Aphthous stomatitis Aphthous stomatitis Aphthous stomatitis is a common condition characterized by the repeated formation of benign and non-contagious mouth ulcers (aphthae) in otherwise healthy individuals. The informal term canker sores is also used, mainly in North America, although this may also refer to any mouth ulcers. The cause is not completely understood, but involves a T cell-mediated immune response triggered by a variety of factors. Different individuals have different triggers, which may include nutritional deficiencies, local trauma, stress, hormonal influences, allergies, or genetic predisposition. These ulcers occur periodically and heal completely between attacks. In the majority of cases, the individual ulcers
Social construction of the body Social construction of the body The social construction of the body is a hypothesis that affirms that the relationship between the body and the socio-cultural context occurs in both senses, and that society and culture influence the formation of its members to some extent. The body has become a social construction, in whose delimitation have participated multiple disciplines. Thus, medicine and religion can be mentioned as the agents that have traditionally influenced, together with the rules of urbanity and educational institutions. These four agents have been building a model, which every individual has as reference. According to Bryan S. Turner,