BIK3023 READING GROUP UPSI01 (A112PJJ)

NURSYITRAFAIZ BT AHMAD FAUZI D20102041898 SCORING 1 2 3 ASSIGNMENT 1 ASSIGNMENT 2 E FORUM TOTAL

SEMESTER 3 SESI 2011/2012

BIK 3023 READING SKILLS

ASSIGNMENT TITLE

Assignment 2 - Evaluating Arguments in Article Analysis (20%)

GROUP

UPSI01(A112PJJ)
PREPARED BY NAME ID NO./ MATRICS NO. TELEPHONE NO.

NURSYITRAFAIZ BINTI AHMAD FAUZI

770224085770 / D20102041898

0194225575

NAMA TUTOR E-LEARNING: DR HJH AZIZAH BINTI ATAN @ ABDULLAH TARIKH SERAH: 20TH APRIL 2012 (FRIDAY)

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No.

Content

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Text A 1.1 Questions for Text A

3 5 7 9 12 14

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Text B 2.1 Questions for Text B

3.0 4.0

Compare and Contrast Graphic Organizer

Bibliography

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Text A
Author: Juliana Breckinridge Writing articles about weight loss / health is one of my biggest hobbies. Health is a really important aspect on real life to succeed with our dreams. Source : http://www.articledoctor.com/medicine/disadvantages-of-herbal-medicine-2305,.

Disadvantages of Herbal Medicine

Medicines made from various natural herbs have been popular from time immemorial with the native folks of many countries as an alternative form of treatment. Herbal or traditional medicines are made from various plants and plant extracts. Sometimes, fungal and bee products, minerals, shells and specific animal parts are also used in the preparation of herbal medicines. Many substances found in plants are useful in treating human ailments. Among them are aromatic substances, phenols and their oxygen-substituted derivatives like tannins. Secondary metabolites like alkaloids serve as defense mechanism against microorganisms and insects. Many herbs used by us while cooking have useful medicinal compounds.

Many people prefer herbal medications rather than the regular ones while treating various physical problems. From treating acne and prostate to treating insomnia and depression, the benefits of herbal medications have been immense. In many cases, medical science had backed the use of herbal medicine to treat specific conditions. However, like any other forms of treatment, herbal medicine also has quite a few disadvantages. Often, the trouble caused by some herbal medicine can boil down to the specific herb in question. In fact, many herbal remedies have proved themselves from time to time.

Any form of herbal medicine takes some time to act. One has to have immense patience while undergoing herbal treatment. Various ingredients go into the preparation of herbal medicine. One has to be sure that none of the ingredients would cause allergic reactions. Many herbal remedies have negative side effects. Most of these side effects take months to appear. Since governments do not regulate the industry of herbal medicine, there is no chance of any quality control during the manufacturing of the herbal supplements. It is absolutely necessary to find a renowned
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practitioner of herbal medicine.

Regular medicines are still the best bet during serious or sudden illness or injury. Herbal medicine cannot treat serious injuries like a broken leg. Nor can it heal appendicitis or heart attacks effectively as no diagnostic tests or surgery is involved in it. Often self-dosing of various herbs leads to serious risks among users. Though one can argue that such a thing can occur with regular medicines as well, it should be remembered that those packages have specific instructions regarding dosage. This is entirely absent with herbal medications. Herbs harvested in the wild are risky. Incorrect identification of the required herb can even lead to poisoning.

Herbal medications often interact with regular medicines. The herbs that are used to treat anxiety like Valerian and St. John's Wort can interact with antidepressants. It is best to consult one's doctor before going for any alternative treatment while on regular medicines. Sometimes, people start using herbal medications without checking what exactly is leading to the physical symptom they are suffering from. Regular medications may have been useful in such cases of wrong diagnosis.

The disadvantages of herbal medications depend on the user as well. People need to know what they are taking, what purpose would it serve and what would be the side effects of such a medication. It is essential to remember that though herbs are often effective they are not a panacea for all kinds of diseases. End of Article A

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Text A
Based on the selected texts, write responses to these questions. 1. What is the issue being discussed? What was the author's purpose in writing this text? What was the author trying to accomplish? The author of this article is expressing her opinions regarding the use of herbal medicine within the social community recently as for her it could have adverse the effects for the other users. The writer somehow agreed that herbal medicine is useful in treating human ailments but still emphasis that regular medicine is by far the best option to treat serious illness or injury such as a broken leg. From the article I could say that the author tried to persuade the herbal medicine practitioners to think twice if they intended to carry on with their medical routine.

