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4.Match the following phrases from the article. (Sometimes more than one choice is possible.)

1.	Scientists in the USA say they are	a.	of mutation
2.	Developing	b.	stone
3.	Provide life-	c.	of guesswork
4.	Promising	d.	a million people
5.	It’s a very good stepping	e.	a vaccine
6.	The flu virus kills up to half	f.	cold
7.	In a constant state	g.	getting closer
8.	Create an updated	h.	results
9.	Much of the process involves a lot	i.	version
10. The common		j.	long protection
5.	Read and answer the questions.

Scientists close to influenza vaccine

Scientists in the USA say they are getting closer to developing a vaccine that will provide life-long protection against any type of influenza. This could be welcome news for millions of people around the world who go to the doctor every year to get a flu jab. Two different research teams have been testing new drugs on animals and both have had promising results. Trials will soon begin on humans to determine if the test vaccine has similar successes. Flu expert professor John Oxford told the BBC that: “This is a leap forward compared to anything done recently. They have good animal data, not just in mice but in ferrets and monkeys too.” He added that: “It’s a very good stepping stone.”

The flu virus kills up to half a million people every year. The problem with finding a vaccine is the ever-changing nature of the flu virus. It is in a constant state of mutation. Doctors have to predict which strains of the virus are likely to cause the most infections and then create an updated version of the vaccine accordingly. For this reason, the success rate of most flu vaccines is very low because much of the process involves a lot of guesswork. Scientists say that vaccines in the U.S. reduced the risk of catching flu by just 23 per cent last year. The website Inverse.com said the research could, “point to how we can go about making vaccines for other viruses that mutate rapidly, like HIV or the common cold”.

(from: http://www.BreakingNewsEnglish.com)

1.Where are the scientists from who are getting closer to a vaccine?

2.What do millions of people go to the doctor for every year?

3.How many different research teams have been testing on animals?

4.Who will trials begin on soon?

5.What other animals did they test on besides ferrets and monkeys?

6.How many people a year does the flu virus kill?

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7.What does the article say has an “ever-changing nature”?

8.What does the process involve that makes the success rate low?

9.What was the reduced risk of catching flu in the US last year?

10.What other two viruses might the research help?

6. Work in groups of 4. Role play the discussion:

Role A – Toothache You think toothache is the most important thing scientists should find a cure for. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them why cures their things aren’t so important. Also, tell the others which is the least important of these (and why): hair loss, bad breath or stress.

Role B – Hair loss You think hair loss is the most important thing scientists should find a cure for. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them why cures their things aren’t so important. Also, tell the others which is the least important of these (and why): toothache, bad breath or stress.

Role C – Bad breath You think bad breath is the most important thing scientists should find a cure for. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them why cures their things aren’t so important. Also, tell the others which is the least important of these (and why): hair loss, toothache or stress.

Role D – Stress You think stress is the most important thing scientists should find a cure for. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them why cures their things aren’t so important. Also, tell the others which is the least important of these (and why): hair loss, bad breath or toothache.

7.Surf the Internet and find out more about the research on the influenza vaccine. Share what you discover with your partner(s).

IV. How to read a prescription drug label. Using the sample label provided, answer the following questions to determine what important information must be included on a prescription drug label.

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1.What is the name of the pharmacy?

2.What is the address of the pharmacy?

3.What is the store number of the pharmacy?

4.What is the phone number of the pharmacy?

5.What is the prescription number?

6.What is the physician’s name?

7.What is the date that the prescription was filled?

8.What is the name of the person for whom the drug is prescribed? (Prescription drugs should be used only by the person for whom the drugs were prescribed.)

9.What is the brand name of this drug? (Various manufacturers or companies may make the same generic drug but will call it by their own brand or trade name.)

10.What is the name of the medication or the main ingredient?

11.What is the strength of the medication?

12.What do the letters APX mean?

13.What does the number listed below the company code represent?

14.How much is in the package?

15.What are the directions or instructions for taking the medication?

16.Are there any cautions or warnings on the label?

17.Do prescription drug labels often include any additional information that is not on this one?

V. You will read the article from The Observer magazine about four teachers who tried complementary therapies.

1.Many people nowadays say that they are stressed. Work in groups and make a list of reasons for this, and a list of ways of dealing with stress. Compare your lists with other groups.

2.Categorize the following phrases. Are they related to stress or relaxation:

feeling tense

getting things into perspective feeling worked up

things getting on top of you taking things in your stride chilling out

being in a trance taking a step back

finding it difficult to unwind getting pains in your chest feeling bad-tempered

doing breathing exercises

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3. Complete the table after reading.

