The words and conditions, in plain language.

Terms you'll see in Take the Helm

Differential

The ranked shortlist of conditions that could explain your symptoms. Captain builds and re-ranks yours every time it reads the case.

Pattern strength

Captain's 0–100 score for how well your documented case fits a condition's typical presentation. It's a fit score, not a probability that you have the condition.

Theory / hypothesis

One candidate explanation in the differential, with its supporting evidence, the criteria you do and don't meet, and what would confirm or exclude it.

Diagnostic criteria

The checklist clinicians use to confirm a condition. Captain marks which criteria your record already meets and which are still open.

Set aside

A possibility set aside based on labs, history, or testing — with the reason logged. Captain remembers these so the same workups aren't endlessly re-run, and re-opens one if new evidence lands.

Next test

The single most informative thing to do next for a given theory — a specific test, a type of specialist, or a question for your doctor.

Research brief

A per-theory deep dive: the typical diagnostic path, the treatment landscape, vetted patient communities, and open clinical trials.

Captain Critic

An adversarial second pass that argues against the leading theories — the strongest counter-arguments, so you see both sides before acting.

Cross-case pattern

A thread Captain spots running through more than one of your cases — a possible shared root cause worth raising with your doctor.

Case narrative

Your story in your own words. Captain treats it as ground-truth context for every read, and keeps a version history of your edits.

Visit prep packet

A one-to-two page summary tuned to a specific upcoming appointment — case summary, your prioritized questions, key labs, what's been tried.

Case summary

An instant, print-ready clinician-style one-pager of where a case stands right now — history of present illness, leading theories, recent symptoms, recommended next steps, and what's been investigated & excluded.

Conditions Take the Helm is built for

Take the Helm doesn't diagnose these — it helps you investigate whether your pattern fits, and prepare to discuss them with a clinician. These descriptions are general primers, not medical advice.

POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome)

A form of dysautonomia where heart rate spikes on standing, often with lightheadedness, fatigue, and brain fog.

Dysautonomia

Umbrella term for dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system — the automatic controls for heart rate, blood pressure, digestion, and temperature.

MCAS (Mast Cell Activation Syndrome)

Inappropriate mast-cell activation causing recurrent allergic-type symptoms — flushing, hives, GI upset, reactions to foods or environment.

Ehlers-Danlos syndromes (hEDS / EDS)

A group of heritable connective-tissue disorders; the hypermobile type (hEDS) commonly overlaps with POTS and MCAS.

ME/CFS (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis / Chronic Fatigue Syndrome)

A serious chronic illness marked by post-exertional malaise — symptoms that worsen disproportionately after even mild activity.

Small-fiber neuropathy (SFN)

Damage to the small nerve fibers, causing burning pain, tingling, and autonomic symptoms; confirmed by skin biopsy or specialized testing.

Sjögren's

An autoimmune condition classically causing dry eyes and mouth, but with wide systemic effects including fatigue and neuropathy.

Hashimoto's thyroiditis

Autoimmune inflammation of the thyroid, a common driver of fatigue, weight changes, and brain fog.

Long COVID

Persistent symptoms after a COVID-19 infection — frequently overlapping with dysautonomia, ME/CFS, and MCAS presentations.

Autoimmune & inflammatory disease

Conditions where the immune system attacks the body's own tissues; often slow to diagnose because symptoms are systemic and shifting.

Undiagnosed & rare disease

When no single label fits yet. Captain cross-references rare-disease registries where your symptom pattern overlaps known conditions.

Curious how Captain works through these? See the investigation loop →