Common Minor Ailments That Can Be Described in Elaborate Medical Terms

In an therapeutic episode of their incredibly informative whiteboard series for Mental Floss , linguist Arika Okrent and illustrator Sean O'Neill verbally and visually offer some elaborate medical terms can be used to describe common and minor ailments. Such ailments include a rumbling tummy (borborygmi), brain freeze (sphenopalatine ganglioneuralgia), canker sores (Aphthous stomatitis), fainting at the sight of blood (vasovagal syncope) and goosebumps (horripilation).

Want to generate a little more sympathy for your totally mundane health concerns? Use these fancy medical terms instead!

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