A Document from MySkylines, Express Yourself - Issue 11

Health

    People say that health is the most important thing in life, but it seems to have the least significance in their actual life. We see many people in modern society undermining their health through lack of exercise and unbalanced diets. Alcohol, smoking, and junk food also aggravate this phenomenon. Another new factor adding to many people's health problem is stress. Expert say we can't avoid stress as long as we live in the ever-changing world. So what counts is not how to avoid it, but how to reduce it and cope with it effectively.
    On the other hand, modern medical researchers still suspect our genes have considerable control over our destiny. This means our health is still in the hands of God. However, that doesn't necessarily mean we can't do anything about our bodies. Rather, we should continue to stay fit by temperate living - no smoking, moderate drinking, a nutritional diet and adequate exercise. That way. to some extent, we can make up for the genetically undesirable aspects in our physicality.

-> junk food : food that is high in calories but low in nutritional value
-> aggravate : make worse
-> cope with : deal well with
-> physicality : the physical attributes of a person

Comprehension
1. “But” express a contradiction. What two things are being opposed in the first sentence?
2. What are the five things mentioned that are bad for our health?
3. What can we do about stress?

Express Yourself
1. Do you think you are healthy?
2. Do you eat three meals a day?
3. Do you take vitamins every day? Do you think they help your health?
4. Do you often drink a tonic?
5. Do you exercise every day?
6. Have you eveer been hospitalized? Why?
7. Do you regularly see a dentist? Why or why not?
8. When do you have cold, do you see a doctor right away or just rest at home?
9. Do you believe waht doctors tell you?
10. What diseases are you the most afraid of?
11. What do you think is the most important thong in term of your health?
12. What do you do when you're under stress?
13. Have you ever suffered from insomnia? Did you ever take sleeping pills?

-> contradiction : inconsistency; discrepancy
-> tonic : a medicine that increases mental or physical strength
-> physicality : the physical attributes of a person

Opinion Sample
1. I don't trust doctors, not because they are not intelligent, but our bodies are too complex to understand. Their 6 years of study is not enough.

2. When people have a cold or the flu, they rush to the doctor expecting to be cured, But so far, no effective treatment exist. The best anyone can do is get plenty of rest and vitamin C, especially by drinking orange juice.

3. When it come to dental problem, precaution is always the best option. Visiting a dentist regularly guarantees dental health. When you feel something is wrong with your teeth, it is always too late to cure it.