Aug 2009

Sunday, 30 August 2009 

Secret to long life (The Sunday Times)

The desire to live to a ripe old age has spurred people to try all sorts of health regimens, from fad diets to wearing supposedly therapeutic magnets as jewellery. Read more

Sunday, 30 August 2009 

62 year old staff can retain job scope without pay cut (LianHe ZaoBao)

NUH has signed a new collective agreement with the Health Services Employees' Union. The new collective agreement incorporates many changes that are beneficial for staff. Read more

Friday, 28 August 2009 

Clean-up of waters off Pasir Ris beach soon (The Straits Times)

PIPEWORKS serving north-east Singapore will be repaired and ageing treatment plants shut down at the end of this year. The works, undertaken by the national water agency PUB, are expected to improve the quality of the waters off Pasir Ris beach, which was last year labelled Singapore's dirtiest. Read more

Thursday, 27 August 2009 

Clinic's zinc roof, canvas sheets (Mind your body, The Straits Times)

Dr Thambiah, 49, the division head of orthopaedic trauma at National University Hospital, leads a team of fellow volunteers to the outskirts of nearby Batam, also in Indonesia, for monthly medical relief missions. Under zinc roofs and on canvas sheets, the team treats more than 1,000 villagers who queue up for several hours. Read more

Thursday, 27 August 2009 

Ask the Experts - Queries on blood pressure monitors (Mind Your Body, The Straits Times)

Q: Are off-the-shelf automatic blood pressure monitors accurate and reliable? How do they compare with a doctor's manual method of measuring blood pressure? Read more

Thursday, 27 August 2009 

Boy survives after 38 days on machine (The New Paper)

MEDICAL FIRST IN S'PORE... little Ahmed, 6, from Oman, is a miracle ... He achieved a medical first in Singapore when he stayed on an artificial life support system for a record 38 days and survived. Read more

Thursday, 27 August 2009 

Laparoscopic surgery to remove tumour of thyroid gland leaves no scar (LianHe Zaobao)

Find out more from Dr Charles Tan, Consultant, Division of General Surgery, University Surgical Cluster, NUH, on this 'scarless surgery'. Read more

Monday, 24 August 2009 

Gastric bypass also helps reduce diabetes (Home, The Straits Times)

RIGHT after her gastric bypass surgery to treat obesity, housewife Malarvili Asirvatham, 39, ended her regimen of pills to treat diabetes - and she didn't even need to wait for her weight loss to take effect. Read more

Monday, 24 August 2009 

Four hundred obese and diabetic patients choose gastric bypass to lose weight and treat diabetes (Lianhe Zaobao)

Find out more from Associate Professor Jimmy So on how this surgical procedure can help one lose weight and treat diabetes. Read more

Monday, 24 August 2009 

More obese and diabetic patients opts for gastric bypass (My Paper)

Find out more from Associate Professor Jimmy So on how this surgical procedure can help one lose weight and treat diabetes. Read more

Sunday, 23 August 2009 

Graves with no names (The Sunday Times)

That's where some aborted foetuses end up; others are cremated or discarded. About 30 abortions take place in Singapore's hospitals and clinics each day. Last year, there were 12,222 abortions compared to 11,933 in 2007. Read more

Saturday, 22 August 2009 

Flu cases in S'pore fall below epidemic level (Straits Times)

THE worst of Influenza A (H1N1) in Singapore appears to be over. The number of people going to clinics because of the flu has fallen below the epidemic level - 16,655 - for the first time in weeks. Read more

Thursday, 20 Aug 2009 

Ask the experts – Unsightly deposits on eyelids (Mind Your Body, The Straits Times)

Q: I am in my mid-30s and have recently developed deposits on my upper eyelids called xanthelasma, which are associated with high cholesterol. I have since tried to control my diet but the deposits on my eyelids remain and are quite unsightly. Read more

Thursday, 20 August 2009 

Safer? Workers shouldn't be on lorries at all (The Straits Times, Forum)

I REFER to yesterday's report, 'Workers on lorries get more protection'. I am deeply disappointed with this decision to keep transporting workers on the cargo decks of goods vehicles and urge its reversal. Read more

