Health & Living

Imagine living with chronic, unremitting pain in your mouth, jaws and face. Chronic Orofacial Pain is not very well defined, but takes up a large chunk of healthcare time and energy and can be a major cause of depression. Professor Khoo Suan Phaik examines this link. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

While it’s inevitable for women of a certain age that menopause will strike - there are ways in which one could be better prepared for it. Dr. Premitha Damodaran discusses the roles of fire, fat and fate in menopause. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’ve now hit a point where we can accumulate plenty of information about a child before he or she is even born. What abnormalities can these tests detect and what help does it provide parents? Professor Mahesh Choolani takes us through the process. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Often confused with physiotherapists, occupational therapists actually play an important role in any health setting, but especially so when it comes to periods of adjustment or rehabilitation. Marilyn Pattison, president of the World Federation of Occupational Therapy tells us more. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Diabetes is a growing health problem in Malaysia, causing woes to the diabetic patients who must strictly manage their diets to control diabetes. We follow Yann Ling, a nurse who takes care of diabetic patients, as she tends to a diabetic patient who hopes to recuperate in time to travel overseas. Both Yann Ling and the patient offer advice to prevent diabetes and to live with it. See omnystudio.c...

A decision as to how to pass the closing days and moments of one's life and how one manages one's death touches in the most immediate and obvious way a patient's personal autonomy, integrity, dignity and quality of life. The family of a woman who died in one of Britain's best-known hospitals have won their claim that her rights were violated when an order not to attempt resuscitation was put on he...

Described by some as the second worst pain one can experience (after childbirth), facial pain can be a difficult condition to understand and treat. Dr. Syed Abdullah Al-Haddad, consultant neurosurgeon and Dr. Shailendra Sivalingam, consultant ENT surgeon both from Sunway Medical Centre, take us through this condition. Our phone lines will be open at 03 7710 9000. See omnystudio.com/listener for pr...

Dengue isn’t the only vector-based disease frightening the world - malaria, especially drug-resistant strains, is a major cause for concern. Professor Brendan Crabb, among other researchers, may have made a major breakthrough in future drugs for this disease. He tells us more. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The month of fasting is over, and the month of feasting has begun. Helping us keep fit is Noel Chelliah, body transformation specialist. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Up to 75% of those infected with hepatitis C don’t know they are infected as the disease is asymptomatic for years, only finding out when they have already progressed to liver failure or liver cancer. On the 25th year anniversary of its identification, Professor Goh Khean Lee give us more details on this disease. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rates of allergies continue to go up year on year, yet no one seems to know why. Discussing how to manage common childhood allergies and keeping parents sane is Dr. Kent Woo, consultant allergist and immunologist. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With the dengue outbreak continuing to sweep through neighbourhoods and our nation, the news that a vaccine for the disease may be coming soon is a relief. But how far away are we from such a reality and what would it really do? Principal Investigator Professor Annelies Wilder-Smith from Nanyang Technology University and Dr. Revathy Nallusamy, consultant paediatrician, tell us more. See omnystudio...

As worried parents will attest to, children can have tricky stomachs to deal with. Taking us through some of the usual digestive issues that young children face and providing tricks on how to deal with it is Dr. Pedro Alarcon, Paediatric Gastroenterologist. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As the eve of Raya fast approaches, we take care of your health from your home to your kampung. Ranging from the drive there, to the goodies (and pounds) you'll be piling on your plates, up to how to stay sane spending prolonged periods of time with family. Dr. George Lee is joined by Goo Chui Hoong, dietitian and cookbook author as well as Professor Tan Jo-Pei, Senior lecturer at the Dept of Soci...

The fasting month can be tricky to negotiate for many, but for diabetics, it can present a unique challenge. Giving tips and tricks on how to avoid low blood sugar whilst fasting, Professor Dr. Norlela Sukor and Professor Nor Azmi Kamaruddin, discuss diabetes and hypoglycemia. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

GERD is a serious chronic disease where the acid from the stomach flows back into the oesophagus, and up to two thirds of its sufferers in Asia don’t realise they have it. Dato’ Dr. Mahendra Raj helps us identify the symptoms of GERD as well as identifies treatment methods. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As a society, we’re living longer. Which also means that markers for success and age have changed. But as our leaders rise to prominence later, there’s also more potential for health issues holding them back from leading well. What responsibility do our leaders have to us the people, to be healthy and how might that affect how they lead? Associate Professor Tan Maw Pin and Professor Ja...

As scientists strive to recreate the deadly Spanish influenza and study anthrax in labs, there is always the risk of something escaping into the wider world. Or is there? Telling us whether lab biosafety really is as Hollywood imagines it, is Professor Sazaly Abu Bakar, virologist. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We celebrate the work of Prof. Joep Lange, a leading AIDS researcher and advocate for fair and accessible HIV treatment. On 17 July 2014, Prof. Lange was heading to the 20th International AIDS Conference in Melbourne when the Malaysian Airline plane MH17 he boarded crashed in Ukraine. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this installment of our series with Sunway Medical Centre, we take a closer look at our digestive health and its importance. From the intestines to the colon to the pancreas, it’s a journey through the inner workings of our bodies with Dr. Akhtar Qureshi, Dato’ Dr. Tan Huck Joo and Dr. Bong Jan Jin. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How much of your intelligence may be predetermined by what you’re born with? Dr. Arif Anwar weighs in on the nature versus nurture debate when it comes to intelligence. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Genetically modified foods can be a scary proposition for some, but for others, it represents the way forward. With news that a vitamin-enhanced ‘super banana’ may be grown in Uganda in 2020 to curtail starvation, we speak to Dr. Mahaletchumy Arujanan of MABIC and explore the potential of genetically modified foods. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this World Population Day, The United Nations Fund for Population Activities calls for investments in support of the largest-ever generation of young people. According to UNESCO, about 515 million adolescents and youth live on less than $2 daily. Millions more face gender discrimination and other marginalizaion. Datin Dr Sheila Marimuthu, consultant paediatric, tell us more. See omnystudio.com/...

Brazil 2014 has seen the first cooling break ever taken at a World Cup Finals. How much good will 3 minute breaks every half hour really do for players? Professor Brian Dawson, a former football player himself, shares his thoughts. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

They say nothing in life’s certain except death and taxes…and menopause. Now the jury’s still out on whether one would have to add andropause to that list, Dr. Peter Ng explains how a change in hormones may result in middle-aged men experiencing anxiety, mood swings, a lack of libido and even hot flashes. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.