Health & Living
Episodes
Brain Waves: Food For Thought
12 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Ulam is a staple part of the diets of many Malaysians, and many of us probably don’t give much thought to it when we add it to our meals. Now some s...
Shoulder Pain Across All Ages
11 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The shoulder's unique and complex anatomy makes the shoulders the body's most mobile joints with the greatest range of motion. At the same time, the s...
Doctor in the House: There Is No Health Without Human Rights and Equity
08 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In 2022, World Health Day was celebrated on 7 April with the theme ‘Our Planet, Our Health’. The theme challenges us to look at health as an outco...
Blood Donation - Pandemic and Ramadhan Concerns
07 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Every year, reserves in the blood banks tend to run low during the month of Ramadhan. However, the festive period that follows after may necessitate a...
Is Balance Something We Can Improve?
06 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Ever watched a child wobbling their way through a game of hopscotch, and yet somehow, remarkably, never falling down? That’s the body’s ability to...
Chronic Wounds That Don’t Heal Well
05 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
When you have a wound, you know what usually happens: you clean it, treat it to prevent infection, and wait for it to heal on its own. But for some pe...
More Life-Saving AEDs Needed
04 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A death from sudden cardiac arrest is an abrupt and shocking loss, causing huge emotional impact to families and communities. A study looking at out-o...
Doctor in the House: Life As An Autistic Adult
01 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We look ahead to Autism Awareness Day (2 April) with a focus on autism in adulthood. Why do some autistic individuals only get diagnosed in adulthood,...
A Guide to Healthy Eating in the Fasting Month
31 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
As the fasting month for Muslims is set to begin, it’s even more important to ensure that you are eating healthily even when you’re fasting. But w...
Does COVID-19 Shrink Your Brain?
30 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In the two years since COVID-19 was first detected, we’ve learned so much about the disease and its impact and yet there is still so much we don’t...
Mind the (Health) Gap #3: The State of Public Healthcare Facilities
29 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Old hospital buildings, outdated equipment, or health facilities that are simply too few and far between. Whether we hear it from others or experience...
Picking Up Ovarian Cancer Early: Don’t Ignore The Signs
28 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Out of all the cancers that affect the female reproductive system, ovarian cancer is the deadliest only because it is often detected late. So how do w...
Doctor in the House: COVID-19, Vaccination and Fertility
25 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Some animals might have been harmed in the following study - at the University of Hong Kong, researchers infected hamsters with SARS-CoV-2, to study t...
Employment and Inclusion For People With Down Syndrome
24 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In conjunction with World Down Syndrome Day on 21 March, we are asking what inclusion means for people living with this chromosomal condition. Consult...
Healthy Ageing: Don’t Brush Off Oral Health Issues
23 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Many of us think that we are bound to lose our teeth as we grow older, but is that necessarily the case? Assoc Prof Dr Jacob John from the Faculty of ...
Is Bariatric Surgery For You?
22 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
For people who struggle with obesity, weight loss is a complex process. Diet and exercise alone may not be enough for some individuals. When should yo...
Because Feelings Matter #7: “You Are Not Alone” (Surviving An Abusive Relationship)
21 Mar 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...
Doctor in the House: 2 Years After MCO 1.0, Are We Ready To Transition Into Endemicity?
18 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Two years ago, on the 18th of March, Malaysia entered into its very first lockdown, what many colloquially termed MCO1.0. Two years later, in just two...
Ask A Doctor: Having A Baby
17 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In our monthly open clinic segment, fertility specialist Dr Sumithra Devi Valiapan joins us to answer questions about having a baby - from family plan...
Finding Ways To Cope With Social Anxiety
16 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
At one point or another, most of us would’ve felt some anxiety or discomfort in a social situation or perhaps even leading up to it. It could go awa...
Mind Matters: Schools Should Nurture Good Mental Health
15 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
It’s back to school for the 2022 academic year next week. Students, parents and teachers are all eagerly - and anxiously - waiting to see what the n...
Have Kids Become Hooked To Devices?
14 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Many parents are alarmed that their kids' screen time has soared during the pandemic, with online gaming and social media taking the place of other ch...
Doctor in the House: Why Psychology Matters in a Pandemic
11 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In 2019, mere months before a form of “viral pneumonia” was reported in Wuhan, China, a book titled ‘The Psychology of Pandemics’ was publishe...
Public Health: Efforts to Tackle Chronic Kidney Disease Going to Waste?
10 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Do Malaysians take kidney health seriously? Going by the rising incidence of chronic kidney disease over the past decades, it might not seem so. This ...
IWD 2022: Surviving The Mental Trauma of Abuse
09 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
One in three women worldwide experience some form of violence in their lives, and most of this is physical, sexual or emotional abuse, either from an ...
International Women’s Day: Living For More Tomorrows
08 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Breast cancer is a journey of discovery. At every stage of the disease, women discover their true strengths, reveal their resilience, and find hope fo...
Brain Waves: Identifying Rare Disease Genes
07 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
While rare diseases are rare, there are around 10,000 different types of rare diseases and collectively this affects a large number of people. With mo...
Doctor in the House: Better Care For Obesity
04 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
With non-communicable diseases like heart disease and diabetes skyrocketing in Malaysia, are we adequately tackling obesity as a public health issue? ...
How Gynae Cancers Affect Women
03 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
When it comes to women’s health, much has been said about breast cancer, and less about another group of cancers which only affects women: gynaecolo...
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...