Complementary health – the guinea pigs, but does it work?

Colour therapy, Thai yoga massage, hypnotherapy or acupuncture? Four highly stressed teachers put a range of alternative therapies to the test.

Hypnotherapy

Alison Hatch teaches a class of sevenand eight-year-olds.

‘I often get stressed at work, and it makes me feel bad tempered and really worked up. I get pains in my chest, and an infections flares up in my hair and eyebrows. I’m very open-minded about alternative medicine.’

Prescribed

Hypnotherapy, which involves getting induced into a light trance state usually by closing your eyes and listening to the therapist’s voice. Though it directs itself to your unconscious mind, you remain aware of your surroundings.

Alison says, ‘We spent a large part of the first session looking back at my medical history and my life from when I was very small. She asked me what I was stressed about, to which the answer was “Everything”. The discussion was almost like therapy. I’d describe a stressful scenario, and she would look at it in a different way, explaining how things that happened in my childhood affect my reactions now.

Afterwards, she taught me breathing exercises for relaxation. Then she got me to lie down and imagine a special place where I could go to relax. I thought of a rock pool in a green lagoon. She said that she counted to ten very slowly she wanted me to be in my relaxed place in my mind, which was where I ended up.

She would then talk though whatever problems had come up at the beginning of the session, then she counted back to ten and took me out. The idea was that, when stressed, I would be able to close my eyes and remember that state of total relaxation and it’s true, I can take myself back there if I want to. The infection hasn’t been a problem since I started the treatment. When I find the classroom stressful, I take step back, breathe and tell myself to chill out. A boy came up to me in the classroom the other day and said, “Miss, what are you doing?” and I said, “I’m counting to ten, Alex.” ‘

Continuing treatment? Yes

Colour therapy

Ray Coles teaches a class of tenand eleven-year-olds.

‘I find school very rushed and only eat when I can find a minute to grab something. I’ve just moved the area to take up this job and I really miss having a social circle. When I get stressed at work, I get hyperactive and find it difficult to unwind. I also have difficulty concentrating and suffer from an aching back when I’m tense.’

Prescribed

Colour therapy which is all about light, and involves gazing at various coloured lights to stimulate different parts of the brain.

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Ray says: ‘I’m open-minded about alternative remedies, so I was ready to give this a go. We began by having a good old natter so that she could get to know me. It was a psychological discussion to talk about what stressed me out, such as school and life at home. She made really constructive suggestions about what I should actually do about my problems, and taught me some quite straightforward relaxation exercises.

‘After the discussion she asked me to down on the bed and dangled a crystal over my head from head to toe. She said that the energy from some colours was missing from certain parts of my body, and I thought she could have drawn a lot of her assumptions from the discussion rather than picking them up from the crystal vibes. It could have been bluff and guesswork, but she seems extremely genuine in what she believes.

Next, she switched on the disco lights and left me with them for 20 minutes. When she came back, she dangled the crystal again over certain points of my body and said she could see healing had taken place and certain parts were no longer as tense. I think it’s a bit like horoscopes when you read that you’ll meet a handsome stranger, you do suddenly begin to notice a lot of strange handsome people around you. An awful lot of the treatment relies on the power of suggestion.

I was very stressed about my workload and I got things far more in perspective. It was like going to someone for an independent viewpoint, because she gave me a lot of advice on interpersonal relationships. I wouldn’t go out of my way to recommend colour therapy, but I would suggest finding someone to go and have a good chinwag with.

Continuing treatment? No

Thai yoga massage

Dayle Brain teaches tenand eleven-year-olds

‘I get very stressed and often have a raging headache when I leave school. It feels as though I’m constantly taking painkillers. Like most teachers I crash during the first week of the holidays and get throat infections. I don’t know much about these treatments but I wouldn’t mind doing something that involves some gentle stretching.

Prescribed

Thai yoga massage that relieves physical stress and strain and stretches your limbs most effectively. It combines the yoga of India with the acupressure and meridian massage of China. It’s like having your yoga done for you.

Dayle says: ‘I had only flirted with complementary medicine before. Thai yoga massage is certainly not massage as we know it. It involves much harder pressing and if felt like I was a piece of dough being kneaded. When the practitioner was massaging me (through clothes) I did sometimes think, “please don’t do that any more”. He didn’t actually talk to me apart from when he gave instructions which I found very eerie. If he’d spoken to me more, I would have felt more at ease.

