ESL Podcast 403 - Understanding Drug Labels
medication - medicine; a liquid or pill that one swallows to treat a disease or illness and/or to begin to feel better
The doctor asked whether we were taking any medications for high blood pressure.
pharmacy - a store that sells medicine and other things
I need to go to the pharmacy to buy some more aspirin for my headache.
label - a small piece of paper that is put on a bottle with writing, stating the name of the product, what is in it, and how it should be used
According to the label, this bottle of wine is from Napa Valley, California.
active ingredients - the things that are put in a medication and can affect one's health
These pills are purple, but the purple coloring isn't listed in the active ingredients since it isn't really part of the medicine.
warning - a statement describing a danger that might happen; a statement letting one know of a risk
Cigarette packages have warnings stating that smoking is bad for your health.
to watch out for (something) - to look for something that might happen; to be aware that something dangerous or bad might happen
Watch out for cars before you cross the street!
allergic reaction - something bad that one's body does when it is exposed to a certain type of chemical, food, or other things
If Mitch eats lobster, he has a strong allergic reaction where his skin turns red and it becomes difficult for him to breathe.
seal - a small piece of plastic or thin metal that is glued to a bottle so that what is inside cannot get out, and must be taken off before one can use what is in the bottle
The ketchup wouldn't come out of the bottle, because Hung forgot to take off the seal.
cap - a plastic lid on a bottle, usually that must be turned to come off
It's very difficult to get the cap off of this bottle of vitamins.
to be on the safe side - a phrase used to show that one is doing something for prevention, or to make sure that something bad doesn't happen, even though it might not be necessary
Janet always checks three times that her doors are locked at night, just to be on the safe side.
dosage - how much medicine one should take, and how often; the amount and frequency with which a medicine should be taken
The dosage for this medicine is one teaspoon every three hours.
to exceed - to take or do more of something than the limit or that is generally believed to be a good or safe amount
Randall was driving 80 miles per hour and got a ticket for exceeding the maximum speed limit of 65 miles per hour.
prescription - a medicine that can be bought only with a doctor's written permission
Why do you take prescription vitamins? Can't you just take the regular ones?
drowsiness - sleepiness; the feeling of being very tired
Gretel was obviously very tired, and seeing her drowsiness made me tired too.
dizziness - the feeling that the room is moving, maybe in circles, when actually nothing is moving; the feeling that one might fall down for no reason
Cailee started complaining about dizziness, so we asked her to sit down and gave her a glass of water.
to impair - to make something worse; to make something not work as well as it normally does
Her vision is impaired, so she has to wear thick glasses.
childproof - a container that is designed for safety and is difficult or impossible for children to open
Some childproof containers are so difficult to open that even adults can't open them.