B2 - Lesson 6 - Health & Medicine: Doctors, Treatment and Medicines
B2 ENGLISH LESSON 6
Health & Medicine: Doctors, Treatment and Medicines
Level: B2
Main focus: medical treatment, doctors, medicines and recovery
Skills: speaking, reading, vocabulary, discussion
Grammar in context: advice, obligation, reported medical advice
1. WARM-UP — "The Perfect Doctor"
Imagine you could design the perfect doctor.
What qualities would they have?
Choose the five most important:
- patient
- knowledgeable
- friendly
- honest
- calm
- experienced
- good at explaining things
- willing to listen
- efficient
- reassuring
- technologically advanced
Discuss
- What makes a good doctor?
- Do you prefer a doctor who is very direct or very reassuring?
- How important is it for doctors to explain medical information clearly?
- Would you rather have an experienced doctor or a very young doctor with the latest knowledge?
- How often should healthy adults have a check-up?
2. VOCABULARY — Medical Verbs & Treatment
Word / phrase | Transcription | Ukrainian | Example sentence |
get vaccinated | /ɡet ˈvæksɪneɪtɪd/ | вакцинуватися | I get vaccinated against the flu every year. |
have a vaccination | /hæv ə ˌvæksɪˈneɪʃən/ | зробити щеплення | She had a vaccination before travelling. |
treat a condition | /triːt ə kənˈdɪʃən/ | лікувати стан / захворювання | The doctor is treating his condition with medication. |
suffer from | /ˈsʌfə frəm/ | страждати від | She suffers from migraines. |
endure pain | /ɪnˈdjʊə peɪn/ | терпіти біль | He had to endure considerable pain. |
undergo surgery | /ˌʌndəˈɡəʊ ˈsɜːdʒəri/ | перенести операцію | She had to undergo surgery on her knee. |
have a check-up | /hæv ə ˈtʃek ʌp/ | пройти медогляд | I have a check-up every two years. |
give someone a prescription | /ɡɪv ... ə prɪˈskrɪpʃən/ | виписати рецепт | The doctor gave me a prescription for antibiotics. |
prescribe | /prɪˈskraɪb/ | призначати ліки | The doctor prescribed antibiotics. |
recover | /rɪˈkʌvə(r)/ | одужувати, відновлюватися | It took her several weeks to recover. |
get better | /ɡet ˈbetə(r)/ | одужувати | He's getting better every day. |
fall ill | /fɔːl ɪl/ | захворіти | She suddenly fell ill at work. |
3. MEDICINES
Medicine | Transcription | Ukrainian | Example sentence |
painkillers | /ˈpeɪnˌkɪləz/ | знеболювальні | He took some painkillers for his headache. |
aspirin | /ˈæspərɪn/ | аспірин | She took an aspirin for the headache. |
ibuprofen | /ˌaɪbjuːˈprəʊfən/ | ібупрофен | The pharmacist recommended ibuprofen for the pain. |
paracetamol | /ˌpærəˈsiːtəmɒl/ | парацетамол | I usually take paracetamol when I have a fever. |
antibiotics | /ˌæntibaɪˈɒtɪks/ | антибіотики | The doctor prescribed antibiotics for the infection. |
cough syrup | /ˈkɒf ˌsɪrəp/ | сироп від кашлю | The pharmacist recommended some cough syrup. |
laxatives | /ˈlæksətɪvz/ | проносні засоби | Laxatives are sometimes used for constipation. |
antidepressants | /ˌæntɪdɪˈpresənts/ | антидепресанти | Some people take antidepressants for depression. |
sleeping pills | /ˈsliːpɪŋ pɪlz/ | снодійні | He asked his doctor about sleeping pills. |
prescription | /prɪˈskrɪpʃən/ | рецепт | You need a prescription for this medicine. |
Important B2 collocations
- take medication
- take painkillers
- prescribe antibiotics
- fill a prescription
- take medicine regularly
- miss a dose
- take a dose
- experience side effects
- relieve symptoms
- reduce pain
- treat an infection
- make a full recovery
- undergo surgery
- have a routine check-up
- seek medical advice
4. IMPORTANT LANGUAGE — "Medicine" vs "Medication"
Explain:
medicine = a general word for something used to treat an illness.
I took some medicine for my cold.
medication = more formal and often refers to a particular treatment or prescribed drugs.
She's currently taking medication for high blood pressure.
Useful expressions:
- take medicine
- take medication
- be on medication
- prescribe medication
- stop taking medication
5. VOCABULARY PRACTICE — "What's the Treatment?"
Match the problem to the most logical treatment.
Problems
- bacterial infection
- mild headache
- persistent cough
- constipation
- serious knee injury
- depression
- insomnia
- need for preventive protection
Treatments
a. sleeping pills
b. antibiotics
c. painkillers
d. cough syrup
e. laxatives
f. antidepressants
g. surgery
h. vaccination
Then create full sentences.
