At the doctors/ Illnesess

Verbs
Fall ill
Recuperate
Examine
Operate
Take exercise
Suffer
Refer
Treat on someone
Look after
Keep feet
Get well
Cure
Pick up

COMMON ILLNESS
Cold
Flu
Small pox
Chicken pox
measles
SERIOUS ILLNESS
Cancer
VIH
Tumors

MEDICINE
TREATEMENT/CURE
SPECIALISTS

NOUNS
Prescription
Make an appointment
Nurse
Surgeon
Midwife
Patient
Symptoms
Psychiatrist
Consultant
Casualty

IDIOMS
Be under the weather
Touch-and- go
Look washed out
Come down with an illness
Fit as a fiddle
Be in good shape
Take a turn for the worse
Not feeling yourself
Late up with sth
Feel lousy
To feel on top oof the world
Feel groogy
Ear glowing
Be in the pink
Look like a death warmed up
Feel a bit rough
Be a deaths door
Be a picture of health
Medical English Vocabulary
Here is some essential vocabulary for nurses and medical
professionals working in an English-speaking context. Each word is shown
with its part of speech and meaning, while an example sentence shows the
word in context.

word
part of speech meaning example sentence

abnormal not normal for the This amount of weight loss

adj human body isabnormal for women
your age.

ache pain that won't go I can't sleep because my

noun/verb away kneesache in the night.

acute quick to become We knew the baby was

adj severe/bad coming right away because
the woman's labour pains
were acute.

allergy noun a body's abnormal Your son is

allergic adj reaction to certain extremely allergic to
foods or peanuts.
environmental
substances (eg causes
a rash)

ambulance emergency vehicle We called

noun that rushes people to the ambulance when Josh
a hospital stopped breathing.

amnesia a condition that I can't remember the

noun causes people to lose accident because I
their memory had amnesia.

amputation nou permanent removal of We had to amputate his

n a limb leg because the infection
amputate verb spread so quickly.

anaemia noun occurs when the body I have low energy because I
anaemic adj doesn't have enough amanaemic.
red blood cells
antibiotics medication that kills My throat infection went
noun bacteria and cures away after I started
infections the antibiotics.

anti- medication that helps The anti-depressants hel

depressant relieve anxiety and ped me get on with life
noun sadness after Lucy died.

appointment a scheduled meeting I've made you

noun with a medical an appointmentwith a
professional specialist in three week's
time.

arthritis a disease that causes My grandmother can't knit

noun the joints to become anymore because
swollen and crippled the arthritis in her hands
is so bad.

asthma a condition that I carry an inhaler when I

(attack) causes a blockage of run because I
noun the airway and makes have asthma.
it difficult for a person
to breathe

bacteria a disease-causing To prevent the spread

noun organism ofbacteria it is important
that nurses wash their
hands often.

bedsore wounds that develop If you don't get up and take

noun on a patient's body a walk, you will develop
from lying in one place painfulbedsores.
for too long

benign not harmful (not We're hoping that the tests

adj cancerous) will show that the lump in
your breast is benign.

biopsy removal of human The biopsy ruled out a

noun tissue in order to number of illnesses.
conduct certain
medical tests
blood count the amount of red and You will be happy to know
noun white blood cells a that your blood count is
person has almost back to normal.

blood donor a person who gives Blood donors have to

noun blood to a blood bank answer questions about
or other person their medical history.

blood pressure the rate at which High blood pressure puts

noun blood flows through you at risk of having a
the body (high/low) heart attack.

brace a device that holds You will probably always

noun injured body parts in have to wear a brace on
place your ankle when you jog.

breech position of an unborn We thought it was going to

adj baby in which the feet be abreech birth, but the
are down and the baby turned himself
head is up around.

broken a bone that is divided We thought it was just a

adj in two or more pieces sprain, but it turned out his
as a result of an injury leg wasbroken.

bruise noun injured body tissue The woman was

bruised adj that is visible badly bruisedwhen she
underneath the skin came into the emergency
room.

