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Latest news and features on wellness, including diet, mental health trends, exercise, fitness, medicine and diseases.

The dying experience at the University of Minnesota is part of a series of immersive, first-person VR simulations developed by Embodied Labs that also cover what it’s like to have dementia, Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s disease; to have lost vision or hearing; to be socially isolated; and to experience ageing as an LGBTQ person. Photo: Shutterstock

Dementia

What’s it like to die? VR experience depicts cancer patient’s emotional end

Developed by Embodied Labs, the experience at the University of Minnesota comes with a warning that ‘strong emotional reactions are common’.

19 May 2025 - 6:15PM

Hong Kong healthcare and hospitals

Explainer | Are weight loss diets like fasting, low carbs harmful? Hong Kong experts weigh in

3 hours ago

Beauty

Remember Kim Kardashian’s ‘vampire facial’? A look at regenerative skincare

19 May 2025 - 8:00AM

Food and Drinks

From Le Creuset to Stanley Tucci’s go-to pan, find your ideal cookware

Direct-to-consumer brands like Caraway, Our Place and Made In are also trending, but which will help you improve your panhandling skills? Here’s our expert guide to the pick of the pots and pans.

18 May 2025 - 8:00PM

Popular with Gen Z consumers, GreenPan has collaborated with celebrities including Stanley Tucci and Gwyneth Paltrow on stylish sets. Photo: Handout

Hong Kong society

Why diets like fasting, low-carbs, don’t work: Hong Kong nutritionists

Survey by Hong Kong Nutrition Association finds 40 per cent of respondents have tried intermittent fasting and other methods of dieting.

18 May 2025 - 5:17PM

South Korea

‘Life role model’: South Korea’s granny YouTubers rewriting script on ageing

A growing number of older content creators are finding success online, sharing life advice and showing what it means to age gracefully.

18 May 2025 - 9:15AM

Mental health

How social media can be terrible for teens and the people fighting back

Phone and social media use have led to a youth mental health crisis and transformed teens’ lives but schools and governments are stepping in.

18 May 2025 - 9:45AM

Children and adolescents who spend more than three hours a day on social media face double the risk of mental health problems, including experiencing symptoms of depression and anxiety, according to the US Office of the Surgeon General.
Photo: Shutterstock

How to age well

The epic feats of Hong Kong ultrarunner who holds free classes in Central

Wong Chun-kiu has run from New York to Los Angeles, from Hokkaido to Okinawa, and around Taiwan – and is helping others to age well too.

17 May 2025 - 7:45AM

Parenting: newborns to toddlers

How reaching a healthy BMI by age 6 removes risk of adult obesity

If child with a high BMI reaches a healthy weight by the age of six, they are no longer at risk of becoming obese later in life, study finds.

16 May 2025 - 5:15PM

What to do in Hong Kong

5 of the best things to do in Hong Kong this weekend May 16-18

A gin extravaganza at PMQ, a talk about ageing well followed by a run or walk, opera, and a luxury handbag pop-up await you this weekend.

16 May 2025 - 12:45PMvideocam

Ginsanity is back at PMQ. Photo: Handout

How to age well

How regular exercise keeps ‘stress hormone’ cortisol levels in check

A doctor explains how exercise such as yoga, walking and swimming stabilises the production of cortisol, helping us manage stress and relax.

15 May 2025 - 7:15PM

Swimming can balance cortisol production and reduce stress. Photo: Shutterstock

South Korea

Working long hours? You risk altering your brain’s structure

Study which found physical changes in the brains of healthcare staff who worked 52 hours or more a week highlights the dangers of overwork.

15 May 2025 - 5:19PM

Disease

Explainer | Hate cold sores? Herpes breakthrough could lead to stopping outbreaks

New research gives hope to potentially preventing the herpes simplex 1 virus from waking up and activating immune responses in the body.

15 May 2025 - 5:45AM

Japan

Japan lags behind on children’s mental health as suicides rise, Unicef finds

Japan ranks top for physical health, but youth mental well-being remains a concern, with suicide rates among the highest in wealthy nations.

