Acupuncture

In Chinese medicine, chi is the (1) energy flow of the body.

Healthy people have an (2) even flow of chi.

Acupuncture can make a person's energy flow (3) more balanced again.

Before starting treatment, the acupuncturist reviews the patient's (4) medical history.

He also takes the patient's (5) pulse.

By doing this, he can decide whether the patient's body is being affected by either (6) blockages or surges of energy.

The body's energy flow can be (7) increased or reduced by inserting and twisting the needles.

The Chinese (8) use acupuncture as an anaesthetic.

According to the acupuncturist, conventional medicine is becoming less (9) personal.

Some people prefer acupuncture to conventional treatment because they believe they are in (10) better control of their bodies.

Now look at the extracts from the tapescript and compare them closely with answers 1-6.

Chi – the body's energy flow. If you have an even flow of chi you are in good health. It is then possible to readjust a person's flow of energy if it has become unbalanced. Before I treat anybody I take some time to study a patient's medical history. I also read the body's pulses. From this information I can decide if there are any blockages in the flow of energy or indeed any surges of energy.

Look at the rest of the tapescript and underline the relevant extracts for answers 7-10.

... It is at this point that I decide where I'm going to insert the needles. These needles increase or reduce the flow of energy when they are inserted and twisted at the appropriate meridian points. Don't worry – it doesn't hurt and you won't bleed!

Now, I believe that acupuncture can benefit most people suffering from disease or who are in pain. In China it is used as an anaesthetic. I myself used it on my wife when she was having our last child. It certainly seemed to reduce her need for pain-killers.

I run two practices. There is great interest and I have a long waiting list. I think the reason for this is partly because conventional medicine has become increasingly impersonal. Ordinary doctors are over-worked and don't have enough time to spend on each patient. It's often easier and quicker for them to hand out pills than to give proper personal attention. What acupuncture does is to encourage the body to heal itself, which is, after all, a natural tendency. There is nothing drastic about the treatment, and I think people feel more in control of their bodies than when they are subjected to all that high-tech equipment in a modern hospital.

Task 4. Now prepare to listen to another recording about treatments for migraine. Before you listen, read the sentences, noting the words before and after the gaps. Listen to the recording and complete the sentences. Then listen to the tape for a second time to check your answers.

Alternative therapy and migraine

Migraine is a growing problem, particularly among people who (1) _____________.

A migraine can also be brought on by certain foods and wine, or if a person doesn't (2) _____________.

Painkillers are a (3) _____________ way to treat migraine, but they don't always work.

In alternative therapy, the use of (4) _____________ relieves mild attacks.

During acupuncture, (5) _____________ four needles to the face has a quick effect.

To keep a patient free from attacks, it is usually sufficient to have (6) _____________.

Many people don't (7) _____________ hypnosis.

The intense relaxation causes the attack to (8) _____________.

? VOCABULARY PRACTICE

Task 1. Stimulant, stimulus

Do you know the difference between these two words? Match 1-5 to a-e below.

1. Williamson tested positive for the banned

2. Unemployment has been a major drawback in rural life and a

3. Many people believe that alcohol is a

4. A certain cinema and its environs were both

5. We hope that the books will provide a

1. stimulant because most drinkers seem to become more outgoing,

2. stimulus to migration to urban areas.

3. stimulus for dialogue and serve as catalysts for improvement,

4. stimulant ephedrine following Neath's opening league game,

5. stimulus and setting for my juvenile adventures.

Task 2. Treat, cure, heal

Choose one of the verbs to complete each of the following sentences, using a suitable form.

1. Different remedies may have to be used before the patient can be __________.

2. The whole family should be __________ even if symptoms are not present.

3. The wounds, in some instances, may take time to __________.

4. The patients can usually be __________ if they are __________ in time.

5. Andrew is carrying niggling injuries which are proving slow to __________.

6. Within three weeks, her skin had __________.

7. Any secondary bacterial infection may need to be __________ with antibiotics.

8. Her condition had been improved but not __________ by the treatment.

U THINK & SPEAK OUT