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I felt quite energetic after the first session, but it only lasted the day of the treatment. The next day I felt back to normal. As the sessions went on, the massage got harder and my bode felt as though it had been worked on each time, but I never got that feeling of instant energy back again.

It’s difficult to say what benefit the treatment finally had. As the treatments went on, the headaches began to improve and things hadn’t seem to get on top of me the way they used to. I don’t know if this can necessarily be put down to the treatment because stress depends on so many things. Taking time out for myself had a lot to do with it. I feel selfish if I do things for myself. I’ve spent a whole hour each time letting someone else take over my life and I think that’s the key.’

Continuing treatment? No

Acupunture

Head teacher Jackie Cox is 53.

‘As head of the school, my job involves juggling several roles, and I just don’t have time to relieve my stress. I suffer from an inflammatory disease which flares up when I’m under stress, and I’m ill most school holidays.’

Prescribed

Acupuncture, which involves inserting fine sterile needles into various trigger points that run along 12 energy channels throughout the body.

Jackie says: ‘I was extremely skeptical beforehand because I don’t have much time for this sort of stuff. Still, at my first session the practitioner did a very thorough initial consultation involving my health history and important life events. It was so comprehensive it lasted 90 minutes, and I felt very reassured by her, which filled me with confidence. After that, she got started, and as the sessions have progressed, I’ve just felt better and better.

She didn’t use big pins to start off with, she just put some very fine ones in my back, and took them out almost immediately, so that helped me with any initial apprehension I might have had. My husband has even noticed a difference in me. He thinks I’m much more laid back about things, and I certainly feel it.

I’ve just had a week off and usually I get very stressed during my holidays. I don’t really enjoy the break, but it’s been a good week. Now I’m back at work, which is a very stressful environment, but I’m just taking it in my stride. It’s not a very relaxing treatment in itself – it’s very different from having a massage, for example. I got on very well with the practitioner, though. At the beginning of every session, we would go through what had happened in my week. She would ask me how I was feeling and how my stress levels were, before taking my pulses and deciding where she was going to position the needles. I found the process riveting after having been such a sceptic.’

Continuing treatment? Yes

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	Alison	Ray	Dayle	Jackie
			Thai yoga
	Hypnotherapy	Colour therapy		Acupuncture
			massage
His/her symptoms
of stress
Initial attitude
to therapy
Brief description
of therapy
Relationship
with practitioner
His/her assessment
of the treatment

4.Rank the therapies from 1 (=most successful), to 4 (=least successful). Explain why.

5.Work in pairs. Discuss these questions:

Which factors seem to affect how successful the therapy was? Would you like to try any of these therapies? Why/why not?

The four people in the article are primary school teachers. Do you think that is a stressful job? Which other jobs do you think are stressful and why?

VI. Read and translate the article “Why is health care so expensive?”

Why is health care so expensive?

Why it’s so high, how it affects your wallet – and yes, what you can do about it

Person for person, health care in the U.S. costs about twice as much as it does in the rest of the developed world. In fact, if our $3 trillion health care sector were its own country, it would be the world’s fifth-largest economy.

If you have health insurance, you may think it doesn’t matter because someone else is paying the bill. You’d be wrong.

This country’s exorbitant medical costs mean that we all pay too much for health insurance. Overpriced care also translates into fewer raises for American workers. And to top it off, we’re not even getting the best care for our money.

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First, be aware that even if you have insurance, it doesn’t always fully protect you. Four years ago, Joclyn Krevat, a 32-year-old occupational therapist from New York City, collapsed with a rare heart condition and ended up needing an emergency heart transplant. She had it done at a hospital in her health plan’s network, but no one bothered to tell her that her transplant surgeons didn’t take her insurance. They billed her $70,000 and sent collection agencies and lawyers after her while she was still home recuperating. In studying the problem, Consumer Reports has heard dozens of similar tales about surprise out- of-network bills. (If you have one, consider sharing it with us).

Second, higher health care costs mean higher health insurance premiums for everyone. It’s Health Insurance 101: Insurance is about pooling risk. That’s a good thing because it protects you against unexpected costs – but companies have to collect enough in premiums to pay for members’ health expenses. The higher the expenses for the risk pool, the higher the premiums for everyone – even if you received little or none of that care.

And if you’re wondering why you can’t get ahead financially, blame it on the fact that health care is eating your raises. Since 2000, incomes have barely kept up with inflation and insurance premiums have more than doubled. The average employer family health plan that cost companies $6,438 per staffer in 2000 shot up to $16,351 by 2013. That’s money that could have gone into your paycheck but didn’t because your employer had to spend it on your health insurance instead.

