Confusing Words

COULD / MIGHT

Could denotes potentiality; might suggests possibility.

e.g. Don't play with the knife; you might accidentally hurt yourself.

e.g. Could you close the window, please?

Accountable to / Accountable for

Accountable to means responsible to someone; accountable for means responsible for something or having to explain.

e.g. The Manager has to be accountable to the Board; he has to be accountable for all his business decisions.

Genteel / Gentle

Genteel: well-bred, polite; imitating the lifestyle of the rich.

e.g. Your friend is genteel. Is he really rich?

e.g. All along he has been living in genteel poverty. He is not practical.

Gentle:  soft and well-behaved.

e.g. He is a gentleman: he is especially gentle with the ladies.

Ingenious / Ingenuous

Ingenious is clever;  ingenuous is natural, free from deceit.

e.g. I must say that was an ingenious way to fund the project.

e.g. The Mayor's response to the questions from the reporter was sincere and ingenuous.

All / All of

All is used for amount, quantity, distance, and length of time.

e.g. all the money, all the way, all day, all night,

All of is used when a simple pronoun follows.

e.g. all of it, all of you, all of us.

All and all of may be used when it refers to number.

e.g. All or all of the employees are satisfied with the new policy.

e.g. All or all of the children in the family have gone to college.

ENGLISH WORDS AND PHRASES FREQUENTLY CONFUSED AND MISUSED

Words are neither effective nor ineffective; they just impart different meanings to the sentences in which they are used. It is the writer's effective use of words and phrases that makes sentences effective or ineffective.

The English language is made up of nearly a million words and phrases. A writer, especially one whose English is not his or her first language, may face two major problems in writing: not knowing "enough" words; and not knowing how to choose the "right" words. 

Writing is made up of words. Effective writing requires having a good stock of vocabulary, as well as selecting the most suitable words and phrases to express the intended ideas.

There are many English words and phrases that are frequently confused and misused by ESL learners. This book provides hundreds of those words and phrases with examples.

Stephen Lau     

Copyright© by Stephen Lau

Autoimmune Disease

 

MY MYASTHENIA GRAVIS

All About . . . .

Myasthenia gravis is one of the many autoimmune diseases, which, according to contemporary Western medicine, offer no known cure, except controlling or suppressing their many disease symptoms.

This book is based on the author's own experience of battling against his myasthenia gravis: how he stopped all his medications through a holistic approach to controlling and managing the disease. This book provides insight and well-researched information that he would like to share with those who are afflicted with myasthenia gravis or any other autoimmune disease.

Albert Einstein once said: "There are two ways to live: you can live as if nothing is a miracle; you can live as if everything is a miracle." Believe in the miracle of self-healing. Healing comes only from within, and not from any external source. Every individual should avail every opportunity to initiate the self-healing process, which is innate in the human body. Just believing in the miracle of self-cure, however, is not enough; you must also empower yourself with knowledge and information to overcome myasthenia gravis through a holistic approach to the wellness of the body, the mind, and the spirit.

This book covers every aspect of holistic health to cope with autoimmunity: body detox, diet, lifestyle changes, exercises for muscle weakness, and mental relaxation techniques for vision problems associated with myasthenia gravis. "The human body experiences a powerful gravitational pull in the direction of hope. That is why the patient's hopes are the physician's secret weapon. They are the hidden ingredients in any prescription." (Norman Cousins) Find your own ingredients in your prescription for a cure of your myasthenia gravis.

The above is what this book is all about. Click here to get your copy from AMAZON.

The  Outline of the Book . . . .