Wednesday, 19 August 2009 

Workers on lorries get more protection (The Straits Times)

ACTION is finally being taken to ensure that foreign workers are ferried more safely to and from their workplaces. Rails along the backs of lorries will have to go higher so that there is less chance of a worker being flung out in an accident. The decks will also have to be fitted with canopies. Read more

Tuesday, 18 August 2009 

A little bit of 'Ice' will help (TODAY)

THE Accident and Emergency patient's heart had stopped beating. But that was not all the team at the National University Hospital had to handle. They did not know who his next-of-kin was... it seems some Singaporeans have yet to catch on to the "In case of emergency" contact-tracing system. Read more

Tuesday, 17 August 

Babies who are dressed warmly are more prone to low grade fever (Shinmin Daily)

Associate Professor Roy Joseph, senior consultant at National University Hospital's neonatology department, says that although the womb's temperature is about 37 deg C, babies have the ability to cope with the environment they are born into. He adds that significant cooling of the whole body may occur if the abdomen, with its large surface area, is exposed to a much colder environment. But Singapore's tropical climate does not qualify as a much colder environment. Read more

Monday, 17 August 2009 

His patients, his 'teachers' (The New Paper)

HIS patients may be young, but they also have a thing or two to teach him about life. For Mr Benjamin Png, working as a medical social worker and volunteer coordinator at National University Hospital takes him into contact with young patients with a wide range of health issues. Read more

Sunday, 16 August 2009 

Taking a different path to a career in healthcare: Interview with Mr Joe Sim, CEO of the National University of Singapore (Lianhe ZaoBao)

Mr Joe Sim, CEO of the National University of Singapore wanted to be a doctor when he graduated from high school 20 years ago. Instead he studied engineering because Singapore badly needed engineers then. He didn't think he would have the chance to serve in the healthcare industry now abeit in a different role. Read more

Sunday, 16 August 2009 

Freezing cancer cells to below 20°C in new method to treat bone cancer (ZbWellness, Lianhe Zaobao)

There are about 12,750 people with bone cancer in Singapore. The age of thes patients ranges from 3 - 70 years old. Dr Nathan, consultant at the National University of Singapore, claims that the new treatment method to freeze cancer cells can help in half of these cases. Read more

Sunday, 16 August 2009 

Hot babes (Pulse, The Sunday Times)

Must infants be wrapped up at all times? Parents seem to think so. Doctors warn of low-grade fevers. Singapore has been having a hot and dry spell lately, with temperatures often rising to 33 deg C, but you would not know it from the way many infants are bundled up like mini Michelin men. Read more

Saturday, 15 August 2009 

Better ambulance response times (The Straits Times)

SINCE they hit the roads in June, 10 new emergency ambulances manned by private companies have helped emergency services get to their targets on time more often. The Emergency Ambulance Service was able to reach 84 per cent of emergency cases by its target of 11 minutes for the month of June, up from 79 per cent the previous month. Read more

Thursday, 13 August 2009 

To check your health, you must go through a set of tests (ZbNOW, Lianhe Zaobao)

It is important to do a health screening to ensure you are in the pink of health. Read more

Thursday, 13 August 2009 

Sex Educator (The Straits Times)

Professor P. Ganesan Adaikan, a clinical sexologist with the department of obstetrics & gynaecology at the National University Hospital, how he often has to set patients right when they have preconceived notions about sexuality. Read more

Thursday, 13 August 2009 

The Spa Effect (Mind Your Body, The Straits Times)

Apart from being just pampering sessions, there is evidence that some spa treatments like massages are good for one's health. Mention 'spa' and one imagines scented candles, soft lighting and the day's tensions being rubbed out of sore, knotted muscles. Read more

Thursday, 13 August 2009 

Ask the experts - Urinating a lot at night (Mind Your Body, The Straits Times)

Q: I am 46 years old. Before going to bed, I usually have about two cups of water because I feel thirsty. I need to wake up to go to the toilet about three to six times. Sometimes I even wet the bed. Read more

Thursday, 13 August 2009 

Chew to prevent choking (Mind Your Body, The Straits Times)

