IELTS Speaking Lesson about Health - Part 2
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Table of Contents
IELTS Speaking Vocabulary: HEALTH
Health (n. U.) /helθ/ = the condition of the body and state of being well
- Physical health
- Mental health
- Preventative health (activities to avoid sickness)
To be in ____ health [good, poor, declining, fragile] – adjectives
I’m in good health, but my grandad is sick and in declining health
Declining (adj.) = going down, getting worse
Fragile (adj.) = Delicate
To _______ your health [boost, promote, improve / harm, damage] -verbs
Superfoods can boost your health
Ultra-processed foods do not boost your health, they harm your health
Synonyms
- Well-being (n. U.)
- Wellness (n. U.)
- Fitness (n. U.)
Don’t work so much, your well-being is very important
Antonyms
- A sickness (n. C.)
- An ailment (n. C.)
- A disease (n. C.)
The older I get, the more ailments I have 😅
Health and feelings
I feel + adjective
I feel _____[great, energetic, full of beans, on top of the world]
I feel _____ [weak, poorly, lethargic, sluggish, drained, out of sorts, off colour, under the weather]
She is feeling on top of the world today, on the other hand,
I’m feeling lethargic, I just don’t want to get out of bed!
I have never felt better
I am alive and kicking
IELTS Speaking Idioms: HEALTH
- To be off your game
- To feel off your game = To not feel well enough to perform at your best
I’m sorry that wasn’t a good presentation, I just feel off my game today; I didn’t sleep well last night
- To be as right as rain = to feel perfectly healthy
He was sick last week, but now he’s as right as rain and back to work
- To be coming down with something =To start to feel sick
You look very pale today, are you coming down with something?
- To feel peaky = To feel slightly unwell
She said she felt peaky, so she decided to leave work early and go home and rest
Speaking and Listening: Food and Health
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Full Script
Karen: Hey Maria, how are you doing today?
Maria: Hi Karen, I’m good, thanks! But I’ve been feeling a bit off colour lately. Do you think I should start eating some superfoods?
Karen: Maybe! But listen, have you heard about the gut microbiome? They say it has a big impact on how you feel.
Maria: The gut what?
Karen: The gut microbiome! It’s all the tiny bacteria living in your stomach. Apparently, having a healthy mix of these bacteria can help with digestion, energy levels, even your mood! (=emotional state)
Maria: Wow, I never knew that! So how do I get a healthy gut?
Karen: Well, eating a balanced diet with lots of fruits and vegetables is a good start. They have fibre, which those good bacteria love!
Maria: Interesting. And what about superfoods? Are they good for the gut too?
Karen: Some might be! Things like berries, yogurt with probiotics, and even fermented foods like kimchi could be helpful. They all have different benefits.
Maria: Kimchi? Isn’t that really spicy?
Karen: It can be! But you don’t have to eat just kimchi. There are lots of other options. Maybe we can research some healthy recipes together this weekend?
Maria: That sounds great, Karen! Thanks for the advice. Maybe with a healthier gut, I’ll have more energy too!
IELTS Speaking Discussion Health & Technology
Before you listen, here are some useful words:
- A rash = area of redness on your skin (due to illness or allergy)
- Symptom (n.)= An indicator of a sickness. (Sneezing is a symptom of a cold)
- Diagnosis (n.) = The identification of a sickness (e.g a cold or the flu)
The patient has the symptoms and the doctor gives the diagnosis
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Full Script
So when it comes to health and technology, yeah, I think technology has had a big impact on our health, generally speaking.
I mean, first of all, let’s talk about wearable health trackers.
Nowadays, everybody’s trying to do their 10,000 steps and to measure that, they’re wearing smartwatches or these fitness trackers that can track how far you’ve walked, they can measure your heartbeat and give you more sophisticated statistics, which is great.
And I think that motivates people to do more exercise and stay in shape (=keep healthy)
The only thing is, I guess people can become a bit obsessed by the numbers and maybe even competitive if they’re sharing it with other people. And maybe it’s become too much of an obsession.
——-
The second big area where I think technology has changed our health and our lives, especially for doctors, is Telehealth, right? The provision of health services remotely whereby the patient can contact their doctor or their GP via a video call or even by chat or sending a picture.
For example, if a patient has a rash on their skin they can send a picture to the doctor, the doctor can ask about the symptoms, and then together they can, well, work together and the doctor can give a diagnosis and maybe even prescribe medicine (=authorise the use of medicine) directly to the patient.
So this is clearly cutting down on (=to reduce) waiting times which is a big bonus for all patients, right?
And it helps doctors become more productive and efficient.
——-
Now, the one area where possibly, I think doctors would agree that it’s maybe not beneficial is the growth well of self-diagnosis.
So I’m talking about people jumping on the Internet, looking at health websites to find out what’s wrong with them if they have an ailment (=have a sickness) and they try and discover the problem and they diagnose themselves and then they go to the doctor and say, I think I’ve got this, I think I’ve got that.
Some people even become hypochondriacs (=people who are abnormally worried about their health). They’re obsessed with all the different sicknesses they have, because they’ve read about them.
And I think sometimes this doesn’t help doctors who, they’re the professionals, they know the situation. And I guess, yes, it can be good for us to get peace of mind (=relax because you now know something) on what you’ve not got by looking on the Internet.
But there’s so much misinformation. I think it’s a slippery slope (=something can easily get worse) and a slightly dangerous thing to do to be trying to self diagnose.
So there we have it. Three different ways that technology is impacting our health.
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