Essential fatty acid
Essential fatty acid: An unsaturated fatty acid that is essential to human health, but cannot be manufactured in the body. Abbreviated EFA. There are three types of EFAs: arachnoidic acid, linoleic acid, and linolenic acid. When linoleic acid is obtained in the diet, it can be converted to both arachnoidic and linolenic acid. Linoleic acid is commonly found in cold-pressed oils, especially oils extracted from cold-water fish and certain seeds. Supplementation with EFAs appears to be useful as a treatment for certain neurological disorders. However, arachnoidic acid may lower the seizure threshold. For that reason, it is important to consult a physician before starting a program of EFA supplementation.
Read Also:
- Essential mixed cryoglobulinemia
A condition in which cryoglobulin proteins which are a mixture of various antibody types form for unknown (essential) reasons. Cryoglobulins are abnormal blood proteins that, by definition, have the unusual properties of precipitating from the blood serum (no longer being able to dissolve in the blood) when it is chilled (hence the “cryo-“) and redissolving […]
- Essential oil
Essential oil: An oil derived from a natural substance, usually either for its healing properties or as a perfume. Some pharmaceuticals, and many over-the-counter or ‘holistic’ remedies, are based on or contain essential oils. For example, products containing camphor or eucalyptus essential oils can help relieve congestive coughs, and many essential oils are used in […]
- Essential tremor
Essential tremor: Uncontrollable shaking (tremor) of the hands and arms and sometimes other parts of the body. Essential tremor is the most common of all movement disorders and is estimated to affect up to 5% of people in the US. In approximately half of cases, essential tremor is inherited in an autosomal dominant manner. Several […]
- Essential vulvodynia
Essential vulvodynia: A chronic, diffuse, unremitting sensation of burning of the vulva — (the female external genital organs including the labia, clitoris, and entrance to the vagina)– a painful sensation which may extend to the perineum, thigh or buttock and is often associated with discomfort in the urethra and rectum. vulvodynia means “painful vulva.” Essential […]
- EST (expressed sequence tag)
EST (expressed sequence tag): A unique stretch of DNA within a coding region of a gene that is useful for identifying full-length genes and serves as a landmark for mapping. An EST is a sequence tagged site (STS) derived from cDNA. An STS is a short segment of DNA which occurs but once in the […]