Caesarean procedure that The baby was so large that

section, C- involves removing a we had to perform
section baby from its mother a Caesarean section.
noun through an incision in
the woman's lower
abdomen

cancer disease caused by the There are many different

noun uncontrollable growth options when it comes to
of cells treatingcancer.

cardiopulmonar restoring a person's You saved your brother's

y resuscitation
(CPR) breath and circulation life by performing CPR.
noun

cast a hard bandage that is My leg was in a cast for

noun wrapped around a graduation.
broken bone to keep it
in place

chapel, a place where loved If you want a place to pray,

chapeline ones can go to pray thechapel is on the third
noun for a patient's floor.
recovery;
a priest who visits
patients in the hospital

chemotherapy type of treatment used My mother has already had

noun on cancer patients three rounds
of chemotherapy.

chickenpox a virus commonly It is best to

noun contracted by children, get chickenpox as a child
characterized by itchy so that you don't get it
spots all over the body worse as an adult.

coroner a person who We only call the coroner if

noun determines the cause we think a death is
of death after a person suspicious.
dies

critical requiring immediate You can't see her right now;

condition and constant medical she's in critical condition.
noun attention

crutches objects that people I'd rather hop on one foot

noun with injured legs or than use crutches.
feet use to help them
walk

cyst a sac in the body- We're going to remove

noun tissue filled with fluid the cystsjust to be on the
(sometimes diseased) safe side.

deaf unable to hear The accident left the

adj patient bothdeaf and blind.

deficiency a lack of something The tests show that you

noun necessary for one's have an iron deficiency.
health

dehydrated in need of water It is easy for the elderly to

adj become dehydrated in
this heat.

dementia loss of mental capacity It is hard to watch a loved

noun one suffering
with dementia.

diabetes type of disease People with diabetes have

noun typically involving to constantly check their
insulin deficiency blood sugar levels.

diagnosis medical explanation of The doctor would prefer to

noun an illness or condition share the diagnosis with
the patient himself.

discomfort experiencing pain This pain medication

noun should relieve some of
your discomfort.

disease a medical disorder I understand that

noun that is harmful to a this diseaseruns in your
person's health family.

dislocated when a bone is You will have to wear a

adj temporarily separated sling because of
from its joint your dislocatedshoulder.

emergency a medical problem It is important that children

noun that needs immediate know which number to dial
attention in case of anemergency.

ER (emergency the hospital room used The child was rushed into
room) for treating patients the ERafter he had a
noun with immediate and severe allergic reaction to a
life-threatening bee sting.
 injuries

external on the outside This cream is

adj for external use only. Do
not get it near your ears,
eyes, or mouth.

false negative a test that incorrectly We had two false

noun comes back negative negativepregnancy tests,
adj so we didn't know we were
having a baby.

family history medical background of The doctor was concerned

noun a person's family about my family
members history of skin cancer.

fatal causing death The doctor made

adj a fatal error when he wrote
the wrong prescription.

fever noun higher than normal He is very feverish, and

feverish adj body temperature his temperature is near
danger point.

flu (influenza) many types of People who have

noun respiratory or the flu should not visit
intestinal infections hospital patients.
passed on through a
virus

fracture noun broken or cracked Your wrist is fractured and

fractured adj bone needs a cast.

germ a micro-organism, Flowers are not allowed in

noun especially one that the ward to avoid the risk
causes disease of germsbeing brought in.

genetic a medical condition or The disease is

adj physical feature that is part genetic and part
passed on in the environmental.
family
growth a ball of tissue that That growth on your
noun grows bigger than shoulder is starting to
normal, either on or worry me.
under the skin

heart attack instance in which People who smoke are at

noun blood stops pumping greater risk of having
through the heart a heart attack.