CHAPTER ONE: AUTOIMMUNITY

AUTOIMMUNITY
Autoimmune Diseases
What are the potential causes?
Who are more at risk?
THE IMMUNE SYSTEM
The Cellular Health
How Body Cells May Become Damaged
The Damages by Free Radicals
Boosting Immunity
Protecting the Immune System

CHAPTER TWO: MY STORY

MYASTHENIA GRAVIS
MY STORY
My Conditions
My Treatment
My Rude Awakening
The Road to Self-Healing

CHAPTER THREE: UNDERSTANDING SELF-HEALING

THE MIRACLE OF SELF-HEALING
THE ESSENTIALS OF SELF-HEALING
The Power of the Mind
Changing the Subconscious Mind to Heal
Optimizing Subliminal Messages

CHAPTER FOUR: STEP 1 - STOP ALL DANGEROUS DRUGS

NO CURE FOR AUTOIMMUNE DISEASES
Steroid Therapy
The Dangers of Drugs
Take control of your health and escape the sickness industry

CHAPTER FIVE: STEP 2 - INTERNAL CLEANSING

A TOXIC BODY 
Sources of Toxins
Common Symptoms of a Toxic Body
INTERNAL CLEANSING
Different Ways of Detoxification
Fasting to detoxify
Skin brushing to detoxify
Foot patches to detoxify
Hydrotherapy to detoxify
Exercise to detoxify
Foods to detoxify
Herbs to detoxify

CHAPTER SIX: STEP 3 - FOODS AS MEDICINE

USE FOODS TO BALANCE ACID-ALKALINE LEVELS TO HEAL THE IMMUNE SYSTEM
Acidification
Sources of acidification
Diseases caused by acidification
Symptoms of excess acidification
Measuring acid-alkaline levels
Foods to balance acid-alkaline levels
FOLLOW THE BASICS OF EATING FOR A HEALTHY IMMUNE SYSTEM
Eating to Live, Not Living to Eat
Eating Less, Not More
Eating Frequently, Not Three Time a Day
Eating Living Foods, Not Dead Foods
Eating Sea Salt, Not Table Salt
Eating No Refined Sugar
Eating Raw Occasionally
Chewing Thoroughly
Smart Cooking
FOODS FOR THE IMMUNE SYSTEM
Chlorella
Wheat Grass
FOODS TO BOOST THE IMMUNE SYSTEM
Apples
Brown Rice
Garlic
Sea Vegetables
Sweet Potatoes and Yams
DRINK TO HEAL THE IMMUNE SYSTEM
Burdock and Daikon Drink
Four Greens Drink
Pine Needles Drink
FOODS FOR BALANCE AND HARMONY
The Yin and Yang Diet
The Five Elements
FOODS TO AVOID FOR PROTECTION OF THE IMMUNE SYSTEM
Sugar
Suggested sugar replacements for healthy eating for a healthy immune system
Dairy Products
Soy

CHAPTER SEVEN: STEP 4 - LIFESTYLE CHANGES TO HEAL

CIGARETTE SMOKING
The Health Hazards
Secondhand smoke
Quitting the Habit
ALCOHOL DRINKING
Beer Drinking
STRESS
Understanding the Causes of Stress in Your Life
Ways to Handle Stress
Stress Management
Perceptions of stress
Long-term measures to manage stress
Manage stress the Chinese way
Dealing with Life’s Problems

CHAPTER EIGHT: STEP 5 - RELAXATION TO BOOST IMMUNITY

STRESS
Signs and Symptoms of Stress
SLEEP
OTHER RELAXATION TECHNIQUES
Deep Relaxation
Meditation
How to meditate
How to breathe right to meditate and to relax
Mind Aerobics
Color Therapy
Mental Attention
Intense presence of the mind
Mind training to focus on the present moment

CHAPTER NINE: STEP 6 - OVERCOME MUSCLE WEAKNESS

MUSCLE WEAKNESS
Yoga
Qi Gong
YOGA ROUTINE FOR MUSCLE STRENGTH
CHAPTER TEN: STEP 7 - OVERCOME VISION PROBLEMS
WEAK EYE MUSCLES
DOUBLE VISION
EYE RELAXATION
Relax the Body to Relax the Eye
Self-Massage to Relax the Eye
Facial and eye massage
Rub the eye
Acupressure for eye massage and eye relaxation
Eye Exercises to Relax the Eye
Regular eye relaxation
Palming to relax the eye
The "8" eye exercise for relaxation and flexibility
The Taoist squeeze-and-open eye exercise for blood circulation to relax the eye
Learning how to blink
Yawning to cleanse and relax the eye
Stretching eye muscles for relaxation
Strengthening Vision
CHAPTER ELEVEN: FINAL WORDS OF WISDOM
BIBLIOGRAPHY



