Health
The human body is constantly being attacked by many different kinds of bacteria, viruses and other microorganisms. Thanks to the progress in medicine and technology we are able to prevent, control and treat many diseases so we can help ourselves to be fit, healthy and what is most important – alive.
What to do to keep healthy?
Our health mostly rely on our lifestyle and the best way to avoid health problems is prevention.
We should:
- practise, do some sports
- it’s not necessary to do some boring exercises, playing some sports game two times a week is enough and moreover — it can be fun
- eat healthy
- avoid fat and junk food from fastfoods, eat more fruit and vegetables, eat regularly
- sleep sufficiently
- eight to nine hours of sleep for adult
- be in the fresh air
- avoid stress, cigarettes, drugs and so on
We can also improve our natural defence system with vaccines. A vaccine is an antigenic preparation used to establish immunity to a disease. We are ussualy vaccinated preemptively mostly against some ordinary children’s diseases during our childhood although It’s not bad idea to get vaccinated against other diseases especially when you go abroad.
Deseases
Various bacteria and microorganisms are dangerous invaders, attempting to weaken and destroy our body. Our contemporary world is constantly bringing new diseases. We can devide them into several categories:
- common illnesses
- diseases of civilisation
- (gruesome) serious diseases
Common illnesses are for example flu, cold, headache, tootache or tonsillitis and we can discern them with various symptoms like temperature, perspiration, torpidity, pains, etc. It should be no problem to cure them with help of our natural defence system. Among more serious illnesses are measles, chicken pox, mumps, diptheria, whooping cough, polio, ..
Deseases of civilisation are diseases that appear to increase in frequency as countries become more industrialized and people live longer. They include Alzheimer’s disease, migraines, depression, obesity and many others.
And finaly we should mention some serious diseases: leukaemia, AIDS, heart attacks, cancer. Some of them are unfortunately incurable.
All these diseases hava one common thing — we should visit our doctor right away. In the case of a serious illness, an ambulance takes us to the hospital.
At the surgery
- general practitioner
- go directly or make an appointment
- doctor asks us how we feel, what problems we are having
- its not good to hold back information
- after examination the doctor prescribe prescriprion
- medicines we can get at the pharmacy
- tablets, pills, drops, ointments, syrup, powder, vitamins, antibiotics
Things a doctor does
- takes your temperature
- looks into your throat or ears
- listens to your heart
- checks your lungs and listens to you breath
- tests your reflexes
- checks your blood pressure and pulse
- takes a blood count
- gives you an x-ray
Medical care in the Czech republic
Medical care in the Czech rep. with recent reform of public health service is not as free of charge as it was. We now have to pay a small charge every time we see a doctor. We also pay for prescriptions, stay in hospitals and medicines although some of them could be entirely paid by insurance company.
Our medical system includes first aid, antenatal checkups, maternity ward services, social care up to old age, GPs, treatment in hospitals and spas, old people’s homes and many others.
Life expectancy grows along with awareness of medical care, quality of doctors and number of hospitals. Unfortunately these characteristics vary from state to state and that’s why it’s very important where you live.
Health is one of the most important things in our lives and that’s why not all gone for nothing when we wish one another good health.
Vaccines: typhus, tetanus, chicken pox, whooping cough, tuberculosis, …
Questions:
- What should people do to keep healthy?
- Name some diseasses people may suffer from
- Have you ever had any health problems / been to hospital?
- How do you feel when you have a flue (any other)? How do you cure it?
- Does smoking affect health? In what way? Cure?
- What are the problems of overweight? (obesity) To be on diet or not?
- How do you feel about eating junk food such as hamburgers, hotdogs, chips?
- Problems of alcohol and drug addicts?
- Do you choose your own doctor?
- Should doctors tell the truth?
Diseases and their symptoms
flu headache, fever, cough, sneezing pneumonia dry cough, high fever, chest pain, rapid breathing rheumatism swollen, painful joins, limited movement chicken pox rash starting on body, raised temperature mumps earache, pain on eating Vocabulary
puchýř blister modřina bruise vyrážka rash svědění itch bolest v krku sore throat průjem diarrhoea špatné trávení indigestion plané neštovice chicken pox neštovice small pox příušnice mumps spalničky measles spála scarlet fever zarděnky rubella zápal plic pneumonia tuberkolóza tuberculosis záškrt diphtheria obrna polio zánět průdušek bronchitis chřipka influenza, flu angína tonsillitis žloutenka chronic hepatitis nachlazení cold kašel cough černý kašel whooping cough revma rheumatism cukrovka diabetes astma asthma alergie allergy rakovina cancer úpal sunburn zhorš. dýchání breathless monokl black eye omdlení faint krevní tlak blood pressure mast ointment sádra bondage chirurg surgeon obvodní lékař GP – general practitioner játra liver plíce lung střeva intestines ledvina kidney žaludek stomach kotník ankle kolena knees zápěstí wrist ramena shoulders hrudník chest lýtko calf stehna thights lékárna pharmacy (chemist’s) horečka fever