Health & Living

Ask A Psychologist #22: Fun

02 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

What’s your idea of fun? Why is fun important to our happiness and mental wellbeing? How do we rediscover fun in our lives after two harrowing years...

Rare Disease Day 2022: Young People Living With A Rare Disease (Part 2)

01 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

One person living with a rare disease may feel unseen and unheard, among the minority. But collectively, the voices from the community of people with ...

Rare Disease Day 2022: Young People Living With A Rare Disease (Part 1)

28 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

One person living with a rare disease may feel unseen and unheard, among the minority. But collectively, the voices from the community of people with ...

Doctor in the House: Urine Trouble

25 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Urinary problems can be debilitating, but many people are too embarrassed to talk about it. Consultant urologist Dr George Lee joins us to answer comm...

ADHD in Girls

24 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) is one of the most commonly diagnosed behavioural disorders. However, boys are more likely to be diagn...

Mind the (Health) Gap #2: The Long Wait for Specialist Care

23 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Have you had to wait weeks or months for an appointment with a specialist in the public healthcare system? Then probably have to wait hours on the day...

Because Feelings Matter #6: “Fred is Making Fire in My Head” (A Story of Schizoaffective Disorder)

22 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Every mental health struggle has a story behind it. ‘Because Feelings Matter’ is a series that brings you the stories of people and their mental h...

SPM Looms After Delays and Disruptions

21 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

SPM and STPM students for the 2021 academic year will be sitting for their examinations in March, after two years of delays, disruptions, and anxiety....

Doctor in the House: Malaysia’s Omicron Wave and What We Can Learn From South Africa

18 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The year 2022 seems set to be dominated by Omicron, which was first identified by scientists in South Africa late last year. With Malaysia in the mids...

How Does Severe COVID-19 Affect Kids?

17 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Having a kid fall ill and be hospitalised is a parent’s worst nightmare, especially now that we are hearing of more cases of children with COVID-19 ...

Ask A Doctor: All About Periods

16 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Our monthly open clinic segment is back, and this month, consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist Dr Tang Boon Nee joins us to talk all about periods...

Mind Matters: Smoking Isn’t A Habit, It’s An Addiction

15 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

If you’re a smoker, there’s a strong chance you puffed on your first stick at the age of 18 or even younger. According to the US Centers for Disea...

How Relationships Fared In The Pandemic

14 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

What do couples in lockdown, and those who were separated during the last two years, have in common? They’ve all been affected in some way by the pa...

Doctor in the House: Dealing with a Backlog of 50,000 Non-COVID Procedures

11 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

After two years of a continuous battle against COVID-19, the Ministry of Health now finds itself with a backlog of more than 50,000 non-COVID procedur...

Healthy Ageing: Convincing Senior Citizens to Get Boosted

10 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin recently said that more than a million of senior citizens aged 60 and above have not gotten their COVID-19 booster. ...

Public Health: Is The Endgame In Sight for Dengue?

09 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In 2021, Malaysia recorded the lowest number of dengue cases since the last decade. It’s been a hard-won victory, with dengue proving stubbornly per...

Rethinking Recovery and Healing

08 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

“Every illness is unique, which means that all recoveries must also be, in some sense, unique. There is no one-size-fits-all to getting better,” w...

How Lung Cancer Treatment Has Changed

07 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

For too long, lung cancer has been burdened by its reputation of poor survival and outcomes for patients. But treatment of lung cancer has come a long...

Doctor in the House: What’s Next For Cancer Research Malaysia in 2022

04 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This World Cancer Day marks the start of a new 3-year campaign under the theme “Close the Care Gap”, and to realise where the problem lies in the ...

Mind the (Health) Gap #1: Primary Care As the “First Line of Defence”

31 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Malaysia’s healthcare system has been ranked as among the best in the world, but a great healthcare system means nothing if people can’t access he...

Doctor in the House: Can Festive Eating Be Healthy?

28 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Chinese New Year is around the corner, and the onslaught of festive goodies has begun. Following the previous year of muted celebrations, are we in fo...

Should Children Set New Year’s Resolutions?

27 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The pandemic has robbed people of any sense of control over their lives. Even children are struggling to cope with the uncertainties when it comes to ...

Be Fit Malaysians: What Being Fit Really Means

26 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

New year, new me, new fitness goals. It is that time of the year when many people are resetting their fitness goals and pledging to eat healthier or w...

Because Feelings Matter #5: Bipolar Doesn’t Define Me

25 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Every mental health struggle has a story behind it. ‘Because Feelings Matter’ is a series that brings you the stories of people and their mental h...

Mind Matters: Anxious Children, Stressed Parents

24 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

According to Oxford University Press, children in the UK chose ‘anxiety’ as their word of the year for 2021. How will 2022 play out for parents an...

