Table of Contents
Introduction
Understanding healthcare and health vocabulary is essential for effective communication in medical settings. Having the right words about health topics at your disposal can make a significant difference.
This blog post provides a comprehensive list of vocabulary items related to health and health care to help you express yourself clearly and accurately.
Healthcare and Health Vocabulary
This is a list of vocabulary items related to health and health care:
How to Say You Are Ill:
- I’m ill.
- I feel really rough.
- I’m shattered (meaning tired out or exhausted).
- I’m on my last legs (to be very tired, especially after a lot of physical activity or work. It also means to be going to die soon – “the old man is on his last legs”).
- I feel/look poorly/peaky/rough/bloody awful.
- I feel/look like death warmed up (very ill or appearing very sickly – Poor thing! She looks like death warmed up).
How to Say You Are Feeling OK:
- I am alive and kicking (to continue to be well, healthy, or successful – Don’t worry about your grandfather; he is alive and kicking).
- I feel good (used to talk about emotional state).
- I feel great/well.
- He is a picture of (good) health (to be in a very healthy condition – The doctor told him that he is a picture of good health).
- She is hale and hearty (to be in good health – In spite of her old age, she looks hale and hearty).
Health Problems:
- I have a headache/toothache/backache/stomachache/earache…
- I have a pain in my back/tooth/head…
- I have a broken/sprained/twisted ankle/wrist.
- I have the flu/a cold/a runny nose/a fever/a high temperature/a sore throat.
- I feel sick. I’m feeling nauseous.
- I have a bruise/cut/graze/wound.
Symptoms and Signs:
- Cough
- Sneezing
- Fatigue
- Shortness of breath
- Dizziness
- Rash
- Swelling
- Itching
Types of Health Conditions:
- Chronic (e.g., diabetes, hypertension)
- Acute (e.g., appendicitis, heart attack)
- Infectious (e.g., pneumonia, tuberculosis)
- Non-infectious (e.g., cancer, asthma)
- Mental health (e.g., depression, anxiety)
Health Advice:
- Exercise regularly.
- Eat healthy food.
- Brush your teeth regularly.
- Sleep early (don’t stay up late!).
- Have regular medical check-ups.
- Relax.
- Go on a diet.
- Vaccination
- Hand washing
- Wearing masks
- Regular exercise
- Balanced diet
Medicines:
- eye drops
- cream
- syringe
- syrup
- bandage
- dose (of medicine)
- drugs
- shot/injection (give someone an injection)
- medicine (take medicine)
- painkiller
- pill
- plaster
- tablet
- tranquilizer
Treatment:
- check-up
- diagnosis
- operation/surgery
- prescription
- Blood test
- X-ray
- MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging)
- CT scan
- Ultrasound
- Biopsy
Emergency Situations:
- Call an ambulance
- Perform CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation)
- First aid kit
- Emergency contact number
People:
- ophthalmologist
- dentist
- doctor/physician
- general practitioner (GP)
- midwife
- nurse
- patient
- specialist
- surgeon
Places:
- doctor’s office
- pharmacy/drugstore/chemist’s
- hospital
- operating theater
- surgery (medical operation)
- waiting room
- ward (a geriatric/maternity/psychiatric ward)
Health and Wellness:
- Meditation
- Yoga
- Hydration
- Balanced diet
- Mental health days
Health Care Insurance and Policies:
- Health insurance
- Co-pay
- Deductible
- Coverage
- Premium
Alternative Medicine:
- Acupuncture
- Herbal remedies
- Homeopathy
- Chiropractic
Conclusion
This blog post has provided a detailed list of healthcare health vocabulary, covering how to describe your condition, common health problems, useful health advice, types of medicines, treatments, medical professionals, and relevant places.
Test Your Knowledge of Health Vocabulary
Fill in the gaps with the right health vocabulary items from the list below:
surgery, hale, nauseous headache, bandage, prescription, doctor’s office
- I have a __________. I had better take an aspirin. (Answer:)
- The doctor gave me a __________ to take three times a day.
- If you cut yourself, make sure to clean the wound and put a __________ on it.
- My grandmother is still __________ and hearty at 85 years old.
- During my last visit to the __________, I got a flu shot.
- After breaking his arm, he needed __________ to fix it.
- She feels __________ and is going to rest for the day.
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