Health & Living

Last year, it would have been impossible to avoid seeing people pouring buckets of ice-cold water over themselves. The “Ice Bucket Challenge” campaign raise hundreds of millions of dollars for a disease that most of us knew little about -- motor neuron disease. It’s a disease in which nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord break down and the individual struggles to walk and spe...

Lung cancer is the most deadly cancer in Malaysia and accounts for 12% of all cancer incidences in the country. Smoking contributes most to lung cancer rates: the longer you have been smoking, the more likely you are to suffer lung cancer. And second-hand smokers suffer more potent chemicals . With surveys showing that more than two-thirds of smokers regretting that they ever pick up a cigarette,...

Allergies are a serious concern and unfortunately, allergens come in all forms. Peanuts, prawns, pollen, penicillin. Even sweat and semen. Conventionally, we are told to avoid allergens, but a new study from the UK suggests we should instead tolerate allergens instead of avoiding them. Scientists found that eating peanuts early in life can prevent the development of peanut allergies later. We spea...

Nurses are to healthcare as blood is to our bodies. They tend to our needs even before and after we have consulted the doctors. They see to our diet, hygiene and medication, and care for our bodies as much as our hearts. Nurses can also improve the efficiency of healthcare and lower its costs. Certainly our nation needs excellent nurses, but what is one and how can we train more? And how do nurses...

After sex, money stokes the most conflict in marriages. How can couples discuss and plan financial matters? Are the traditional gender roles in marriages still relevant today, especially when wives may be earning more than their husbands?  Here to share his thoughts on how couples can better manage finances together is Dr Johnben Loy, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. See omnystudio.com...

Paraphilia is a condition where a person is so obsessed with a particular object or behaviour that sexual gratification is only possible through those means. Paraphilia covers a wide range: Think of the extreme ends of fetishism, masochism, exhibitionism and pedophilia. Yet, what are the underlying psychological factors that separate the abnormal obsession from normal fantasies? Given the social s...

Press your hand to your heart and feel that beat under your skin and ribs. Your heart, smaller than a fist, keeps the rest of your body going by pumping blood from head to toe. Your heart also secretes hormone that regulate blood pressure. But what happens when your once strong heart turns weak and fail? How can you keep your hearts strong? In conjunction with Heart Failure Awareness Day (May 8-10...

More and more urbanites are putting on trekking shoes and venturing into the forests and hills, pacing the trails for a sports adventure in the outdoors. But is trekking for everyone, and is there a difference between hiking and trekking? We learn more about the health aspects of hiking and trekking as from consultant orthopaedic surgeon Dr Harjeet Singh and Alex Laevaert, experienced hiker and tr...

Dementia--forgetfulness, losing track of time, unable to remember and recognize family and friends--these are signs of old age that many assume to be a dreaded but normal part of aging. But is it? We still do not have a cure for dementia, but what can we do to prevent or delay its onset? To learn more about dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, a leading cause of dementia, we speak to Dr Philip...

For a sampling of the most exciting and interesting news that concerns our health, listen in as we bring you the most direct voices from experts and people on the ground. Today we learn how malaria parasites are resisting our most powerful drugs and that excessive diet supplements may lead to higher cancer risk. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

 A doctor’s ethics dictate that they do good and do no harm. Yet reality is much more complicated when it comes to treating underage patients who disagree with the choices of their guardians--how then should doctors advise and decide? Also, what are the patients’ rights when cost-cutting measures affect medical services? Join in the discussion as we draw on clinical experience and...

How well are you breathing when you are sleeping? People with obstructive sleep apnea have their airways blocked, causing them to take shallow breaths or even stop breathing. Sound sleep is impossible. Here to tell us more about diagnosing obstructive sleep apnea with a polysomnogram and how to treat it are Dr Lee Leong Meng, ENT consultant and Wan Mui Quan, medical lab technologist, from Sunway M...

