Therapy (Latin therapīa; Greek: θεραπεία) literally means "curing, healing" and is the attempted remediation of a health problem, usually following a diagnosis. In the medical field, it is synonymous with the word "treatment". Among psychologists, the term may refer specifically to psychotherapy or "talk therapy".
Preventive therapy or prophylactic therapy is a treatment that is intended to prevent a medical condition from occurring. For example, many vaccines prevent infectious diseases. An abortive therapy is a treatment that is intended to stop a medical condition from progressing any further. A medication taken at the earliest signs of a disease, such as at the very symptoms of a migraine headache, is an abortive therapy.
A supportive therapy is one that does not treat or improve the underlying condition, but instead increases the patient's comfort. Supportive treatment may be used in palliative care.
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