Category: Health EN

Some people chase wealth their whole lives — he chased humanity. In the Egyptian city of Tanta, Dr Mohamed Mashally, known as “The Doctor of the Poor,” dedicated over 50 years to treating those who couldn’t pay. While others raised their fees, he lowered his — and often charged nothing at all. He saw 30-50 patients a day, sometimes working 12-hour shifts into his 70s. He gave free...

Feeling anxious or depressed? Under stress and bugged by negative thoughts? Listen to birdsong. Studies show that birds’ melodic songs is a salve for the soul. To get this benefit, it’s best to spend time in nature. Nature is therapeutic in many ways. Getting outdoors keeps your body active. Spending time in the forest lowers your stress, heart rate, and blood pressure. Gazing at vivid...

The World Health Organization (WHO) has recognized 19 – 25 October 2025, as the International Lead Poisoning Prevention Week (ILPPW) to raise awareness and promote actions to address the health impacts of lead exposure, especially on children, pregnant women, and workers. The ILPPW theme this year, “No safe level: Act now to end lead exposure” is a reminder of the unacceptable risks of...

From December 10, young teenagers in Australia will be banned, under new legislation, from social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and TikTok – one of the toughest online crackdowns in the democratic world. The law, passed by parliament in 2024, aims to protect children from toxic elements of social media such as bullying, grooming and sexual extortion, as well as youth suicides...

The Consumers’ Association of Penang (CAP) calls on consumers to abstain from alcoholic drinks. Abstaining from alcohol is a powerful choice for an individual’s health, family wellbeing, and social responsibility. According to Professor Timothy Naimi, Director of the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research, Division of Medical Sciences, University of Victoria, his research has revealed...

Plastic waste isn’t just choking oceans – it’s infiltrating our bodies in ways that scientists are only beginning to uncover. In a new scientific review, published in the journal Osteoporosis International, researchers examined 62 studies in order to determine the known effects of microplastics on human and animal bones. They found that micro and nanoplastics could be harming bone health...

A simple exercise like walking increases the size of your brain. Having a sedentary lifestyle is basically a slow death sentence. The groundbreaking study was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Researchers found that adults who walked for 40 minutes, 3 times a week, for a year experienced growth in the hippocampus – a region of the brain crucial for spatial...

A recent policy circular issued by a third-party administrator (TPA) responsible for handling private health insurance claims instructed doctors to prescribe medicine by indicating the active ingredients of medicines only, commonly known as the generic name. This has triggered discussion, particularly within the private healthcare sector. The Consumers’ Association of Penang (CAP) is concerned...

DRINK MORE WATER, NOT SUGARY DRINKS In 2023, doctors remove 300 kidney stones from a Taiwanese woman who had a fondness for bubble tea. The discovery was made when the 20-year-old woman was admitted to hospital with a fever and severe back pain. Doctors discovered she had swollen kidneys with stones which resembled “small steamed buns”. The Chi Mei Medical Centre in the city of Tainan said...

E-cigarettes look like real cigarettes, but do not burn and combust tobacco leaves. An e-cigarette, or vape, is a battery-operated device that heats a liquid to create an aerosol, or "vapour", that the user inhales. Also referred to as electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), e-cigarettes come in many shapes and sizes, bright colours, and different flavours (fruit, candy, menthol, mint,...