2. Who is the intended audience? What is the author trying to persuade the audience to believe or do? This article is attentively written to those who are preferably using the herbal medicines as their alternative medicine. It is obvious that the writer has made it clear upon her views on the use of herbal medicine which is more on the negative side. She had given several facts and opinions upon her subject of writing. She had also expressed her thought about the severity that herbal medicine practitioners have to face when they are having it.

3. What evidence is used to support the argument of the text? What types of support are presented by the author? Types of support refer to the kind of evidence the author uses to back up his/her main arguments. Support can include research findings, case studies, personal experience or observation, examples, facts, comparisons, and expert testimony or opinion. To support her writing, the author entirely uses her own personal opinions and thoughts. She has enlisted nearly six or more disadvantages if ones use herbal medicine instead of modern medicine. The author states that it is time consuming for the herbal medicine to provide effectiveness where the users have to be very patient while undergoing the treatment process. Other than that, the user might have to play with their own death as it
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can lead to serious ailments cause by allergic reaction or mistaken of identification while harvested them in the wild. However, I have to state here that her article is quite compelling because she seemed very confident with every detail that she had written. Thus, as a reader, I found this article is quite trustworthy.

4. Is the argument complete? An argument is complete when the author presents adequate support and addresses opposing sides of the argument. Do you think the author is biased? Explain. I would have to say that the argument is basically complete. She has successfully delivers her supports and able to address the opposing sides of the argument relatively good. However, I personally think that if she able to support her comments and opinions with true facts and good references, they would make her writing much more valid. The author tries to make her writing invisibly bias as she brought up some goodness of herbal medicines, but could not truly cover it as many statements in her article incline towards the advantages of having use of regular or modern medicine.

5. Respond to the text from your own personal viewpoint as an individual reader. How much does the text agree with your personal point of view and what you consider right and wrong? Why or why not? What new information did you learn from it? Did you like or enjoy the text, and (most importantly) why or why not? From my personal point of view, I have to state that I disagree with the authors opinions and comments. It seemed that she have not done fully exploration about the use of herbal medicine as a good writer should. She has to take knowledge that herbal medicine has a great bound with traditional medical practice which has a long great history like China and India. China is believed to have a long history as stated in a website: Traditional Chinese Medicine has been around for thousands of years. Although the first recorded history of TCM dates back over 2,000 years, it is believed that the origins of TCM go back more than 5,000 years. Until today, Chinese herbal medicines have become one of the most trusted alternative treatment and medicine. However, I did gain some good information about herbal medicine which had never crossed my mind before when the
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author mentioned about how it could be very hazardous when picking the wrong herbal in wild which means that only people who mastered about the types of herbal plants could do it. Anyway, personally I think that the text would be more enjoyable if the author had added on some facts for every excuse of disadvantages of herbal medicine she had written in the text to strengthen each content.

Article B
Author: Reshma Jirage
Writing is not just a profession for me, but it's an interesting hobby. I have completed B. Sc. and D.M.L.T. and I am from science field, I like to write on various topics such as business, health, beauty, tourism etc. For me, writing is a unique way to gain complete knowledge. Interests and Hobbies: Other than writing, my hobbies include reading books and novels. I also love traveling which gives me a golden opportunity to explore the beauty of nature.

Source: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/benefits-of-herbal-medicine.html Benefits of Herbal Medicine

Herbal medicine is a form of alternative treatment that includes a use of different plants and plant extracts. It is one of the effective and safe treatment options, used to treat various ailments. Read on to know more about the benefits of herbal medicine. Herbal medicine, also known as alternative medicine, is used to prevent and treat various ailments. It is also known as phytotherapy, herbalism, botanical medicine, medical herbalism or medicinal botany. A basic system of herbal medicine includes Ayurvedic herbalism, traditional Chinese herbalism and Western herbalism. Various herbs are known for having amazing medicinal properties. Herbal medicine is one of the oldest forms of health care. Use of herbs has been practiced for several centuries to cure a number of illnesses. Herbal medicines can be taken in the form of tablets, extracts, teas, essential oils or ointments.