HIV the virus that infects HIV can be passed down

noun the human T-cells and from the mother to her
leads to AIDS fetus.

hives bumps that appear on I broke out in hives after I

noun the surface of the skin ate that potato casserole.
during an allergic
reaction

illness noun general term for any Her illness went away
ill adj condition that makes a when she started eating
person feel sick for a better.
certain period of time

immune the parts of the body You can't have visitors

system that fight diseases, because your immune
noun infections, and viruses system is low.

immunizationn an injection that Babies

oun protects against a are immunized three
immunize verb specific disease times in their first year.

incision cut in the body made I had to have stitches to

noun during surgery close theincision.

inconclusive unclear We have to do more x-rays

adj because the first ones
wereinconclusive.

infant young baby The nurse will demonstrate

noun how to bathe an infant.

infection noun diseased area of the The wound should be

infected adj body (viral or covered when you swim to
bacterial) prevent it from
becoming infected.

inflamed appearance (red and My right ankle was

adj swollen) of an injured so inflamedit was twice
body part the size of my left one.

injury damage to the body Her injuries were minor;

noun just a few cuts and bruises.

intensive care section of the hospital She will remain in the ICU
unit (ICU) where patients get until she can breathe on
noun constant attention and her own.
doctors rely on
specialized equipment

internal under the skin, inside The doctors will be

adj the organs monitoring her for
any internal bleeding.

itchy feeling discomfort on If you are allergic to this

adj the skin's surface medication your skin will
get red and itchy.

IV a tube that pumps The toddler was so

noun liquids and medication dehydrated that the doctor
into a patient's body decided to get him on
an IV.

lab results tests that come back The lab results have
noun from a laboratory and come in and you are free
help doctors make a to go home.
diagnosis

lab place where samples of I'll take these samples

(laboratory) blood/urine etc. are down to thelab on my way
noun taken for testing out.

life support a machine that keeps The woman has severe

noun patients alive by helping brain damage and is
them breathe currently on life support.
life- when injuries and The victim was shot in two
threatening conditions are extremely places but the bullet
adj serious wounds are not life-
threatening.

light-headed feeling of dizziness and If you are feeling light-

adj being off-balance, headedagain, lie down
caused by lack of oxygen and call me.
in the brain

malignant expected to grow and I'm afraid at least one of

adj get much worse the tumours is malignant.
(especially related to
cancerous cells)

medical place where someone After eight years

school (med. trains to be a doctor of medical schoolI can
school) finally practice medicine.
noun

newborn an infant that is less than You have to support her

noun three months old neck because she is still
a newborn.

numb no feeling in a certain The needle will make your

adj body part lower body feel numb.

OR the place where major You must wear a face mask

(operating surgeries and operations and gloves while you are in
room) take place the OR.
noun

operationnou a medical procedure that The operation lasted

n involves going inside a seven hours, but it was
operate person's body in an successful.
onverb attempt to fix a problem

pain strong discomfort in We gave your husband

noun certain areas of the body some medicine to relieve
some of thepain.

pain killer, type of medicine that You can take two pain
pain reliever takes away some or all of
noun the discomfort of an killers every four hours.
illness or injury

paralyzed unable to move certain We thought her legs

adj areas of the body wereparalyzed for life, but
she is learning how to
walk.

patient a person staying in a The patients in Room 4

noun hospital or medical are not getting along.
facility

pharmacist a person who fills a Ask the pharmacist if

noun doctor's prescription and there is a generic brand of
gives people advice this medication.
about medication

pharmacy, a place where people go You should be able to buy a

drugstore to buy medication and bandage at
noun other medical supplies the pharmacy.

physician doctor Ask your

noun family physician to refer
you to a specialist.

poison noun a substance that is very The child was bitten by

poisonousadj dangerous if it enters the apoisonous snake.
human body

prenatal of the time period The woman was well

adj leading up to giving birth prepared for labour
because she took
theprenatal classes.

prescriptionn the correct amount and You will need to visit your
oun type of medication doctor to get
prescribeverb needed to cure an illness another prescription.
or relieve symptoms

privacy noun being alone; personal (eg You will have to pay for
private adj test results) a privatehospital room if
you don't want a room-
 mate.

radiation high energy X-rays that If the radiation doesn't kill

noun destroy cancer cells all of the abnormal cells,
the cancer will come back.

