Tag: health and medicine

Sunburn Dangers

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Summertime is the perfect time for everyone to get tanned. But if you are so fond of being under the sun, you should also be aware of the dangers it poses on your health.

Watch the video about the dangers of sunburns.

Discussion Questions:

  1. How dangerous are sunburns?
  2. Are you conscious at all about your skin’s health? Why or why not?
  3. Do you like being under the sun or getting tanned? Why or why not? Share some of your experiences getting sunburns.
  4. How important is it to make sure that your skin is protected when you do outdoor activities?
  5. What are some things you do in order to protect your skin from the sun?

Fall Ill When on Holiday

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Most people have probably experienced accomplishing all their tasks right before they go on holiday. In effect, they would subsequently encounter post-work health decline too.

Read the article on the truth about leisure illnesses.

http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20150216-the-truth-about-holiday-illnesses

Discussion Questions:

  1. What are the causes of leisure illness?
  2. What do you think are ways to prevent it?
  3. Have you ever experienced leisure sickness? Why did you get sick at the time?
  4. How do you feel before and after going on holiday?
  5. Would you be more conscious about leisure illness now that you are aware it exists? Why or why not?

Eating Disorders Affect Men Too

C1 – Advanced

We commonly relate eating disorders to women. However, over the last 15 years, this has changed. The number of men suffering from eating disorders has significantly increased to 27%.

Read the article below and be ready to answer the questions that follow.

http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/jan/18/are-more-men-getting-eating-disorders

Discussion Questions:

  1. Share your reaction to the rise of men who are being diagnosed with eating disorders. What do you think causes these disorders?
  2. Why do you think eating disorders have long been perceived as an issue affecting women and girls?
  3. What can we do to help people battling these conditions?

Teenagers and Sleep

B2 – Upper Intermediate

If you have teenagers at home, then you’re probably familiar with the problem of them not going to bed on time and consequently, not being able to wake up the next morning for school.

Read the article below to discover the importance of getting enough sleep for teenagers and how to help them get enough of it.

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/teenagers-and-sleep-how-much-sleep-is-enough

Discussion Questions:

  1. Why do you think most teenagers are “night owls”?
  2. How were your sleeping habits when you were a teen? What would you have done differently?
  3. As an adult, do you still have difficulties getting enough sleep? Why or why not?
  4. What are some of the health issues that are associated to sleeplessness?

Curry Spice Repairs Brain Cells

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Scientists believe the spice turmeric could help the brain to heal itself. Researchers from the Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine in Germany examined the effects of properties found in turmeric on rats. Dr Laura Phipps, from the charity Alzheimer’s Research UK said that it was too early to decide whether or not the research will be groundbreaking.

http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/1409/140928-curry-spice.html

Discussion Questions:

  1. Are you familiar with the spice turmeric? What do you know about it?
  2. Do you think that turmeric can heal degenerative brain diseases such as Alzheimer? Explain.
  3. Have you tried Indian food or curry? Why or why not?
  4. What do you think are the other health benefits of herbs and spices we usually use for cooking?
  5. Do you take multivitamins or supplements to keep you stay healthy? Why or why not?

Too Heavy to Fight

B2 – Upper Intermediate

(CNN) — More than a quarter of young adults are unable to meet physical requirements to join the military, creating a potential threat to national security, a group of retired armed forces leaders said Tuesday.

“It’s not drug abuse, it’s not asthma, it’s not flat feet — by far the leading medical reason is being overweight or obese,” said retired U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Norman Seip at a news conference.

About 27 percent of young adults are medically ineligible for the military, according to Mission: Readiness, a group of retired admirals, generals, and other senior military leaders.

Mission: Readiness’ report, “Too Fat to Fight,” said that 75 percent of young Americans between the ages of 17 to 24 do not qualify for the military because of failure to graduate [from high school], criminal records or physical problems. The study cited Department of Defense and health data.

Different branches of the military have their own policies, but they all measure strength, body fat, aerobic capacity, weight and height, Seip said.

A person must pass the physical fitness standards at the time he or she signs up for enlistment. These standards include sit-ups and push-ups.

“The logic is pretty obvious,” said retired Army Brig. Gen. Clara Adams-Ender. “The troops need to be in excellent physical condition because of the demands of the important jobs they do in defense. Rigorous physical and mental standards are critical if we are to maintain the fighting readiness of our military.”

The maximum weight depends on the person’s sex, height and age. The Army allows a woman who is between 21-27 years of age, with the height of 5 feet 3 inches and no prior service, up to 137 pounds. A man between 21-27 years of age, height of 5 feet 8 inches and no prior service can weigh up to 186 pounds. The weight allotment increases with age and height.

The Army’s body fat limit for women in the 21-27 age range, with no prior service is 32 percent body fat and for males, 26 percent.

Once enlisted, individuals also have to pass annual physical tests.

“We lose upwards to 12,000 young men and young women a year before they even finish up the first term of enlistment,” Seip said. “That’s another person, who has been recruited, trained and left because they’re not able to maintain standards and can’t pass the physical fitness test.”

