Advanced English Phrasal Verbs: Health

Getting an illness

COME DOWN WITH smth - to get an illness, especially one that is not very serious and is passed from one person to another.
Ex. I think I'm coming down with something - I feel really hot.


GO DOWN WITH smth (BrE, informal, not for talking about yourself) - to get an illness, especially one that is not very serious and is passed from one person to another.
Ex.  Almost everyone in the office went down with flue.


PICK UP smth / PICK smth UP - to get an infectious disease.
Ex. Charles may have picked up malaria when he was in Africa.
Synonyms: catch, contract (formal).

PASS ON smth / PASS smth ON - to give an illness or a disease to someone else.
Ex. I hope you don't pass it on to me. I'm feeling bad enough as it is.
Synonyms: give, transmit (formal).

FLARE UP - (of an illness) to return or become worse.
Ex. You should take some pills on holiday, in case the infection flares up again.

       FLARE-UP (noun, countable) - when an illness that you had before suddenly comes back or
becomes worse.
Ex. A flare-up of her arthritis had kept her in bed.

BREAK DOWN - to become mentally ill because you can't deal with all your problems or there is too much pressure on you.
Ex. When her husband died, she broke down completely and had to be looked after by her son.

     (NERVOUS) BREAKDOWN (noun, countable, usually singular) - when you become mentally
or physically ill because because you can't deal with all your problems or there is too much      pressure on you.
Ex. Mary needs to relax more, or  she'll end up having a nervous breakdown.

CRACK UP (informal) - to become mentally ill and unable to deal with your life or work.
Ex. I've left my car keys in the car. I must be cracking up.

 Symptoms

THROW UP smth / THROW smth UP / THROW UP (informal)  -  bring food or drink up from your stomach and out through your mouth, because you are feeling ill.
Ex. My stomach clenched and I threw up my dinner.
Synonym: vomit.

PASS OUT - to become unconscious, usually for a short time.
Ex. Firemen rescued the two workers who had passed out after breathing in smoke.
Synonym: faint.

BLACK OUT - to suddenly become unconscious.
Ex. I felt as if I was suffocating, as if I was going to black out.
     
        BLACKOUT (noun, countable) - when you suddenly become unconscious.
Ex. You'll have to go to the doctor if you keep having these blackouts.

SWELL UP - (of a part of one's body) to become larger and rounder than usual, because of an illness or injury.
Ex. His ankle is swollen up, but it's not broken.
Opposite: go down.

PUT OUT smth / PUT smth OUT - to injure (shoulder, back, neck etc.), especially by stretching or twisting too much.
Ex. Catherine put her back out trying to carry a box of books up the stairs.

BREAK OUT IN (a sweat / a rash / spots etc.) - to suddenly start having on your skin.
Ex. I woke up feeling terrible and found that I had broken out in hundreds of tiny red spots. I keep breaking out in a sweat.

BLOCKED-UP (adj) - (of a nose) filled so that you are unable to breethe normally.
Ex. My nose is blocked-up.

BUNGED-UP (adj, BrE, informal) - (of a nose or ear) filled so that you are unable to breethe or hear normally
Ex. My nose is completely bunged-up.

Getting rid of an illness

FIGHT OFF smth / FIGHT smth OFF - try hard to get rid of an illness or an unpleasant feeling.
Ex. If you take extra vitamin C, it will help your body to fight off colds.


SHAKE OFF smth / SHAKE smth OFF  - to get rid of an illness or something that is causing you problems or is having a bad effect on you.
Ex. I've had this flue for weeks - I just can't seem to shake it off.


THROW OFF smth / THROW smth OFF (BrE) - to succed in getting rid of an illness that is not very serious.
Ex. She's taken a long time to throw off the illness, and she's still not fully fit.


GET OVER smth -get well again after an illness.
Ex. He's still trying to get over that bout of flue he had.

PULL THROUGH - to succeed in staying alive and gradually get better after you have been seriously ill or injured.
Ex. Both the boys have serious injuries, but we're confident that they will pull through.

CLEAR UP - (of an illness or infection) to get better or disappear.
Ex. Keep taking the antibiotics and the infection should clear up within a week.

HEAL UP / OVER - (of a wound or injury) return to a healthy, normal condition.
Ex. Apply a little antiseptic and the wound will probably heal up all by itself. The bird's beak appeared to have been broken and then healed over.

GO DOWN - (of a swelling) to disappear.
Ex. If you rest your leg,  the swelling should go down soon.


Sources:
1. M. McCarthy, F. O'Dell. English Phrasal Verbs in Use.
2. M. McCarthy, F. O'Dell. English Phrasal Verbs in Use. Advanced.
3. Cambridge International Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs.
4. Longman Phrasal Verbs Dictionary.