Pharmacy and Nutrition
Pre-Listening
What do you do to feel better when you are sick?
Listen and Read
Listen to the recording, answer the questions, and then read along with the audio recording.
Listening Quiz
Select the best answer for each question, then press Check Answers.
Use arrow keys to choose between options within each question.
1. The man needs medicine for ________.
2. What is one of the side effects of the medication?
3. What was the home remedy the grandmother made?
I was feeling under the weather yesterday, so I went to the doctor, and she prescribed some medication for my illness. I took the prescription she wrote out, and I went to a local pharmacy near my house. I gave the prescription to the pharmacist, and he said it would take a few minutes to fill it. In the meantime, I walked around the pharmacy to find some over-the-counter medication for my flu symptoms.
After a while, the pharmacist called my name, explained how to take the medication, and reviewed with me some of the potential side effects. As it turns out, I have to take two capsules, twice a day, for one week for one of the medications, and I have to take one pill after eating, once a day, for the other medication. The pharmacist said that the medication could make me drowsy, so I shouldn’t drive after taking it. He said that my problem should clear up within two weeks.
However, when I told my grandmother about my visit to the doctor, she claimed that if I took her home remedy for the problem—eating her secret onion and garlic chicken soup—I wouldn’t need to take all the other medicine.
Vocabulary and Expressions From the Audio
- under the weather (expression): feeling sick or unwell
- She stopped at the pharmacy on her way home because she had been feeling under the weather all day.
- prescribe (verb): to officially write or issue an order for a specific medication for a patient
- The doctor prescribed an antibiotic and told him to take it for ten days.
- medication (noun): a drug or medicine used to treat or manage an illness or condition
- She picked up her medication from the pharmacy after her doctor’s appointment.
- pharmacy (noun): a store or department where prescription and over-the-counter medications are dispensed and sold
- He went to the pharmacy to fill his prescription and pick up some cold medicine.
- pharmacist (noun): a trained health professional who dispenses medications and can advise patients on their proper use
- The pharmacist explained how to take the medication and what to avoid while on it.
- in the meantime (expression): during the time between now and when something else happens
- The prescription wouldn’t be ready for an hour, so in the meantime she browsed the store for other supplies.
- over-the-counter (adjective): describing medication that can be purchased without a prescription
- The pharmacist suggested an over-the-counter pain reliever to help with his headache.
- symptoms (noun): signs or changes in the body that indicate illness or a health problem
- She described her symptoms to the pharmacist, who helped her find the right medicine.
- potential (adjective): describing something that is possible or likely but has not yet happened
- The pharmacist warned her about the potential side effects of the new medication.
- side effects (noun): unintended or secondary effects caused by a medication, in addition to its main purpose
- He read the label carefully to understand the possible side effects before taking the medicine.
- drowsy (adjective): feeling sleepy or tired
- The cold medicine made her feel drowsy, so she avoided taking it before driving.
- clear up (phrasal verb): to heal or go away, often referring to an illness or symptom
- The pharmacist said the rash should clear up within a few days once she started the cream.
- home remedy (noun): a simple treatment for an illness or minor ailment made from everyday household items, rather than prescribed medication
- Her grandmother swore by a home remedy of honey and lemon tea whenever anyone had a sore throat.
Discussion
Talk about a time when you were sick and had to go to the doctor. What was the problem or diagnosis? What medication did the doctor prescribe? How often did you have to take the medicine? Did your problem clear up quickly? Share any unusual circumstances surrounding the illness.
Online Investigation
In some cases around the world, home remedies or cures for different illnesses are commonplace, and people who are ill resort to them instead of going to the doctor. Use the internet to see if you can find different home or folk remedies for the following medical conditions: a cold, poison ivy, a headache, sore muscles, a sore throat, an insect bite. Share your findings with others.