| COC | cathodal opening contraction; coccygeal; combination oral contraceptive |
|---|---|
| COCP | combined oral contraceptive pill |
| COGTT | cortisone oral glucose tolerance test |
| COS | cheiro-oral syndrome; chief of staff; Clinical Orthopaedic Society; clinically observed seizures |
| IAOM | International Association of Oral Myology |
| occupational therapy department, hospital | Hospital department responsible for the administration and provision of any occupational or work activity for remedial purposes. (12 Dec 1998) |
|---|---|
| oestrogen replacement therapy | <endocrinology, gynaecology> The use of oestrogenic substances in postmenopausal or other oestrogen-deficient women to alleviate effects of hormone deficiency, such as vasomotor symptoms, dyspareunia, and progressive development of osteoporosis. (12 Dec 1998) |
| orthomolecular therapy | The use of very large doses of vitamins or other naturally occurring substances normally present in the body, frequently for the treatment of mental disorders. (12 Dec 1998) |
| oxygen inhalation therapy | Inhalation of oxygen aimed at restoring toward normal any pathophysiologic alterations of gas exchange in the cardiopulmonary system, as by the use of a respirator, nasal catheter, tent, chamber, or mask. (12 Dec 1998) |
| oxygen therapy | Treatment in which an increased concentration of oxygen is made available for breathing, through a nasal catheter, tent, chamber, or mask. (05 Mar 2000) |
| teleradium therapy | Therapeutic use of radium rays, the source of which is a quantity of radium at a distance from the patient. Synonym: radium beam therapy. (05 Mar 2000) |
| therapy | The treatment of disease, therapeutics. Origin: Gr. Therapeia = service done to the sick (18 Nov 1997) |
| therapy, computer-assisted | Computer systems utilised as adjuncts in the treatment of disease. (12 Dec 1998) |
| therapy, gene | Insertion of normal DNA directly into cells to correct a genetic defect. Gene therapy is the treatment of disease by replacing, altering, or supplementing a gene responsible for the disease. In gene therapy for cancer, for example, researchers are trying to bolster the body's natural capacity to combat cancer and make the tumour more sensitive to other kinds of therapy. Gene therapy, still in its early stages, holds great promise for the treatment of many diseases. (12 Dec 1998) |
| thrombolytic therapy | The use of thrombolytic agents to dissolve blood clots to re-establish blood flow through an occluded vessel. Examples of thrombolytic agents include: urokinase, streptokinase and tissue plasminogen activator (TPA). These agents may be introduced into a vein or selectively into a diseased (blocked) artery using a catheter. (27 Sep 1997) |
| thyroid therapy | The treatment of hypothyroidism. (05 Mar 2000) |
| tissue therapy | Historically, tissue transplantation, especially of refrigerated tissue (after filatov). It was theorised that non-specific substances, capable of initiating restorative processes, formed in tissues when refrigerated. This therapy has been discredited and outlawed in western medicine. Cell therapy (after niehans) refers to implantation of tissue by injection. Originally this involved fresh cells but later frozen or lyophilised cells. This therapy has also been banned in most countries but its illicit use is apparently widespread. (12 Dec 1998) |
| electric stimulation therapy | Application of electric current in treatment without the generation of perceptible heat. It includes electric stimulation of nerves or muscles, passage of current into the body, or use of interrupted current of low intensity to raise the threshold of the skin to pain. (12 Dec 1998) |
| electroconvulsive therapy | Electrically induced convulsions primarily used in the treatment of severe affective disorders and schizophrenia. (12 Dec 1998) |
| electroshock therapy | A form of treatment of mental disorders in which convulsions are produced by the passage of an electric current through the brain. Synonym: convulsive therapy, electroconvulsive therapy. (05 Mar 2000) |