residency part of a doctor's training John is a resident under

resident that takes place in the Dr Brown.
noun hospital;
a student working under
a doctor

routine a doctor's appointment I'd like to see you a year

check-up to check a person's from now for a routine
noun general health check-up.

scrubs plain uniform (usually I have some

noun green, white, or blue) extra scrubs in my locker.
worn by medical
professionals

scrub up carefully wash hands I have to scrub up and get

verb before and after seeing a ready for surgery.
patient

second input from a second I went to another doctor to

opinion doctor about an illness or get asecond
noun symptom opinion about these
headaches.

seizure sudden violent People who suffer from

noun movements or epilepsy are prone
unconsciousness caused to seizures.
by electrical signal
malfunction in the brain

shock body not getting enough The woman was

noun blood flow in shock after being pulled
from the river.

side effects other symptoms that One of the side effects of

noun might occur as a result of antidepressants is a loss of
a certain medication or
 procedure appetite.

sore painful I have a sore throat and a

adj runny nose.

spasm the uncontrollable Ever since I injured my leg

noun tightening of a muscle I've been having
muscle spasms in my
upper thigh.

specialist a doctor that is an expert My family doctor is sending

noun in a certain kind of me to aspecialist.
medicine

sprain an injury (less serious I sprained my knee

noun/verb than a break) to a joint playing soccer.
(ankle, wrist, knee etc)

stable a patient is stable if their You can see your husband

condition medical condition is no now; he is in a stable
noun longer changing rapidly condition.

sting sharp, temporary pain It may sting when I insert

noun/verb the needle.

stress noun worry that causes You need to take some

stressed adj muscles to tighten and time off work and relieve
blood pressure to rise some of yourstress.

swellingnoun ligaments (parts that I knew my ankle was

swollen adj hold the joints together) sprained because it was
growing bigger and so swollen.
rounder after an injury to
a joint

symptoms pain or physical changes You have all of

noun that occur because of an the symptoms of a
illness or disease diabetic.

temperature amount of heat We brought Jesse to

noun measured in a body; emergency because he
higher than normal was running a
 temperature (high)temperature.

tender painful when touched or The incision

adj used was tender after the
surgery.

test results medical information that The test results came

noun helps doctors understand back negative. You aren't
a patient's condition or pregnant.
body

therapy treatment aimed at I was able to go back to

noun improving a person's work a few weeks after
mental or physical starting the therapy.
condition

transplant moving of an organ from The

noun one human to another heart transplant saved
your life.

ultrasound a test that examines the The ultrasound shows

noun body's internal organs that we are expecting a
and processes using baby boy.
sound waves (often used
during pregnancies)

umbilical the lifeline from the I had an emergency C-

cord mother to the fetus section because
noun (when cut at birth this the umbilical cord was
forms the belly button) wrapped around the baby's
neck.

unconscious alive, but appearing to I hit my head on the

adj be asleep and unaware steering wheel and was
of the surroundings still unconscious when
the ambulance arrived.

urine sample a small amount of the The urine sample tells us

noun body's liquid waste that how much alcohol is in
is tested for different your blood.
medical reasons

vein the thin tubes that I'm just looking for the
 noun transport blood around best vein in which to insert
the body and back to the the needle.
heart

virus a dangerous organism The virus is contractable

noun that causes the spread of through the exchange of
minor and major bodily fluids.
diseases

visiting hours time of day when friends I'm afraid you'll have to
noun and family are allowed to come back during visiting
visit patients in hospital hours.

vomit discharge of a person The pregnant woman can't

noun/verb stomach contents stopvomiting.
through the mouth

ward a section of a hospital or I should warn you that

noun health facility where we're entering the mental
patients stay health ward.

wheelchair a chair on wheels used If you get in

noun for transporting patients the wheelchair I'll take
from place to place you down to see the
garden.

wound noun injury to body ("flesh The wounded soldiers are

wounded adj wound" means not deep) being airlifted to the
hospital.

x-ray a photograph of a The technician took x-

noun/verb person's bones and rays of my shoulder to
organs make sure it wasn't
broken.

