When Artificial Intelligence Predicts Your Illness, Who Protects You from the Prediction?
We have always understood illness through its arrival: a persistent cough, an unfamiliar pain, the unsettling discovery of an abnormal blood test. But what happens when illness arrives before the disease itself? When your body feels perfectly healthy, yet artificial intelligence has already written a future in which it is not? What cruelty, to be […]
The Science Behind the Slogans: Separating Health Myths from Facts
From apples and carrots to breakfast and 10,000 steps, how folklore, wartime propaganda and marketing helped shape the health advice we live by. You wake up and remember that you should probably eat breakfast. Your smartwatch tells you that you are 3,000 steps short of your daily target of 10,000. You reach for an apple […]
Beyond the Genes: How a Father’s Obesity Inspired a Daughter’s Scientific Curiosity
My dad has always been the first person I look up to. I still remember shouting his name from the stage as my teacher asked me who my favourite Superhero was during a primary school event. He is one of the most intelligent and capable men I know. So many of the things I have […]
The question that changed my health journey
This ultrasound image reminds me that every health journey begins with our daily habits, choices, and self-care that write the next chapter July 2016. I felt an intense pain on the right side of my neck for more than a week. There was no improvement even after applying some analgesic creams, so I decided to […]
From Biodiversity to Biomedicine: Sarawak’s Regenerative Medicine Drive Gets RM50 Million Boost
A flower of the Bintangor tree (Calophyllum species), native to the rainforests of Borneo. The tree has shown promising potential in scientific research, with compounds derived from it being investigated for their potential in developing therapies for cancer and HIV, as well as applications in regenerative medicine. Sarawak is proposing a RM50 million investment to […]
Are Malaysians Missing the Real Risk Behind Heart Disease?
From Left: Ms Celeste Lau, Assistant Director, Dietetics; Dr Lim Bee Chian, Consultant Cardiologist; and Ms Nathalie Goh, Physiotherapist, during the Sunway Medical Centre in partnership with Novartis Malaysia media roundtable Malaysians who exercise regularly and maintain a healthy diet may still face a significant risk of heart attack and stroke if elevated “bad” cholesterol […]
Double Jeopardy: Chronic illness may raise risk of severe dengue
The Aedes aegypti mosquito, the primary vector responsible for transmitting dengue, is seen in this file photo. World Mosquito Day, observed on Aug. 20, highlights the continuing global threat posed by mosquito-borne diseases such as dengue. Dengue may be a familiar illness in Malaysia, but for people living with chronic conditions, the infection can carry […]
Strengthening your body’s first line of defence: Nutrition and lifestyle for immune resilience
Our bodies encounter thousands of bacteria, viruses and other microbes every day, most of them invisible to the naked eye. Every day, our bodies come into contact with thousands of bacteria, viruses, and other microbes. Most of the time, we don’t even notice – thanks to our immune system, the body’s sophisticated defence network. The […]
A Tiny Sensor Could Transform How We Monitor Gut Health
For years, measuring a key indicator of gut health has required expensive laboratory equipment, specialist expertise and days of waiting for results. That may soon change. Researchers in Singapore have developed a fluorescent nanosensor capable of detecting indole-3-propionic acid (IPA), a molecule produced by beneficial gut bacteria that is increasingly recognised as an important indicator […]
Malaysia’s Commitment to Strengthening Rare Disease Care and Policy
In August 2025, Malaysia reached a critical milestone in healthcare reform with the launch of its first-ever National Policy on Rare Diseases. This groundbreaking initiative marks a shift toward health equity by formally recognising individuals with rare diseases as a vulnerable group entitled to timely diagnosis, access to treatment, and long-term care. For many years, […]