Doctor in the House: COVID-19 Jabs for 5-11 Year-Olds

21 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Parents can now register their kids aged 5-11 on MySejahtera for the COVID-19 vaccination, which will be rolled out in February. But many parents are ...

Why So Sudden: Heart & Time

20 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Any death is devastating - more so an unexpected death that robs people of their loved ones without any warning. Sudden cardiac death accounts for a l...

Thalassaemia: Is There A Solution for Couples Who Want Children?

19 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

For a long time, couples who carried the thalassaemia gene - either in one or both parents - had few options when it came to starting a family, and th...

Pregnancy and Depression

17 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

For an expecting mother, the 40 weeks of pregnancy, impending childbirth, and motherhood is a journey full of unknowns. Pregnancy and childbirth can b...

Doctor in the House: Putting The COVID-19 Testing Strategy To Use

14 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The National COVID-19 Testing Strategy was launched late last year to help the country transition  to living with COVID-19 as an endemic disease....

Pancreatic Cancer: Value of the Endoscopic Ultrasound

13 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Pancreatic cancer is rare, but it is an aggressive cancer that usually leads to poor outcomes. One of the biggest challenges is diagnosing the cancer ...

Public Health: Smoking Cessation Up in Smoke?

12 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Despite decades of public health education on the dangers of smoking, an estimated 21% of Malaysians today - that’s 1 in 5 people - still smoke. On ...

Preventing Cervical Cancer

11 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Cervical cancer is the 2nd most frequent cancer among women aged 15-44. This tells us that the disease hits women when they are young and in the most ...

Brain Waves: Can A DNA Test Help Improve My Life?

10 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Scrolling on your social media feed, you come across a sponsored post offering a DNA test that can help you identify your health risks, target your al...

Doctor in the House: What Omicron Means for the Pandemic in 2022

07 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

2021 was a rollercoaster year. When vaccines began rolling out worldwide, many thought that it meant the beginning of the end of the COVID-19 pandemic...

When Trouble Conceiving Affects Your Mental Health

06 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

For couples trying to have a baby, there is nothing more joyful than news of a pregnancy. But for couples who have tried repeatedly for a year or more...

Ask A Psychologist #21: Friendships

05 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We return with our monthly mental health clinic to address your concerns regarding mental, emotional and psychosocial issues. Consultant clinical psyc...

Working with People Living with HIV in Terengganu

04 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Despite years of progress, people living with HIV in Malaysia continue to be stigmatised by society, making it difficult for many to continue receivin...

When Kids Get Arthritis

03 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

When we say “arthritis”, the image of an older person comes to mind. But kids also live with arthritis, and it is the leading cause of acquired di...

The Year That Was #4: On The Ground (Part 2 - Vaccinations)

27 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

COVID-19 ravaged the country in 2021, but the tide eventually turned when the effects of the nationwide vaccination programme kicked in. This has been...

The Year That Was #4: On The Ground (Part 1 - The CAC)

27 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

One of the most enduring images of 2021 was the sight of thousands of people crowding the COVID-19 Assessment Centres during the pandemic’s third wa...

Aftermath of the Floods: Mental Health and Medications

22 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In light of the floods that devastated states across the Peninsula over the weekend, we look at how to provide psychological first aid after a disaste...

Preventing Health Risks from the Floods

22 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The unprecedented floods that hit many states in Peninsula Malaysia over the weekend have raised concerns about health risks faced by people who have ...

The Year That Was #3: Parenting

20 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Arguably, parents and children faced the biggest challenges in the second year of the pandemic, where we saw continued school closures, a spike in the...

Doctor in the House: Can Medical Insurance Remain Affordable?

17 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

If you own a medical insurance policy, you probably dread receiving that letter every few years, informing you that your premiums are increasing. To u...

Ask A Doctor: Hearing

16 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This month’s open clinic segment features audiologist Ngiow Jen Sen to answer all your questions about hearing and its related problems.Image credit...

Brain Waves: Lack of Sleep is Bad for Preteens’ Brains

15 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

These days, everyone struggles to get enough sleep, including young children and teenagers. But at the crucial stages of early adolescence, how does t...

Protecting The Immunocompromised In The Pandemic

14 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

People who have diseases or treatments that suppress their immune system have been living in fear during this pandemic. Not only are they more vulnera...

The Year That Was #2: Frontliners

13 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Nobody had it tougher during this pandemic than healthcare workers, especially this past year, which saw the country battling a massive wave of infect...

Doctor in the House: Men or Women - Who Bears the Responsibility for Family Planning?

10 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

It was recently reported that a Malaysian gynaecologist had created the “world’s first unisex condom”, which would make what is traditionally a ...

