Урок читання для старшої школи на тему Здоровий спосіб життя

Health and Lifestyle   Ice Baths Popular, But Health Claims Not Supported by Evidence

Duration 50 min

Reading lesson (Finding evidence in the text for your answer)

Vocabulary hormone, Zen, immersion, sauna, stress, paranoia, calorie, dopamine, endorphin rush, weight loss

Goal : to develop reading skills, enrich vocabulary

Learning outcomes : By the end of the lesson ss will be able to answer questions on the article and find evidence in the text. To explain the effects of cold water immersion on human body using active vocabulary

Procedure

1 Lead in

Look at the picture and describe it. Why do you think this person is doing that? Have you ever done that? What did you feel?

2. First reading (scanning) Read the article quickly. Which two possible negative effects of cold water immersion does it mention? (paranoia and aggression)

3. Exam strategy clue : When you find evidence in the text that supports an answer, underline it and note which question it refers to. If you do that, you can find it again easily when you are checking all your answers at the end.

4. Read the text and answer the questions. (Quiz)

Ice baths are a popular subject on American social media pages. Kim Kardashian, Harry Styles, Kristen Bell, Lizzo, and other stars have posted about their cold water experiences.

Health claims surrounding ice baths include improved mood, increased energy, weight loss and reduced inflammation. But the science linked to some of those claims is not very strong.

Here is what medical evidence, experts and fans say about cold water baths, an activity that dates back hundreds of years.

The mind

Since June 2020, Dan O’Conor has jumped into Lake Michigan almost daily. The 55-year-old man lives in the city of Chicago.

O’Conor used the term endorphins - “feel good” hormones released in reaction to pain, stress, exercise and other activities – to talk about his experience.

“The endorphin rush … is an incredible way to wake up and just kind of shock the body and get the engine going,” he said on a recent morning when the air temperature was minus-5 Celsius.

With the lake temperature at 1 degree Celsius, O’Conor did a running jump into the icy gray water.

His first jump came early in the pandemic. O’Conor had too much alcohol and his wife was angry at him. She told him to “go jump in the lake.” The common saying is not usually received as a real command.

But, O’Conor acted on it.

He says the water felt good that June day, so he kept jumping in every day following. As the water grew colder with seasonal change, the good effect was even greater, he said.

“My mental health is a lot stronger, a lot brighter. I found some zen down here coming down and jumping into the lake and shocking that body,” O’Conor said.

Dr. Will Cronenwett of Northwestern University’s Feinberg medical school tried cold-water immersion once while visiting Scandinavian friends. After a sauna, he jumped into the ice-cold water for a few minutes. He said it was a powerful experience.

But Cronenwett says studying cold water immersion with a kind of scientific study known as a randomized controlled trial is difficult. This is because it is hard to develop a placebo for cold water baths.

A placebo is something that has no effect. Placebos are important because scientific tests need to compare the possible effect of something with something else that does not have any physical effect.

Possible effects on the mind

There are a few ideas about how cold water immersion affects the mind.

Cronenwett says it makes the part of the nervous system that controls the resting state more active. Such an effect may increase feelings of well-being.

Cold water immersion also affects the part of the nervous system that controls the fight-or-flight stress reaction. Cold water treatment on a usual basis may reduce that reaction. So, Cronenwett said, it might help people feel better able to deal with other stresses in their lives, although that is not proven.

Czech researchers found that cold water immersion can increase blood levels of dopamine — another hormone — by 250 percent. High amounts have been linked with paranoia and aggression, noted James Mercer of the Arctic University of Norway. Mercer co-wrote a recent scientific paper that examined studies on the treatment.

The heart

Cold water immersion raises blood pressure and increases stress on the heart. Studies have shown this is safe for healthy people and the effects are only temporary.

But sometimes these effects can cause the heart to beat unevenly and can cause death, Cronenwett said. People with heart conditions or a family history of early heart disease should talk with a doctor before doing cold water immersion, he said.

Metabolism

Repeated cold-water immersions during colder seasons have been shown to improve how the body reacts to insulin, a hormone that controls blood sugar levels, Mercer noted.

This might help reduce the risk of getting diabetes. It also might help people with the disease control it. More study is required to know for sure.

Cold water immersion also activates brown fat. This tissue helps keep the body warm and helps it control blood sugar and insulin levels. It also helps the body burn calories.

I’m John Russell.

Lindsey Tanner reported on this story for the Associated Press. John Russell adapted it for VOA Learning English.

1. Which of the following is a health claim about ice baths?

1. Improved mood
2. Weight loss
3. Reduced inflammation
4. All of the above

Health claims surrounding ice baths include improved mood, increased energy, weight loss and reduced inflammation.

2. What does the story say about randomized control trials and cold water immersion?

a) These studies show improvements in blood sugar control.

b) Such studies are difficult because it is hard to make a placebo.

c) These studies show improvements in inflammation levels.

d) Such studies show no health effects of cold water immersion.

But Cronenwett says studying cold water immersion with a kind of scientific study known as a randomized controlled trial is difficult. This is because it is hard to develop a placebo for cold water baths.

3. What did Czech researchers find about cold water immersion and hormones?

1. Cold water immersion increases serotonin levels for a few hours.
2. Cold water immersion decreases endorphin levels for 24 hours.
3. Cold water immersion can increase blood levels of dopamine.
4. Cold water immersion decreases serotonin levels for a few minutes.

Czech researchers found that cold water immersion can increase blood levels of dopamine — another hormone — by 250 percent.

4. What does the story say about heart conditions and cold water immersion?

a) Studies suggest that cold water immersion can improve heart function.

b) Studies suggest that cold water immersion damages the heart’s lining.

c) People who have heart conditions should try cold water immersion for small amounts of time.

d) People who have heart conditions should talk with a doctor before trying cold water immersion.

People with heart conditions or a family history of early heart disease should talk with a doctor before doing cold water immersion, he said.

5. True/False questions

1) Cold water treatment on a usual basis may reduce stress.

2) Cold water immersion can cause mental disorder.

3) Scientists are working on a placebo of cold water immersion.

4) It’s safe for all people to try cold water emersion.

6.Vocabulary. Take part in a game to memorize vocabulary Quizlet

https://quizlet.com/_ctipoj?x=1jqt&i=y29iz

7. Speaking. Prepare a dialogue Student A You’re a cold water immersion fan Encourage your friend to join you next time. Use words and phrases from the lesson. Student B Your friend has invited you to join them and he is very persistent