When food is in larger pieces and of a sticky nature, older people and younger children are more vulnerable to choking on it. The elderly and the very young need to be more careful when eating common food items like fishballs, hot dogs and glutinous rice cakes, as the risk of choking is always there. Read more

Thursday, 13 August 2009 

H1N1 outbreak may have passed its peak (The Straits Times)

THE outbreak of Influenza A (H1N1) appears to have peaked, with attendances at clinics dropping off for the first time in weeks. The number of patients seeking help at polyclinics for upper respiratory tract infections fell by 16.5 per cent to 20,435 last week, compared with 24,477 the week before. Read more

Thursday, 13 August 2009 

Ask the experts – Eye woes not caused by tumour (Mind Your Body, The Straits Times)

Q: I am a 57-year-old man. An MRI scan in November last year showed a 2cm benign tumour in the frontal part of my brain. The neurosurgeon suggested its removal but I decided against it as the tumour did not affect me. Read more

Wednesday, 12 August 2009 

Babies who walk instead of crawl (LianHe WanBao)

Babies who walk instead of crawl may be a sign of certain coordination and developmental disorders in some children. Find out more from Associate Professor Stacey Tay, Consultant, University Children's Medical Institute. Read more

Tuesday, 11 August 2009 

Toddler survives nine-storey fall from open window (The Straits Times)

A THREE-year-old boy miraculously survived a nine-storey fall after landing in a thick clump of bushes at Goldenhill Park Condominium in Lorong Chuan yesterday. The South Korean toddler was found conscious and wailing only minutes after he went missing from the family's rented four-room apartment. Read more

Thursday, 6 August 2009 

A look at the latest H1N1 situation (My Paper)

Associate Professor Paul Ananth Tambyah, Head, Infectious Diseases Division, NUH shared with My Paper about H1N1. Read more

Thursday, 6 August 2009 

Marks of age (Mind Your Body, The Straits Times)

Oxygen-free radicals are believed to be responsible for age-related skin growths which appear as unsightly spots or dark patches on the skin. Fortunately, most are benign. There are the lucky ones who do not look their age as they grow older. The rest of us start to contend with wrinkles and unsightly spots. Read more

Thursday, 6 August 2009 

Danger Zones (Mind Your Body, The Straits Times)

Most people regard their homes as a safe haven but are unaware their sanctuaries also house millions of germs. Even before the Influenza A (H1N1) virus hit Singapore earlier this year, people were already scrambling to protect themselves from being infected. It made sense, since prevention is better than cure. Read more

Wednesday, 5 August 2009 

Wonderful nurse fully deserves President's Award (The Straits Times, Online Forum)

I WOULD like to express my appreciation to Mrs Lee Siu Yin. I am a midwife, and I used to work under her at Gleneagles Hospital. I am very proud of her and her achievement in getting the President's Award for Nurses. She really deserves it. Read more

Tuesday, 4 August 2009 

Epilepsy – Every day is a struggle (Health, TODAY)

ARTICULATE, affable and happily married, Mary-Anne (not her real name) looks like a carefree middle-aged woman. But appearances can be deceiving. Beneath her upbeat exterior, Mary-Anne struggles with epilepsy. Read more

Saturday, 1 August 2009 

Novel Knee Repair Method Reduces Trauma (Science, The Straits Times)

AN EXPERIMENTAL procedure to repair knee cartilage using stem cells has brought relief to 35 people here in the last three years. Now Dr Kevin Lee, 37, from the division of adult reconstructive surgery at the National University Hospital, hopes to test it on 100 patients over the next two years to see if it is better than current methods. Read more

Saturday, 1 August 2009 

Safe because of early doctor visits (Prime News, The Straits Times)

Pregnant women in Singapore with H1N1 have all recovered. PREGNANT women here bucked a worldwide H1N1 trend by following simple advice: See a doctor the minute flu symptoms show up. Read more

Saturday, 1 August 2009 

Surgery using stem cell may help repair worn knee cartilage (Lianhe Zaobao)

Dr Kevin Lee, University Orthopaedic, Hand & Reconstructive Microsurgery Cluster, NUH is conducting a clinical trial to repair knee cartilage using stem cells. Read more