Health Check Ep 54: Understanding Singapore’s portfolio approach to vaccine procurement 9:42 mins Synopsis: This is a fortnightly podcast series on Wednesdays by The Straits Times that aims to help you make sense of health matters that affect you. This episode looks at how Singapore zeroed in on its choice of Covid-19 vaccines - from those by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna that are based on a relatively new mRNA technology, to Sinovac’s inactivated vaccine, which uses a technology that has been aro...
Feb 10, 2021•10 min•Season 1Ep. 54
Health Check Ep 53: Covid-19 panel expert addresses vaccine side effects, concerns 11:25 mins Synopsis: This is a fortnightly podcast series on Wednesdays by The Straits Times and this episode is on the safety and common concerns in Singapore over the side effects of Covid-19 vaccines. Global surveys have shown that a key concern for those hesitant about taking the Covid-19 vaccine, lies with the side effects that they may experience. In this episode, ST senior health correspondent Joyce Teo spe...
Jan 29, 2021•11 min•Season 1Ep. 53
Health Check Ep 52: Addressing Covid-19 vaccine safety and the science behind it 20:14 mins Synopsis: This is a fortnightly podcast series on Wednesdays by The Straits Times and this episode is on the safety of Covid-19 vaccines. Much has been said about the safety and effectiveness of the Covid-19 vaccine frontrunners but there are still many people who are hesitant about taking the vaccine, mostly because they are unsure if it is truly safe. In this episode, ST senior health correspondent Joyc...
Jan 13, 2021•20 min•Season 1Ep. 52
Health Check Ep 51: How to find the right doctor 12:24 mins Synopsis: This is a fortnightly podcast series on Wednesdays by The Straits Times. In this episode, ST senior health correspondent Joyce Teo asks Associate Professor Jeremy Lim, the director of global health at the National University of Singapore's Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, for tips on how to find the right doctor. They discuss the factors he considers when he is asked by his family and friends to recommend a doctor. Thank...
Dec 29, 2020•12 min•Season 1Ep. 51
Health Check Ep 50: Pros and cons of online doctor reviews 11:51 mins Synopsis: This is a fortnightly podcast series on Wednesdays by The Straits Times. Today’s episode is on online doctor reviews. Recently, the Singapore medical council (SMC) advised doctors to refrain from participating in online search engine optimisation platforms that make use of patient feedback and ratings, as these can be considered patient testimonials. It all started when a group of doctors cried foul over not having t...
Dec 15, 2020•12 min•Season 1Ep. 50
Health Check Ep 49: Porn is not real; how to recognise an addiction 16:20 mins Synopsis: This is a fortnightly podcast series on Wednesdays by The Straits Times. Online porn use has reportedly gone up during the Covid-19 pandemic as reported by The Economist in May. However, there's a dark side to porn. Excessive consumption of porn affects the viewer, his or her relationships and society. Viewing pornography can become a lifelong addiction. In this episode, ST senior health correspondent Joyce ...
Dec 03, 2020•16 min•Season 1Ep. 49
Health Check Ep 48: Why is lung cancer no.1 killer among cancers? 14:48 mins Synopsis: Fortnightly on Wednesdays, get healthier living tips as The Straits Times chats with expert guests. With November being Lung Cancer Awareness Month, this episode looks at how lung cancer is the no.1 killer among cancers here in Singapore and globally, and will shed light on advanced treatments as well as how to minimise your chances of getting lung cancer. This episode is brought to you by MSD . ST senior heal...
Nov 17, 2020•15 min•Season 1Ep. 48
Health Check Ep 47: You don't make a baby to save your marriage 15:45 mins Synopsis: Fortnightly on Wednesdays, get healthier living tips as The Straits Times chats with expert guests. As a family goes through different stages, conflicts can arise. There can also be changes in family situations that give rise to conflicts. These conflicts may be worsened by the Covid-19 pandemic, as more people stay home. In this episode, ST senior health correspondent Joyce Teo speaks with Assoc Prof Angie Chew...
Nov 03, 2020•16 min•Season 1Ep. 47
Health Check Ep 46: Is there such a concept as an anti-ageing diet? 21:16 mins Synopsis: Fortnightly on Wednesdays, get healthier living tips as The Straits Times chats with expert guests. People are living longer, but not necessarily better if they have multiple chronic diseases. In ageing research, scientists strive to find ways to improve healthspan - the period of life that is spent in good health. They are studying different methods, including calorie restriction and fasting. So, is there s...
Oct 20, 2020•21 min•Season 1Ep. 46
Health Check Ep 45: How to age well and achieve a lower biological age 19:44 mins Synopsis: Fortnightly on Wednesdays, get healthier living tips as The Straits Times chats with expert guests. Some people seem to age very quickly, and look older than their age, while others appear to age less rapidly. When we are young, we want to look and feel older than we are. When we are older, we want to look and feel young, though this means having to keep frailty and chronic diseases at bay. Thankfully, sc...
