1. 03/03/2013
HEALTH AND ILLNESS
Asking about health:
SALUD Y ENFERMEDAD Health is the state of the body.
When Doctors want to know about a
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Dr. Juan Carlos Díaz Torre patient´s usual health they ask questions
Pediatra Neonatólogo such as:
dr_diaz_torre@hotmail.com - What is your general health like?
(779) 100 - 40 - 26 - How is your health generally?
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If you are in good health, you are well
If you are not ill, you are:
and have no illness or disease.
- Healthy
If you are healthy, you are normally well
healthy,
- Fit
and can resist illness.
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- In good health
- Well
If you are fit you are well and strong.
fit,
- Very well
- Fit and well
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Sickness
When you are ill, you are:
Sickness has a similar meaning to illness.
- Unhealthy It is also used in the names of a few
- Unfit specific diseases, for example “sleeping
- Unwell sicknes” and “travel sickness”.
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- In poor health
- Not well Patients also talk about sickness when
- Not very well they mean nausea and vomiting.
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2. 03/03/2013
When a patient says: When a patient says:
- I was sick this morning - I fell sick
The possible meanings are: The possible meanings are:
- I was ill this morning - I feel ill
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- I felt unwell this morning - I feel unwell
- I vomited this morning - I am nauseous
- I feel the need to vomit
The combination sicknesss and
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diarrhoea means vomiting and 8
diarrhoea.
Recovery If a patient’s health is in the processs of
returning to normal, the patient is
When patients return to normal health improving.
improving
after an illness, they have recovered.
recovered.
We can also say: The opposite is deteriorating
deteriorating.
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- The patient made a We can also say that the patient´s
good, condition improved or deteriorated
deteriorated.
full, or
complete recovery 9 10
In speech we often use the verb get to talk Examples:
about change:
- Get over an illness = to recover - He got over the illness very quickly
- Get better = to improve
- Get worse = to deteriorate - Two years later she remains in complete
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remission
If a patient is better, but then gets worse
again, the patient has relapsed
relapsed.
Another word for improvement, especially
in recurring conditions such as cancer, is 11 12
remission.
remission
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Complete the table with the right words: Make word combinations using a word
from each column:
NOUN ADJECTIVE
Fitness ………………. a) complete sickness
Health ………………. b) feel health
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Illness ………………. c) get remission
Sickness ………………. d) poor sick
e) travel over
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Complete the conversation: Complete the conversation:
D: How are you feeling today? D: Do you feel ____?
P: Not very ___ P: Yes
D: How long have you been feeling____ D: Have you actually been____?
P: About a week
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P: No
D: What is your____like normally? D: Have you had any serious____ in the
P: Very good. I am usually quite ___ and___ past?
D: What is the problem now? P: No, none at all
P: It’s my stomach
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4.- The patient made a full____
Choose the correct word to complete (remission/recovery).
each sentence: 5.- I have been in ____ (poor/good) health
for months and feel very fit.
1.- Her condition____ 6.- It was a month before I____ (got
(deteriorated/improved) and she died. over/got better) the illness.
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2.- He____(relapsed/recovered) and was 7.- He seems to be rather____
allowed to go home from hospital. (unhealthy/unwell) –his diet is bad and he
3.- The cause of sleeping____ never exercises.
(illness/sickness) was discovered in 1901.  What advise do you give people
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for keeping fit and well? 18
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4. 03/03/2013
Gracias por su atención
DR. JCDT
Dr. Juan Carlos Díaz Torre
Pediatra Neonatólogo
dr_diaz_torre@hotmail.com
(779) 100 - 40 - 26
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