Saving The Sight of Seniors

09 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Ageing of the eye is normal for older adults, but this doesn’t mean that vision loss and blindness is a normal part of ageing. You can save your sig...

Why More Fully Vaccinated People Are Dying From COVID Than The Unvaccinated

09 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Based on recent data updated on COVIDNow, we are seeing more fully vaccinated people than unvaccinated people dying from COVID-19 in the daily reporte...

Saving The Sight of Seniors

09 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Ageing of the eye is normal for older adults, but this doesn’t mean that vision loss and blindness is a normal part of ageing. You can save your...

Public Health: Do We Have A Drinking Problem in Malaysia?

08 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The issue of alcohol has hit the headlines in Malaysia in recent weeks, but not for reasons related to safety or health. Controversies over names and ...

Back Pains? Australopithecus May Have The Answers

07 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Recently, anthropologists studying the remains of a female Australopithecus, nicknamed Issa, discovered that the early hominin had skeletal structures...

The Year That Was #1: Working From Home

06 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

2021 was a far cry from the “return to normal” that some of us expected at the end of last year. Instead, movement restrictions were reimposed and...

The Omicron Variant: Are We Overreacting or Being Cautious?

02 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The Omicron variant, the latest variant of concern listed by the World Health Organisation has the whole world in a panic, after being described as po...

H&L Webinar 2021 #8: Are Kids Today Struggling to Learn?

01 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Do you have a school-going child who doesn’t seem to fit into the education system? Every child is different when it comes to learning, so pare...

World AIDS Day 2021 - Will We Finally Have a Vaccine and a Cure?

01 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Despite being first isolated and identified back in 1983, HIV - the virus that causes AIDS, has no vaccine or cure till today, although there is treat...

World AIDS Day 2021 - Will We Finally Have a Vaccine and a Cure?

01 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Despite being first isolated and identified back in 1983, HIV - the virus that causes AIDS, has no vaccine or cure till today, although there is treat...

Ask A Psychologist #20: Year-End Reflections

30 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We return with our monthly mental health clinic to address your concerns regarding mental, emotional and psychosocial issues. In the last show of the ...

If Your Child Has Special Needs, Can They Be Insured?

29 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Raising a child with special needs is a rocky journey for any family, with challenges related to the child’s development, health, education and...

Doctor in the House: First Professor of Urology in Cambridge

26 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The Doctor in the House meets the first Professor of Urology in Cambridge University. Consultant urologist Dr George Lee joins us for a chat with Prof...

Doctor in the House: First Professor of Urology in Cambridge

26 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The Doctor in the House meets the first Professor of Urology in Cambridge University. Consultant urologist Dr George Lee joins us for a chat with Prof...

Doctor in the House: First Professor of Urology in Cambridge

26 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The Doctor in the House meets the first Professor of Urology in Cambridge University. Consultant urologist Dr George Lee joins us for a chat with Prof...

World Prematurity Day 2021: Survival of the Littlest

25 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In the US, a baby boy born at 21 weeks and a day, weighing just 420g is the world’s most premature baby to survive, after celebrating his first ...

Antibiotic Resistance In A Pandemic

24 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In 2019, the World Health Organisation listed antimicrobial resistance as one of the top 10 threats to global health. In 2020 and 2021, they repeated ...

Because Feelings Matter #4: I’m Not A Bad Person, I Just Have Borderline Personality Disorder

23 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Every mental health struggle has a story behind it. ‘Because Feelings Matter’ is a series that brings you the stories of people and their mental h...

Children And Their Mental Health in Lockdown

22 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Children and teenagers have not been bystanders in this pandemic. They have been at the centre of it, witnessing illness, deaths, school closures, job...

Doctor in the House: Everything You’ve Been Afraid To Ask About Prostate Cancer

19 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Prostate cancer is the third most common cancer among men in Malaysia, but it’s still uncommon for men to talk about their prostate problems. Wh...

Ask A Psychologist: Mental Health Clinic #19 (Change)

18 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We return with our monthly mental health clinic to address your concerns regarding mental, emotional and psychosocial issues. In this month’s cl...

Ask A Psychologist #19: Change

18 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We return with our monthly mental health clinic to address your concerns regarding mental, emotional and psychosocial issues. In this month’s cl...

Healthy Ageing: No Health Without Wealth?

17 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Malaysians have been allowed to make withdrawals from their EPF accounts, which are meant for their retirement fund, to help alleviate the financial s...

Mind Matters: Budget 2022 For Mental Health

16 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We know mental health issues have become more widespread during this pandemic, and more people will need mental health care and support. Will we have ...

Living with Osteoarthritis: Healthy Joints, Active Life

15 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We know that leading an active life as you age is important to keep your joints healthy. But what if your joints are aching, and the pain is affecting...

