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Welcome to our Daily English Listening Practice with this week’s series:

Health Vocabulary

This week’s series is aimed at Health Vocabulary, and today we’re talking about heading to the doctor’s to get something checked out. Feel better soon!

Please listen to the audio files for explanations.
Transcripts unavailable.

Notes from the Audio Files

A Check Up

• Dental check up: A regular inspection of your teeth
• Gynecologist: lady doctor
• 2 or 3 years between checkups: It’s been 2 or 3 years since my last check up.

How to use it:
“I’ve been meaning to schedule my yearly check-up, but I keep forgetting!”
“I’m so bad at getting check-ups, I don’t think I’ve been to the dentist in about 2 years.”

Get Something Checked Out

• Infection: bacteria or germs in a wound or inside your body
• He prescribed antibiotics: My doctor wrote me a prescription
• You don’t think anything of it: You don’t take it seriously
• Get it checked out (by a doctor/professional)

How to use it:
“I dunno, it seems like your cold has been getting worse, I’m not a doctor, but you should probably get that checked out by a professional.”
“I was waiting to see if my back would stop hurting by itself, but I think I need to get it checked out.”

Holistic Medicine

• Tension headaches: Headaches caused by stress or muscle tension
• Over the counter stuff: Over the counter medicine or products
• Holistic health clinic: a health center based on natural healing principles
• Acupuncture: Oriental medicine applying small needles to heal
• Physical therapy: treating patients with stretching/massage/specialized body movements
• Open to the idea: acceptive of the thought
• Last resort: final option you would chose only because you had to

How to use it:
“I definitely prefer getting acupuncture to popping pills, but that’s just me.”
“I was unconvinced by holistic medicine at first, but acupuncture was the only thing that actually cured my migraines, so I’ll try it more often.”

Getting your Shots/Jabs

• USA: shot
• Immunizations: a treatment or an injection to make you immune to something   
• Vaccine: the injection that helps your body understand and learn to fight the disease
• Keep your shot record up to date: get all the required shots for your country
• Susceptible to something: vulnerable to something
• UK: jab
  

How to use it:
“Getting free jabs from the hospital or your GP is such an easy way to avoid getting sick, I don’t know why everyone doesn’t do it.”
“I really should check my shot record before we head off, just to make sure I don’t need any more vaccinations or immunizations.”

Allergies

• Pollen
• Hayfever
• Runny nose
• Itchy eyes
• My allergies act up around: I am feeling allergic and I start to get the symptoms

How to use it:
“I have a really serious peanut allergy, so I always carry my epi-pens in my backpack just in case.”
“Ugh, my allergies are acting up again, I really should pop a Zyrtec before we go to the picnic.”

Are you into holistic medicine? Did you need to update your shot record before traveling? If you still don’t understand something, please let us know!

Thanks,

Kat and Mark