Oct 06, 2020•20 min•Season 1Ep. 45
Health Check Ep 44: Understanding suicides and how to help to prevent them 13:58 mins Synopsis: Fortnightly on Wednesdays, get healthier living tips as The Straits Times chats with expert guests. This episode is aimed at understanding suicidal behaviour and suicide prevention. ST senior health correspondent Joyce Teo speaks with Dr Jared Ng, a consultant with the Emergency Services at the Institute of Mental Health. They discuss the following points: How to spot warning or behavioural signs in a...
Sep 23, 2020•14 min•Season 1Ep. 44
Health Check Ep 43: Understanding stress in the age of the coronavirus 12:49 mins Synopsis: Fortnightly on Wednesdays, The Straits Times guides you to healthier living and clears up common misconceptions on health with expert guests. The World Health Organisation has just called for a massive scaling up of investment in mental health. Close to 1 billion people are living with a mental disorder, while 3 million people die every year from the harmful use of alcohol. One person dies every 40 second...
Sep 09, 2020•13 min•Season 1Ep. 43
Health Check Ep 42: Can a person get Covid-19 twice? 9:10 mins Synopsis: Fortnightly on Wednesdays, The Straits Times guides you to healthier living and clears up common misconceptions on health with expert guests. A man in Hong Kong was found to be reinfected with Covid-19 last month, less than five months after he was infected with the disease. Researchers at the University of Hong Kong said genome sequencing showed that the virus strain the man had last month was different from the one he was...
Sep 01, 2020•9 min•Season 1Ep. 42
Health Check Ep 41: The pandemic is affecting the way people with hearing loss communicate 13:13 mins Synopsis: Fortnightly on Wednesdays, The Straits Times guides you to healthier living and clears up common misconceptions on health with expert guests. ST's senior health correspondent Joyce Teo hosts Dr Ho Eu Chin, a senior consultant from the department of Otorhinolaryngology at Tan Tock Seng Hospital. He explains why mask-wearing during this Covid-19 pandemic has made communication harder for...
Aug 12, 2020•13 min•Season 1Ep. 41
Health Check Ep 40: Covid-19 airborne transmission doubts and immunity 18:23 mins Synopsis: This is a fortnightly podcast series on Wednesdays by The Straits Times. Recently, an open letter that 239 researchers addressed to the World Health Organisation calling for it to acknowledge that the coronavirus is airborne, made headlines around the world. (0:35) To counter any public misconceptions, ST senior health correspondent Joyce Teo hosts Professor Paul Tambyah, an infectious disease expert from...
Jul 22, 2020•18 min•Season 1Ep. 40
Health Check Ep 39: Smokers at higher risk during Covid-19 times 12:33 mins Synopsis: This is a fortnightly podcast series on Wednesdays by The Straits Times. This episode is on smoking. We all know it is harmful. According to the World Health Organisation, research suggests that smokers are at higher risk of developing severe Covid-19 outcomes and death. Yet, many people keep on puffing. (2:00) ST senior health correspondent Joyce Teo speaks with Dr Lambert Low, a consultant at the National Add...
Jun 17, 2020•13 min•Season 1Ep. 39
Health Check Ep 38: Stress fractures from running too much during Covid-19 pandemic? 15:41 mins Synopsis: This is a fortnightly podcast series on Wednesdays by The Straits Times guiding you to a better understanding of health issues with healthy living tips. The Covid-19 pandemic has changed the way we keep fit. Many people have taken to running as a form of exercise, never mind that they have never run till now or that they don't have a pair of proper running shoes. ST senior correspondent Joyc...
Jun 02, 2020•16 min•Season 1Ep. 38
Health Check Ep 37: Maintaining mental well-being during Covid-19 10:07 mins Synopsis: This is a fortnightly podcast series on Wednesdays by The Straits Times. As the Covid-19 pandemic rages on, healthcare workers have been roped in to help out at foreign worker dormitories as the testing of thousands of migrant workers for the coronavirus disease continues. ST senior correspondent Joyce Teo speaks with Dr Michael Yong, senior consultant and head of psychiatry at Ng Teng Fong General Hospital ab...
May 20, 2020•10 min•Season 1Ep. 37
Health Check Ep 36: What might Singapore's new normal look like, post-Covid-19? 14:19 mins Synopsis: This is a fortnightly podcast series on Wednesdays by The Straits Times. Singapore is now in second month of its Covid-19 circuit breaker period as people stay home in the fight against the coronavirus disease. Attention is being gradually focused on life after this period, as the country looks to ease more restrictions in the coming weeks. With cases rising around not just here, but around the w...
May 06, 2020•14 min•Season 1Ep. 36
Health Check Ep 35: Why Singapore's Covid-19 circuit breaker measures cannot be lifted so early 14:06 mins Synopsis: This is a fortnightly podcast series on Wednesdays by The Straits Times. For the latest state of Singapore's health in its Covid-19 fight, ST senior correspondent Joyce Teo speaks with Associate Professor Hsu Li Yang. He is the infectious diseases programme leader at the National University of Singapore's Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health. Singapore has extended its circuit br...
