ISSUE 3
When You Have a Cold

Colds are not fatal, but they assure maximum discomfort to their sufferers. A
person with a cold not only coughs and sneezes regularly but also has a runnynose, a fever, a headache, a sore throat, and congested nasal passages all at thesame time. It is hard to concentrate or stay awake, yet it is also difficult to fall asleep.
Even though it only lasts a day or two in its severe stage, the time of suffering seems
endless. An odd but important fact is that, even though the cold is the most common
illness known to man, repeatedly affecting nearly everyone, there is no known cure.
Antibiotics don’t work well because every cold virus is unique.

Do you rush to see the doctor whenever you
get a cold?
1. Yes. That’s what doctors are for — making us feel better
when we’re sick — isn’t it?
2. I just take some aspirin and try to go about my normal
routine.
3. I relax and stay at home, knowing I’ll recover soon.

> congested : blocked with some liquid> last : continue; go on> antibiotic : drug used to kill bacteria and cure infections> unique : being the only one of its kind1

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When yoIssue 3Sample Answers(A) I always tell myself when I get a cold to just stay at home, drink plenty of liquids, and get lots ofsleep until I feel better. But somehow, instead, I try to ignore the cold as much as I can. I takemedicine and go to work, but I feel terrible all day, I don’t get much accomplished, and I
probably just infect other people. Maybe next time I’ll take my own advice!
(B) Patients want their physician to relieve their various medical problems. And the doctors want
to be helpful, not only because of their professional obligation but also because they know
the patient will find a new doctor if they don’t help. But this mutual attitude has led to somevery severe problems, related especially to the overuse of antibiotics. So viruses are adapting
themselves to the most widely used drugs and making them ineffective. So I never go to thedoctor for some minor ailment like a cold. I want those vaccines to be useful when I reallyneed them!

SPEAK YOUR MIND
1. How often do you feel tired? What do you do at those times?
2. How often do you catch a cold? How do you find relief from it?
3. Do you sometimes have a stomachache? How do you cope with it?
4. Do you ever suffer from a headache? Do you take aspirin or deal with it some otherway?
5. Do you regularly take vitamins?
6. Have you ever suffered from insomnia? What did you do?
7. Are you afraid of the side effects of any medicine?

> infect : cause disease or illness> relieve : ease> adapt : change, adjust to new circumstances> ailment : physical disorder, illness> cope with : deal with> suffer from : experience physical or mental pain

> insomnia : inability to sleep; sleeplessness
2> side effect : result that a drug has, in addition to curing pain or illnessSpeak Your Mind Helpers
1. How often do you feel tired? What do you do at those times?
(A) These days I seem to get tired a lot more than I used to. Maybe I need to go to bed
earlier or sleep longer.
(B) I hardly ever feel tired. I almost always get plenty of sleep and avoid eating heavy
meals. And I pace my activities during the day to keep from getting overwhelmed bywork.

2. How often do you catch a cold? How do you find relief from it?
(A) Every spring, I have colds almost constantly. It’s probably some kind of allergy.
Getting relief is almost impossible. I’ve tried various medicines, but they just make me
drowsy and inattentive, so I merely feel worse. Even the sneezing is better than that!
(B) I catch a cold every now and then, but I usually don’t have much trouble coping withit. I just go to the pharmacy and buy some cold medicine, drink lots of orange juiceand vodka, and get a good night’s sleep. I feel fine the next day.

3. Do you sometimes have a stomachache? How do you cope withit?
(A) I have a very weak stomach, and what I eat doesn’t often agree with me. So I havelots of stomach aches, heartburn, and diarrhea. I guess there’s nothing I can do
except watch my diet and make sure there’s a bathroom nearby.
(B) Once in a while I overeat and suffer the consequences, but this is very rare. Mostly, I
eat whatever I like, and as much as I want, and don’t have any problems.

