Health & Living

It’s the last few days of Movember with Dr. George Lee on Prostate cancer. Next week Dr. George Lee will be celebrating Man Kind right here on The bigger picture, BFM 89.9.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Asbestos is a fire retardant material that was formerly used widely as insulation in buildings and motor vehicles, but has since been regarded publicly as a dangerous material and has four diseases associated with it: mesothelioma, lung cancer, asbestosis and diffuse plural thickening. Today, Dr. Sri Ganesh focuses on mesothelioma as well as discussing other pollutants and minerals that could be c...

WHO estimates that more than 346 million people worldwide have diabetes, and that number (and the deaths related to it) may be set to double by 2030. Closer to home, the recent 4th National Heallth and Morbidity Survey (2011) suggests that one in five adult Malaysians above 30 years old, suffer from diabetes, which counts for an estimated 2.3 million in total.  It is with those frightening nu...

An autoimmune disease that is the most common cause of hyperthyroidism, Graves' Disease can affect up to 2% of the female population. Professor Dr. Alexander Tan, a medical lecturer and a Consultant Endocrinologist, discusses the symptoms, diagnosis and treatment of the disease. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nutrition plays a huge role in fertility, and we find out what exactly should be on the menu for couples looking to have children, from Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist Dr. Helena Lim. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you don't suspect it, you can't detect it. So goes the description of NET cancers, a group of little known and little-detected tumours. Telling us more about the diagnoses and misdiagnoses of NET cancer in conjunction with World Net Cancer Day 2012, are Dr. Sharmila Sachithanandan, consultant gastroenterologist, Dr. Zanariah Hussein, consultant endocrinologist and Associate Professor Dato' Dr....

The WHO estimates that more than 346 million people worldwide have diabetes. The number is more likely to more than double by 2030 without intervention. With a diagnosis of diabetes, comes the significant risk of losing one's eyesight. In conjunction with World Diabetes Day on 14th November, Dr. Meena Kandiah discusses diabetic retinopathy, an eye condition that arises due to complications from di...

People in marginalised or neglected communities (many of whom live on the streets) are generally most in need of medical care and ironically are often those who can't afford it. Trying to bring much-needed medical care and attention to children in these communities is the mySayang CSR project. Telling us all about it is Sha'in Sreenivasan, who runs the company behind it and Dr. M. M. Sreenivasan,...

CEO of the Sepang International Circuit, Datuk Ahmad Razlan Razali announced the launch of the SIC Ninja 250 Cup in May of this year. Managed in coordination with BikeART Racing, the series will feature 20 young riders from across Malaysia competing in five of the MSS races during 2012.  What will it take to get more world class riders for the country? That's exactly what the Sepang Internati...

Cataracts occur when the part of the eye known as the crystalline lens clouds oer. It works with the cornea to focus light on the retina, at the back of the eye. When the lens becomes cloudy or cataractous, light cannot pass to the retina, causing blurry and decreased vision.  Surgery is a highly effective treatment, with the diseased lens being removed and replaced with an artificial lens. T...

The leading cause of cancer-related deaths in both men and women, lung cancer is responsible for 1.38 million deaths annually, as of 2008. Histology, a study of microscopic anatomical structure of tissue, is a major part of identifying lung cancer and affects both prognosis and treatment.  Helping us understand more about this aggressive killer, is Dr. Sri Ganesh, consultant histopathologist....

Green bags, green living, green labels... all it seems to take to make something sound better than it is these days, is affixing the word 'green' to it. However, green chemistry aims to make a real, appreciable difference in our lives, stopping pollution right at the beginning, essentially greening chemical processes. Making it understandable for us, and discussing how companies aimed at making pr...

For those of us who work desk jobs, the phrase 'hazards at work' don't amount to too much. However, for people who work in construction or in hospitals, or all sorts of other careers even, hazards can really cause long-term damage and health issues.  Discussing the importance of occupational health is Dr. Azrul Rozaiman, occupational health doctor.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privac...

Obesity has been dubbed as the disease of the new millenium, with figures from WHO revealing that some 1.6 billion adults are overweight and 400 million are obese. In Malaysia, about 43% of adults, some 20% of adolescents and 26% of primary school children are either overweight or obese. Clearly this is a problem that isn't going away.  In conjunction with World Obesity Awareness Week 2012, A...

The public perception of cosmetic therapies are that they are quite invasive, often painful and potentially dangerous. However, with modern technology, it's now possible to have noninvasive cosmetic therapies, with laser being the big buzzword. Gene Burdette, market expert in the area of minimally invasive procedures and medical devices, shares his perspective and gives us the lowdown on noninvasi...

The Bar Code Medication Administration (BCMA) is a barcode system designed to prevent medication errors in healthcare settings and improve the quality and safety of medication administration. Being the first hospital in Malaysia to implement the system, Mohd Fazli Shuib, Head of the Pharmacy Department, Prince Court Medical Centre, discusses how it minimises human error. See omnystudio.com/listene...

With the numbers of patients living with arthritis and other bone diseases continuing to rise, the fact that support is needed for them and their families is also becoming clearer. Founded in 1995, the Arthritis Foundation, Malaysia, aims to help people living with the illness, and on a larger scale, conduct research related to managing, treating and preventing conditions. Dr. Amir Zain, president...

Most adults will do almost anything to improve their memory and attention span, from supplements to memorising cards. Meanwhile, mothers are also worried about their new additions to the family and the world, trying to maximise their potential and cognitive development. New research has suggested that isomaltulose, a naturally derived sugar replacement, could improve these functions and even assis...

We inherit half our DNA from out mother and half from our father, so it’s no surprise that conditions can be passed down through families. This World Heart Day 2012, Dr. Arif Anwar, our resident geneticist, discusses the relationship between genetics and our environment and actions when it comes to heart health.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hollywood and popular ideas have taught us that heart attacks are full of drama, people clutching their chests, faces twisted in pain, collapsing to the ground. But in truth, heart attack symptoms can present quietly up to a month before a major cardiac event, and this is truer still in cases of women and heart disease. In conjunction with World Heart Day 2012, Dr. Jeyamalar Rajadurai, consultant...

Transient Ischemic Attacks are characterised by symptoms of a small stroke which rapidly fade away, sometimes as quickly as a few minutes after. Often regarded as a warning sign that a stroke is impending, patients are left with having to manage the symptoms, usually with anticoagulants, and so on.  Dr. Yong Fee Mann takes us through it. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's no secret that worldwide, the average lifespan continues to go up. People are living longer, and correspondingly, trying to stay healthier and happier for longer. Dr. Wong Teck Wee, Vice President of the Malaysian Healthy Ageing Society and consultant interventional cardiologist, shares his perspective. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

According to research by Cancer Research UK, rates of cancer of the lip, tongue, mouth and throat have risen by a quarter among men and women in their forties. While it's not the cancer that kills the most people, oral cancer continues to be caught in later stages and remains difficult to treat without disfigurement or otherwise lasting effects on speech, eating and living. Dr. Khoo Suan Phaik dis...

It all started with a chicken with a tumour... kicking off decades of research into how viruses can cause tumours and cancer. Viral infections may be the cause of up to 40% of all cancers, including some forms of brain tumours, leukaemia, skin cancer and even prostate cancer, say scientists. Understanding how viruses work may open the way to vaccinations against many cancers, and even to therapies...

Posture is important, many of us know that, and understand that maintaining the health of our spine and joints is correspondingly important. But there is also another very important link, and that is to cardiovascular health and therefore our long-term wellbeing.  Samuel John Hunter, chiropractor, explains this link.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.