Health & Living

Because Feelings Matter #32: How An Activist Overcame Burnout

28 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic forced the world into lockdown. The streets became empty. Shops, businesses, offices and schools were shut. Some famili...

A Healthy And Delicious Diet For People With Swallowing Disorders

27 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

For people who have swallowing issues, eating can be a challenge but that doesn’t mean what they eat can’t be nutritious and delicious. Question i...

NCD Chronicles #21: Seven Years Alone With Ankylosing Spondylitis

26 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

For several months, JC suffered chest pains mimicking a heart attack. The tightening spread from his chest, up towards his neck. Then without warning,...

Doctor in the House: Are HIV Rates Going Up Among Malaysian Youths?

23 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It was recently reported in the Dewan Negara that we’ve been seeing an uptick in the number of new HIV cases among our university students aged betw...

What To Know About Your Children’s Lives Online

22 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Being bullied and trolled online. Violent or sexually explicit content. Reels and posts promoting unrealistic ideals. Our children could be inadverten...

Spinal Muscular Atrophy: From Carrier Screening To Life After Diagnosis

21 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

For a family of a child with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), life could be divided into moments of Before and After. Before refers to the period when t...

Mind Matters: What Can We Learn From Olympians About Mental Health?

20 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The Olympics might be over but we’re still not done talking about it, especially as athletes continue to open up about how the games and public scru...

Ask A Doctor: More About Allergies

19 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In our open clinic segment, consultant paediatric immunologist Assoc Prof Dr Adli Ali, joins us to answer all your questions about allergies, especial...

Doctor in the House: Children’s Genital and Urinary Conditions

16 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

As a parent, you would worry if your child complains of pain or other problems related to urination. You’d also be anxious if there appears to be ab...

Public Health: Exploring Unconventional Health Financing Options

15 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

If you or your loved one needs substantial medical treatment, such as bypass surgery, cancer therapy or IVF treatment, you could be looking at medical...

Brain Waves: I Keep Forgetting My Keys… Do I Need A Cognitive Test?

14 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Do you know how well your brain works? How would you know if your brain function is declining? On this episode of Brain Waves, we’ll be exploring th...

Humans of Healthcare: The Occupational Therapist

13 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

How do you live your best life if you’re recovering from an injury, managing a chronic condition, or adapting to a disability? This is where an occu...

How To Exercise Safely During Pregnancy

12 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It’s not uncommon for pregnant women to hear that there are many things they can’t do during their pregnancy, including some types of exercises. B...

Doctor in the House: Desperate For Kidneys (And Other Organs)

09 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Recently, several news outlets highlighted the illegal organ trade in Malaysia, particularly involving the sale of kidneys. The New Straits Times repo...

Healthy Ageing: Do Older Adults Feel Pain Differently?

08 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Most of us know what it’s like to feel pain, whether due to a sudden injury or an illness. But how does our experience of pain change as our body ag...

Counsellor’s Corner: Inside Our Anxiety

07 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The animated movie Inside Out 2 introduced us to Anxiety, a frantic, quivering bundle of energy, with a perpetually nervous grimace on her face. We al...

Personalising Diabetes Treatment

06 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Diabetes affects one in six people in Malaysia, and is one of the top causes of death, as slightly over half (56%) of patients do not have good blood ...

How Paediatric Palliative Care Helps Kids And Their Parents

05 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Hearing that your child has a life-threatening or life-limiting disease is something no parent wants to hear. But in these cases, paediatric palliativ...

How To Talk To Kids About Safety (Without Scaring Them)

02 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The recent reports of kids going missing or being kidnapped is every parent’s worst nightmare. We’re joined by consultant developmental paediatric...

Dealing With A Lung Cancer Diagnosis

01 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Lung cancer is the third most common cancer overall in Malaysia - impacting men and women almost comparably. Alarmingly, the latest National Cancer Re...

Clearer Pathway For Specialist Training in Malaysia?

31 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The situation of specialists in Malaysia’s healthcare system has been in the spotlight over the last few months. Now that Dewan Rakyat and Dewan Neg...

World Hepatitis Day 2024: It’s Time For Action

30 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Did you know that globally, someone dies every 30 seconds from a hepatitis-related illness? In conjunction with World Hepatitis Day, which was observe...

NCD Chronicles #20: “I Would Bleed Even While Sitting Down” (Living With Haemophilia)

29 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Unexplained, sudden bruises. Wounds that take a long time to stop bleeding. For people living with haemophilia, bleeds - both externally and internall...

More Babies Born With Low Birth Weight

26 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

When a baby is born, his or her weight isn’t just a matter of trivial curiosity, or a fun fact shared by the proud parents. A baby’s weight and si...

The Right Medicine For The Right Person

25 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

When you take any medication - whether it’s a painkiller or your hypertension pills - your body responds in a unique way due to your genes. This can...

