Have you ever found yourself at a doctor’s appointment, searching for the right words to explain how you’re feeling? Or maybe you’re trying to describe a friend’s health condition to someone else but can’t quite paint the right picture. Just as having a healthy body helps us navigate life, a healthy vocabulary enables us to express ourselves accurately. And when it comes to health, it can make a world of difference! But how can we cultivate this linguistic health? By learning about English collocations related to health, of course! Ready for a dose of language enhancement?
Let’s delve into our comprehensive list of 41 commonly used collocations associated with health:
1. Medical advice: Recommendations or guidance from a medical professional.
Example: Always seek medical advice before starting any new treatment.
2. Break a habit: To stop doing something that is bad for you.
Example: She managed to break the habit of smoking.
3. Healthy diet: Eating food that is good for one’s health.
Example: A healthy diet consists of fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains.
4. Regular exercise: Physical activity that is done often.
Example: Regular exercise can help prevent many health problems.
5. General check-up: A routine medical examination.
Example: It’s a good idea to have a general check-up once a year.
6. Catch a cold: To become sick with a cold.
Example: I caught a cold after getting soaked in the rain.
7. Poor health: Not being well or feeling good physically.
Example: His poor health prevented him from participating in the marathon.
8. Mental health: A person’s psychological and emotional well-being.
Example: Mental health is just as important as physical health.
9. Cut down on: To reduce the amount of something.
Example: I need to cut down on my caffeine intake.
10. Acute pain: Severe pain that comes on quickly and can be brief or last for longer.
Example: He was rushed to the hospital because of acute pain in his chest.
11. Chronic condition: A disease or ailment that lasts for a long time, often a lifetime.
Example: Diabetes is a chronic condition that requires careful management.
12. Vital signs: Measurements that indicate the state of a patient’s essential body functions.
Example: The nurse checked the patient’s vital signs every hour.
13. Side effects: Unwanted effects of a drug or medical treatment.
Example: Some common side effects of the medication include dizziness and nausea.
14. Medical history: A record of a patient’s past health and illness.
Example: The doctor asked about my medical history during the initial consultation.
15. Risk factor: Something that increases the likelihood of developing a disease or health disorder.
Example: Smoking is a major risk factor for lung cancer.
16. Preventive measures: Actions taken to stop something undesirable from happening, especially disease.
Example: Hand washing is one of the best preventive measures against the flu.
17. Under the weather: Feeling slightly ill.
Example: I’ve been feeling under the weather since yesterday.
18. Food poisoning: An illness caused by eating contaminated food.
Example: They got food poisoning after eating at a street food stall.
19. Blood test: A laboratory analysis performed on a blood sample.
Example: The doctor asked me to get a blood test to check my cholesterol levels.
20. Fight off infection: To try to prevent an illness or disease from affecting your body.
Example: A healthy immune system can fight off infection.
21. In good shape: In good health.
Example: He’s in his 60s, but he’s still in good shape.
22. Surgical procedure: A method of performing an operation.
Example: The surgical procedure was complicated but successful.
23. Make a speedy recovery: To recover quickly from an illness or injury.
Example: After his surgery, he made a speedy recovery.
24. Feel off-colour: To feel slightly unwell.
Example: I skipped the meeting because I was feeling off-colour.
25. Life-threatening: Likely to cause death.
Example: The accident caused life-threatening injuries.
26. Bed rest: Resting in bed as part of treatment for an illness or medical condition.
Example: The doctor prescribed a week of bed rest.
27. Strenuous exercise: Physical activity that requires a lot of effort and energy.
Example: Strenuous exercise can be risky for people with heart conditions.
28. Nervous breakdown: A period of mental illness resulting from severe depression, stress, or anxiety.
Example: After her divorce, she had a nervous breakdown.
29. On the mend: Improving, especially in health after an illness or injury.
Example: He’s on the mend after his surgery last week.
30. Proper nutrition: The act of nourishing or being nourished, especially the process by which a living organism assimilates food and uses it for growth and for replacement of tissues.
Example: Proper nutrition is fundamental for a healthy life.
31. Pull through: To recover from a disease, illness, or injury.
Example: It was a serious infection, but he pulled through.
32. Speedy recovery: A quick return to health.
Example: We wish her a speedy recovery after her surgery.
33. Family history: The health history of close blood relatives, which may indicate the potential risk of certain diseases.
Example: A family history of heart disease can increase your risk.
34. Injury prone: Tending to be easily injured.
Example: Some athletes are more injury prone than others.
35. Health scare: A situation in which many people are worried about their health because they think they may be ill.
Example: The recent health scare has led to increased hospital visits.
36. Cardiac arrest: Sudden, unexpected loss of heart function, breathing, and consciousness.
Example: The man died of cardiac arrest.
37. First aid: Help given to a sick or injured person until full medical treatment is available.
Example: She gave him first aid after he fainted.
38. Contagious disease: A disease that is capable of spreading from person to person.
Example: COVID-19 is a highly contagious disease.
39. Terminal illness: An incurable disease that cannot be adequately treated and is reasonably expected to result in the death of the patient.
Example: He was diagnosed with a terminal illness.
40. Kick the habit: To stop doing something harmful that you have done for a long time.
Example: She finally managed to kick the habit of smoking.
41. Road to recovery: The process of becoming well again after an illness or injury.
Example: After a long illness, she’s finally on the road to recovery.
As you can see, enriching your health-related vocabulary can empower your English conversations and make them more precise and expressive. By learning these collocations, you’ll be better prepared to discuss health matters and understand health information. Remember, just like maintaining your physical health, enhancing your language skills is a continuous journey. So, keep practicing these phrases, and you’ll see the improvement in no time.