The kicker: We don’t get much for our money. In a 2013 Commonwealth Fund study of 11 developed countries’

health care systems, the U.S. ranked fifth in quality and worst for infant mortality. We also did the worst job of preventing deaths from treatable conditions, such as strokes, diabetes, high blood pressure, and certain treatable cancers. (See graph, below).

No wonder that when Consumer Reports surveyed a representative sample of 1,079 American adults, we found considerable distress about high costs. Twelve percent said they had spent more than $5,000 of their own money on medical bills (not counting prescriptions or insurance premiums) in the previous year, and 11 percent said they had medical bills they had trouble paying. Large majorities said they wanted better information about cost and quality of their health care (see the box, below).

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Made-up prices and a yen for brand-name hospitals

All of which brings us to the big question: Why exactly is our health care so expensive?

Health care works nothing like other market transactions. As a consumer, you are a bystander to the real action, which takes place between providers – hospitals, doctors, labs, drug companies,

and device manufacturers – and the private and governmental entities that pay them. Those same providers are also pushing Americans into newer and more expensive treatments, even when there’s no evidence they’re any better.

“There is no such thing as a legitimate price for anything in health care,” says George Halvorson, former chairman of Kaiser Permanente, the giant health maintenance organization based in California. “Prices are made up depending on who the payer is.”

When Medicare is paying the bills, prices tend to be lower. That agency is by far the largest single source of revenue for most health care providers, which gives it more

leverage to set prices. Private insurance companies and providers, on the other hand, bargain head-to-head over prices, often savagely.

In regions with many competing providers, insurers can play them against each other to hold down prices. But where there are few providers, not so much. Providers know that, and are busily consolidating into larger groups to get more bargaining power. In your own community, you may have noticed new outpatient medical clinics sprouting up emblazoned with the name of a local hospital; that is hospitals buying up private medical practices to get more clout with insurers.

But the providers with the most clout are the brand-name medical centers, which hold special cachet for patients and are thus “must have” hospitals for many insurers. “In some markets the prestigious medical institutions can name their price,” says Andrea Caballero, program director for Catalyst for Payment Reform, a national nonprofit trying to get a grip on health costs on behalf of large employers. “They may have brand names of high prestige but not necessarily deliver higher-quality care.”

There are small but hopeful signs that health costs aren’t growing quite as fast as they used to. Medicare’s costs are stabilizing, for instance. It’s too soon to tell whether that is a permanent trend.

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But the “medical industrial complex” continues going for as much gold as it can, as the following examples show all too clearly.

Outrage № 1: Why do just one test when you can bill for three?

Americans usually pay for health care by the piece: so much for each office visit, X-ray, outpatient procedure, etc. That approach leads to one thing: waste. Up to 30 percent of the care provided in this country is unnecessary, according to the

Congressional Budget Office. “If you have a treatment that requires three CT scans and re-engineer it to require only one, it won’t happen because two CT scan places will lose a source of revenue,” says George Halvorson of Kaiser Permanente. “Piecework also rewards bad outcomes. It pays a lot if you have a heart attack but very little for preventing it.”

Some insurance companies are making headway against overtreatment – which is why Consumer Reports has prepared a list of them in collaboration with the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), a nonprofit quality measurement and accreditation organization. (Read more about health plans that help members avoid unnecessary medical care.)

Outrage № 2: The $1,000-per-pill hepatitis drug

Here’s a prime example of big pharma’s we-charge-what-we-want syndrome: A new pill for hepatitis C has hit the market that, if taken by everyone who should take it, would cost Americans more per year than all other brandname drugs combined. No one – not individuals, not private insurers, not Medicare – can do a thing about it. That’s because here in the U.S., as long as the drug, Sovaldi, remains under patent, its owner, Gilead Sciences, can charge whatever it wants. At the moment that’s $1,000 per pill, or $84,000 to $150,000 for a course of treatment.

Sovaldi costs $1,000 per pill

“Drug companies charge what the market will bear, and in the United States the market will bear a lot,” says Matt Salo, executive director of the National Association of Medicaid Directors, a policy group based in Washington, D.C.

Hepatitis C affects 3.2 million mostly boomer-aged Americans who got it through tainted blood transfusions (no

longer a serious risk thanks to new screening tests) and intravenous drug use. Left untreated, it can lead to liver failure and is the leading reason for liver transplants in the U.S. Older treatments were uncomfortable, took forever, came with unpleasant side effects, and didn’t always work. With Sovaldi, you take the pill for a few months; it has a cure rate of about 90 percent in clinical trials.

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