Medical Specialists and Referrals in English

Medical specialists are experts in certain fields of medicine. They

either treat specific parts of the body, such as the back or the brain, or they
specialize in certain diseases, such as cancer. Family doctors keep a list of
local specialists and can help patients choose the right specialist for each
medical issue. In many cases specialists require a referral from a family
doctor before they will see a patient.
Vocabulary
allergist
specializes in determining food and environmental allergies
anesthesiologist
specializes in pain prevention during surgery
cardiologist
heart specialist
chiropractor
back specialist
dentist
tooth specialist
dermatologist
skin specialist
fertility specialist
helps people who have difficulty getting pregnant
gynecologist
specializes in women's needs
massage therapist
specializes in muscle relaxation
midwife
helps women deliver babies in a natural way
naturopath
specializes in natural cures and remedies
neurologist
brain specialist
obstetrician
specialist for pregnant women
occupational therapist
specializes in workplace health
oncologist
tumour specialist, including cancer
ophthalmologist
specializes in eye diseases
pediatrician
specialist for babies and children
physical therapist
specializes in the body's movement
podiatrist
foot specialist
psychiatrist
specialist in mental health
radiologist
specializes in imaging tests

https://www.englishclub.com/english-for-work/medical-vocabulary.htm

H ow do I say I have a headache in English? What if I get sick and I dont know how to
explain my symptoms to the doctor?

Dont give up, Diana and I want to help you so youll be able to express your illnesses in English
and thats why we have made a new learning guide. This time its a complete English vocabulary
list about the most common types of pain and illnesses.

Lets begin with a general question:

How do you feel?

I feel
Sick
Tired
Nauseated
Like I have a fever
Im burning up
Like my head is going to explode

The types of pain that you can suffer are:

Sharp
Dull
Throbbing
Tingling sensation
Burning
Ache

Lets specify and concentrate on the pains and illnesses related to the head, nose, throat,
stomach, muscles and skin.

Head
Headache
Fever
concussion
Nose
Nosebleed
Sneeze
Runny nose
Itchy nose
Sore nose

Throat
Cough
Dry Throat
Sore Throat

Stomach
Stomach ache
Vomit
Nausea

Muscles
Cramps
Strain

Skin
Rash
Burn
Cut
Graze
Bruise
Fracture
Sunburn
Bite
Sting
Blister

Its also worthy to know some of the typical illnesses such as:

Cold
Flu
Mumps
Depression
Measles
AIDS
Cancer
Diabetes
Herpes
STD (Sexually Transmitted disease)
Skin fungus
Anemia
Anorexia
Dehydration
An Ear Ache
Hemorroides
Hypertension
Obesity
Varicose veins
Vertigo
Asthma
Bird flu
Osteoporosis
Gastritis
Heartburn
Cardiovascular disease

Some examples

I havent had a cold for 3 months.

I only eat soup when I have the flu.

I get headaches if I drink too much coffee or coke.

The boxer got hit in the face and got a nosebleed.

I usually get a fever when I have the flu.

My sister got a concussion when she fell of her bike.

I was cleaning my office last week, and there was so much dust that I started sneezing.

Do you have a Kleenex? I have a runny nose.

My nose is always itchy in the spring, because of all the pollen.

When I have a cold, I blow my nose so much that it gets really sore.

Did you know there are different kinds of coughs? Dry coughs and wet ones too.

How do you deal with a sore throat?

I always get a stomach ache after eating theatre popcorn.

I hate vomiting. I have very little control over it and tend to just vomit where I am.

Whenever I get nausea I drink some ginger ale that I have let go flat (released the gas).

After my gym class my muscles are sore but they are not strained.

Lots of women get cramps during their periods.

I dont have sensitive skin but I get a rash if I wear anything made of gold.

I burnt my hand last year with oil, when I was frying potato chips.

One of the most painful cuts is a paper cut.

Last weekend I fell of my bike and grazed my hands.

The man got punched in the face and it left a purple bruise around his eye.

She fractured some ribs after falling on the ski hill.

Tourists always seem to get sunburns at the beach

Mosquito bites are so itchy.

I have never been stung by a bee.