Health & Living

Hypertension, with its high prevalence and links to other illnesses, is one of the great concerns in medicine. With new guidelines on the disease being released, we speak to Associate Professor Dr. Sazzli Kasim, consultant cardiologist, on hypertension statistics in the country. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With this still being the first month of the year and with Malaysians still in full blown festive swing, it seems fitting to discuss our immune system since nobody wants to fall ill. Telling us more about how to boost our immune systems is Dr. Benedict Sim, Consultant Infectious Diseases Physician. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This Wednesday, it was announced that New York City governor Andrew Cuomo has unveiled a plan allowing for medical marijuana for people suffering from debilitating illnesses such as cancer, making New York the 21st state to allow for medical cannabis. What exactly does the use of medical cannabis entail and what might its repercussions be? Dr. George Lee, our doctor in the house, is examining this...

Continuing the Know Thy Cancer series, Dr. Sri Ganesh Kalimuthu, consultant histopathologist, is taking us from the past to the present today, examining what we can learn from Kangri cancer, a disease endemic to the Kashmir valley, first described in 1881. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It is impossible to overstate the importance of anatomy to medicine. Without it, one would not know what anything was, much less how to identify what's wrong. Going beyond Gray's Anatomy with us for his first show of the year is Dr. Rajesh Singh, consultant orthopedic surgeon.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

3D printing has been making headlines recently, with the man on the street now seemingly capable of manufacturing anything from Yoda figurines to plastic guns. But its usage in medicine is one that is deeply intriguing. Telling us more about recent work in which realistic models for students to train on have been created by the latest generation of 3D printers is Professor Dr. Vicknes Waran, one o...

As with the start of every year, many opt to make resolutions, and spend the next 365 days (or not) trying to fulfill them. We talk to Dr. George Lee, Consultant Urologist about those resolutions, new technologies in medicine, improvements in treating and diagnosing prostate cancer and testosterone deodorant alongside others. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In our final look back at the year that was, we hear some of the most salient eye advice offered up by our panel of ophthalmologists and retinal specialists in 2013.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We take a look back at what the best and brightest of our obstetrics and gynaecology specialists have had to say in 2013, including commentary on big medical headlines such as home birth deaths and egg freezing.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The thought of someone performing surgery on the brain - a part of the body so delicate and integral to our very beings - is deeply frightening. Now technology may help a surgeon navigate cleanly and decisively, with the least amount of fuss. Telling us all about this new development is Dr. Dharmendra Ganesan, consultant spinal neurosurgeon.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informatio...

It being the end of the year, we’re taking a look back at some of the most memorable moments of 2013 courtesy of our Doctor in the House, Dr. George Lee, consultant urologist and his conversations with Meera Sivasothy. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As you begin to put together a list of resolutions for 2014, we here at The Bigger Picture would like to urge you to think about your health. Specifically today - oral health. Illuminating some good options for your oral health resolutions in 2014 is Professor Khoo Suan Phaik, oral physician.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Diets have gained a bad reputation as something that seems to be just for starving people forcing themselves to eat salad. However, the word in and of itself just covers the food and drink that we consume. The start of the year always seems like a good time to turn that around. Giving us an overview and how you can overhaul your diet in 2014 is dietitian Dr. Soma Mitra. See omnystudio.com/listener...

 With 2014 peeking just round the corner while 2013 ends in a flurry of overindulgence, fitness trainer, Karen Siah discusses how we can start setting our fitness goals for the new year and suggests some ideas on how we can achieve them as well. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Men are from Mars, women are from Venus so they say. And now new research has confirmed that our brains are wired differently. What does this really mean for our behaviours and how we use our brains? Dr. George Lee, aided by Professor Jafri Malin Abdullah, neuroscientist, shares his thoughts. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With Beth Warren's case recently making headlines as she fights to extend the consent of her husband's sperm for potential future usage, we speak to Dato' Dr. Prashant Nadkarni, fertility specialist, for his take on all the issues surrounding the matter. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As autism becomes a more common diagnosis in the modern day and age, questions keep pace: what causes this condition, can it be treated, does my child have it? Answering some of these queries today are Dr. Arif Anwar, resident geneticist, Dr. Zafar Nawaz, fellow of the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics and Dr. Teh Beng Choon, president of the National Autism Society of Malaysia. Se...

For people living with epilepsy, there are a multitude of different challenges involved, one of which is the issue of employment. How does epilepsy interfere with one’s ability to have and hold on to gainful employment? Telling us more about the challenges and facts of employment and epilepsy are Associate Professor Dr. Lim Kheng Seang, who provides a medical perspective while Stewart Lee, a...

The struggle to lose some weight and shape up is a perennial one, but is especially relevant during the festive season. Dr. Lim Ting Song, aesthetic physician, explains one possible new solution in the industry - cryolipolysis. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Australian scientists say they have taken a significant step forward in developing a safe, effective and reversible male pill. With this development comes uncertainty, so will this pill take off or crash and burn? Will this pill bring more good than evil to mankind? Dr. George Lee joins us for a discussion on this matter, along with some opinions from the public regarding the possibility of a male...

Between Wikipedia, WebMD and Twitter, the internet is awash with information that inform and frighten us all in turn. So where can we go to for accurate and helpful data? A group of doctors here in Malaysia are trying to answer that question. Dr. Khoo Yoong Khean, managing editor of the Malaysian Medical Gazette joins us today to tell us more. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The end of the year is almost always accompanied by a festive blitz, from Hari Raya to Deepavali to Christmas and to New Year's. This blitz is often acompanied by food and drink. So how can we keep those calories down and stay healthy? Teoh Sue Ling and Evelyn Phang give us some tips and tricks. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Not just the doctors manning the X-Ray machines, radiologists play a crucial role in diagnosis and understanding what’s going on within the human body. Dr. Zaleha explains her profession and specialty. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dengue, Japanese Encephalitis, Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease - these are illnesses we worry about our children coming down with. Telling us more about common infectious diseases in Malaysian children is Dr. Kamarul Razali, consultant paediatrician and infectious diseases specialist from Hospital Kuala Lumpur. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A recent report by BBC titled 'Modern Life Turning People Off Sex' was published, and got many people talking. Is there any truth to this in the Malaysian context, or is it just another sensationalized headline? Dr. George Lee, Consultant Urologist and Dr. Martha Lee, Clinical Sexologist join us to discuss this matter. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.