MeSH or Medial Subject Headings are one way that PubMed attaches a single word to a concept. Every year staff at the National Library of Medicine go through the literature and note new concepts. Searching with MeSH terms is a great way to find articles with the topic you need.
Some examples of these terms include:
Common Word | MeSH |
Cancer | Neoplasm |
Joint Pain | Arthralgia |
Chewing | Mastication |
Allergy | Hypersensitivity |