health problems from TOP to BOTTOM | English vocabulary

By ArnelOn March 27, 2023September 26, 2023

health problems from TOP to BOTTOM | English vocabulary

Learn the most common health problems from TOP to BOTTOM in today’s lesson. This vocabulary is so important because most people will experience these things at least once.

HOMEWORK: Scroll down to the very bottom of this post and copy the list of vocabulary. Translate each one into your own language. Health problems are universal, so there should be a simple translation for each one.

You can watch my lesson on this topic or keep scrolling to read more.

I’ve added “to have” or “to be” to each word so you know what verb to use.

Remember, we use “I have” with nouns and “I am” with adjectives.

to have a headache

I have a headache. My head hurts. I need to take some paracetamol.

to have a throbbing headache

If something is “throbbing,” it is so painful that you can feel your heartbeat in it.

Imagine you accidently slam your finger in a car door. Your finger will feel like it is throbbing.

adjective: throbbing

regular verb: to throb

We can also say: I have a splitting headache.

to have a fever / to have a temperature

If you have a fever or a temperature, your body temperature is too high.

My daughter has a temperature. She can’t go to school today.

to be dizzy

I am dizzy. The world is spinning. I need to sit down.

to have ringing in your years

(medical term: tinnitus)

I have ringing in my ears. Nobody can hear this sound except for me.

to have pink eye

(medical term: to have conjunctivitis)

I have pink eye. My eye has an infection. The doctor prescribed me some eye drops.

“Pink eye” is always singular. We never say ~~“pink eyes.”~~

to have a cold

If you have a cold, you have a virus. Colds are exceptionally common. Most people get at least 1 cold per year.

I’ve had this cold for three days. When will I get better?

BIG DIFFERENCE:

I have a cold. = I have a virus. I need medicine.

I am cold. = I feel cold. I need a jacket.

vocabulary for schedules and appointments

to have a blocked nose / to be congested

I can’t breathe through my nose. My nose is blocked.

I am congested. I can’t breathe through my nose.

to have a runny nose

I have a runny nose. I’ve used 100 tissues today. My nose is runny.

to sneeze

Achoo! I can’t stop sneezing.

Dust makes me sneeze.

to cough (pronunciation: /koff/)

Cover your mouth when you cough.

We can also “have a cough.” This means we cannot stop coughing. A bad cough could last a month.

to have the flu

I have the flu. I have to stay in bed.

The flu is more severe than a cold. If you have the flu you may have a fever, body aches and stomach pain.

to have a mouth ulcer / to have a canker sore

My mouth ulcer is painful. It hurts to eat and brush my teeth.

I have a canker sore on my tongue.

to have a toothache

I have a toothache. I need to see a dentist.

to have a cavity

I have a cavity. It’s a hole in my tooth from too much sugar. The dentist needs to give me a filling.

Important pronunciation note: The word “ache” is pronounced /EIK/ like bake. Headache, stomachache, toothache, etc.

to have a sore throat

I have a sore throat. It hurts to talk. I need a lozenge.

My throat is sore.

to have a stiff neck

It hurts to move my neck. I have a stiff neck. If I work at my computer all day, I get a stiff neck.

to have shoulder pain

I have shoulder pain. It hurts to move my shoulders. I think it’s because I sit at my computer all day.

to have asthma

I have asthma, I have difficulty breathing from time to time. I need to carry my inhaler with me.

to have high blood pressure

I have high blood pressure. The doctor told me that I have too much stress in my life.

to have a stomachache (also spelled: stomach ache)

I have a stomachache. I think I ate something bad.

to vomit (formal) / to throw up (less formal)

I want to vomit. Quick, get me a bag!
I threw up last night.

to have nausea / to be nauseous

“Nausea” is the feeling that you want to vomit.

noun: nausea

adjective: nauseous

I always get nauseous when I’m on a boat.

Nausea is common in pregnancy.

to have a rash

I have a rash on my arm. The doctor gave me some cream to help it go away.

You can have a rash anywhere on your skin.

What can cause a rash?

allergies, eczema, the sun, etc.

to have arthritis

I have arthritis in my hands. It hurts to move my fingers.

You can have arthritis in your joints. Arthritis normally affects the elderly.

20 expressions with the word “GET”

to have diarrhea

I have diarrhea, I think I ate something bad. I have to run to the bathroom every 10 minutes.

to be constipated / I have constipation

I am constipated. I haven’t been able to poop for two days.

“Poop” is the common informal verb.

“To have a bowel movement” is the formal, more medical term.

to have a cramp

I have a cramp in my calf. I need to stretch my calf.

A cramp is when a muscle suddenly contracts causing pain. You can have a cramp in any muscle.

When I write too much, I get a hand cramp.

to have a bruise (pronunciation: /bru:z/) / to be bruised

I usually have bruises on my leg after soccer practice.

I have a bruised rib. It hurts to breathe.

to twist an ankle

I twisted my ankle while jogging in the park. I had to limp home.

to break a bone / to have a broken bone

When I was six, I broke my arm. The doctor gave me an X-ray and put my arm in a cast.

to have a swollen ankle

I have to put ice on my swollen ankle. Ice helps swelling.

adjective: swollen

noun: swelling

Any part of your body can be swollen.
The boxer’s face was swollen after the fight.

to have a wart

I have a wart on my foot. Warts are small, hard and take a long time to go away.

to have a blister

My new shoes gave me a blister. Blisters are small, soft and full of fluid.

Thankfully, blisters go away pretty quickly.

HOMEWORK: Copy this list of vocabulary and translate each one into your own language. Health problems are universal, so there should be a simple translation for each one.

to have a headache
to have a throbbing headache
to have a splitting headache
to have a fever
to have a temperature
to be dizzy
to have ringing in your years
to have pink eye
to have conjunctivitis
to have a cold
to have a blocked nose
to be congested
to have a runny nose
to sneeze
to cough
to have the flu
to have a mouth ulcer
to have a canker sore
to have a toothache
to have a cavity
to get a filling from the dentist
to have a sore throat
to have a stiff neck
to have shoulder pain
to have asthma
to have high blood pressure
to have a stomachache
to vomit
to throw up
to have nausea
to be nauseous
to have a rash
to have arthritis
to have diarrhea
to be constipated
to have constipation
to have a cramp
to have a bruise
to be bruised
to twist an ankle
to break a bone
to have a swollen ankle
to have swelling
to have a wart
to have a blister