When it comes to fighting cancer, we can count on our immune systems. Immunotherapy is a treatment for cancer that helps the immune system recognize and target  cancer cells. Here to tell us more immunotherapy is Dr Beh Chor Khim. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Thirteen months ago, a series of mysterious deaths struck Guinea, killing doctors and patients. A week later on 22nd March 2014, the killer infection was confirmed to be Ebola virus disease. Doctors Without Borders, an international humanitarian aid organization, sounded an epidemic alarm which was dismissed by the global community. By December 2014, the Ebola epidemic had killed 7000 people acros...

The idea of no man or woman being left behind can be an important component of a civil society but with all the considerations of cost and logistics, this sentiment doesn’t always reflect in healthcare. Professor Peter Hotez from the National School of Tropical Medicine in Houston, Texas, discusses Neglected Tropical Diseases. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The human papillomavirus (HPV) is a very common virus. If the virus is not cleared, infection can lead to orophayngeal cancer, as well as cancers in the cervix, anal and penile regions. Vaccinating against HPV will also greatly reduce genital warts. Although we have functional HPV vaccines, some people still reject vaccination. The Australian government has decided to retract certain childcare ben...

 Children with autism struggle to communicate and relate to others. Symptoms are variable and depend on where the child sits on the autism spectrum. How can parents spot these signs? What can parents do to address the specific challenges of raising autistic children, so that they grow up to fulfill their potentials in society? Discussing autism today is Dr Rajini Sarvanathan, developmental pa...

Colleagues at work seldom discuss mental health issues. Mental illness is a stigma, a sign of weakness, a possible trigger to get fired. Yet five of the top ten causes of disability are mental problems.  As we speak, about 20% of working adults are struggling with mental health problems. How can employers and employees cooperate to improve mental health at work? How should we handle the confi...

 If you have had ulcers in your mouth, you know what a torment they can be. Your doctor may prescribe you steroids to relieve the pain and swelling. Steroids can also help you deal with more than ulcers when it comes to oral health, but how should we use steroids to avoid its many side-effects? We learn how steroids may be friend or foe in treating oral diseases with oral pathologist, Prof. D...

For many women, menopause can be a difficult change to accept. As the hormones oestrogen and progesterone drop, women experience a host of unpleasant sensation, including hot flashes, vaginal dryness, sleep problems, mood swings and decreased libido. Women can mitigate menopausal changes via hormonal replacement therapy which returns oestrogen and progesterone levels to pre-menopausal levels. But...

Every time you pick a bag of sausages off the shelf, do you question where the sausages had been and how they were made? The journey from the farms to our tables can be long. How might our foods be contaminated, and how much do we trust food safety certifications? We hear from shoppers at the markets, and speak to Prof Brian Wansink and Prof Jinap Selamat to learn more about food safety. See omnys...

As we age, our bones lose minerals, turning more brittle; our joints stiffen as cartilage is lost. How can we mitigate these changes, and how is aging different from degeneration? We ask these questions and more with Dr Rajesh Singh, consultant orthopaedic surgeon. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dengue cases in Malaysia hit a record high in 2014. Even as the Ministry of Health issues health warnings and calls on the public to monitor and reduce mosquito breeding sites at home, dengue rates continue to rise in 2015. On the show today we learn about a strain of dengue virus that is inflicting Malaysians, and how communities can take a proactive stance against dengue. To learn more about Den...

If three women in your family were diagnosed with breast or ovarian cancer  before the age of 60 , and eventually died from the illness - would you want to know your risk ? And knowing it ,  what would you do ? Angelina Jolie made headlines in 2013 , and recently again , for discussing genetic testing and the preventive surgeries she took to mitigate her risk of ovarian and breast cancer...

Try talking about death in any social setting. People look away, silence sets in. We treat death like a taboo which isolates terminally-ill patients and their families. Palliative care aims to discard such stigmata by providing patients and their families with discussion and planning that help them enjoy better quality of life. We learn more about palliative care from Dr. Richard Lim Boon Leong, C...