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Acupuncture

Acupuncture English, baby! Video Lesson

Date: Jun 29 2007

Themes: Health

Intro

1. Learn Vocabulary - Learn some new vocabulary before you start the lesson.

2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.

Believe it or not, medicine wasn’t invented in the 20th Century. Ancient peoples had a variety of ways of curing problems that people continue to suffer from today. In fact, in recent years, older, natural forms of healing like acupuncture and herbs have been getting more and more popular.

Marni recently went to an acupuncturist, a person who cures pain by putting needles in specific points on the body. When she tells Amanda about it, it turns out that she too has had success with natural healing.

3. Watch - Watch the video without reading the dialog.

Dialog

1. Listen and Read - Listen to the audio and read the dialog at the same time.

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2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.

Marni

Marni

Amanda

Amanda

Marni:  So I was having a little bit of pain in my shoulder recently and I went to get some acupuncture done and it was fantastic.

Amanda:  Did it hurt?

Marni:  No, it works like a charm.

Amanda:  You didn’t feel the pinprick you at all?

Marni:  The pinprick, it’s pretty minimal. And the pain relief…I also kinda have this thing where I kind of have a little obsession with getting weird things done. Well, not that acupuncture is weird, it’s an ancient healing art, but just the concept of like getting pricked with needles is just kind of a…

Amanda:  So you might like tattoos too?

Marni:  Yes, but on the healing aspect of it…

Amanda:  Not the pain aspect of it.

Marni:  Exactly.

Amanda:  See I suffer from irritable bowel syndrome…

Marni:  Really?

Amanda:  ...so I was on every medication known to man for seven to ten years and then finally my parents and my grandparents recommended I see a Chinese herbal doctor. Put me on Chinese herbs that smelled so pungent and disgusting that when I took it at work everyone would run…

Marni:  Really? Huh…

Amanda:  But, I took it three times a day for a year and nothing had had the effect like those had on my stomach. Nothing. Isn’t that amazing? I mean there was roots in there and ginger…rhinoceros nose…

Marni:  Wow. So do you still have to take this, or…

Amanda:  I should but it was so spendy because insurance did not cover it.

Marni:  Oh yeah, that’s the thing about it, you know.

 

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Discussion

Marni went to get acupuncture because she had some pain in her shoulder. Amanda, like most people who have never had acupuncture, finds it hard to believe that the needles don’t hurt, but Marni says she could barely feel them. In fact, Marni says that she likes the idea of healing through needles.

Amanda says that she has irritable bowel syndrome, a disorder that causes stomach pain. For years she took many different medicines, and eventually her family recommended she try a doctor of Chinese herbs. He gave her medicine that smelled very strongly because it had many strange ingredients, but it worked really well. She says she would still be taking it if it weren’t so expensive. Insurance companies usually don’t cover natural medicine.

Have you ever had acupuncture or tried herbs? Do you use natural medicine? Would you if insurance covered it?

 

Comments

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mo0

mo0

United Kingdom

I hate needle, are horrible :>

09:18 AM Oct 14 2007 |

andrea_n

Czech Republic

I went to accupuncture when I was 16 and it really works like a charm. I had a terrible headache for 5 years and nobody was able to help me.
I went to accupuncture one day and after one month I was alright.
I had an terrible accident with my backbone when I was 11 and I was suffering from headache all days for five years.
Chinese doctors gave me a needle into my ear and I had to wear it in for fourteen days. After month I didn't feel the pain anymore.
It really works. I can recommend it to everybody.

10:19 PM Oct 13 2007 |

mirlilu

mirlilu

Peru

I need learn It's Englishh

03:59 PM Oct 13 2007 |

deantrump

deantrump

Malaysia

I want you to know that the pinprick is not painful.  I saw what my mother did and she said it was just a little prick painless and professionally done.  The needle are thrown away after that, disposable.

02:19 AM Oct 11 2007 |

ElEanor

ElEanor

China

I've never tried it cause I fear for that pinprick. But I did use natural medicine like trying herbs almost everytime when i'm sick in hometown. It is really very effective but smells quite hard. Just like the Chinese saying goes: A good medicine tastes bitter!!

01:33 AM Oct 11 2007 |

deantrump

deantrump

Malaysia

My mum tried it once when she was very ill and the western educated doctor just wanted to admit her in hospital.  She went to an acupuncturist and she was OK after 10 minutes.  The thing is, she was suffering for one over month for her woman's problem and this man just did what he had to do, gave her some medicine for 4 days and she was as right as rain again.

11:02 PM Oct 10 2007 |

Arsham

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

I am a doctor and I can not realise how acupuncture can works and even if it has some basis how the ancient Chinese could find it out

08:51 PM Oct 06 2007 |

mo.mo

mo.mo

China

one of my friends learn acupunture. i thank it is very  magic !

02:11 PM Oct 06 2007 |

Barri

Barri

Spain

I have never tried acupunture, but i'm married with thai girl, and I can explain that the thai massage is a great way to take good care of your body. I had a car crash and in Spain every doctor advice me to take strong medicines, and it is very hard for the stomach, after I have tried thai massage I haven't take any more medicines. Actually we have opened a thai massage shop in Sabadell (Barcelona).

The best, Thai Massage.

11:46 AM Oct 03 2007 |

bitallh@tom.com

China

I have read an acupuncture book. It needs years to learn this skill.

03:17 AM Sep 25 2007 |

Li-Li

Viet Nam

Acupuncture is a good form of medicine. In my country, Vietnam this treatment has been popular. Somtimes western medicine can't treat permanently some diesease such as pain in shoulders, headache….but acuppunture can. Do you believe that it's useful to treat drug dependence? Dr.Nguyen Tai Thu succeeded.

04:28 AM Sep 20 2007 |

YY-Pancaskandha

China

acupuncture is very useful in china,because it‘s five-thousand-year history of experience in china

09:10 AM Sep 14 2007 |

shanie

shanie

China

i used some nutrual medicine when i was young ,but never try the acupuncture .i will try that .

06:51 PM Sep 06 2007 |

abdeeq

abdeeq

Somalia

It is hurt !

12:33 PM Jul 01 2007 |

DAR

DAR

Taiwan

I have never tried it.I saw some students of medicine arguing with western medicine and chinese medicine on the website.I have no knowledge about it.I have had a stuffy nose for a long time.but they proved it causing from air pollution.I guess..because I think they tried to cover it.they are ashamed of it.

02:40 AM Jun 15 2007 |

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