Secrets Cost Lives: How Transparency Can Improve Access to Medicines

24 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Medicines, diagnostic tests, and vaccines are lifesaving but only if people can access them. From the point of research and development all the way to...

Because Feelings Matter #31: Diary of a Work-From-Home Dad

23 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In ‘Diary of a Work-From-Home Dad’, illustrator and comic artist Mohammad Yazid Kamal Baharin pulls no punches when it comes to telling the story ...

Ask A Doctor: Women’s Urinary Problems

22 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We’re back with our monthly Ask A Doctor series, and today we’ll be taking in questions about women’s urinary conditions, from UTIs to incontine...

The Powerful Role of Exercise in Cancer

19 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Exercise is a powerful word when it comes to cancer. Physical activity has been linked to lowered risk of several types of cancer, and is even able to...

Healthy Ageing: Keeping Seniors Safe In The Driver’s Seat

18 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In Malaysia, where many of us depend on cars to get around, it can be hard to imagine giving up driving one day when age catches up with us, especiall...

The Brain In Depression

17 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Depression - you would definitely have heard of this mental health condition, and have a basic idea that it affects someone’s moods and behaviours. ...

Mind Matters: How Divorce Affects Children

16 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Divorce is tough on any family, but there is a unique impact on children, who can feel conflicted and anxious throughout the process. With a significa...

People With Drug Addiction Need Help, Not Imprisonment

15 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Amendments to the Drug Dependents Act were tabled in Parliament last week, resulting in swift pushback from drug policy experts that these amendments ...

Doctor in the House: Are There Carcinogens In Our Makeup?

12 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Are our beauty products harbouring carcinogens? Public concerns about asbestos in talcum powder increased when a multitude of lawsuits were filed agai...

Public Health: Malaysia Must Do Better In Primary Care

11 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Some of us may be familiar with the idea of a family physician - your local primary care doctor who treated you for your childhood infections, managed...

Will Medical Insurance Co-Payments Be A Burden?

10 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Do you own a medical insurance policy, or are thinking of purchasing a new one soon? If so, you could be affected by Bank Negara Malaysia’s new poli...

Humans of Healthcare: The Medical Ethicist

09 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In healthcare, there are often situations where medical staff have to make decisions on moral, legal and ethical issues in patient care, or where ther...

Doctor in the House: Why Do We Love Health Hacks - Even If They're Wacky

05 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Whether you’re scrolling through social media or talking to friends, you can easily hear about the latest health hack - little tips and advice on ho...

Breast Cancer: Symptoms and Screening

04 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Breast cancer may not always cause noticeable symptoms, but there are certain changes to your breast and nipples that you must not ignore. Dr Hilawati...

Counsellor’s Corner: Do Personality Tests Work?

03 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Personality tests are everywhere, ranging from the MBTI to the Big Five to other fluffier and fun ones you find on the internet. So what can we learn ...

Adapting to Prosthetic Limbs

02 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

How does a prosthetic limb turn a relatively sedentary person into an active para-athlete? Is it the prosthetic, or the willpower? Inspired by the sto...

How To Cope When Life Transitions Happen

01 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

As the ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus once observed: the only constant in life is change. And these changes - or life transitions - are events ...

Adapting to Prosthetic Limbs

01 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

How does a prosthetic limb turn a relatively sedentary person into an active para-athlete? Is it the prosthetic, or the willpower? Inspired by the sto...

Doctor in the House: Is Spermageddon Upon Us?

28 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

For a long time, infertility among couples has always been placed on the shoulders of the woman, but as reports of male infertility continue to rise, ...

Life With An Autistic Sibling

27 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What is it like growing up alongside a neurodivergent sibling? How does it shape your identity, your relationship and dynamics within the family, and ...

How MND Malaysia Supports People with Motor Neuron Disease

26 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Motor neuron disease (MND) - also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis - is a progressive neurological condition that leads to weakness and wasting ...

Because Feelings Matter #30: From Self-Destructiveness to Self-Love

25 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Maurizio Rosini’s past of getting into street fights against fascist groups in Italy is so far removed - geographically and metaphorically - from th...

Treating Cleft Lip and Palate

24 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In Malaysia, it is estimated that about one in 700 babies is born with a cleft lip or palate. If your baby is born with a cleft, you may be distressed...

Doctor in the House: Cancer Control Through Global South Cooperation

21 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Geography determines whether or not you receive treatment for cancer, and whether you will suffer painfully or live with a good quality of life. This ...

World Refugee Day: How REF Helps Refugees Access Healthcare

20 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Malaysians pride ourselves on the affordability of our public healthcare services, but is it affordable for all communities that need it? This World R...

Mind Matters: Away From Institutionalisation & Towards Community Care

19 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

When we think of people struggling with their mental health being placed in psychiatric institutions, it’s usually not a pretty picture. In fact, ps...

