A medication that increases bodily function is described by which term?

• A. Therapeutic Action
• B. Side Effects
• C. Refractory
• D. Stimulant

Answer: (D)

When a medication increases bodily function, the term we use is stimulant. A stimulant boosts activity in the body's systems, such as raising alertness, heart rate, respiration, or metabolic rate. That direct sense of enhancing physiological activity makes stimulant the best fit for describing a drug that increases bodily function.

Therapeutic action, in contrast, refers to the intended beneficial effect of a drug in treating a condition, not necessarily the general property of increasing bodily processes. Side effects are additional, often unwanted effects that accompany the primary action. Refractory describes a state that does not respond to treatment.