Health & Living

We Can Treat Obesity, But What About Stigma?

03 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In 2020, when Dr Ruben Ramakrishnan completed his Doctor of Public Health, it was the culmination of two journeys - one, his professional journey, and...

Humans of Healthcare: The Medical Social Worker

02 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What happens when you’re struck by an illness and require more support beyond just treating the symptoms or injury you have? That’s where medical ...

Earthquakes & Conflicts: Access to Safe Water in Myanmar

01 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Every time you wash your hands or flush the toilet, do you think about what the world would look like if we couldn’t easily do any of those things? ...

NCD Chronicles #29: Surviving Nasopharyngeal Cancer

30 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC) is treatable, and even curable, when patients are diagnosed at the earlier stages. But the treatment journey can be long a...

Reading To Your Kids: Is It Passé?

26 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A survey in the UK shows that Gen Z parents find reading to their children boring. We speak to Dr Rajini Sarvananthan, Consultant Developmental Paedia...

Healthcare For Refugees: Going Beyond Charity

25 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Refugees in Malaysia live on the precipice of danger - fleeing persecution in their own country, while facing social and financial insecurity in a for...

Because Feelings Matter #42: What Does Complex PTSD Look Like?

24 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What does a person with complex PTSD look like? Just like you and me, it turns out. Shane’s bubbly personality hides the scars of abuse, low self-es...

Is Gene Editing The Silver Bullet for Rare Disorders?

23 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

For the first time, doctors have treated a baby boy born with a rare genetic disorder with gene-editing treatment that was tailor-made for him. This h...

Erectile Dysfunction: Speak Up If You Can't Get It Up

20 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Two in three Malaysian men above 40 are at risk of erectile dysfunction, but how many of them are open to talk about it, let alone seek medical help? ...

Healthy Ageing: Is Abandonment of Older Adults On The Rise?

19 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Hospitals are where we go to when we’re ill or unwell, but what if it becomes the place where someone is abandoned? In conjunction with World Elder ...

How Will The SST Affect GPs?

18 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

General practitioners and the clinics they run in our communities are often the first point of contact for people when they fall ill. But many GPs hav...

Mind Matters: The SPM Leaver’s Dilemma

17 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

After SPM, what next? This is a big question for young people, with concerns about what kind of higher education to pursue, juggling self and parental...

Brain Waves: Can Your Job Prevent Alzheimer’s?

16 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What if your job could reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease? A study done in the US found that for people who worked two very specific types of jo...

Will This Test Tell Me If I Have Cancer?

13 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

You’ve probably heard time and time again that it’s important to pick up cancers early, because it means your odds of surviving and living a good ...

Public Health: State Of Our Nation’s Nutrition

12 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

According to the National Health and Morbidity Survey 2024 on Nutrition, our nutritional status is abysmal. And that’s bad news, considering we also...

Banning Vape Sales In States Is Only Step One

11 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

As states around the country announce complete bans on vape shops - or at the very least, consider it - will this be too little, too late? What kind o...

Humans of Healthcare: The Respiratory Physician

10 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Every breath you take fills your body with oxygen, which is vital for every cell in the body to get energy. When something disrupts your respiratory s...

Should We All Work Until 65?

09 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Following Law Minister Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said’s suggestion to raise the retirement age to 65, the Ministry of Human Resources has confirmed ...

Specimens & Stories: Inside UM’s Medical Museum

06 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

University of Malaya’s Faculty of Medicine recently unveiled its Medical Museum, named in honour of Tan Sri Dr. Lim Wee Chai. We speak to Professor ...

Counsellor’s Corner: Parenting Stress

05 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In conjunction with Parent’s Day in June, our Counsellor’s Corner episode focuses on the struggles that parents face in juggling their responsibil...

Green-ing Healthcare For The Planet

04 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Our healthcare system takes care of us when we’re ill, but the irony is that it’s also making our planet sick. Globally, the healthcare sector has...

Think Twice Before Diving Into That Sports Trend

03 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Every time a new sports fad comes about, doctors and specialists brace themselves for a slew of new patients coming in with fresh aches and pains. We ...

How Vapes Are Appealing To (and Harming) Our Kids 

30 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Bright colours, trendy designs, and cool flavours. E-cigarettes or vapes have been the new in-thing for a while, despite escalating warnings that they...

Can I Choke on This? Understanding the Risks & How To Prevent It 

29 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Many of us would still remember the incident earlier this year where a young boy died after he choked on a round gummy sweet. That incident sparked aw...

NCD Chronicles #28: Beating The Odds With Ovarian Cancer

28 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Doctors predicted she wouldn’t live past two years, but six years later, she’s still thriving. Hear Iren Lau’s journey of living with ovarian ca...