Doctor in the House: Malaysia Says ‘No’ to Ivermectin

12 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The Ministry of Health Malaysia has released the results of its study on ivermectin, which found that the drug does not prevent patients with COVID-19...

Public Health: Malaysia’s Got A Serious Diabetes Problem

11 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Malaysia’s diabetes numbers are staggering, and show no signs of reducing, especially as other related risk factors like obesity and hypertensio...

Brain Waves: Can Scientists Grow Brains in Petri Dishes?

10 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Scientists have been working on growing mini, brain-like models in the lab, commonly known as brain organoids. But are they really growing brains in a...

What If We Told You Lung Cancer Hits Non-Smokers Too?

09 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

For decades, lung cancer has been synonymous with smokers. But the profile of people newly diagnosed with lung cancer may be changing. Dr Anand Sachit...

H&L Webinar 2021 #7: Why You're Having Trouble Managing Diabetes

03 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Almost one in every five Malaysians has diabetes. If you’re one of them, are you having trouble managing your condition? Are you at risk of deve...

Can UVC Kill the Coronavirus?

03 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Ultraviolet C (UVC) devices are among a long list of products in the market that carry claims of being able to kill coronaviruses and other pathogens....

Can We Afford The First Pill for COVID-19?

02 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Merck & Co’s oral antiviral for COVID-19 is being called a “game-changer”, as it would be the first pill available to treat earl...

Finally, A Pill For COVID-19?

02 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The development of Merck & Co’s oral medication to treat COVID-19 could make it the first pill that people can pop the moment they become in...

Budget 2022: Did We Get A Budget that Puts Health First?

01 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Following the tabling of Budget 2022 in Parliament last Friday (29th Oct), independent health policies specialist Dr Khor Swee Kheng joins us to discu...

Budget 2022: Did We Get A Budget that Puts Health First?

01 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Following the tabling of Budget 2022 in Parliament last Friday (29th Oct), independent health policies specialist Dr Khor Swee Kheng joins us to discu...

Doctor in the House: How is the Health Budget Put Together?

29 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What exactly goes into planning a budget for health? With Budget 2022 being tabled today (29th October), we take a look into what the process looks li...

Why Pulmonary Fibrosis is Under-Recognised in Malaysia

28 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Pulmonary fibrosis is a serious, but under-recognised lung condition. In Europe, it is the fifth biggest respiratory killer after lung cancer, COPD, p...

Because Feelings Matter #3: From Dreams to Depression, And Back

27 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Every mental health struggle has a story behind it. ‘Because Feelings Matter’ is a series that brings you the stories of people and their mental h...

Menstrual Problems and Infertility

26 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

For women, the menstrual cycle is at the heart of the reproductive process. If you are having trouble conceiving, a look at your menstrual cycle, and ...

Menstrual Problems and Infertility

26 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

For women, the menstrual cycle is at the heart of the reproductive process. If you are having trouble conceiving, a look at your menstrual cycle, and ...

Ethics in New Frontiers of Medicine

25 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

New research discoveries in health and medicine are the reason we have advanced. Without innovative research, we wouldn’t have antibiotics, vacc...

Ethics in New Frontiers of Medicine

25 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

New research discoveries in health and medicine are the reason we have advanced. Without innovative research, we wouldn’t have antibiotics, vacc...

Doctor in the House: World Polio Day - Malaysia Ends Polio

22 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In December 2019, polio was detected in Malaysia for the first time in 27 years. In September 2021, the country declared the polio outbreak to be over...

COVID-19 Vaccine Boosters and Third Shots

21 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Malaysia has now joined a handful of countries around the world that have begun giving out another round of vaccinations for people who have been full...

Brain Waves: The Promise of Gene Therapy

21 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We hear the words “gene therapy” and immediately many people may be fearful of what it means, that it would involve altering our genes, an...

Trying To Conceive?

20 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

More couples in Malaysia are having children only when they’re in their 30s and 40s, but age poses a challenge to fertility. We explore what are...

Living with Osteoporosis

18 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We often think that osteoporosis is a natural and expected part of ageing - that as we grow older, our bones will grow weaker and more brittle. But is...

Doctor in the House: Ready or Not, COVID-19 is Here to Stay

15 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

“We have to learn to live with COVID-19” is a phrase we’ve been hearing all too often these days. Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin ...

Ask A Doctor: Low Vision Problems

14 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In conjunction with World Sight Day, this month’s open clinic segment features clinical optometrist Vinodhini Naidu to answer all your questions...

Public Health: Budget 2022 Must Prioritise Non-Communicable Diseases

13 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We’ve experienced 18 months of living through an infectious disease pandemic, but we’ve been living with the global epidemic of non-commun...