HESI A2 Reading Comprehension Related

PHOTOTHERAPY:
Phototherapy, commonly referred to as light therapy, has been an established form of medicine for more than a century. In recent years it has become closely associated with seasonal affective disorder, of which it is an effective and well-known treatment, but it is also used to treat a broad range of medical issues including acne, psoriasis, and eczema.
The most common form of light therapy involves a patient sitting in front of a medically designed light box for a prescribed amount of time every morning. The light is positioned at an exact distance from the patient's eyes so that it strikes both the skin and the retina. The light box mimics the effects of natural sunlight, but the UV rays are filtered to ensure there is no damage to the patient's skin or eyes. Phototherapy is thought to be a safe method of reducing the amount of bacteria on the skin, reducing inflammatory responses, and affecting the chemicals in the brain associated with mood.
One of the most recent technologies to be associated with phototherapy is the phototherapy blanket. In the late 1960s it was discovered that phototherapy can be used to treat jaundice in newborn babies. Neonatal jaundice, a yellowing of the skin in newborn infants due to excess bilirubin levels in the blood, is usually harmless but can cause brain damage if left untreated. Newborns are given a phototherapy blanket, a small pad with flexible LED light panels sewn into the fabric, to sleep with until their livers are able to process the excess bilirubin.
The many benefits of phototherapy make it a valuable resource for addressing a variety of ailments. Emerging innovations in LED and photo technologies ensure that many more practical applications will be developed for this particular form of treatment in the years to come.

Which statement would not be inferred by the reader?

• A. Some forms of phototherapy have been around for decades.
• B. New applications of phototherapy continue to be developed.
• C. Phototherapy is most often used to treat skin problems.
• D. Ultraviolet rays can cause damage to eyes and skin.

VEGETERIAN DIET:
By studying the role diet might have in the prevention of cancer, recent studies have also noted that a vegetarian, or meatless, diet can help improve a person's overall health. A true vegetarian diet consists of a variety of grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and pulses—edible seeds from legumes such as peas, beans, and lentils. A modified vegetarian diet, known as lacto-ovo vegetarian, may include dairy products and eggs. A vegan diet excludes any food with animal origins, including butter, eggs, and honey.
When properly planned, a true vegetarian diet can provide a person with all essential nutrients, protein, and carbohydrates. In one study, researchers at Oxford University noted that overall, a vegetarian diet is lower in saturated fats and higher in fiber than other diets. The study noted that people who followed a vegetarian diet were generally found to have lower cholesterol and lower BMI (a measure of body fat based on a person's weight and height) and to be at a lower risk for certain types of heart disease. From the evidence presented, researchers suggested that the adoption of a vegetarian diet could prevent more than 30,000 deaths a year that are attributed to heart disease.
Other available information indicates that vegetarians live, on average, seven years longer than meat eaters do. Throughout the world, breast, colon, and prostate cancers are more common among people who have a high-fat, high-meat, low-fiber diet. Former Surgeon General C. Everett Coop has said that diet is a factor in 70 percent of all people who die from disease in the United States. On the whole, vegetarians are less likely to be afflicted with chronic diseases than those who make meat a centerpiece of their diet.

What is the author's attitude toward vegetarianism?

• A. Scoffing
• B. Positive
• C. Cautious
• D. Uninterested

EXERCISE:
It sounds contradictory, but here is some new advice for people who are feeling unusually tired: get out and get some exercise. Studies have shown that regular, low-impact workouts such as short strolls or brief bike rides can help increase overall energy levels by 20 percent and decrease fatigue levels by 65 percent. In other words, if you are feeling tired, the best way to feel more energetic is to get some exercise.
This advice is based on a study done by the University of Georgia's Exercise Pathology Lab. Three dozen people who did not get any kind of regular exercise yet consistently felt exhausted were divided into three groups. One group did not exercise at all. A second group worked out intensively on an exercise bike three times a week. The third group also worked out but at a slower pace. Of the two groups that exercised, both reported a 20 percent increase in energy levels. However, the group that exercised at a more leisurely pace stated that they experienced far less fatigue than the high-intensity group.
This was not the first study to point out a link between regular exercise and energy levels. The same team that conducted it also published one several years ago that stated that low-impact exercise can also help reduce fatigue in patients with serious health conditions such as heart disease and cancer. Clearly, it is time to get off the couch and onto the track.

Which statement could be inferred from the passage?

• A. The Georgia lab had conducted a previous study on the connection between exercise and energy.
• B. Exercise regimes are not recommended for patients with serious health problems.
• C. An increase in energy levels does not always correspond directly to a reduction in fatigue.
• D. There were fewer than 10 participants in each group in the Georgia study.

Without a doubt, one of the biggest risks to the elderly today is falling. It is also one of the most common accidents that people age 65 and older experience. Some just receive a few bumps and bruises, while others are hurt so badly that they cannot ever fully recover. U.S. health officials surveyed thousands of elderly people and found that approximately one in six of them had fallen in the past three months. A third of these people sustained considerable injuries, including the most dreaded break of all, a hip fracture. Approximately 16,000 people even died from the injuries they suffered, whereas even more were left completely disabled.

Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) epidemiologist Judy Stevens stated, "It's a tremendous public health problem because so many older adults are affected." It only takes one fall to completely steal an older person's self-confidence. According to a CDC report, "Even when those injuries are minor, they can seriously affect older adults' quality of life by inducing a fear of falling, which can lead to self-imposed activity restrictions, social isolation, and depression."

Along with an admonition to move slowly and carefully, the CDC also recommends that the elderly get enough gentle exercise or physical therapy to help strengthen their muscles and improve their balance. This will not only reduce the number of falls but also give a real boost to older adults' self-esteem.

What is the meaning of the word 'admonition' as used in the last paragraph?

• A. Permission
• B. Prescription
• C. Caution
• D. Verdict

EATING DISORDERS:
It is hard to imagine how the eating disorders anorexia and bulimia could be any worse than they already are, but somehow people have found a way. Known unofficially as drunkorexia, this condition is a blend of self-imposed starvation or binging and purging mixed with alcohol abuse. Anorexics may use alcohol either to soothe their conscience for eating something they feel they should not, or as their only sustenance. Bulimics binge on alcohol for emotional reasons and then purge by vomiting it back up.
Our current culture's obsession with thinness, coupled with widespread acceptance of drug and alcohol abuse, have made this combination particularly attractive. Dr. Doug Bunnell, former president of the National Eating Disorders Association, said, "Binge drinking is almost cool and hip, and losing weight and being thin is a cultural imperative for young women in America. Mixing both is not surprising, and it has reached a tipping point in terms of public awareness."
Some experts are beginning to explore the possible psychological and neurological links between eating disorders and substance abuse. Does eating or binging somehow trigger the same pleasure centers as drugs or alcohol? Another avenue being explored is what to do if a person has both conditions. Treatment for addiction is abstinence, but no one can abstain completely from food. As Dr. Kevin Wandler, vice president for medical services at an eating disorders center, phrases it, "Eating normally would be an effective behavior, but it's easier to give up alcohol and drugs because you never need them again. If your drug is food, that's a challenge."

What is the meaning of the word 'abstain' as used in the last paragraph?

• A. Dishonor
• B. Go without
• C. Connect to
• D. Liberate