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Wellness

Wellness
Latest news and features on wellness, including diet, mental health trends, exercise, fitness, medicine and diseases.
last updated:
9 September, 2024
Cinnamon sticks are taken from the inner bark of the cinnamon tree. Photo: Shutterstock
Food and Drinks

Why there’s more to cinnamon, the ‘Christmas spice’, than you may think

Cinnamon smells like Christmas, gives flavour to food without adding many calories, and may lower blood glucose and reduce inflammation.

Music

Sonic boom as airports focus on music to lighten travellers’ moods

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Hong Kong

Can this new wave of Hong Kong farmers bring agriculture back to the city?

Mental health

5 new OCD research findings that could drive better treatment

The holidays can exacerbate symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder but new research into its causes is leading to greater understanding.

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) stimulates and resets specific areas of the brain to provide relief from OCD symptoms. Photo: Shutterstock
What to do in Hong Kong

Year of the Snake retreat in Hong Kong to feature snake-themed exercises

The day-long fitness retreat taking place on Lamma Island before Lunar New Year will include strength-building, yoga and Muay Thai classes.

Food and Drinks

Light to moderate wine drinking could be as good as statins for your heart

It’s often said light to moderate wine drinking is good for heart health – but how much wine is that? Scientists have put a number on it.

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Food and Drinks

Planning a sober Christmas? Tips on avoiding alcohol and having a good time

Sober coaches, sober bar managers and happily sober people give their tips on avoiding alcohol – one trick is to leave a party early.

You do not have to drink alcohol to have a good time this Christmas. Sober people offer tips on staying tipple-free. Photo: Shutterstock
Dementia

How to ensure a happy Christmas for a loved one with dementia

The festive season can be confusing and noisy for those with dementia, but these expert tips will help everyone enjoy the occasion.

Africa

Hong Kong girl, 13, launches mentorship programme for girls in Africa

Climbing Africa’s highest peak inspired Emma Demopoulos, 13, to help Tanzania. She’s recruited international mentors for schoolgirls there.

Coronavirus pandemic: All stories

5 years after pandemic began, long Covid still turns lives upside down

Two victims describe lingering, debilitating symptoms that keep them from reclaiming their lives; WHO expert describes barriers to diagnosis.

Andrea Vanek in Vienna, Austria, with medicine she takes for long Covid, a condition in which patients fail to recover fully from the acute phase of Covid infection. Photo: AFP
Medicine

Snake gut secrets unlocked by new study may help treat human diseases

Research on how pythons regenerate their guts may open door to treatment for Crohn’s and coeliac diseases, colorectal cancer, even diabetes.

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The mechanisms pythons use to regrow their intestines may provide insight on treatments for human gastrointestinal diseases, a new study shows. Photo: Dreamstime/TNS
Beauty

Unlock the magic of fermented skincare, from kombucha to ginseng

Is fermented skincare the secret behind the glowing success of SK-II and Sulwhasoo, who boast Twice’s Mina and Blackpink’s Rosé as brand ambassadors?

Science

A liver acid could be an anti-ageing ‘elixir’, Chinese scientists say

Researchers find naturally occurring acid induces pseudo-starvation effects, resulting in anti-ageing effects in animals.

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Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM)

Why Chinese Gen Z are getting TCM winter body check-ups

Lei Yun Shang’s traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) clinic in Shanghai is seeing more young people get health checks as winter sets in.

Qiu Jingchuan, deputy chief practitioner at Lei Yun Shang, takes a patient’s blood pressure at the company’s TCM clinic in Shanghai, China. Photo: Lisa Cam
Disease

Farm breeds pigs for human kidney transplant; it’s a blessing, patient says

The US’ long waiting list for transplants could be shortened with the use of genetically modified animal organs. This farm is key to process.

A technician pets a genetically altered pig at Revivicor Research farm in Blacksburg, in the US state of Virginia where researchers breed the animals to transplant their organs into human patients. Photo: AFP
Meditation and how to find balance

The Hong Kong yoga and farming couple making wellness less ‘culty’

She teaches yoga, he preaches permaculture. They’re holding an all-day event to pass on their skills that ends with a chat around a campfire.

How to age well

I cried when I finished my first marathon. My pacemaker, my dad, smiled

Erika Na catches up with her dad’s long-distance running club mates in Korea. The oldest aged 81, they train and run marathons together.

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Beauty

Do you have dry, chapped lips in winter? Use lip balm, with a proviso

In winter, the cold and wind can cause chapped lips. Lip balm can help, provided it contains the right substances. But you have options.

In winter, the cold and wind can cause chapped lips. A lip balm can help, says a dermatologist, but there are other options. Photo: Shutterstock
Cancer

Surge in colon cancer in young people reflects global lifestyle changes

Colon cancer rates are falling among older people, but rising among young people because of sedentary lifestyles and processed-food diets.

How to age well

Are blue zones a scam?

The secret to longevity seems to be bad data and record-keeping, finds a new study.

Beauty

Why you should have your own at-home spa – like Gwyneth Paltrow

The Goop founder’s home spa has inspired a self-care revolution, but for those without the money or space, Therasage offers portable spas too.

How you too can unwind like Gwyneth Paltrow with the latest home spa trends, from infrared saunas to red-light panels and lymphatic drainage boots. Photo: Trunk Archive
Meditation and how to find balance

How meditation benefits health and a free app for beginners

A psychologist who helped develop an award-winning meditation app explains how the practice can lower stress, boost concentration and more.

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The longer you meditate, the greater the benefits you accrue. But even small bursts of mindful breathing can pay off, suggests research by American psychologist Professor Richard Davidson. Photo: Shutterstock
Travel news and advice

How to stay healthy and fit while travelling? Experts share 7 tips

Hong Kong-based naturopaths explain how to make your next trip safe and stress-free, from packing for emergencies to getting over jet lag.

Disease

Explainer | Why ‘growing snakes’ – shingles – is so painful and how to prevent it

Shingles causes a rash that can feel like ‘being burned and electrocuted’ at the same time. We look at its symptoms, treatment and vaccine.

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM)

Explainer | As TCM is promoted in Hong Kong, a primer on the cultural ‘treasure’

A festival of traditional Chinese medicine and a dedicated hospital are ways TCM is being promoted in the city. Here’s what you need to know.

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Chinese herbal medicine is dispensed at a pharmacy in Sham Shui Po, Hong Kong. Photo: Yik Yeung-man
What to do in Hong Kong

5 of the best things to do in Hong Kong this weekend, Dec 13-15

Try truffle bread and a gong bath, see some selfie art, watch an award-winning, if tragic, film and more in Hong Kong this weekend.

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“Dim Sum Squad” members Har Gow, Siu Mai, and Char Siu Bao are part of The Peak’s “It’s Different Up Here” campaign that celebrates all things Hong Kong. It is one of our pick of events in the city to check out between December 13 and 15. Photo: The Peak
Thailand

Thai masseuse urges ‘fairness’ after new details emerge in singer’s death

An autopsy carried out on Chayada Prao-hom shows the singer’s death was not due to health complications from massage.

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Mental health

Explainer | Can a weighted blanket help you sleep better? Research is mixed, says expert

Heavy covers that feel ‘like a really big hug’ can soothe anxieties, sleep medicine doctor says; we tell you where to find them in Hong Kong.

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