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Health Slang

The healthcare industry is full of slang terms. Some acronyms and abbreviations are specialized medical terms, while others are used in everyday discussions about nutrition and fitness. Even if you're not a doctor or a nurse, many of the terms below are good to know.

Slang Term	Meaning	Votes
Anti-vaxxer	A person who opposes vaccines	587
Rx	Prescription	588
STD	Sexually transmitted disease	588
DM	Doctor of Medicine	592
CPR	Cardiopulmonary resuscitation	593
RN	Registered nurse	593
ADD	Attention deficit disorder	594
ICU	Intensive care unit	594
HIV	Human immunodeficiency virus	594
PTSD	Post-traumatic stress disorder	595
ACL	Anterior cruciate ligament	595
vax	Vaccination	595
Snapback culture	Pressure on new moms to snap back to their pre-pregnancy bodies	595
AIDS	Acquired immune deficiency syndrome	596
STI	Sexually transmitted infection	596
EMT	Emergency medical technician	596
CHF	Congestive heart failure	596
BM	Bowel movement	596
OI	Opportunistic infection	597
OBGYN	Obstetrics and gynecology	597
IVF	In Vitro Fertilization	597
AMA	American Medical Association	597
MD	Medical doctor	597
FDA	Food and Drug Administration	597
PPE	Personal Protective Equipment	597
Fauci Ouchie	COVID-19 vaccine	597
Perc30	Oxycodone, commonly mixed with fentanyl	597
Flurona	Having both the flu and covid	597
meds	Medications	598
SIDS	Sudden infant death syndrome	598
CDC	Centers for Disease Control and Prevention	598
OBG	Obstetrics and gynecology	598
ENT	Ear, nose, and throat specialist	598
BLS	Basic life support	598
ALS	Advanced life support	598
DNR	Do not resuscitate	598
APS	Adult protective services	598
ARF	Acute renal failure	598
EHR	Electronic health record	598
POS	Point of service	598
Thumb day	When you browse your phone incessantly at the gym	598
Chub rub	Chafing where your thighs rub together	598
CAFO	Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation	598
Non-GMO	Unvaccinated	598
AMA	Against medical advice	598
Delta	COVID-19 Delta variant	598
Omicron	COVID-19 Omicron variant	598
Never Covid	A person exposed to but uninfected by COVID-19	598
HWP	Height weight proportionate	599
PFO	Pissed and fell over	599
OOP	Out of pocket	599
HGH	Human growth hormone	599
ADHD	Attention-Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder	599
ER	Emergency room	599
SOB	Shortness of breath	599
CAD	Coronary artery disease	599
WHO	World Health Organization	599
LDL	Low-density lipoprotein	599
iv	Intravenous	599
ACLS	Advanced cardiac life support	599
AED	Automated external defibrillator	599
AMI	Acute myocardial infarction	599
ARI	Acute respiratory infection	599
TCU	Transitional care unit	599
STEL	Short term exposure limit	599
FPL	Federal poverty level	599
EOB	Explanation of benefits	599
BID	Twice a day	599
Long-hauler	A person suffering long-term effects from COVID-19	599
GOMER	Get Out of My Emergency Room	599
Fire thighs	Thighs inflamed from chafing	599
ROM	Range of motion	599
BDD	Body dysmorphic disorder	599
Twindemic	A dual pandemic	599
Long COVID	Long-term COVID-19 symptoms	599
F2M	Female to male	599
FTM	Female to male	599
GSM	Gender and sexuality minority	599
MTF	Male to female	599
M2F	Male to female	599
DSAB	Designated sex at birth	599
AFAB	Assigned female at birth	599
AMAB	Assigned male at birth	599
SOGI	Sexual orientation and gender identity	599
ACV	Apple cider vinegar	599
NoPoo	No shampoo	599
CGM	Curly girl method	599
Co Washing	Conditioner-only washing	599
ppd	Postpartum depression	600
DOC	Drug of choice	600
xt	Cross-training	600
EPO	Erythropoietin	600
HMO	Health maintenance organization	600
AND	Allow natural death	600
DNI	Do not intubate	600
USFDA	United States Food and Drug Administration	600
ALOS	Average length of stay	600
CICU	Cardiac intensive care unit	600
AAA	Apply to affected area	600
ED	Eating disorder	600
IF	Intermittent fasting	600
NICU	Neonatal Intensive Care Unit	601
ST	Speech therapy	601
SSI	Surgical site infection	601
COI	Certificate of insurance	601
Q	Every	601
EMR	Electronic medical record	602
CVI	Cerebrovascular insult	603
OTC	Over the counter	600
PED	Performance enhancing drug	600
MCL	Medial collateral ligament	600
BP	Blood pressure	600
PPO	Preferred provider organization	600
PCP	Primary care physician	600
ITU	Intensive treatment unit	600
CCU	Critical care unit	600
ED	Emergency department	600
AE	Accident and emergency	600
ICN	Intensive Care Nursery	600
VD	Venereal disease	600
HDL	High-density lipoprotein	600
PCL	Posterior cruciate ligament	600
LCL	Lateral collateral ligament	600
DO	Doctor of Osteopathy	600
PT	Physical therapy	600
CNA	Certified nursing assistant	600
HHA	Home health aide	600
EMS	Emergency medical services	600
ALP	Assisted living program	600
CDT	Continuing day treatment	600
COPD	Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease	600
CRNA	Certified registered nurse anesthetist	600
CVA	Cerebrovascular accident	600
tb	Tuberculosis	600
TBI	Traumatic brain injury	600
HCAI	Health care associated infection	600
ACO	Accountable care organization	600
EOC	Evidence of coverage	600
h	Hour	600
HS	At bedtime	600
PO	By mouth	600
CTE	Chronic traumatic encephalopathy	600
Anti-vax	Against vaccines	600
SAAB	Sex assigned at birth	600