Speaking Boost · B1 · Lesson 31 of 50
Speaking Boost B1 · Block 7: Health and Lifestyle

The health myths we all believe

Wet hair, cracked knuckles and sugar: a doctor cracked the knuckles of one hand for 60 years to test a myth. Find out what science says about popular health beliefs, and talk kindly to a grandparent who believes them all.

1

Warm-up

5 min
1.1

Health advice

Answer and give a real example for each one.

  1. What health advice did your grandmother always give you?
  2. Do you believe that cold weather makes you ill?
  3. What do you do when you catch a cold?
  4. Which health advice from the internet do you trust?
  5. Do you use any home remedies?
  6. Have you ever believed something about health that turned out to be false?
2

Words and phrases

10 min
2.1

New words

For each word or phrase, say one true sentence about health beliefs in your family or country.

2.2

Which word?

Choose the word or phrase that fits.

  1. "Carrots help you see in the dark" is a .
  2. If you sit near an open window, you'll — that's what my grandma says!
  3. A cold is caused by a , not by cold air.
  4. There is no scientific that this works.
  5. Honey and hot milk is my favourite for a sore throat.
  6. "Don't swim for an hour after eating" is just an .
  7. Washing your hands is the best way to infections.
  8. He felt better just because he believed in the pills. It was the .
2.3

Word partners

Choose the word that goes together, then press Check answers.

  1. to catch a
  2. to recover
    an illness
  3. to boost your immune
  4. to get a
  5. to be harmful
    your health
  6. scientific
2.4

Useful phrases

Use each phrase to talk about a health belief.

  • My grandmother always said that...Моя бабуся завжди казала, що...My grandmother always said that you must wear a hat in winter.
  • Is it true that...?Чи правда, що...?Is it true that coffee is bad for your heart?
  • It's a common belief that...Поширена думка, що...It's a common belief that sugar makes kids hyperactive.
  • Actually, research shows that...Насправді дослідження показують, що...Actually, research shows that colds are caused by viruses.
  • There's no evidence that...Немає доказів того, що...There's no evidence that cracking your knuckles causes arthritis.
  • It might work, but...Можливо, це й діє, але...It might work, but it could be the placebo effect.
  • If you..., you...Якщо ти..., ти...If you don't sleep, you get ill more easily.
  • I'm not convinced.Мене це не переконує.Garlic cures everything? I'm not convinced.
3

Read and react

8 min
3.1

Myth or fact?

Read the article. Hover over the dotted words for help.

The health myths we all believe

Every family has its own health rules. Don't go out with wet hair or you'll catch a cold. Don't crack your knuckles or you'll get arthritis. Too much sugar makes children crazy. But how many of these are true?

Let's start with the cold. Colds are caused by viruses, not by low temperatures or wet hair. You catch them from other people, which is one reason they are more common in winter: we spend more time indoors, close together. Being very cold may make it a little easier for a virus to start, but without the virus, there is no cold.

What about knuckles? An American doctor, Donald Unger, decided to test it on himself. For about sixty years, he cracked the knuckles of his left hand but not his right. At the end, neither hand had arthritis. In 2009 he received an Ig Nobel Prize, a fun award for research that "makes people laugh, and then think".

And sugar? Several careful studies have found no clear link between sugar and hyperactive behaviour in children. In one experiment, parents were told their child had eaten sugar, when in fact the child had had none. These parents rated their children as more hyperactive. The effect was in the parents' expectations.

So, before you repeat health advice, ask: what's the evidence? And if something seems to work, remember the placebo effect: sometimes believing is enough to make us feel better.

3.2

True or false?

  1. Colds are caused by cold weather.
  2. Colds are more common in winter partly because people spend more time indoors together.
  3. Donald Unger got arthritis in his left hand.
  4. Studies found a clear link between sugar and hyperactive children.
  5. Parents' expectations affected how they saw their children.
3.3

What do you think?

  1. Which of these myths did you believe? Which do you still believe?
  2. Why do you think health myths are so popular?
  3. What health myth is common in Ukraine?
  4. Where do you check health information?
4

Grammar for speaking

10 min
4.1

Grammar for speaking

Zero Conditional

General truths and facts: If / When + Present Simple, Present Simple.

If you heat ice, it melts. If you don't sleep, you feel tired.

If = When in the Zero Conditional

Both mean "every time".

When I drink coffee late, I can't sleep.

Compare: First Conditional

A specific future situation (Lesson 15).

If you go out now, you'll get wet. (today, a specific situation)

Use the Zero Conditional for facts, rules and habits: If you mix red and yellow, you get orange. If I eat late, I sleep badly. Also with imperatives: If you feel ill, stay at home. Careful: ✗ If you will heat water, it boils.

4.2

Choose the right form

  1. If you heat water to 100°C, it
    .
  2. If I
    coffee after 6 p.m., I can't sleep.
  3. When you
    your heart gets stronger.
  4. If you feel ill,
    at home.
  5. If you don't wash your hands, germs
    .
  6. If you go out without a coat now, you
    cold.
  7. Plants die if they
    enough water.
  8. When I
    stressed, I eat chocolate.
4.3

Fix the mistake

Each sentence has one mistake. Type the correct words.

  1. If you will heat ice, it melts. →
  2. If I don't sleep, I will feel always tired. →
  3. When you mixes blue and yellow, you get green. →
  4. If you feel ill, you staying at home. →
  5. Water freeze if it's below 0°C. →
  6. If I eat late, I am not sleep well. →
4.4

Talk about it

Answer in detail. Use the Zero Conditional.