Retired officials said it’s not about looking good in uniform, but ensuring the future health of the nation.

“We cannot wait until our young adults reach enlistment age to do something about it,” said retired Navy Rear Adm. James Barnett Jr. “By that time, they may have already developed a chronic and lifelong weight problem.”

Mission: Readiness urged Congress to pass a new childhood nutrition law to remove school junk food, improve nutritional standards and quality of school meals, and to open access to anti-obesity programs for children.

“If we do something about it, school can become a terrific environment for proper meals,” Barnett said.

The retirees referred to a similar push military leaders made in 1945, when concerns about poor nutrition in potential recruits resulted in the creation of a national school lunch program.

The retired military leaders were joined by Sen. Richard Lugar of Indiana and Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack.

“The reality that so many youngsters are not fit for military service is indeed a wake-up call for this country,” Vilsack said.

Discussion Questions:

  1. What is your general opinion of the article?
  2. Why is important for military personnels to be in excellent physical condition?
  3. What do you think are the risks of having unhealthy service men?
  4. What are ways to help combat the obesity problem among servicemen?
  5. Are the men in service in your country very fit (police officers, soldiers, firefighters, EMT)? Do you think it is important that they are physically in shape? Explain.

Learning Languages Boosts our Brain

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Do you worry about getting old? Our memory naturally deteriorates. There are different studies conducted by different organizations that show how languages shape the way we think.

Language shapes the way we think. Whether we’re listening to a persuasive speaker, absorbed in powerful writing, or engaged in a conversation, language can introduce us to new ideas, perspectives, and opportunities.

But at a more fundamental level, language might physically alter your mind. Bilinguals, for example, have denser gray matter in their language centers than monolinguals. Bilinguals can more easily focus on two tasks at once. They think more analytically. Parts of their brain devoted to memory, reasoning, and planning are larger than those of monolinguals.

Learning a second language is like a workout for your mind. The benefits of bilingualism, from increased creativity to the delayed onset of Alzheimer’s, should encourage everyone to pick up a second – or third! – language.

Let’s follow the path of language through your head as you hear, comprehend, and create words and phrases, and then pinpoint how language can shape the brain and what benefits it bestows. Here is your brain on language.

Speech in the brain

While our brains make sense of words instantaneously, the process of transforming sounds into meaning and then formulating a response winds through several areas of the brain. When your ear turns sound waves into neural impulses, those impulses trigger reactions from four major regions of the brain devoted to language comprehension and production: The auditory cortex, Wernicke’s area, Broca’s area, and the motor cortex.

The auditory cortex: The sounds funneled into your ear are converted to neural impulses and make their first stop in the auditory cortex, located on both sides of the brain. This region lets your brain know where the sound came from and when, then relays that information to the more specialized areas of the brain.

Wernicke’s area: After passing through the auditory cortex, neural sound information moves to Wernicke’s area, located in the left hemisphere of the brain. This area turns the impulses into recognizable words and phrases, and thus meaningful communication.

Broca’s area: Also located in the left hemisphere, Broca’s area is concerned with language production and motor planning. Simply put, once your brain has interpreted the language and its meaning, Broca’s area is where your response is formulated.

Motor cortex: The final brain location associated with language processing is the motor cortex, which helps plan, control, and execute voluntary movements. This region controls the movement of your mouth and lips as they form words. After other areas of the brain handle word conceptualization and phrase formulation, the motor cortex assists articulation as your vocal tracts produce the sounds we recognize as language.

How language shapes the brain

From the moment sound waves enter your ear and become neural impulses, your brain executes this rapid-fire series of events that few of us are ever aware of, but without which we’d be unable to communicate.

For bilingual speakers, this process involves both languages — from the first syllable they hear, their brain is working to identify the word, and the listener’s brain begins identifying any words, in either language, that could fit the sounds as they arrive in sequence. Having to distinguish between two languages can be tricky in some situations, but the brain’s executive functions, especially the attention and inhibition processes, are strengthened through this process, ultimately making bilingual speakers better at switching between two tasks or handling tasks that require conflict management.

How language shapes your brain depends in part on when you learn another language. For example, Broca’s area differs between young language learners and older language learners. If a child grows up bilingual, the same region in Broca’s area handles the processing of both languages. However, if you learn a language after adolescence, a separate area develops for the second language near the area used for your native tongue. Despite the difference in brain structure, language learners both old and young gain the benefits of speaking multiple languages.

Because the language centers in the brain are so flexible, learning a second language can develop new areas of your mind and strengthen your brain’s natural ability to focus, entertain multiple possibilities, and process information.

Just as you exercise your body to keep your heart healthy and muscles strong, exercising your mind can sharpen your decision-making and improve your communication skills. So if you only speak one language or haven’t spoken your second language since high school, now’s the time to get learning.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Do you think learning another language would make your brain healthier? Explain.
  2. How would you describe your experience in learning English?
  3. What other languages can you speak? What else would you like to learn?
  4. What other activities do you think are good for the brain?