Apr 22, 2020•14 min•Season 1Ep. 35
Health Check Ep 34: "I had hallucinations," said discharged coronavirus patient, who spent 13 days in ICU 15:10 mins Synopsis: This is a fortnightly podcast series on Wednesdays by The Straits Times. We usually bring you tips and expert advice but in this episode, ST senior correspondent Joyce Teo spoke with Ben, 55, who had tested positive for Covid-19 at Alexandra Hospital on March 5 and developed severe disease. She asked him about his early symptoms and his ICU experience. When Ben sought he...
Mar 31, 2020•15 min•Season 1Ep. 34
Health Check Ep 33: Proper community behaviour can best manage coronavirus spread in countries 6:01 mins Synopsis: In this fortnightly podcast series on Wednesdays, The Straits Times guides you to healthier living and clears up common misconceptions on health with expert guests. In this episode, ST senior correspondent Joyce Teo hosts infectious diseases specialist Professor Dale Fisher, group director of medicine at the National University Health System and chair of the World Health Organizatio...
Mar 24, 2020•6 min•Season 1Ep. 33
Health Check Ep 32: How to encourage pregnant women to exercise more 13:25 mins Synopsis: In this fortnightly podcast series on Wednesdays, The Straits Times guides you to healthier living and clears up common misconceptions on health with expert guests. In this episode, ST senior correspondent Joyce Teo and podcasting head Ernest Luis host Dr Serene Thain, an associate consultant from the Department of Maternal Fetal Medicine at KK Women's and Children's Hospital. The first guidelines on physic...
Mar 11, 2020•14 min•Season 1Ep. 32
Health Check Ep 31: Breaking common misconceptions about exercise 17:25 mins Synopsis: In this fortnightly podcast series on Wednesdays, The Straits Times guides you to healthier living and clears up common misconceptions on health with expert guests. In this episode, ST correspondent Joyce Teo and podcasting head Ernest Luis host Dr Dinesh Sirisena, who is a consultant at the sports medicine department of Khoo Teck Puat Hospital. This episode is aimed at popular misconceptions about exercise. D...
Mar 01, 2020•15 min•Season 1Ep. 31
Health Check Ep 30: How to practise intermittent fasting safely to lose some weight 11:05 mins Synopsis: In this fortnightly podcast series on Wednesdays, The Straits Times guides you to healthier living and clears up common misconceptions on health. In this episode, ST correspondent Joyce Teo and podcasting head Ernest Luis host Ms Alvernia Chua, a senior dietitian with National Healthcare Group Polyclinics. She will clear up the air about a popular weight loss approach called intermittent fast...
Feb 11, 2020•11 min•Season 1Ep. 30
Health Check Ep 29: Virologist Prof Wang Linfa offers hand hygiene tips to counter novel coronavirus threat 12:17 mins Synopsis: In this fortnightly podcast series on Wednesdays, The Straits Times guides you to healthier living and clears up common misconceptions on health. In this episode, ST correspondent Joyce Teo calls Professor Wang Linfa. He is the director of the emerging infectious disease programme at Duke-NUS Medical School. He is also a virologist who was part of the World Health Orga...
Feb 04, 2020•12 min•Season 1Ep. 29
Health Check Ep 28: How to practise better hygiene in wake of Wuhan coronavirus 12:27 mins Synopsis: In this fortnightly podcast series on Wednesdays, The Straits Times guides you to healthier living and clears up common misconceptions on health. In this episode, ST correspondent Joyce Teo and podcasting head Ernest Luis talk about how we can all start practising better hygiene in the wake of the mysterious novel coronavirus - 2019-nCov - that originated in Wuhan. Should we all wear masks now? (...
Jan 28, 2020•12 min•Season 1Ep. 28
Health Check Ep 27: Can you exercise when you are sick? 17:25 mins Synopsis: In this fortnightly podcast series on Wednesdays, The Straits Times guides you to healthier living and clears up common misconceptions on health with expert guests. In this episode, ST correspondent Joyce Teo and podcasting head Ernest Luis host Dr Dinesh Sirisena, who is a consultant at the sports medicine department of Khoo Teck Puat Hospital. This episode is aimed at those wondering if they should exercise when they ...
Jan 14, 2020•17 min•Season 1Ep. 27
Health Check Ep 26: Youth mental health: What to expect when seeking help? 14:59 mins Synopsis: In this fortnightly podcast series on Wednesdays, The Straits Times guides you to healthier living and clears up common misconceptions on health with medical experts. In this episode, ST correspondent Joyce Teo and podcasting head Ernest Luis host Lee Yi Ping, team leader and senior youth support worker for the Community Health Assessment Team (CHAT) - which has been helping and supporting young peopl...
Dec 31, 2019•15 min•Season 1Ep. 26
Health Check Ep 25: How to spot mental health issues if you are aged 16-30 15:02 mins Synopsis: In this fortnightly podcast series on Wednesdays, The Straits Times guides you to healthier living and clears up some common misconceptions on health. In this episode, ST correspondent Joyce Teo and podcasting head Ernest Luis host Lee Yi Ping, team leader and senior youth support worker for the Community Health Assessment Team (CHAT) - which celebrates its 10th anniversary in 2019. This episode is ai...
Dec 18, 2019•15 min•Season 1Ep. 25
