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Oxidative stress refers to an imbalance between the production of reactive oxygen species and the ability of the body to detoxify or repair the resulting damage. However, it will be shown that the term "oxidative stress" is often used instead of the correct "oxidative damage”. The term “eustress” has been used for describing beneficial signaling by small amounts of reactive oxygen species, but it will be shown that reactive oxygen species signaling can also promote cancer cell growth. The term "oxidative distress" has been created to describe the negative effects produced on cells, organs, and the entire body by large amounts of reactive oxygen species. However, if the reactive oxygen species are used to kill infectious microorganisms, the result is beneficial. Measurements of oxidative stress in body fluids or tissue specimens are a measure of oxidative damage potentially occurring simultaneously in different cells, tissues, and organs; they only provide a sum of non-separable events, possibly with opposite effects. There is no officially approved therapy to prevent or treat oxidative stress or oxidative damage. This implies that while oxidative stress issues are already a complex challenge for basic biological sciences, in a clinical setting oxidative stress is only a term of convenience with no diagnostic or therapeutic value. A critical appraisal of oxidative stress terminology, quantification, and therapeutic attempts is presented.