuprofen through the urine.

Review of Conditional Sentences

  • Zero Conditional: If you keep water in the freezer, it will turn into ice. (Used for general truths/facts)
  • First Conditional: If it rains tomorrow, we will stay at home. (Used for real possibilities in the future)
  • Second Conditional: If I won the lottery, I would travel around the world. (Used for hypothetical or unlikely situations)
  • Third Conditional: If you had studied more, you would have passed the exam. (Used for hypothetical situations in the past)

Common Medical Abbreviations

  • P/C: Presenting Complaint
  • LMP: Last Menstrual Period / Last Medical Prescription
  • BP: Blood Pressure
  • BMI: Body Mass Index
  • Wt: Weight
  • Dx: Diagnosis
  • FBC: Full Blood Count
  • ii: Two tablets
  • bds: Twice a day (bis die sumendum)
  • RTA: Road Traffic Accident
  • CXR: Chest X-ray
  • CMHN: Community Mental Health Nurse
  • EUA: Exam Under Anesthetic
  • EMU: Early Morning Urine sample
  • OD: Once a day (omni die)
  • p.c.: After food (post cibum)

Patient Appointment Record

Patient Information

  • Name of Patient: Henry Dozal
  • Appointment Date: Tuesday, April 29th, 2025

Clinical Details

  • Main Complaint: Persistent lower back pain for over 3 months.
  • Diagnosis: Chronic lower back pain (lumbar disc degeneration).
  • Medication Prescribed: Oxycodone 5mg, one tablet every 6 hours as needed for pain.

Notes

  • Patient reports pain rated 7/10 on the pain scale.
  • Recommended physical therapy and follow-up in 2 weeks.