Because Feelings Matter #41: “I Always Knew My Mother Was Different”

27 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

“I always knew you were different,” wrote Jian Goh in his comic book series ‘Once Upon a Miao’. He was referring to his mother, who had strugg...

Ask A Doctor: Women’s Sexual Health 

26 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Women’s sexual health is still considered a taboo subject in some segments of society despite how impactful it can be on women’s lives. On this ep...

What Does An Advanced Prostate Cancer Diagnosis Mean?

23 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Former US President Joe Biden has just been diagnosed with aggressive prostate cancer that has spread to the bones. We get consultant urologist Dr Geo...

Understanding Play Therapy

22 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What’s the difference between letting children play, and using play in therapy for emotional, behavioural, and psychological issues in young childre...

Mind Matters: Supporting People Living With Schizophrenia

21 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

One of the most common perceptions of people diagnosed with schizophrenia is that they tend to be violent. But how much of that is true and how much d...

Nudging Consumers To Make Healthier Grocery Choices

20 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

When you’re walking down the supermarket aisle, what drives you to decide what to buy? Are you ticking items off a list or being tempted by what’s...

It’s Ok To Go Low-Salt

19 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

How much salt do you consume every day, and how much of that do you think comes from meals that you order or tah pau from coffeeshops and restaurants?...

How Pharmacists Can Help Lower Rising Healthcare Costs

16 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Everything related to healthcare is becoming more expensive today, including medicines, hospital and clinic visits, and insurance premiums. What role ...

Shouldering the Pain: Knowing When The Pain Is Not Normal

15 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

From badminton to swimming or lifting weights in the gym, most exercises require good shoulder strength and mobility. So what happens if you lose that...

Counsellor’s Corner: How To Handle Disagreements

14 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Many problems in our personal and work relationships stem from conflict and disagreements that have been left unsaid. Licensed counsellor Heeran Kaur ...

Humans of Healthcare: The Paediatric Cardiothoracic Surgeon

13 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

As part of Dr Siti Laura Mazalan’s job as a congenital and paediatric cardiothoracic surgeon, she touches a tiny infant’s beating heart, handling ...

How Obesity Makes Pregnancy Dangerous

09 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Being obese increases your risk for various health complications, and that’s especially true - and more dangerous - when you’re pregnant and overw...

Public Health: How Will Malaysia Afford Aged Care?

08 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Once upon a time, growing old meant being surrounded by family members in a multigenerational home. Today, that family has shrunk, and growing old mig...

Do Performance-Enhancing Drugs Work And Are They Ever Safe?

07 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

For some people, exercising may not lead to obvious results - at least not in the short-term and depending on how you’re working out. This means tha...

Childhood Asthma Is Still A Major Problem

06 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

When you think about chronic diseases, you may not think that children could be affected. But did you know that asthma is the most common chronic dise...

Healthy Ageing: Can The Shingles Vaccine Prevent Dementia?

05 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

You might have seen recent headlines which say that the shingles vaccine can decrease the risk of dementia, but how does that work? On this episode of...

Private Healthcare Facilities Must Now Display Drug Prices

02 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Yesterday, the drug price display mandate came into force, which requires private health facilities such as private GPs and community pharmacies to ph...

Pioneering Advancements In Heart Failure Care

30 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

When it comes to cardiovascular disease in our country, we are not only burdened by coronary artery disease, but also, increasingly, heart failure. As...

 Living With A Rare Disorder & Going Through Puberty

29 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Adolescence is already a challenging stage in life - for both parents and teens alike - but what happens when you throw in a rare disorder? We speak t...

NCD Chronicles #27: “Reborn” After A Liver Transplant

28 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

For five long years, Farah Syahidah Shamsuddin was on the waiting list for a liver transplant. Her liver, damaged due to a congenital condition, was l...

Mental Health Support For Putra Heights Disaster

25 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Since the gas pipeline explosion in Putra Heights, Selangor, on 1 April 2025, dozens of residents are still displaced, while hundreds of others are tr...

Is There An Autism “Epidemic” Due To Environmental Factors?

24 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Last week, news headlines exploded when the US Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr said that the significant and recent rise i...

Is There A Future for Vaccines?

23 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We’ve often heard that vaccines save lives, but have we ever thought about what the world would look like without vaccines? While many have had a ne...

Because Feelings Matter #40: It’s Not About “Fixing” Autism

22 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

When you’re a mother of two girls with autism, you’ll do anything to support their development and ensure access to all the necessary intervention...

We’re Treating Cancer Differently Now

21 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Cancer is a tumour in the body, a coalescence of mutated, malignant cells. But cancer is not the person. Someone diagnosed with cancer is more than ju...

