It’s not about doing something that’s too little, too late — prevention is much better than cure! — It’s common for us as humans to live life as if nothing were wrong — which somehow justifies us leading less than satisfactory lifestyles. Even when those aspects of our lifestyles that we do neglect will inevitably result in our health going awry as we age. In an episode of…

The pains of arthritis are real, and some cases may have even been preventable. — Arthritis is a common issue that plagues most people who experience chronically painful joints that have lost a fraction of their original functions. Many of us will feel it as we age and as our bodies degenerate. Unfortunately, it is the case that lifestyle choices may hasten the onset of…

Whatever that’s great for business isn’t necessarily that good for human health. — Wherever we go today, we are bombarded by advertisements for various sugar-rich foods, much like how scantily dressed women are seen in many different advertisements today. We know that consuming too much sugar isn’t good for our health (and for that matter, neither is it good for us to let…

We’d have to look at them in sequence to make sense of what’s going on. — Many of us tend to think of the immune system as a system of cells that work together to protect the body from any viral or bacterial attacks. I’m not saying that’s wrong — but it doesn’t paint the full picture of what’s going on. A conversation with a colleague…

I never did like the bitterness of it though. — The root of the ginseng plant has been used extensively in Asian medicine for thousands of years. In fact, the Goryeo dynasty (which is where we get the name “Korea”) used it for skincare purposes. …

It can be pretty darned toxic. — It’s a common fact that we humans do need water to survive. Don’t drink it for 3 days straight, and we’d most probably be dying of thirst somewhere. Even the Rime of the Ancient Mariner has this to say about water: “Water, water, everywhere, And all the boards did shrink…

Thermodynamics and kinetics are two completely different concepts that we have to consider. — It’s interesting these days how we do keep confusing the idea of an inevitable outcome with the idea of how quickly the outcome is reached. I did use this example with my students in thermodynamics class, for instance. Many of you will have seen friends get into romantic relationships with…

But yet oh so profitable for processed food manufacturers! — We face an endless barrage of sugar at every turn. It’s not just the sugar in confectioneries such as those pastries above. Chocolate bars? Ice cream? Fruits? Cereals? Juices and soft drinks? Wherever we go, we are bombarded by it, and we do know that consuming too much sugar isn’t…

But being physically fit does provide an illusion that the risk of developing heart disease is lowered. — Many of us do have the impression that regular exercise does help in reducing our risk of developing heart disease. But yet we do see cases where seemingly fit people do end up collapsing and dying of heart attacks when they’re out on yet another strenuous workout. Which begs the…