Health & Living
Episodes
Doctor In The House Check-up
22 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Doctor in the House is back! Today, we’ll be catching up with consultant urologist Dr George Lee and consultant respiratory physician Dr Helmy H...
Boosting Our Kids’ Self-Esteem
21 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
As parents, you want your children to grow up to be confident adults with a healthy dose of self-esteem. But how do you nurture these qualities in you...
Public Health #30: Vaccine R&D – A Health Security Threat for Malaysia (Part 2)
20 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Several candidates for the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine have entered clinical trials, and the results are eagerly anticipated. While scientists envision a globa...
Mind Matters: How Young People Get Addicted to Smoking
19 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
“If your product killed 8 million people each year, you’d also target a new generation” – that’s the tagline for World N...
How COVID-19 Has Changed Palliative Care
18 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
While the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted issues faced by various healthcare specialties, not much has been discussed when it comes to palliative ca...
A COVID-Safe Environment for Childcare Centres
15 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Many parents send their young children to kindergartens and other childcare centres knowing that they are in a safe and secure environment. But how wi...
Brain Waves #34: How We Sense Touch
14 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We use our sense of touch to make sense of the environment around us, but it is also essential for our emotional well-being. But during the COVID-19 p...
Public Health #30: Vaccine R&D – A Health Security Threat for Malaysia (Part 1)
13 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The race to develop a vaccine for COVID-19 is reminiscent of the race to the moon during the Cold War in the 1960s. The country that gets there first,...
Dealing with a Miscarriage
12 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
A miscarriage is a physically and emotionally painful experience. While miscarriages are relatively common in pregnancies, every woman’s recover...
COVID-19: Test, Test, Test!
08 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Testing for COVID-19 is key in our efforts to curb the spread of the virus. However, with all the different types of tests available, it is important ...
Can Our Relationships Survive the Pandemic?
06 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
For the past seven weeks in Malaysia, our Movement Control Order has placed restrictions on our movements. For better or for worse, we’ve been s...
Medical Training in The Time of COVID-19
05 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
How are medical students being trained during the COVID-19 pandemic, when lockdowns have forced universities to shutter and lessons to be delivered vi...
Has COVID-19 Disrupted Cancer Research?
04 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The global COVID-19 pandemic has affected clinical research in many universities and research centres worldwide. How are research institutions coping ...
Immunisation Priorities in a Pandemic
30 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
World Immunisation Week falls on the last week of April every year, and this year, the theme is #VaccinesWorkForAll. We speak to Prof Datuk Dr Lokman ...
COVID-19: Rethink Your Smoking Habits This Ramadan
29 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Now more than ever, smokers have been urged to quit smoking due to the possibility of increased risk of COVID-19. But how have smoking habits changed ...
How To Take Care of Your Back While Working From Home
28 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Back pain is a common problem and has been on the rise over the last few decades. With many of us working from home and exercising less during the COV...
Will COVID-19 Cause a Mental Health Crisis?
27 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The COVID-19 pandemic itself and measures taken to mitigate its spread has upended our lives for the past few months, and is expected to continue to i...
Be Fit Malaysians #18: Athletic Performance Amidst A Pandemic
24 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The 2020 Olympics has been postponed to next year and many other sporting events and tournaments have also been cancelled or put on hold. Gyms and tra...
Ask A Doctor #11: How to Parent in a Pandemic
23 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Due to COVID-19, parents everywhere are stuck at home with their increasingly restless and bored children. Everything has gone out the window: routine...
How COVID-19 Increases the Vulnerability of People with HIV
22 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
COVID-19 can affect the lives of people living with HIV. We’ll look at how some people may be more vulnerable to being infected by COVID, as wel...
Mind Matters: Struggling to Survive – What Mental Health?
21 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The low-income communities are the hardest hit by the restriction of economic activities under the Movement Control Order. Their lives are threatened ...
Malaysia in Global Trial for COVID-19 Treatment
19 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Everyone is on the hunt for a drug that can effectively treat COVID-19. Will Malaysia find the answer when it participates in the global Solidarity tr...
Pregnant During The COVID-19 Pandemic
17 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Expecting a newborn is a joyous time for most families, especially if you’re first time parents. But what is it like to be pregnant and to care ...
How COVID-19 Affects People With Autoimmune Diseases
16 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, we often hear that people with underlying health conditions are at higher risk of developing severe symptoms. So what ar...
How Will COVID-19 Affect Those With a Chronic Condition?