Healthy Ageing: Managing Behavioural Changes in Ageing Parents

18 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It’s normal for parent-child relationships to change and evolve as you and your parents grow older, but what happens when your ageing parents develo...

Doctor in the House: Protecting Older Adults From Abuse and Neglect

14 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The idea of subjecting an elderly  person - the grandfathers and grandmothers in our lives - to abuse or neglect is an abhorrent one. And yet, el...

Public Health: How (Un)Healthy Are Malaysians, According to NHMS 2023?

13 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Chances are, you know someone who has a non-communicable disease, like diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol or obesity. In fact, you probably know...

Be Fit Malaysians: When Do I need Surgery for a Sports Injury?

12 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

If you injured yourself while playing a sport or exercising, what kind of treatment would you need to help you get back on your feet and working out a...

Humans of Healthcare: The Pharmacist

11 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

If asked to picture what a pharmacist does, most of us probably imagine someone dispensing medications. But that’s only a small part of what a pharm...

Ask A Doctor: Your Child’s Behaviour

10 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

On this monthly episode of Ask A Doctor, consultant child psychiatrist Dr Anita Codati addresses all your concerns about your child’s behaviour, ran...

Bird Flu Could Cause The Next Pandemic - But Not Just Yet

07 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A highly pathogenic strain of avian flu (H5N1) is spreading across the world, infecting not just wild and farmed birds, but increasingly, mammals like...

Counsellor’s Corner: How Are The Guys Doing?

06 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Men’s mental health struggles often go unnoticed, due to societal and cultural norms about masculinity and male behaviours. On Counsellor’s Corner...

Brain Waves: The PsychENCODE Project

05 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The PsychEncode Consortium was started back in 2015 in the United States because scientists wanted to pool together their resources and expertise to s...

Women’s Health In A World Full of Crises

04 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Whether you’re a man or a woman has a significant impact on your health and well-being, due to both biological and gender-related differences. In fa...

Doctor in the House: Is The Tobacco Industry Targeting Our Kids?

31 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Tobacco companies have had decades of experience marketing their products to appeal to a wider consumer base, including the youths, and these strategi...

Keeping An Eye On Pneumococcal Disease

30 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Pneumococcal disease remains a pressing public health issue in Malaysia, especially among very young children and older adults. What progress have we ...

Because Feelings Matter #29: “I Knew And I Felt My Son’s Love”

29 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Motherhood has been a series of curveballs for Desiree Kaur, and raising an autistic child is just one of many challenges she juggles daily. On this e...

Preventive Heart Scans: Do We Need Them?

28 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

When you search for “heart scans” on Google, you’re spoilt for choice with numerous private health centres advertising the availability of their...

NCD Chronicles #19: “I Slapped Dementia In The Face”

27 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

When we hear the word “dementia”, what many of us picture is often the last stages of the condition where the individual has lost much of their co...

Diagnosed With Ovarian Cancer? No Woman Should Go Through It Alone

24 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Breast cancer can be screened through a mammogram while cervical cancer has HPV tests, but what about ovarian cancer? While ovarian cancer is rare, it...

Discriminated For Having Dyslexia

23 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Dyslexia is a learning difficulty affecting reading and writing skills. If you have dyslexia, you may not read these sentences in the same way that a ...

Mind Matters: How The First 1,000 Days Impact Mum’s Mental Health

21 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It is said that it “takes a village to raise a child”, but mothers living in urban, low-income communities, may lack such a “village” or suppo...

HIV Is No Longer A Death Sentence, But What Does This Actually Mean?

20 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In the 1980s, a diagnosis of HIV was almost like a death sentence, but today with effective and accessible treatment, it no longer is. What this means...

Doctor in the House: Silent Mentors For Medical Students

17 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Dr George Lee, Consultant Urologist; Prof Dr Saw Aik, Programme Director, Silent MentorDescription: Medical students rely on cadavers during their yea...

Heart of Medicine: What Life Is Like For A Doctor

16 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Medicine - the most coveted profession, especially in Asian cultures, where the social stature and financial rewards of being a doctor are, arguably, ...

Healthy Ageing: Teaching Seniors To Be Tech-Savvy

15 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Older adults were often perceived as being less tech-savvy, but with the ubiquity of smartphones these days, it seems like some of them even surpass u...

Ask A Doctor: Your Eyes

14 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The eyes are the window to the soul but what happens when we can’t see that well? On this monthly episode of Ask A Doctor, we speak to consultant op...

Humans of Healthcare: The Nurse

13 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Nurses are the backbone of healthcare systems all around the world, and yet they are often one of the most underappreciated healthcare workers. In con...

Doctor in the House: All You Want To Know About UTIs

10 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A urinary tract infection is one of the most common infections to affect humans; in fact, if you’re a woman, you’re even more likely to have a UTI...