Treating Dizziness And Vertigo

18 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Do you sometimes feel dizzy or off-balance? Does the room suddenly start spinning and you feel like throwing up? You shouldn’t brush off symptoms of...

Can You Biohack Your Way To A Better, Longer Life? 

17 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The idea of biohacking has grown in popularity over the recent years, helped along by influencers and the wellness industry, who argue that this is th...

Ask A Doctor: Children’s Tummy Problems

16 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On this month’s Ask A Doctor, we are addressing questions about children’s digestive issues, from colic to constipation, diarrhoea and dietary hab...

Mind Matters: When Mental Health Stigma Still Hurts

15 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Gone are the days where mental health is spoken about in hushed tones - or are they? We talk about mental health much more openly today but that doesn...

When Faced With Autism, Parents Feel Lost

14 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

If you are a parent looking for answers about your child’s neurodivergent condition, the road can be a long and winding one. Whether you’re trying...

Humans of Healthcare: The Cancer Epidemiologist

11 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Epidemiologists play an important role in helping us understand how a disease occurs or spreads within a population. We speak to cancer epidemiologist...

Public Health: Sorry, Your Life-Saving Drug Is Beyond Our Budget

10 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

If you’re a patient at a government hospital or clinic, you probably don’t think twice about the medications you’re prescribed, though you’re ...

Healthy Ageing: Can A Blood Test Diagnose Alzheimer’s?

09 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Can a single blood test detect Alzheimer’s disease and how far it has progressed? Scientists have been working to develop a blood test for Alzheimer...

Counsellor’s Corner: Forgive, But Can You Forget?

08 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

 It’s all about forgiveness during the month of Syawal, but is kosong-kosong easier said than done? How do you learn to forgive others (and eve...

World Health Day: Healthy Beginnings

07 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Every 2 minutes, one woman dies in pregnancy or childbirth. Every 7 seconds, a newborn baby dies. In essence, a life is cut short before it can even b...

TB Is Still A Threat

04 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On 24th March in 1882, Dr Robert Koch announced that he had discovered the bacterium that causes TB. 143 years later, we’ve learned that we can prev...

Butter: To Eat or Not To Eat?

03 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Is butter an artery-clogging food? Or is it actually a superfood? Butter has been both demonised and celebrated in the health space over the years. A ...

We Need More Seamless, Proactive Healthcare

02 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The way we seek healthcare today is reactive, and fragmented by disease and specialisation. We go to a doctor only when we have a serious health probl...

It’s Time We Redefine Obesity

28 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What does it mean to be obese? We’re now slowly recognising that it’s not just a result of your lifestyle choices, but is a complex disease. Earli...

The Upside of Down Syndrome

27 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Every year, World Down Syndrome Day is commemorated on 21st March, to signify the triplication of the 21st chromosome in people born with this conditi...

Hip And Knee Replacements: Fighting The Fear

26 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

According to a recent study by the Malaysian Elders Longitudinal Research (MELoR), almost one in three older adults has symptoms of knee osteoarthriti...

Because Feelings Matter #39: Rebuilding From A Toxic Life

25 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In 2007, Maisarah Sani was building a successful career in London. But at the same time, she was leading a double life, trapped in a toxic relationshi...

NCD Chronicles #26: I Had A Stroke At 33 Years Old

24 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Picture someone who had a stroke, and you’d probably think of someone older, past their 60s. But stroke can happen at any age. For younger stroke su...

Diet & Recovery After Colorectal Cancer

21 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Colorectal cancer is the second most common cancer among Malaysians, but it’s often difficult and embarrassing to talk about even after treatment, e...

Circumcision: To Cut Or Not To Cut

20 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Circumcision is a practice that is both familiar and mysterious in Malaysian culture. We know that berkhatan is a common practice for Muslim boys, yet...

Healthy Ageing: What Makes An Age-Friendly City?

19 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What do Taiping, Ipoh, Penang Island, and Sibu have in common? They’re all committed to being age-friendly cities! Together with consultant geriatri...

Mind Matters: From Sembang To Support

17 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In her PPR community in Batu Muda, Kak Lynn is a mother, office employee, home business owner, and trained community advocate for mental health. Kak L...

Is Kidney Disease On The Rise Among Teens?

14 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

You may know how common chronic kidney disease is, but did you know that the disease could soon have a new - and much younger - face in Malaysia? With...

Public Health: Childhood Obesity In Malaysia Is An Alarming Trend

13 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

One in three school-aged children in Malaysia is overweight or obese, putting them on a worrying trajectory of chronic diseases in adulthood like diab...