Example:
If someone has a bacterial infection, a doctor may prescribe antibiotics.
6. READING — "The Doctor Who Changed Her Mind"
"Maybe Google Isn't a Doctor After All"
Mia had always considered herself a healthy person. She exercised regularly, ate reasonably well and rarely got sick.
One Monday morning, however, she woke up feeling exhausted. She had a headache, a sore throat and a mild fever.
Instead of making an appointment with her doctor, Mia did what millions of people do: she searched for her symptoms online.
Within twenty minutes, she had convinced herself that she had several serious diseases.
She spent the entire morning reading medical websites and online forums. Every new symptom she discovered seemed to match her condition.
By the afternoon, she was extremely anxious.
Her friend finally persuaded her to see a doctor.
At the appointment, the doctor asked Mia several questions, examined her throat and checked her temperature.
"So, what do you think I have?" Mia asked nervously.
"I think you have a fairly ordinary viral infection," the doctor said.
Mia was surprised.
"That's it?"
"That's it," the doctor replied. "Your symptoms don't sound unusual. You probably need rest, plenty of fluids and some medication to relieve the symptoms. If you don't get better in a few days, come back and we'll investigate further."
Mia followed the advice.
Three days later, she was feeling much better.
The experience made her think about how people use medical information online.
"Online information can be useful," she said later, "but I realised that reading about illnesses without understanding the context can make you unnecessarily worried."
She didn't stop using the internet for health information.
She simply stopped treating every search result as a diagnosis.
7. READING COMPREHENSION
- What symptoms did Mia have?
- What did she do instead of seeing a doctor?
- Why did she become anxious?
- What did the doctor do during the appointment?
- What did the doctor think Mia had?
- What treatment did she recommend?
- What happened three days later?
- What lesson did Mia learn?
B2 discussion
- Why do people diagnose themselves online?
- What are the advantages of finding health information online?
- What are the disadvantages?
- Why is context important when reading medical information?
- Should people trust online health information? Why / why not?
9. SPEAKING — "Pharmacy Challenge"
Imagine you are working in a pharmacy.
A customer comes in with one of these problems:
Customer A
"I've got a terrible headache."
Customer B
"I've been coughing all night."
Customer C
"I can't sleep."
Customer D
"I've got stomach problems."
Customer E
"I've got really bad muscle pain."
The pharmacist should ask questions before suggesting a possible solution.
Useful questions:
- How long have you had the problem?
- How severe is it?
- Are you taking any medication?
- Do you have any allergies?
- Have you seen a doctor?
- Have you experienced any other symptoms?
Important: In the role-play, students should practise communication rather than giving real medical advice.
10. DISCUSSION — "Modern Medicine"
Discuss:
- Why do people sometimes avoid going to the doctor?
- Are people too dependent on medication?
- Should antibiotics always require a prescription?
- Why do some people stop taking medication when they start feeling better?
- How can doctors encourage patients to follow treatment correctly?
- Will technology change the way people visit doctors?
- Could AI ever replace some parts of a doctor's job?
- What medical technology would you like to see in the future?
11. FINAL SPEAKING TASK — "A Health Podcast"
Imagine you are recording a podcast called:
"How to Deal With Being Ill"
Speak for 3–4 minutes.
Your podcast should include:
Part 1 — Prevention
What can people do to stay healthy?
Part 2 — When you get ill
When should you rest, and when should you seek medical advice?
Part 3 — Treatment
What kinds of treatment might doctors recommend?
Part 4 — Modern problems
What are the dangers of self-diagnosis and unreliable health information?
You must use at least:
- 5 medical verbs;
- 5 medicines/medical words;
- 4 collocations;
- 2 phrasal verbs.
12. FINAL REVIEW — ALL THREE LESSONS
Complete the sentences without looking back.
- I think I've ______ a cold.
- She developed a ______ after using the new cream.
- He was suffering from a terrible ______.
- My ankle began to ______ after the fall.
- She got a painful ______ from her new shoes.
- He ______ out because of the heat.
- She finally ______ round after a few minutes.
- The doctor ______ antibiotics.
- I need to ______ a check-up.
- She had to ______ surgery.
- He took some ______ for his headache.
- The doctor prescribed ______ for the infection.
- You shouldn't take ______ without medical advice.
- She is slowly ______ better.
- He made a full ______ after the operation.
HOMEWORK
Writing task
Write 200–250 words on:
"How has modern medicine changed the way we deal with illness?"
Include:
- your personal experience;
- advantages and disadvantages of modern medicine;
- the role of doctors;
- the role of the internet;
- your opinion about the future of healthcare.
Use at least 10 expressions from the three lessons.
Optional speaking homework
Record a 3-minute voice message answering:
"What should people do when they first notice that they are becoming ill?"
Try to sound natural rather than reading a prepared script.