Analogies coming out our ears!

For a number of years I have taught a seminar about analogies at various conferences. Many of the analogies on the list come from these conferences. I ask the participants to come up with analogies for a given medical concept. Over the years I have gather numerous imaginative analogies for these concepts. Here is the list:

Antibiotics

Why don't we use antibiotics for colds, acute bronchitis and other viral illnesses?

You don't use bug spray to kill weeds in your lawn.

It's like shouting at a statue to leave. The statue won't leave, but your friends might.

Treating a cold with antibiotics is like using an umbrella to stay warm in the winter. It just doesn't work, and when it starts to rain, your umbrella may be worn out.

Using antibiotics for a minor infection is like using powerful chemicals to remove leaves from a sidewalk, instead of waiting for the wind to blow them away.

Using antibiotics for viruses is like using a large net to catch minnows. They just go through the holes.

Using antibiotics for viruses is like putting gas in your gas tank if your battery is dead.

Cancer spread

How does cancer spread?

Cancer spreads like a wolfpack. When it outgrows its habitat, one gets kicked out and goes on to form a new pack.

Cancer is like the rain. It can rain anywhere and sometimes the forecast is wrong.

Cancer spreads like pollution in a river.

Cancer spreads like a jail break. Some prisoners hide in the ditch outside the prison, some go to the nearest town and some catch a plane to Mexico.

Cancer spreads like a dandelion going to seed. Most of the seeds land near, but some may be blown far away.

Cancer spreads like weeds. If you don't pull them all out, they will spread.

Cancer is spread like a rumor. It can spread by mouth, by phone and sometimes pop up in the most unusual places.

Cancer is spread like cudzu sp? (a weed).

Cancer is spread like crabgrass.

Cholesterol

Cholesterol is like sludge in your pipes (arteries).

Cholesterol is like government. There is good government and bad government and too much government can clog up the system, causing gridlock.

Cholesterol is like drinking a milkshake through a straw. It coats the inside of the straw and it gets clog.

When you cook a chicken, cholesterol is like the fat that comes out.

Cholesterol is like wax.

Cholesterol is like many people living in a house. The LDL is like teenagers, the HDL is like the cleaning ladies.

Cholesterol is like trucks. The LDL is the dump truck dropping debris all over. The HDL is the street sweeper.

Arteries clogging with cholesterol like the grease clogging the drain.

Checking your cholesterol is like checking your oil with a dipstick.

Checking your cholesterol is like asking the mechanic to check your antifreeze level.

Cholesterol is like oil. You need a little, but too much can clog.

Menopause

Menopause is like getting your driver's license. It has risks, but new freedom.

Menopause is like sand through an hourglass.

Menopause is like a journey over a bridge. You leave some things behind, but pick up new.

Menopause is like the changing of the seasons.

Menopause is like changing grapes to wine. You're the same, but the consistency is different.

Ovaries are like a scooter. They sputter before they stop.

Ovaries are like an ink pen. They work great at first, then off and on, then they stop.

Menopause is like trees in autumn. They change color at different times.

Menopause is like puberty. It brings changes, challenges and rewards.

Menopause is like shifting into overdrive on the highway.

The ovaries in menopause are like a bag of marble that give up a marble every month. Menopause is when you have lost all your marbles!

The uterus is like a block wall. Estrogen is like the bricks and progesterone is like the mortar holding it together. (Dr. S. Lenzmeier)

Osteoporosis

Eating food with calcium is like adding to your savings account. Your bones will be thick later in your life when you need it.

Osteoporosis is like building your house by the ocean. Gradually the waves erode the foundation.

The bone is like a shoe lace that gradually gets thinner and finally breaks.

Bone is like a brick wall. Over time the mortar gets weak and the wall can crumble.

Bone is like swiss cheese. Over time the holes get bigger and the cheese can crumble.

Young bones are like branches of a young tree, flexible. Older bones are brittle like old branches.

Smoking

How does smoking harm the body?

Smoking is like a chimney. The tar builds up and causes a back draft which leads to a cough.

Smoking is like sitting in a car with a blocked exhaust system.

Smoking is like having a broken burglar alarm. You don't know the burglar has been there until all you things are stolen.

Smoking is like putting pollution in a lake.

Your body is like a building with a fire in the basement. It will slowly choke the people in the building.

The effect of smoking on your lungs is like the air filter on your furnace. Even though you don't see dust in the house, it gets stuck in the filter.