Public Health: There Is No Health Without Planetary Health

09 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Our planet is sick - and we don’t just mean melting glaciers and rising ocean levels too distant from our daily realities. In Malaysia, we see the e...

Kiwanis Malaysia Academy - Supporting Special Education Needs

08 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Children with special needs are often left behind in education, due to societal stigma, as well as lack of resources and capacity in our community. Ho...

Tendon Troubles

07 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Consultant orthopaedic surgeon Dr Rajesh Singh checks in for his regular show to discuss tendons - their structure, functions and dysfunctions. We exp...

AstraZeneca Vaccine Linked To Rare Blood Clots: An Explainer

06 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Recently, AstraZeneca allegedly confirmed, for the first time in a court document, that its COVID-19 vaccine can lead to a rare side effect called thr...

Vaccines Save Lives, But We Need To Learn Better Risk Communication

06 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

According to news reports, for the first time in a court document, AstraZeneca has allegedly confirmed that its Covid-19 vaccine can lead to a rare si...

Doctor in the House: Parasites in Your Body

03 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Tapeworms and flatworms, lice and bedbugs, giardia and malaria - these are just some of the common parasites that cause disease among humans, and symp...

Counsellor’s Corner: Mothers’ Mental Wellbeing

02 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Everybody’s buying their mother flowers and chocolates to celebrate Mother’s Day this month, but are we stopping to ask Mum, “How are you doing?...

Is Zoonotic Malaria Reversing Malaysia’s Progress in Eliminating Malaria?

30 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

To commemorate World Malaria Day, which was observed on 25 April, Prof Dr Balbir Singh and Dr Timothy William discuss how zoonotic malaria has become ...

NCD Chronicles #18: Colorectal Cancer - Surviving The Surgeries And The Colostomy Bag

29 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Colorectal cancer is the second most common cancer in Malaysia among men and women, and is predominantly diagnosed in the late stages. On this episode...

Doctor in the House: Can Malaysia Be A Regional Hub for Clinical Trials?

26 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Malaysia’s healthcare system, skilled workforce, and diverse population presents an attractive proposition for global pharmaceutical companies looki...

Life With Autistic Daughters

25 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Consultant developmental paediatrician Dr Rajini Sarvananthan joins us on her monthly show to commemorate World Autism Awareness Day, in a conversatio...

When Dengue Affects Rich Countries, Will We Take It More Seriously?

24 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

For a long time, dengue fever is often diagnosed among populations living in tropical and subtropical climates because that is the environment where t...

Can You Prevent Diabetic Eye Diseases?

23 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

If you have diabetes, don’t take your vision lightly. Diabetes can cause damage to the eyes, if you don’t control your blood glucose levels well. ...

How Kiwanis Malaysia Supports Children with Disabilities

22 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

When you hear about Kiwanis Malaysia, the first (or only) thing you may think about is their work to help children with Down Syndrome. The Kiwanis Dow...

Doctor in the House: Disability Days - Are We Getting Anywhere in Advancing Disability Rights?

19 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Each year we celebrate a number of disability days, such as World Autism Awareness Day in April, International Day of Persons with Disabilities in Dec...

Public Health: Diabetes - Get More Than You Bargained For

18 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Diabetes, chronic kidney disease, cardiovascular disease, stroke - get three or more, for the price of one. People with diabetes have a higher risk of...

Healthy Ageing: A Positive Approach to Dementia Care

17 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

More than 55 million people live with dementia globally, and dementia is one of the major causes of disability and dependency among older people. Yet,...

Mind Matters: Snoozing for Your Mental Health?

16 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

When was the last time you slept so well that you felt entirely refreshed and ready for the day ahead? How often do you find yourself waking up on the...

Ask A Doctor: Face Lifts, Tummy Tucks, And More

15 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In our open clinic segment, consultant plastic and reconstructive surgeon Dr Somasundaram Sathappan joins us to answer all your questions on face lift...

How Narratives In Medicine Improve Care

09 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

When we see a doctor, we share a story, starting with our description of the symptoms to our doctor (“this is the problem I’ve been having”), fo...

Humans of Healthcare: The Sports Medicine Physician

08 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

As the name suggests, sports medicine physicians often work with professional and amateur athletes to ensure that they are always able to play at thei...

Counsellor’s Corner: How’s Everybody Doing?

05 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In January, Elmo tweeted: “Just checking in - how’s everybody doing?” What resulted was the Internet letting loose, with responses ranging from ...

What Women Living with HIV Go Through

04 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Around the world, women and girls make up half of the people living with HIV. But in Malaysia, women make up a much smaller proportion of the people l...

What Is Applied Behaviour Analysis?

03 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

There is increasing recognition of neurodivergence in our society, and greater demand for interventions to support children with special needs, such a...