  1. What happens to you if you don't sleep enough?
  2. What do you do when you catch a cold?
  3. What happens to your mood if you don't exercise for a week?
  4. Complete and explain: "If I drink too much coffee, ..."
  5. What do people in your family do when they feel stressed?
  6. What health rules do you follow? What happens if you break them?
5

Myth or fact?

8 min
5.1

Myth or fact?

Decide if each statement is true or false according to this lesson's article and general science. Then explain your answers.

  1. Cold weather alone causes colds.
  2. Washing your hands helps prevent many illnesses.
  3. Cracking your knuckles causes arthritis.
  4. Regular exercise can improve your mood.
  5. Sugar makes children hyperactive, according to careful studies.
5.2

Family health beliefs

Explain and use the Zero Conditional.

  1. Tell your teacher three health "rules" from your family. Are they myths or facts?
  2. Which home remedy do you think really works? Why?
  3. Do you ever follow advice even if you know it's a myth?
  4. What health myth would you like everyone to stop believing?
6

Personal questions

10 min
6.1

Part I: Me

  1. How often do you go to the doctor?
  2. Do you get a regular check-up?
  3. What do you do first when you don't feel well?
  4. Do you read about symptoms on the internet?
  5. Do you take vitamins? Why?
  6. What is your favourite home remedy?
  7. How do you usually recover from a cold?
  8. Are you a healthy person, in general?
6.2

Part II: Other people

  1. Do older and younger people believe in different health myths?
  2. Should doctors spend more time explaining things to patients?
  3. Who do people trust more: doctors or friends?
  4. Why do people trust health influencers?
  5. Are some home remedies better than medicine?
  6. How has the internet changed the way we think about health?
6.3

Part III: Thinking deeper

  1. Should health misinformation online be removed?
  2. Is the placebo effect a good thing?
  3. Should people be free to choose alternative medicine?
  4. Why are health myths so hard to kill?
  5. Is it better to see a doctor too often or too rarely?
  6. Will AI doctors be more reliable than human doctors?
7

Roleplay

10 min
7.1

The myth buster

You

Health journalist

You host a short TV programme called "Myth Busters: Health". Present three health myths to the audience:
  • what people believe and why
  • what the evidence really shows
  • what people should do instead
  • a funny or surprising story (like the knuckles)
Speak for at least 3 minutes in total. Use the Zero Conditional.
Your teacher

TV presenter

Asks short questions, for example:
  1. So where did this myth come from?
  2. Is it dangerous to believe it?
  3. What does science say?
  4. What should viewers do?
7.2

The worried grandparent

You

Grandchild

Your grandparent (your teacher) strongly believes in some health myths and wants you to follow them. Talk to them kindly and respectfully:
  • listen to their advice
  • explain what science says
  • respect what is good about their advice
  • agree on what you will both do
You do most of the talking. Use: I know you mean well, but... · Actually, research shows that... · If you..., ... · You might be right that...
Your teacher

Grandparent

Says things like:
  1. Put a hat on or you'll catch a cold!
  2. Don't sit on cold steps!
  3. Vodka with pepper cures everything.
  4. In my day, we didn't need doctors!
8

Debate

7 min
8.1

Agree or disagree?

"Traditional remedies are as good as modern medicine."

Ideas for

People have used them for centuries. They are natural and cheap. Many modern medicines come from plants. The placebo effect is real.

Ideas against

Many remedies have no evidence and can delay real treatment. Modern medicine is tested in studies. "Natural" doesn't mean safe.

Round 1: give your real opinion for 1–2 minutes. Round 2: defend the opposite side for 1 minute. Use: There's no evidence that... · Research shows... · If you..., ... · I'm not convinced...

9

Homework

at home

Your homework score

Do all four exercises, then press Check all homework. Correct answers will appear next to your mistakes.

– / 30
H1

Complete with a word

mythvirusevidenceremedyharmfulpreventrecoverside effects
  1. It's a that you lose most heat through your head.
  2. The flu is caused by a .
  3. Is there any that this diet works?
  4. Ginger tea is a popular for colds.
  5. Too much sun is to your skin.
  6. Vaccines help serious illnesses.
  7. It took her two weeks to from the operation.
  8. This medicine can have some , like headaches.
H2

Zero or First Conditional?

  1. If you heat ice, it .
  2. If I coffee late, I can't sleep.
  3. When you exercise, you better.
  4. If you feel sick, at home.
  5. If you go out now, you wet. It's pouring!
  6. Water at 100°C.
  7. If I , I get headaches.
  8. When I tired, I make mistakes.
H3

Correct or incorrect?

Decide if each sentence is grammatically correct.

  1. If you heat water, it boils.
  2. If you will mix red and white, you get pink.
  3. When I'm stressed, I eat chocolate.
  4. If you feel ill, stay at home.
  5. If I don't eat breakfast, I am feel tired.
  6. Plants die if they don't get water.
  7. If it will rain, the ground gets wet.
H4

Match the two halves

  1. My grandmother always said that
  2. Is it true that
  3. It's a common belief that
  4. Actually, research shows that
  5. There's no evidence that
  6. It might work, but
  7. Garlic cures everything?

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© Yevheniia Kolesnykova, Academy of Languages. All rights reserved. No copying or reuse without written permission.