MY MYASTHENIA GRAVIS

English and American Idioms

Give someone or something a wide berth: keep someone or something at a distance
e.g. That dog is very fierce. We’d better give it a wide berth.

e.g. Your Mom is in a foul mood; give her a wide berth.

As plain as day: plain and simple
e.g. The briefing was as plain as day; nobody had to ask any question.

All at sea: confused
e.g. The lawyer was all at sea when he read the two conflicting reports of the incident.

Odd man out: atypical person or thing
e.g. Everybody has a partner, and you are an odd man out because you don’t have one.

Take the bull by the horns: deal with the challenge directly

e.g. This is a very difficult situation, but we must take the bull by the horns.

Accountable for: able to explain why

e.g. You have to be accountable for every decision you are going to make.

Actions speak louder than words: do something about it, not just talking about it
e.g. Show me what you have done! Actions speak louder than words.

Vested interest: a personal stake

e.g. He showed a vested interest in his uncle’s business.

Leave someone holding the bag: leave someone to take all the blame
e.g. The manager was responsible for the bankruptcy, but the assistant manager was left holding the bag.

A little bird told me: somehow I knew

e.g. “How did you know what I did?” “Well, a little bird told me.”

Eat like a horse: eat a lot

e.g. They won’t invite you to dinner next time; just now you ate like a horse.

Above all: most importantly

e.g. Above all, you must have a valid visa if you wish to continue to stay in the United States.

Go for broke: make great effort; risk everything

e.g. To win his re-election, the Mayor would go for broke.

Mind one’s p’s and q’s: pay attention to one’s manners

e.g. When you meet the President, you must mind your p’s and q’s.

Run in the family: a characteristic in all members of a family

e.g. Longevity runs in the family: they all live to a ripe old age.

All at sea: confused

e.g. The lawyer was all at sea when he read the two conflicting reports of the incident.

Act one’s age: behave maturely
e.g. Stop behaving like a teenager! Act your age.

You bet: yes, of course

e.g. “Are you hungry?” “You bet!”

AMERICAN IDIOMS

Stephen Lau

Copyright© by Stephen Lau

Everyday Slang for ESL Learners

In the raw: naked.

e.g. Did you see that man on the street? He was dancing in the raw.

Go down with: be accepted or approved by.

e.g. The President's speech went down with the Spanish community.

Not so dusty: quite good.

e.g. Well the performance was not so dusty; much better than I expected.

Go one better than: surpass.

e.g. He went one better than his sister in playing the piano.

Get out of bed of the wrong side: be irritable.

e.g. Your Mom seems to have got out of bed on the wrong side.

Drive up the wall: irritate intensely.

e.g. Don't drive me up the wall every time I see you.

In the clear: innocent.

e.g. I know you didn't do it; the investigation will put you in the clear.

Gift of the gab: ability to give effective speeches.

e.g. The new Mayor has the gift of the gab: people like listening to him.

Keep one's head above water: stay out of debt or a difficult situation.

e.g. In this economic environment, it is not easy to keep your head above water.

Fine weather for ducks: very wet weather.

e.g. "It's raining cats and dogs." "Fine weather for ducks."

Do one's bit: do one's share of responsibility.

e.g. I've done my bit; I hope it's going to work.

Stephen Lau     

Copyright© by Stephen Lau

FREE BOOK: "Angry No More" 3/30 and 3/31

 

Angry No More

Aging begins as early as late twenties or early thirties, and accelerates as time progresses. Aging causes many problems leading to pain and suffering, and ultimately death. Successful aging requires living in reality.

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