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Or more broadly, how can we feed the entire planet a healthy and sustainable diet? For the last three years, 37 of the world’s best scientists have been working on this question, and they now have the answer! The EAT-Lancet report offers the first-ever target for a food system that works for the people AND saves the planet at the same time. So how does this diet look like? Well,…

“This is the third time tonight I am waking up to pee! Will I ever get a proper sleep? I am so tired everyday! At this rate, I am going die of fatigue”   Does it ring a bell with you? If you often experience this, you may have a condition known as nocturia. Unlike enuresis, (also known as bed-wetting) where an individual does not arouse from sleep even when…

I had my first cigarette when I was 5. A close relative had let me try a puff, and I remember I loved the smell. At that time, I thought cigarette was such a wonderful invention.   I didn’t become a regular smoker though. Why? My mum was terrific at repetition (some call it nagging). She made sure that the “smoking is bad” idea stuck with me at a very…

Food poisoning or acute gastroenteritis is a food-borne illness caused by consumption of contaminated food. While the symptoms vary depending on type of microorganisms causing the illness, most cases would involve nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal cramps and occasionally fever.[1] Adults who are otherwise healthy will experience mild, self-limiting symptoms (recovers in a few hours to days). In fact, antibiotic treatment is not warranted in most cases as long as the…

  On 15th of October 2018, a 14-month-old child died of diphtheria in Johor Bahru. According to a statement issued by the Director General of Health, Datuk Dr. Noor Hisham Abdullah, the child was never vaccinated as her parents were against vaccination. The child developed fever and sore throat on the 4th of October and it took a week for her mother to seek medical treatment at a private clinic.…

Your mind can sometimes work in a mysterious way to influence your health. Of greater interest is the fact that such conditioning effect of mind can work to either positively (known as placebo effect) or negatively (known as nocebo effect) affect your health. It may seem a little far-fetched, but this has been widely reported by many clinical and scientific studies. For instance, you’ve probably already heard of patients showing…

Methanol poisoning: What is it exactly? Thus far 60 men have been reported as victims of alcohol poisoning, of which, 23 men have lost their lives through consuming alcoholic beverages while 17 of them are still warded as their condition is critical. It was reported by the Ministry of Health yesterday that amongst the victims, they have had consumed compounded hard liquor from one of these three brands, namely Mandalay…

Let’s face it, uncontrolled inflation is a real cause for concern. Malaysians will generally agree on the fact that cost of living is rising drastically over the years. Prices of goods and services have been on the increasing trend year in year out; save for some cheap kangkung (pun intended). Medicine price is no exception. Some may argue that this is beyond our control since prices are determined by market…

Being the frugal that I am, I refused to discard a block of expensive gourmet cheese (which I consume little at a time just so that I don’t finish it too soon) despite it looking a little ‘odd’ and smelling a little ‘funny’ after few weeks. No prizes for guessing that I ended up with a good bout of food poisoning. Well, that’s what you get when you eat contaminated…

Several complaints to the Ministry of Health has been made recently against a product known as Thymos. This product is made from “activated minerals” and is marketed as an external spray that protects against Hand Foot and Mouth Disease (HFMD) and influenza. On the label of the product, it claims to “instantly kill 99.99%” of the viruses that cause HFMD and influenza. It furthermore claims that it can provide protection…