> overwhelm : completely overpower> allergy : unusual physical reaction to certain foods or substances> drowsy : tired and almost asleep> inattentive: not giving enough attention> heartburn : type of indigestion that feels like a burning in one’s chest> diarrhea : condition in which bowel movements are frequent and watery3

Speak Your Mind Helpers
4. Do you ever suffer from a headache? Do you take aspirin or deal
with it some other way?
(A) I get a slight pain in the back of my head almost every day. But I just close my eyes
and relax for a few minutes and it usually goes away. If it doesn’t, then I’ll take acouple of aspirins. But it’s not a serious problem.
(B) I don’t get headaches, I get migraines. The side of my head feels like it’s going toexplode. Aspirin doesn’t help, and neither do the other over-the-counter medicines.
I have to get a powerful pain killer prescription, and even they don’t help all the time.
Eventually the migraine goes away, but until that happens, the pain is absolutelyunbearable.

5. Do you regularly take vitamins?
(A) Ever since I was a child, I’ve taken vitamins every day. There’s no need to overdo it —once the body absorbs the maximum intake, it has no way to store any excess, so theremainder is just wasted. But I like to make sure that my body gets everything it needs
to stay healthy.
(B) Sometimes I get in the habit of taking vitamins every day with breakfast, but if I miss afew days, I forget about taking them anymore. I guess it doesn’t matter, though,since I feel the same whether I take them or not.

> migraine : very severe headache that usually affects one side of the head and tends to happen repeatedly> over-the-counter medicine : drugs which can be bought without a prescription> prescription : particular medication issued by a pharmacist upon a physician’s advice> unbearable : so extreme that one cannot deal with it> absorb : take in4> overdo : do too much of (sth)> intake : amount of a chemical or other substances that enters one’s bodySpeak Your Mind Helpers
6. Have you ever suffered from insomnia? What did you do?
(A) I can’t ever get to sleep easily. I toss and turn in bed, I get up and fix something toeat, I read a book, I try exercising, but nothing works. Maybe I’ll finally fall asleep anhour or so before I have to get up for work, but then I feel even worse than if I’dgotten no sleep at all. Eventually, after several days, it all catches up with me, andthen I fall into a deep sleep that nobody can wake me from. This is not a fun lifestyle!
(B) Once in a while, just before a big test, I can’t sleep. So the next day, as a result, I do
poorly on the test, and then that night I sleep like a baby. It’s not a regular problem,but I wish I knew how to deal with it more effectively.

> toss and turn : be unable to sleep, or sleep badly> catch up with (sb) : begin to have an effect on (sb) after a delay> sleep like a baby : sleep very well/soundly5

7. Are you afraid of the side effects of any medicine?
F : Do you ever worry about the side effects of any medicines you’re taking?
M : Why, no. I just follow the instructions carefully. Why do you ask? Is my skin turning
green or something?
F : No, but I’m afraid mine might. I hardly ever take medicine, not even aspirin, but mydoctor just prescribed a whole slew of them for my back pain, and I’m worried about
how they might affect me.
M : Well, prescribing medicines is not an exact science. Sometimes the drugs will affectone person differently than another. People have different tolerances, and somepeople are allergic to certain medicines. So if you have any adverse effects, it
might be a good idea to discontinue their use and see your doctor again right away.
F : Yes, that’s what the doctor told me. How likely is it that I’ll have problems?
M : The odds are in your favor. Medicines are pretty exhaustively tested before they’reallowed on the market, and very few people have any trouble as long as they follow
the directions carefully. But there’s always that odd exception, so watch yourself. Becareful.
F : This is the reason why I usually avoid medicines: I’m afraid of the after-effects.
M : Being a little cautious is good for everyone, but I wouldn’t worry so much.
doctors usually don’t offer prescriptions to medicines they’re not familiar with.

TheF : But I hear horror stories about people who follow directions carefully and still havesomething terrible happen. They get a heart attack or go blind or something likethat! I’m very concerned.
M : Usually the side effects are minor but unpleasant. People get blurred vision orstomach cramps or something like that. But they’re just having a bad case of anxiety
attack.
F ; Really? What do you think I should do?
M : Why don’t you see a doctor? He can probably prescribe something else that willcalm your nerves.

> slew : large number> tolerance : ability to withstand> adverse : not favorable; going against something, or causing harm
> the odds are in (sb’s) favor : chances are good
> cramp : sudden sever pain
6> discontinue : stop

> exhaustively : thoroughly> nerves : worry or anxiety>blurred : unclear