Feeling better: what can I trust?
Seif wakes up with a sore throat and feels warm. His grandmother says warm tea will make his throat feel nicer. His mum puts a cold towel on his forehead. An advert on TV says a medicine will make fevers vanish quickly. His little sister Habiba says he should eat carrots. Who should he trust? Warm tea and a cold towel only give comfort. They do not cure an illness. An advert wants to sell something, so we should not rely on it. Carrots are healthy food, but they are not a treatment. A fever or pain needs a grown-up, and often a doctor, who knows what to do. A grown-up can take your temperature with a thermometer. Never take any medicine unless a grown-up who knows gives it to you. When you choose advice to trust, ask: who says this, do they know about health, and do they want to sell me something?
| Advice | From | What it does | Trust it? |
|---|---|---|---|
| warm tea | grandmother | comfort for a sore throat | as comfort only |
| cold towel | mum | comfort | as comfort only |
| quick-cure advert | TV | tries to sell | no |
| carrots | little sister | healthy food, not a treatment | no, not as a treatment |
What can I trust? Tell a partner a story about a time you were ill: what happened at the beginning, in the middle and at the end, and who helped you. Say which advice was comfort and which needed a grown-up or a doctor. Then watch or read an advert with a grown-up and ask the three questions. Never take medicine on your own.