15 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
People with chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease and kidney disease are more vulnerable to becoming severely ill if they get COVID-19. We spe...
On the Frontlines of COVID-19
15 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What do frontline health workers face on a daily basis? How are they coping with their risk to exposure, as well as the daily stress and exhaustion? W...
Reconstruction Surgery for Breast Cancer
14 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
After a woman undergoes surgery to treat breast cancer, one of the biggest concerns is how the breast looks after that. Breast reconstruction surgery ...
Home Care for the Elderly During COVID-19
13 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
With the country under the Movement Control Order, many families have been separated, for instance elderly parents living apart from their adult child...
I Had COVID-19 – Here's What I Learned About Our Healthcare System
10 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On 16th of March, Bandar Kuching MP Dr Kelvin Yii found out that he had COVID-19 and was admitted for treatment at Sarawak General Hospital. What was ...
Should We Go Back To Normal After MCO?
08 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
When the MCO ends, the big question is: what next? Do the lives of Malaysians go back to normal, in terms of work, studies, business and entertai...
Public Health #29: How Good Leaders Steer Us Through a Health Crisis
08 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The COVID-19 pandemic has placed great demands on the leadership of countries coping with the outbreak – both from the national perspective and ...
COVID-19: Nursing Home Residents At Risk
07 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The elderly are already among the most vulnerable during the COVID-19 pandemic, and living in nursing homes puts them at even higher risk. So wh...
COVID-19: Should I Get Tested at a Private Hospital?
06 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, several private hospitals have begun offering COVID-19 tests for individuals who want to be tested but do...
Staying Fit and Active During the MCO
03 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The Ministry of Health has continuously reminded Malaysians to stay active during the period of the Movement Control Order, but with gyms closed and p...
COVID-19: Mindfulness Will Get You Through This
02 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The COVID-19 outbreak and the subsequent Movement Control Order has made us all anxious, fearful and stressed. However, consultant clinical psychologi...
COVID-19: How Are Our Medical Frontliners Coping?
01 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
For the past weeks, we’ve been hearing about the struggles and risks that healthcare workers are facing, as they battle COVID-19 on the frontlin...
Cancer and COVID-19
31 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
If you have cancer, the COVID-19 outbreak, and its rapid spread here in Malaysia, is probably a source of constant anxiety. Dr Murallitharan Munisamy,...
Multiple Nighttime Toilet Trips
30 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
If you’re constantly waking up at night to urinate, it’s probably disturbing your sleep and causing other problems. Night urination (or me...
COVID-19: How Parents and Children Can Cope
26 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
With so much anxiety and uncertainty over the COVID-19 outbreak, how can parents talk to their kids – including children with special needs &nda...
COVID-19: How are District Health Offices Coping?
25 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We hear a lot about contact tracing and surveillance as a critical part of the response to COVID-19. But what exactly does it involve? We find out mor...
Physical Rehabilitation For Cancer Patients
23 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Cancer treatments can leave the patients feeling weak and fatigued, which can have negative repercussions on their quality of life. That’s where...
Taking Care of the Elderly During COVID-19
20 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
With the Movement Control Order in place from the 18th to 31st March, we’re looking at one of the most vulnerable groups in our community: the e...
Public Health #28: Investing in Vaccination
19 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
With one more case of polio in Sabah this week bringing the total reported cases to four, there is clearly an urgent need to immunise non-Malaysian ch...
Mind Matters: How COVID-19 Affects Youths
18 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Universities and tertiary institutions will be shut for 2 weeks, starting today, under the Movement Control Order. On the Mind Matters series, we spea...
COVID-19: Looking Beyond Movement Control Order
18 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Yesterday, the government of Malaysia announced a Movement Control Order, restricting public gatherings and a wide range of activities in a bid to pre...
COVID-19: Looking Beyond Movement Control Order
17 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Yesterday, the government of Malaysia announced a Movement Control Order, restricting public gatherings and a wide range of activities in a bid to pre...
Tackling Malnutrition Among the Elderly
16 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Eating a healthy diet shouldn’t just be prioritised by the young, as malnutrition is increasingly affecting older adults these days. So how woul...
Managing Diabetes Through Exercise
11 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Most of us find it difficult to make lifestyle changes, especially when it comes to our level of physical activity and diet. But these changes can sig...
Preventing & Treating Recurrence of Colorectal Cancer
10 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
According to the Malaysia National Cancer Registry Report 2012-2016, colorectal cancer is the most common cancer among men in Malaysia, and the second...
