体と健康(Body and Wellness)

体と健康について英語で学びます。健康的な生活について学ぶことを目的としています。

sample

Yoga is best for back pain sufferers

 

New research from America suggests that yoga could help millions of people who have back problems. In an article published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, researchers found that yoga was a better treatment for back pain than standard therapy. A study in Washington State saw 101 adults follow a choice of 12-week treatments. They chose between a course in yoga, standard therapeutic exercise or following instructions in a self-help book. The results showed yoga reduced pain more quickly and had longer lasting benefits. Dr. Karen Sherman said this was because of “mind and body effects”.

The article states that most treatments for backaches do not provide much pain relief and that exercise is one of the best therapies. However, the researchers say the effects of exercise are often small. They suggest that yoga, which combines physical exercise with breathing, “may benefit patients with back pain simply because it involves exercise or because of its effects on mental focus”. They conducted their study because they found no published articles in western medical books that evaluated yoga for chronic low back pain. Millions of people worldwide practice yoga every day.


Exercises:

1. TRUE / FALSE: Look at the article’s headline and guess whether these sentences are true (T) or false (F):

a.

Yoga is millions of years old.

T / F

b.

A study says yoga is better for back pain than standard therapy.

T / F

c.

Adults chose between yoga and a self-help book in a back-pain study.

T / F

d.

A doctor said “mind and body effects” help bring pain relief.

T / F

e.

Exercise is amazingly effective in providing pain relief.

T / F

f.

Yoga combines physical exercise with breathing.

T / F

g.

Western medical books are full of articles about yoga and back pain.

T / F

h.

Billions of people do yoga every day.

T / F

2. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article:

a.

suggests

regular

b.

found

do

c.

standard

how-to

d.

self-help

says

e.

reduced

carried out

f.

states

indicates

g.

provide

severe

h.

conducted

give

i.

chronic

lessened

j.

practice

discovered

3. PHRASE MATCH: Match the following phrases from the article
(sometimes more than one combination is possible):

a.

research from America suggests that

and had longer lasting benefits

b.

yoga was a better treatment for

of 12-week treatments

c.

follow a choice

of exercise are often small

d.

following instructions

do not provide much pain relief

e.

yoga reduced pain more quickly

physical exercise with breathing

f.

most treatments for backaches

yoga could help millions of people

g.

exercise is one

practice yoga every day

h.

researchers say the effects

in a self-help book

i.

yoga, which combines

back pain than standard therapy

j.

Millions of people worldwide

of the best therapies


Discussions:

  1. Did the headline make you want to read the article?
  2. What do you think of yoga?
  3. Have you ever tried or would you ever try yoga?
  4. What’s the difference between an ache and a pain?
  5. Which is worse, stomachache or heartache?
  6. Do you think scientists will find a cure for all aches and pains one day?
  7. What’s the worst pain you’ve ever experienced?
  8. Do you think scientists will understand why yoga is good for us?
  9. Do you think all alternative therapies work?
  10. Do you practice something every day?