Herbs having Medicinal Properties In nature, there are a huge variety of herbs, having medicinal properties and 7|Page

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they are used to prepare the herbal medicines. They can be used directly in the form of extracts or tea, or used to produce the drugs. Several herbs consist of powerful ingredients, which are helpful to cure a number of health problems. They can be used safely, without causing any side effects. Some of the commonly used herbs are American ginseng, bee pollen, astragalus, cat's claw, black cohosh, bladder wrack, chamomile, feverfew, damiana, dong quai, flaxseed, ginger, garlic, ginkgo biloba, grape seed, green tea, licorice, muira puama, saw palmetto, suma, schizandra, tea tree, turmeric, soy isoflavones, white willow, etc. Ephedra is an appetite suppressant. It is used to treat asthma or bronchitis. Echinacea helps strengthen immune system and protects from flu and common cold. Feverfew is used to prevent migraine headache and also helps manage allergies, rheumatic disease and arthritis. Kava-kava is used to treat stress, anxiety and restlessness. Ginkgo increases oxygenation and blood circulation and helps improve memory and concentration. Valerian is a muscle relaxant and a mild sedative and helps deal with insomnia. Ginger decreases and prevents vertigo, nausea and vomiting. Benefits of Herbal Medicine Various herbs can be used to treat various minor and major health problems such as common cold, sleep disorder, allergy, weight loss, digestive problems, hair and skin problems, anxiety disorder, heart problems, respiratory problems, hypertension, diabetes, etc. Various parts of plants such as stems, leaves, seeds, barks and roots are used to prepare the herbal medicine. Some of the important benefits of herbal medicine are given below. A number of herbs such as Indian Kino, bitter melon, gurmar, garlic, onion, fenugreek, blueberry leaves, ginkgo biloba, cinnamon, goat's rue can be effectively used to control the blood sugar levels and to deal with diabetes. These drugs enhance the secretion of insulin, which is needed to control the blood sugar levels. You may suffer from various types of allergies such as food allergy, insect stings, pollen, dust mites or medicine. The herbs such as nettle, quercetin, butterbur, astragalus and ephedra are used to treat different types of allergies. These herbs are anti-histamine and they possess anti-oxidant and antiinflammatory properties. They can be also used to treat various skin problems such as acne, psoriasis and eczema. Herbal medicines can be effectively used for body's natural detoxification process. The herbs such as Plantago Psyllium seed, Rhubarb Juice powder, aloe vera, alfalfa juice, chlorella, carrot concentrate and garlic can be used to cleanse the colon, improve digestion and food absorption and boost your immune system. Some digestive disorders such as colitis, indigestion, peptic ulcers and irritable bowel syndrome can be cured using the herbs.

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Problems related to blood circulation and heart such as high blood pressure, angina, varicose ulcers, varicose veins, etc. can be successfully treated using the herbs such as hawthorn, garlic, ginkgo, ginger, capsicum and motherwort. Hawthorn lowers blood pressure, dilates blood vessels and strengthens the heart. Garlic is very effective to treat coronary artery disease as well as decreases serum cholesterol levels. Ginkgo biloba can be effectively used to treat cerebrovascular disease. Herbal medicines can be used for weight loss and reduce obesity, which is the cause of many health problems. Herbs used for weight loss are categorized as appetite suppressants, cathartics, stimulants and diuretics. Commonly used herbs for weight loss are burdock root, chickweed, fennel, flax seed, nettle, kola nut, phyllium, alfalfa, senna, hawthorn, etc. These herbs help weight loss as well as improve overall health. By Reshma Jirage

End of Article B

Text B
Based on the selected texts, write responses to these questions. 1. What is the issue being discussed? What was the author's purpose in writing this text? What was the author trying to accomplish? The author is trying to pursue her opinion against the benefits of using the herbal medicine in curing serious ailment or injury. This article has shown that the author has a huge interest towards herbal medicine even though she has a science education background. From the writing, she had exposed the greatness of herbal medicines by given various types of herbal plants that can be used to treat serious sickness like problems related to blood circulation and heart such as high blood pressure and cardiac diseases. So, it is obvious that the author is persuading the readers to switch into using the herbal medicine rather than modern medicine as their alternative treatment.

2. Who is the intended audience? What is the author trying to persuade the audience to believe or do? The author of this article had conveyed the information of the goodness of herbal medicines in a very brief way and straight forward. So, this article is clearly suitable and likely dedicated to all types of readers who wanted to know how herbal medicines could be used in medical treatment instead of relying totally on modern medicines. She had
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listed many examples of herbs that can be used to cure even severe ailments and her writing is really convincing.

