HEALTH AND ILLNESS


 1. How would you define a health?
 2. How would you define an illness?
 3. How do you look after your health and keep fit?
 4. What do you do which is bad for your health?
 5. Do you have health insurance?
 6. Have you ever had any operations?
 7. Are you allergic to anything?
 8. Are you taking any medications?
 9. Are you in good shape?
10. Do you take regular exercise?
11. Do you care about healthy eating?
12. Do you follow a personal fitness programme, do you always stick to your programme?
13. In general, have you kept fit over the last two years?
14. Have you ever donated blood?
15. When did you last visit a doctor? What does a doctor do during a usual check-up?
16. Have you ever had physiotherapy?
17. What do you imagine under the term alternative medicine?


What do we call the type of alternative medicine which:

1. uses herbs and other natural plants?

2. uses oils which smell nice and are rubbed into your body?

3. uses needles to stick into specific parts of your body

4. uses tiny amounts of substances which cause the illness the doctor is trying to cure?

5. manipulates your spine and bones to ease backache and other pains?


Do you have any experience with alternative medicine?



EXERCISE I

Complete the sentences with the following words:

Dosage, prescription, allergic to, medication, symptoms, vaccination, sick note:
  * I can´t take penicillin, I am ............................... to it.
  * Before you take those pills, read the label to see what the correct.................. is.
  * I´m going abroad next month so I have to get the necessary .......................
  * If you consult a new doctor you should tell him or her if you are already on any
.......................
  * Did the doctor give you a ...........................? Do you want me to take it to the
chemist´s for you?
  * I told the doctor my ..........................., but I don´t think she was listening.
  * The doctor gave me a .......................... for my employer. I was off work for two weeks.








EXERCISE II


Which do you think the doctor said to each of the following patients in A? Choose from part B “What
does the doctor prescribe?”


A

Medical problems
  * 1. Anne with bad sunburn.
  * 2. Liz who´s broken her leg.
  * 3. John who´s off to the Tropics.
  * 4. Paul with flu.
  * 5. Liz with a bad cough.
  * 6. Sam who needs his appendix out.
  * 7. Rose suffering from exhaustion.
  * 8. Alf who´s sprained his wrist.


B

What does the doctor prescribe?
  * a/ Take one three times a day after meals.
  * b/ Take a teaspoonful last thing at night.
  * c/ Rub a little on before going to bed each night.
  * d/ We´ll get the nurse to put a bandage on.
  * e/ You´ll need to have some injections before you go.
  * f/ I´ll ask the surgeon when he can fit you in for an operation.
  * g/ You´ll have to have your leg put in plaster.
  * h/ I think you should have a total bed rest for a week.