14 May 2025 - 1:07PM

Amateur sumo wrestlers hold babies during the Nakizumo Crying Baby Festival at a temple in Tokyo, Japan, last month. Photo: Reuters

How to age well

Too busy to work out? Don’t fall into that trap, says executive mentor

You can always find time to work out, even with the busiest of schedules, says exercise coach Charles Scott.

14 May 2025 - 10:35AM

Charles Scott works out with people via Zoom. Photo: AP

Dementia

How gut health could affect your brain and your risk of dementia

Studies suggest that ensuring good gut health – such as by eating 30 different plant foods weekly – can safeguard your brain health.

12 May 2025 - 6:15PM

Dementia

Daughter’s love for mother with dementia captured in emotional memoir

Dominica Yang’s new book recounts the rapid development of Alzheimer’s disease in her mother and gives important advice for primary carers.

11 May 2025 - 7:45AM

Cancer

Explainer | Why are younger adults getting colon cancer? A Hong Kong artist’s story

Helen Law mistook her colorectal cancer symptoms for signs of sleep deprivation. With cases in people under 50 rising, how to lower risk.

10 May 2025 - 2:44PM

Cancer

How an AI selfie scanner could help doctors treat cancer patients

Researchers created an AI tool that scans selfies to estimate biological age, which doctors could use to personalise care for patients.

9 May 2025 - 4:50PM

Disease

Fungal disease in The Last of Us is deadly. Could it really happen?

The widespread use of antifungals, especially in farming, is reducing their effectiveness and making untreatable, fatal diseases more likely.

8 May 2025 - 7:15PM

How to age well

95-year-old powerlifter’s advice for ageing well? ‘Just keep moving’

Catherine Kuehn began weightlifting to avoid osteoporosis and has not looked back. ‘Strong Grandma’ shares how to stay healthy into old age.

8 May 2025 - 5:15PM

95-year-old world champion powerlifter Catherine Kuehn. Photo: YouTube

Disease

He was 45, fit, but his arm tingled. Seeing a doctor probably saved his life

Scott Daley discovered he had a large blockage in his left anterior descending artery, which left untreated could have caused a fatal heart attack.

8 May 2025 - 11:15AM

Scott Daley (right) and his wife, Brooke. Scott Daley underwent quadruple bypass surgery after discovering a significant blockage in the left anterior descending artery, which supplies blood to the heart. He had a history of heart issues in his family. Photo: heart.org/Scott Daley

Style Edit

Style Edit: Grown Alchemist unveils Mother’s Day offers at Hong Kong’s IFC Mall

The brand is offering big savings on ranges including the Face Edit and Awards Edit – whose 3 formulations have all been internationally commended – while new clients get 30% off their first treatment.

8 May 2025 - 10:00AM

Hong Kong society

Opinion | Healthcare reforms overdue as ageing Hong Kong faces rising costs

While revising the public hospital fee structure was a much-needed move, more can be done to improve efficiency and resource allocation.

7 May 2025 - 10:49AM

Disease

New bone marrow test doubles AML blood cancer survival chances

The 10-minute procedure identified signs of acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) returning in patients before it showed in blood tests.

7 May 2025 - 4:15AM

AML (acute myeloid leukaemia) is a cancer that causes the bone marrow to produce a large number of abnormal blood cells, like these pictured in purple. Illustration: Shutterstock

Disease

Trial epilepsy drug’s success on son like winning the lottery, mum says

Young boys with Dravet syndrome, which causes multiple debilitating seizures, experienced dramatic improvements after taking a trial drug.

6 May 2025 - 4:15PM

A drug trial has transformed young Albie Kelly’s life, his mother Lauren Kelly says.
Photo: sheffieldchildrens.nhs.uk

Disease

How some stroke victims find their voices again through song

She could not recognise her mother, but Summer Clarke could sing her favourite songs while recovering from a stroke. She is not the only one.

5 May 2025 - 4:15AM

Luxury travel

Review | Anantara Ubud Bali Resort, where you’ll find total tranquillity, not overtourism

Opened late last year, this new addition to Bali’s hospitality scene allows visitors to discover an authentic side of a destination in a respectful manner.

6 May 2025 - 4:13PM

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