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1. WHAT'S THE MATTER?

CROSSWORD

How much medical vocabulary do you know? Do you fancy a crossword to find out?

FINISH THE SENTENCES

Complete the words. 



1. Infections caused by v are more difficult to treat than those caused by bacteria.
2. Monica keeps on catching colds because her d are low.
3. Keith had been exercising for over an hour, so the sw was pouring down his face.
4. I got a bl on my little toe when I wore my new shoes.
5. My son must be allergic to prawns because he gets a r every time he eats them.
6. The doctor prescribed an to clear up my throat infection.
7. Matt had eight st in his eyebrow when he cut it playing rugby.
8. Peter's GP sent him to a heart sp to find out what was causing the pain in his chest.
9. I thought I had a cold, but when I got a temperature, I realized it must be f

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GOOGLE IS MY DOCTOR

Read the article and number the paragraphs in the correct order.

GOOGLE IS MY DOCTOR.

Bitmoji Image
    A. Another danger of using the Internet for self-diagnosis is that many websites have an interest in misleading you. Some masquerade as patient information or self-diagnosis sites, when, in fact, they are marketing drugs, supplements or treatments. In general, blogs and discussion boards are less likely to be cooly scientific than websites from educational bodies.
B. Adam is one of an increasing number of people who have started using the Internet to get health advice.The advantages of this are numerous, starting of course with the obvious convenience of getting a diagnosis from the comfort of your own home. On a professional level, GPs possess mainly general medical knowledge and there is no way one doctor can be an expert in everything. The Internet provides a vast array of specialized expertise and Googling can help you tap into that.
C. In conclusion, the Internet is a good starting point in diagnosing your health problems, but you should always consult with a doctor before acting on anything you find there. Do not underestimate the value of talking to people - doctors and helplines will help you to put what you have read into context. If your doctor refuses to talk, it may be time to find another doctor.
D. However, it must be said that diagnosis is tricky and comparing your rash with an online photograph may lead you up the wrong track. Appearance provides only ten per cent of the information needed to make a diagnosis and doctors take into account your appearance, history, state of mind, words, etc as well. No computerized symptom checker can equal a complete professional assessment.
 E. When illustrator Scott Adams lost his voice, his doctors were baffled. It was not until he turned to the Internet that he managed to get his condition identified. It turned out that Scott was suffering from spasmodic dysphonia, a condition where the vocal chords clench making you unable to speak. With the help of Google alerts together with advice from his doctors, Scott got in touch with an expert in the US and has special surgery on his throat which cured his problem. He is now a firm believer of using the Internet for self-diagnosis.
F. Diagnosing minor medical problems from information on the Internet can also have an impact on society's medical costs. You can compare moles or bites with Internet pictures and ask what type it is and whether it is dangerous without wasting your busy GP's precious time . Particularly useful for this is the site webMDwhich allows you to check your symptoms.

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MATCH THE SYMPTOMS WITH THE CAUSES

MATCH ADVICE WITH PROBLEMS

ACCIDENTS

Complete the missing words for each accident.

I got an

I my head.

I my ankle.

I've my hand.

I've got a .

I by a bee.

I my wrist.

I my arm.

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WHAT DOCTORS WON'T DO

Read the article and choose the right heading for each paragraph A-G using the drop-down menus.

WHAT DOCTORS WON'T DO...

Doctors reveal the treatments or habits they would avoid

I would never....

A.

I would never take up the regularly advertised offers by private medical companies. Why? Well, if you have symptoms, you go to your GP and they listen to your history, examine you, request investigations, and reach a decision. This process is known as "diagnosis". A full check when you feel totally well is not diagnosis, it is "screening". There are a few screening tests where the advantages outweigh the disadvantages and they could lead you to have a potentially harmful investigations, or indeed treatment, that you may not have needed. One hears anecdotes about the advantages of health checks. One hears anecdotes about people who have fallen out of sixth-floor windows and lived, but I wouldn't try it myself.

B.

Patients often think this helps, but it makes the doctor's heart sink. They're not going to be able to deal with everything in one go, most importantly of all, it makes them think you haven't got one particular problem, you've got a multiplicity of problems, which is a sure sign of a hypochondriac.

C.

People underestimate the risk. They think "My skin looks all right; how can it be damaged?" Even if your skin doesn't look aged, you can end up with skin damage that sets you up for potential cancers in the future. Sunbathing in your teens and early 20s is a very strong risk factor. WE are now seeing cancers in the under 40s that we used to see only on the faces of old, weather-beaten guys who had spent a lifetime outdoors. I would go out in the sun, but I would never lie in it with the purpose of getting a tan. 

D.

I have come across many patients who have been taking them for decades. They are addictive and it can be very difficult for people to wean themselves off them; the side-effects can include falls, confusion, sleepiness, in the daytime, and the feeling that increasingly high doses are needed to achieve the same effects. I can't imagine any situation in which I would start suing them. 

E.

Why? Because although you will probably lose weight, it may kill you. Don't take my word for it- read about the 43, 396 Swedish women followed for an average of 15 years. Those who stuck to low carbs and high protein had a rising risk of dying from heart attacks and strokes.There was a staggering 62% higher risk of such illnesses among the women eating the strictest diet over those who ate normally. Eating is for enjoyment; these diets turn food into medicine and it's the wrong medicine.

F.

They reason for my reluctance? Nothing to do with anaesthetics (safe these days), but entirely to do with surgery, which should never be undertaken for what you might call "soft" reasons. It's not that surgery is so dangerous that I would worry about death. Mainly it's the worry of an infection, which can be very unpleasant.

G.

I would never see a "counsellor" if I was having mental health problems. Absolutely anyone can claim to be a counsellor-it's an entirely unregulated area. As a result, there's a huge variation in quality and I have seen too many patients who have been further psychologically damaged by seeing poorly-qualified counsellors.

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MATCH THE REASONS WITH THE PARAGRAPHS

Read the article again. Match the following reasons with the paragraphs in the article above A-G.

Because it might be difficult later to stop doing this.
Because the doctor may take you less seriously.
Because the short-term benefit may be outweighed by long-term problems.
Because you may develop another illness as a result of unnecessary treatment.
Because you may end up getting treatment you didn't really need.
Because you may not necessarily be treated by a professional.
Because you are doing something that is deliberately damaging.

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