Health: The Nuts & Bolts #5 – Hospitals and Healthcare
09 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of Health: The Nuts & Bolts, we look at hospitals as a key aspect of service delivery, and why it’s not simply a case of sli...
IWD2020: The Women Spearheading Women’s Health
06 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
A lot of us find it difficult to talk about women’s sexual and reproductive health due to cultural and religious taboos here in Malaysia. In con...
Less Salt, Please
05 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Malaysians are overly fond of salty food. However, many of us do not pay enough attention to the salt and sodium content in our daily meals. We find o...
Responding to the Health Needs of Refugees
04 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
It is widely known that Malaysia is not a signatory of the 1951 United Nations Refugee Convention. That means the refugee status is not recognised in ...
Music and Movement
03 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
When you watch a musician or a dancer performing, it’s enthralling to witness how their bodies move in synchrony to produce something that comes...
Targeting Colorectal Cancer
02 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Colorectal cancer still ranks high among cancers affecting Malaysians, and is still being diagnosed at late stages. How does this affect patients&rsqu...
Doctor in the House: World Rare Disease Day 2020
28 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Dr George Lee returns to discuss the latest medical news. Expect deep insights delivered with generous humour. This year, World Rare Disease Day falls...
When Heart Attacks Strike Young
25 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Heart attacks are often seen as a problem that comes with age, but recent news has many of us worried about the possibility of heart attacks striking ...
Frontline Response for Covid-19
24 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
GPs are often the first line of response to any health issues, including during the current Covid-19 outbreak. We take a look at how GPs should respon...
Doctor in the House: What To Do If You Have Covid-19 Symptoms
21 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Dr George Lee returns to discuss the latest medical news. Expect deep insights delivered with generous humour. With everyone on high alert for signs a...
Doctor in the House: What To Do If You Have Covid-19 Symptoms
21 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Dr George Lee returns to discuss the latest medical news. Expect deep insights delivered with generous humour. With everyone on high alert for signs a...
Rethinking Drug Policy in Malaysia
20 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This week, Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamed announced that the government will look into changing the death penalty for drug trafficking to a li...
Music Heals
19 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The use of music as medicine has existed for as long as the indigenous communities in our country have been creating music. However, formalized music ...
Mind Matters: What is Community Mental Health?
18 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Mental health is not just about illnesses like depression or bipolar disorder – it also refers to the stresses you face in your daily life and y...
Childhood Obesity - Health & Habits
17 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
When we talk about obesity, we often look at its prevalence among adults, but are we doing enough to address it during childhood? On today’s sho...
Doctor in the House: Building Healthy Relationships
14 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Dr George Lee returns to discuss the latest medical news. Expect deep insights delivered with generous humour. In this Valentine’s Day special, ...
Doctor in the House: Building Healthy Relationships
14 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Dr George Lee returns to discuss the latest medical news. Expect deep insights delivered with generous humour. In this Valentine’s Day special, ...
Brain Waves #33: Bionic Neurons
13 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
A team of researchers have recently created bionic neurons that could be implanted into patients. The artificial neurons could potentially help to ove...
Public Health #27: Lessons from 1Care
12 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Insurance providers in Malaysia are set to increase premiums as much as 30% for medical policies this year, due to factors like medical inflation, ris...
Self-Harm & Suicide Among the Elderly
11 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Growing older should be a time to enjoy life without the pressures of working and supporting a family. But many elderly people find themselves feeling...
Health: The Nuts and Bolts #4 – Training Doctors
10 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What does it really take to become a doctor, and are medical students truly prepared for the path that lies ahead? In the fourth episode of our series...
Doctor in the House: A Vaccine for the Wuhan Coronavirus?
07 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Dr George Lee returns to discuss the latest medical news. Researchers from various different centres around the world are racing to develop a vaccine ...
Doctor in the House: A Vaccine for the Wuhan Coronavirus?
07 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Dr George Lee returns to discuss the latest medical news. Researchers from various different centres around the world are racing to develop a vaccine ...
Ask A Doctor #10: Children’s Health
06 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We are back for our monthly open clinic segment, where we get our doctors to address your health concerns. On today’s show, Dr Yong Junina Fadzi...
Ask A Psychologist #11: Mental Health Clinic
05 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We return with our monthly mental health clinic with consultant clinical psychologist Paul Jambunathan. In this segment, we address your concerns rega...
What is Stressing Our Joints?
04 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Osteoarthritis is one of the most common causes of joint pain. What do we know about the underlying causes of osteoarthritis? Is it really due to &ldq...