How To Stay Fit In Your 40s

12 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Is it true that it’s harder to exercise and see results in your 40s? Find out more about the changes your body goes through at the mid-life stage an...

Humans of Healthcare: The Geriatrician

11 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

You might see a cardiologist for heart issues, a rheumatologist for arthritis, or an endocrinologist for diabetes. But as you age and have more comple...

Are Supplements Safe If You’re On Psychiatric Meds?

10 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

As mental health issues like depression and anxiety rise, more people may be on short- or long-term prescriptions of medications for these conditions....

Are Generic Drugs Less Effective?

07 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Are generic drugs less effective than brand-name ones? Generics are often described as cheaper but just as effective alternatives to brand-name drugs,...

Counsellor’s Corner: Why Does Rejection Hurt So Much?

06 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

How do you deal with a “no”, whether it’s having your project pitch shot down at work, or being turned down for a date? On this month’s Counse...

Preventing Women From Dying After Childbirth

05 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Severe bleeding after childbirth, also known as post-partum haemorrhage, continues to be a leading cause of maternal mortality worldwide, including he...

Listen Up! Here’s How To Protect Your Hearing

04 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Many of us spend hours a day listening to sounds at levels that our ears are probably not meant for. But how often do we stop and think about how it’...

Can We Cure #4: Cancer?

03 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What if we could one day cure all cancers? Why has it been so difficult for scientists to find a cure? In this mini series, we explore the challenges ...

Your Guide To Glucose

28 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Our body needs glucose to function, but as with all things in life, you can have too much of a good thing. We dive into what glucose does to our body ...

Phones Off, Books Down!

27 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

As a parent today, it’s easy to get caught up in debates over Montessori versus traditional kindergartens, international versus national schools, an...

Physiotherapy For Children with Rare Disorders

26 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Improving quality of life for someone living with a rare disorder isn’t just about treating or finding a cure to the condition, but also about helpi...

Because Feelings Matter #38: How A Father Survived Suicide Loss

25 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Back in 2022, Fuad would visit KLIA regularly over the course of April to June, where his late son’s architecture installation, ‘Polyhedron Pavili...

NCD Chronicles #25 (Part 2): Living with Type 1 Diabetes

24 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The struggles faced by children and young adults with Type 1 diabetes are still largely unnoticed by the public, healthcare providers and policymakers...

Why Malaysians Have Poor Diabetes Control

21 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

One in six adults in Malaysia have diabetes, but more than half do not have good glucose control. With poorly controlled diabetes comes astronomical c...

Ask A Doctor: Cholesterol and Blood Pressure

20 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On this month’s Ask A Doctor, we are addressing questions about high cholesterol and blood pressure. Consultant cardiologist Dr Effarezan Abdul Rahm...

Healthy Ageing: Move It or Lose It

19 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We’re often told that we must “move it or lose it” when it comes to our musculoskeletal health, and this is especially true in your older years....

Mind Matters: Mental Health Support For Social Sectors

18 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

People who work in the health, social and education sectors are the foundation of society. Think of teachers, nurses, doctors, welfare providers, pris...

Can We Cure #3: Allergies

17 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What if we could one day cure allergies, like that perennnial, pesky hayfever or your potentially life-threatening peanut allergy? In this mini series...

Should Vaping Be Regulated Or Banned Completely?

14 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The question of whether vapes and e-cigarettes should be banned outright has arisen again, with Minister of Health Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad sayin...

Public Health: The Health Workforce Crisis

13 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The healthcare workforce in Malaysia is currently facing a multitude of challenges that threaten the sustainability and effectiveness of the healthcar...

Humans of Healthcare: The Paediatric Dentist

12 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What is it like working as the doctor no one likes to see? It’s not uncommon for many of us to fear a visit to the dentist, but in this episode of H...

Can We Cure #2: Genetic Disorders?

10 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What if we could one day cure all genetic diseases? Would it be ethical to do so, even if we could? In this mini series, we’ll be exploring the chal...

Are More Young Adults Getting Cancer?

07 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Your risk of getting cancer increases as you age, but these days, it seems like we hear more and more about people in their 20s, 30s, and 40s being di...

Counsellor’s Corner: How To Show Your Partner You Care

06 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

On Counsellor’s Corner this month, we dive deep into the heart of relationships—how to show your partner you care, how to handle conflict, and how...

UMMC’s Increased Charges: What and Why

05 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The year started with a shocking bit of news for patients of Universiti Malaya Medical Centre, when the teaching hospital announced that it would be i...

Understanding Why Healthcare Costs Money

04 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Fee-for-service versus diagnosis-related groups. Value-based care. National health financing. These terms keep showing up in the current heated discus...