Tag: health and medicine

Young People Lose Hearing

B1 – Intermediate

What would the world be without music? Well, what would your world be without any sound? Or how would it be like if you couldn’t hear quite well?

According to studies, young people’s sense of hearing are getting worse. This could be because the volume on their headphones is too high or the sound at bars or clubs or concerts they go to is too loud.

Listen to this audio and read the transcript about how more and more young people are having problems hearing well.

https://www.newsinlevels.com/products/young-people-lose-hearing-level-1/

Discussion Questions:

  1. What is your reaction to this news?
  2. What are the reasons people’s sense of hearing is deteriorating? 
  3. What do you think about loud noises/music/places/people?
  4. What is your favorite sound and why?
  5. What would you do if or how would you feel if you had lost your ability to hear properly?

Smart Plaster

B1 – Intermediate

Waiting for a wound to heal could be a little stressful. But taking the plaster off to check it every so often isn’t a good thing.

So, three Polish students thought it would be a good idea to invent a plaster that has a sensor. This tells you and your doctor exactly how the would is healing.

Listen to this audio and read the transcript about smart plaster.

https://www.newsinlevels.com/products/a-smart-plaster-level-1/

Discussion Questions:

  1. What is your opinion about this smart plaster?
  2. What do you think could be the good and bad things about the smart plaster?
  3. Would you be interested to use this plaster? Why or why not?

Medieval Plague Shaped Human Immunity

B2 – Upper Intermediate

One of the things that helped early humans escape imminent death during the plague is their genes. This is also the same thing that may have a direct impact on our immune systems today.

Listen to the audio and read the transcript about how the medieval plague may have affected human immunity today.

https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/study-medieval-plague-may-have-shaped-human-immunity/6798355.html

Discussion Questions:

  1. What is your reaction to what this study says?
  2. What are your thoughts on this, “The same version of a gene can protect people from a bad infection, but and also put modern people at risk for other illnesses.”?
  3. How important was the Black Death to the evolution of the human immune system?
  4. What do you know about the bubonic plague/the Black Death?
  5. How do you think the COVID-19 pandemic will affect human evolution?
  6. What do you think about this, “In the future, more deadly pandemics will continue to shape us at the most basic level.”?

World’s First Intestine Transplant

B1 – Intermediate

A baby girl from Spain named Emma was born with an intestine that is too short. This prevents food from being absorbed properly by her body and her health rapidly got worse and worse. She was too young but was already diagnosed with intestinal failure. Emma had to get a new intestine. She became the first to have an intestine transplant. Thankfully, the procedure was a success and her health is now in good condition after the transplant was done.

Listen to the audio and read the transcript about the first intestine transplant in the world.

https://www.newsinlevels.com/products/worlds-first-intestine-transplant-level-2/

Discussion Questions:

  1. What is your reaction to this news?
  2. What do you think of the progress in medical technology?
  3. What comes to your mind when you hear the word “transplant”? Why?
  4. What are your thoughts on organ transplantation?

Problems with E-cigarettes

B1 – Intermediate

In the hopes of avoiding smoking cigarettes and its adverse effects on health, some people turn to e-cigarettes. However, are these actually a good alternative or an even worse thing to smoke?

Listen to the audio and read the transcript about the problems with e-cigarettes.

https://www.newsinlevels.com/products/problems-with-e-cigarettes-level-1/

Discussion Questions:

  1. Do you agree that e-cigarettes can be a problem? Why or why not?
  2. Do you think e-cigs are better than cigarettes? Explain.
  3. Health officials do not know what chemical is in the e-cigarettes. What is your opinion on this?
  4. Some people also smoke marijuana in the e-cigarettes. What is your opinion on this?
  5. Do many people use e-cigarette in your country? Why or why not?

Eating Late at Night

B1 – Intermediate

We already know that what we eat is important in making sure that we have a healthy body. But did you know that eating very late at night can have some negative effects on your health?

A new study finds that eating very late hours in the night affects how your body burns calories and increases the risk of gaining weight more.

Read the article about how late-night snacking can affect one’s health.

https://breakingnewsenglish.com/2210/221013-eating-late-at-night-1.html

Discussion Questions:

  1. Do you agree or disagree that late-night eating is bad for us? Explain.
  2. What time do you normally have dinner? Why is it this early or late?
  3. How often do you eat or have a snack at very late hours?
  4. Tell us about your own eating habits.
  5. How important is it for you to maintain your weight? Explain.

Tattoo Health Device

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Scientists in South Korea are developing a health device that can signal users about any possible health problems. Perhaps the most unique thing about it is that it is in the form of a tattoo. 

Listen to this audio and read the transcript about electronic ink.

https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/south-korean-scientists-develop-tattoo-health-device-/6683886.html

Discussion Questions:

  1. What do you think of this medical technology?
  2. Do you think this device will be popular in the future? Why or why not?
  3. What might be its pros and cons?
  4. What devices do you use to monitor your health? Describe each of them.

Earliest Medical Operation

B2 – Upper Intermediate

When we look at how much the medical field has progressed over time, wouldn’t it be interesting to glance back at how it all started and how the first surgeries were like? 

A new research reveals that contrary to our beliefs that healthcare is a newer concept, prehistoric people were not exactly just left to their own device when it comes to their medical needs.

Listen to this audio and read the transcript about possibly the earliest medical operation that dates back to 31,000 years ago.

https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/earliest-medical-operation-might-have-been-31-000-years-ago/6737970.html

Discussion Questions:

  1. What do you think about this discovery?
  2. What comes to your mind when you hear the word “surgery”?
  3. Picture yourself living 31,000 years ago. How do you imagine the medical services would have been like? 
  4. Talk about a surgery or any medical procedures you have had and describe the procedures and medical technologies used for your treatment.
  5. Talk about a few of the most modern medical treatments and technologies that you know of and what do you think about them.

Experimental Drug Slows Decline among Alzheimer’s Patients

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Good news for loved ones and sufferers of Alzheimer’s disease. Biogen and Eisai claim that their experimental drug showed a significant decrease in rate of mental decline of Alzheimer’s patients.

Listen to this audio and read the transcript about an experimental Alzheimer’s drug. Be ready to answer the questions that follow.

https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/experimental-drug-slows-decline-among-alzheimer-s-patients/6767483.html

Discussion Questions:

  1. Talk about things you know about Alzheimer’s disease.
  2. Do you know anyone who suffers/suffered from this? How severe was it? What kind of treatments were given to them?
  3. What are your thoughts on/What is your reaction to this news?
  4. Would you be willing to take experimental drugs if it were your only hope?
  5. What are ways to improve our memory?

Moderna Suing Pfizer over Patent Infringement

B2  – Upper Intermediate

When the Covid-19 pandemic broke out in 2020, the pharmaceutical industry was put under a lot of pressure to immediately develop a vaccine that could hopefully stop the spread of this extremely contagious and deadly virus that was claiming millions of lives all over the world at that time. It was absolutely a race against time.

Top pharmaceutical firms have since developed the wonder vaccines that have helped curbed Covid-19 cases and societies transition back to normality. 

Fast forward to today, Moderna is filing a lawsuit against Pfizer for alleged patent disputes on the mRNA technology.

Read the article about Moderna’s lawsuit against Pfizer over patent infringement.

https://www.bbc.com/news/health-62691102

Discussion Questions:

  1. What are your thoughts on this case?
  2. How does your company protect itself from possible intellectual property and patent infringement?
  3. Talk about other patent infringement cases you know of.
  4. What do you know about mRNA and what are your thoughts on it?
  5. Which anti-Covid vax did you get and what side effects did you suffer from?