Dangers of DIY Dental and Orthodontic Procedures
03 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
When you Google ‘how to fix crooked teeth at home’, you get results to online sites that sell DIY braces and aligners, promising quick and...
Doctor in the House: What Happens When Children Can’t Hear Anymore?
31 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
A baby learns how to speak and understand others by hearing the sounds and words around them, so what happens when they lose that ability to hear? If ...
Is Whooping Cough Evolving Into a Superbug?
30 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
New research by Australian scientists has shown that whooping cough (pertussis) bacteria are evolving and becoming smarter in surviving in a human bod...
Cancer Goals for 2020
29 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Leading up to World Cancer Day on 4th February, we look at the advances in cancer treatment and prevention over the past two decades. Following that, ...
Researching Stroke Biomarkers
28 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Early detection and treatment is crucial for stroke patients to limit brain damage and prevent further stroke complications. Aishah Ismail, a research...
Chinese New Year Special: Healthy and Fit
23 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
“Shen ti jian kang” or “wishing you good health” is a common greeting you hear during the Chinese New Year celebrations. An im...
Teaching Children Self-Control
23 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Self-control and discipline isn’t something you usually associate with children. We tend to think it’s ok when children are easily distrac...
Mind Matters: Alcohol Addiction
22 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In past months, several fatal drunk driving incidents made the news here in Malaysia. When does a drink turn into one too many, and from there, into a...
Be Fit Malaysians #17: HIIT-ing the Gym
21 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Many of us make a New Year’s resolution to exercise more, but how do we go about it? In the current fitness frenzy, we take a look at high inten...
How Do We Treat Burns?
20 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Severe burns can leave scars that cause psychological distress to the person, even long after the injury has healed. So how are burn wounds managed an...
Doctor in the House: Improving Our Trauma Care System
17 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Dr George Lee returns to discuss the latest medical news. Expect deep insights delivered with generous humour. Road accidents have remained one of Mal...
Flu and Diabetes in the Elderly
16 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
With influenza cases seemingly on the rise in recent weeks, we look at how older people are particularly vulnerable to complications from the viral in...
Program ROSE: Removing Obstacles to cervical ScrEening
15 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In 2017, Program ROSE was started as a pilot research programme to improve access to cervical cancer screening among Malaysian women. In conjunction w...
Reducing the Burden of COPD
14 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Not too long ago, the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease predicted that chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) would be the ...
Health: The Nuts and Bolts #3 – Health Workforce
13 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In the 3rd episode of Health: The Nuts & Bolts, the series that goes behind the scenes of our health system, we’re looking at our health wor...
Doctor in the House: Influenza and Respiratory Diseases
10 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Dr George Lee returns to discuss the latest medical news. Expect deep insights delivered with generous humour. Influenza is back in the news and on ou...
Doctor in the House: Influenza and Respiratory Diseases
10 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Dr George Lee returns to discuss the latest medical news. Expect deep insights delivered with generous humour. Influenza is back in the news and on ou...
Brain Waves #32: Addiction and Anxiety in the Brain
09 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What happens in the brain of someone who suffers from an extreme addiction? And how would withdrawal from the addictive substance affect the emotions ...
Public Health #26: Critical Time for Health Workers
08 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The year 2019 ended on a note of uncertainty for workers in the health sector, who had been told that the government was considering stopping the crit...
A Decade in Orthopaedics
07 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
As we enter the new year and decade, we ask consultant orthopaedic surgeon Dr Rajesh Singh to walk us through some of the most significant advances an...
Extreme Facial Pain
06 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We have several nerves in our face, which supply feeling and movement to the face. Imagine when something goes wrong with one of those nerves. One of ...
Doctor in the House: Changing Mindsets on the Smoking Ban
03 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
1st January marked the beginning of enforcement of the smoking ban in eateries, after an educational period of a year. We look back at how effective t...
Ask A Doctor #9: Exercise and Fitness
02 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
We are back for our monthly open clinic segment, where we get our doctors to address your health concerns. On today’s show, Datuk Dr Ramlan Aziz...
BFM's Healthy Ageing 2019 Part 2 of 2: The Heart & The Mind
31 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Everyone talks about healthy ageing, but what does it mean? We look at healthy ageing from the perspective of cardiovascular health with Consultant In...
BFM's Healthy Ageing 2019 Part 1 of 2: Healthy Joints & Palliative Care
30 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Everyone talks about healthy ageing, but what does it mean? We look at managing healthy joints among older people with Consultant Arthroplasty Orthopa...