3. What evidence is used to support the argument of the text? What types of support are presented by the author? Types of support refer to the kind of evidence the author uses to back up his/her main arguments. Support can include research findings, case studies, personal experience or observation, examples, facts, comparisons, and expert testimony or opinion. Ironically the author of this article hasnt come out with better supportive information about using herbal medicines. It is because; the writing hasnt given any concrete fact to support the author opinions against herbal medicines except her own personal information that she gathered herself without any reference given. When reading her article, the readers like to have to make an extra effort on finding the truth about what had been reported by the author. This will definitely makes the readers losing their intention towards the article. Other than that, the author should have given several illustrations of the herbals she introduced within her writing because they will give a better presentation of the article.

4. Is the argument complete? An argument is complete when the author presents adequate support and addresses opposing sides of the argument. Do you think the author is biased? Explain. For me the argument within the text is not totally complete. The author is clearly unable to present adequate supports as there is no significant comparison been made between the using of herbal medicines against the modern medicines in this world. Thus, I could say the author had somehow failed to create a concrete argument of the benefits of using herbal medicine. From her writing, I also discovered the author had not been much bias because she does not clearly state that people should only use herbal medicine for health treatment but she likely more encouraging the readers to try other alternative safer way to boost healthiness.

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5. Respond to the text from your own personal viewpoint as an individual reader. How much does the text agree with your personal point of view and what you consider right and wrong? Why or why not? What new information did you learn from it? Did you like or enjoy the text, and (most importantly) why or why not? First, I really have to admit that this article is really good for those who are seeking alternative ways of getting treatments for some serious illness. And honestly, I personally prefer to use herbal medicines as there are no synthetic chemicals being used to produce them compared to modern medicines. Modern medicines as we know could be very harmful if being use in reckless way and would cause death as well. However, the author seemed to forget that she should have included firm evidence based on concrete data to show that these herbal medicines could be the best way to cure dangerous diseases and ailments. With that kind of data, it would surely strengthen her article. Nevertheless, this article has provided me a sufficient knowledge of herbal medicine but it would be much helpful if pictures of some herbals were also included in the article. So, the readers could have known their appearance and identify any difference with other types of plants. By far, I actually enjoy reading the article because it has widened my knowledge about types of herbs I can use to proven my health. The author had briefly explained the uses of many herbs and how they work on our body. This essential information provided is certainly useful if anything unfortunate happens when modern medicine is beyond reach.

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Compare and Contrast Graphic Organizer

Disadvantages of Herbal Medicine http://www.articledoctor.com/medicine/disadvantages -of-herbal-medicine-2305 Benefits of Herbal Medicine http://www.buzzle.com/articles/benefits-of-herbalmedicine.html

SIMILARITIES

Herbal medicine had been used for centuries to treat human serious ailments and diseases. Herbal medicine is made of various plants and plants extract. Many people prefer to use herbal medications.

DIFFERENCES
Herbal medicine is only an alternative form of treatment. Herbal remedies have developed from time to time and getting improvised but still have certain deficiency. Herbs are often effective but they are not a panacea for all kinds of diseases. Perspectives of the used of herbal medicine Herbal medicine is one of the best types of medications. Has been practiced for several centuries to cure a number of illnesses.

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In many cases, medical science had backed the use of herbal medicine to treat specific treatments. Effects of herbal medicine on modern treatment

People still have preferable method of nowadays medication especially for serious cases..

Any form of herbal medicine takes time to act. Could cause allergic reactions. No quality control during the manufacturing of the herbal supplements. Incorrect identification while harvested in wild could lead to poisoning. Herbal medications often interact with regular medicines. The benefits and the disadvantages of herbal medicine

Herbal medicines can be effectively used for body's natural detoxification process. Can be also used to treat various skin problems. Herbal medicines can be used for weight loss and reduce obesity. Also used to treat different types of allergies. Successfully treated problems related to blood circulation and heart.

Usually have quite a short period to show the effects.

Time durations for the use of herbal medicine taking effects

Take some times to show reactions.

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Bibliography
http://www.articledoctor.com/medicine/disadvantages-of-herbal-medicine-2305 http://www.buzzle.com/articles/benefits-of-herbal-medicine.html

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