Health & Living BFM Media

When you search for “heart scans” on Google, you’re spoilt for choice with numerous private health centres advertising the availability of their heart screening packages. But options aside, what do you need to know about preventive heart scans before you sign up for one? Dr Yee Kok Meng, Consultant Cardiologist from Pantai Hospital Kuala Lumpur, joins us to ensure that you’re armed with all the information you need so that you make the right choice for yourself and your family members.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 cognitive ability and memory. But that’s only a small picture of what dementia really is. What are the lived realities of people living with milder forms of dementia and how can we support their ability to still be independent? On this episode of NCD Chronicles, we feature Vanetha Ramiah’s journey of living with vascular dementia and the stigma she’s had to battle along the way. We also hear from consultant geriatrician Dr Khor Hui Min. 
NCD Chronicles is a series about people living with NCDs, going beyond the diagnosis to explore their personal experiences, their challenges, as well as the impact of their health condition on their loved ones. These stories reveal the importance of understanding the unique struggles and needs of the individuals behind the disease, in our response to the NCD epidemic.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 is often diagnosed in the late stages because of the challenges with picking it up early. We speak to specialist in obstetrics and gynaecology Dr Yogeeta Gunasagran to find out whether screening and treatment for ovarian cancer has improved, and we also hear from Joselyn Pang about her journey with ovarian cancer.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 typical person would. Some letters might be missing, appear in reverse, or even seem to move around on the screen. But having dyslexia doesn’t mean you can’t read, learn, work or even thrive, with the right support and acceptance within your environment. Amani Amrullah, an advocate for neurodiversity, joins consultant developmental paediatrician Dr Rajini Sarvananthan, to share her journey of growing up with dyslexia (and ADHD), and the challenges she has faced, especially in the workplace.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 support system, as well as access to services and resources for physical, mental and social support. Mothers are especially vulnerable in the first 1,000 days of a child’s life, which spans from pregnancy to the time a child turns two. How do socioeconomic and health inequities affect mothers’ mental health? Benjamin Looi, Clinical Psychologist & Manager of Community Development, Thrive Well, and Melissa Ngiam, CEO of Yayasan Generasi Gemilang, share about their programmes for mothers in PPR communities, and how they connect these programmes with maternal mental health.

Image credit: Thrive Well
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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 is that we are seeing an increase in the population of older adults who are living with HIV. In fact, UNAIDS estimates that the number of people aged 50 years or older with HIV infection globally has increased from 5.4 million in 2015 to 8.1 million in 2020. But what are the challenges and stigma that older adults living with HIV still face today? Are we adequately considering their experiences and their needs as we implement policies to support older adults living with HIV?

Image credit: Shutterstock
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.