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What you need to know about: health & wellness

What you need to know about: health & wellness
Your everyday questions answered on health and wellness.
Novo Nordisk’s semaglutide product. Photo: Handout
Biomedicine: Companies

Novo Nordisk faces fierce competition in China’s diabetes drug market

Novo Nordisk’s semaglutide product to lose patent protection in China next year, according to L.E.K. Consulting.

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Mental health

Letters | Social connection and purpose are also vital for mental health

Beauty

Women’s facial hair exists – it’s time we talked about it openly

Beauty

Beating ‘Ozempic face’: avoiding the weight-loss drug’s worst side effect

While it may be an appealing prospect to many of us, rapid weight loss can lead to a gaunt appearance due to facial fat loss – but the right exercises, skincare and hydration can help combat this.

Sharon Osbourne shed 19kg using Ozempic, but the unwanted side effects were obvious on her face. Photo: FilmMagic
Wellness

No longer in the dark: how to figure out if you have dark circles or eye bags

A dermatologist explains the possible causes of the two cosmetic concerns, how to tell the difference and what treatments are best, from vitamin C, caffeine creams and sunscreen to surgery.

Wellness

Sizing up your bra: how a proper fit may help your overall health

Doctors and midwives agree that many women wear the wrong size bra and therefore risk injury during exercise, and discomfort or worse during maternity.

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Beauty

Why did Jessica Biel’s Epsom salts routine before New York’s Met Gala go viral?

The benefits of Epsom salts, from easing muscle and joint pain to improving sleep – and why they are proving a beauty and wellness staple with celebrities

Actress Jessica Biel got the internet talking over her Epsom salt prep before the Met Gala last year. Photos: EPA, Handout
Wellness

How to set boundaries at work to improve your mental health

Expert tips on managing your time, workload and technology for a better work-life balance.

Wellness

Why change can be good for your mental health – even though it’s hard

How do you turn and face the strange? In her own life, psychologist Esslin Terrifghena explores why change is so difficult – and how to take the leap.

Wellness

How ice baths can help conquer stress and find inner peace

Once a tool for athletes, cold therapy is now a wellness trend, promising benefits like reduced inflammation, improved sleep and stress relief.

Breath of Life Ice Bath clients take the plunge. Photo: Handout
Health & Fitness

Period getting you down? Try cycle syncing, a menstrual health game changer

Cycle syncing involves aligning your activities, nutrition and self-care to the hormonal fluctuations of the menstrual cycle, allowing menstruators to better manage physical and emotional changes

Cycle syncing can help alleviate some of the symptoms associated with the menstrual cycle. Photo: Getty Images
SCMP Highlights

Recap | Diabetes facts you need to know, air pollution link to dementia and more health stories

Explore expert insights on diabetes, seasonal affective disorder, healthy ageing, dementia risks from air pollution and China’s weight-loss camps.

Wellness

Why do people in Macau live longer than nearly anywhere else? We asked the locals

Only Hong Kong enjoys a longer life expectancy than Macau, so what’s the secret? Less oil, less salt and plenty of exercise, of course

China travel

New collecting craze goes viral in China. It involves mushrooms

Mushroom foraging is taking over Chinese social media, with young fungi fans posting their finds and competition for the rarest kinds fierce.

A woman poses with her mushroom collection in a forest near Beijing. Mushroom foraging has become a new viral hobby in China. Photo: Xiaohongshu
Wellness

Is sleeping well really a skill that insomniacs can learn? Experts say yes

With busy lives driven by electronic devices, many of us have lost the art of sleeping – but by mastering a few skills, it’s possible to learn to sleep well once again

A good night’s sleep may not be as elusive as you might think. Photo: Shutterstock
Wellness

Opinion | AI could help insomniacs, but is sleep overrated or an evolutionary mistake?

A confessed night owl stays up discussing the question, as well as whether alcohol, napping, reading or yogurt help or hurt your chances of nodding off

Video | Hong Kong to open first TCM hospital in 2025, but why only now?

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Health: true or false?

Explainer | What a juice cleanse really does your to body, according to experts

Could juicing still be part of a healthy diet, years after the fad for it died? Experts weigh up the pros and cons – read on to find out if it’s for you

Kourtney Kardashian downs a juice in 2019 in Los Angeles, but years on from the craze, are they still a healthy choice for us all? Photo: Bauer-Griffin/GC Images
Beauty

8 of the weirdest beauty treatments celebrities swear by

Gwyneth Paltrow has sung the praises of vaginal steaming and bee sting therapy, while Cate Blanchett revealed she had a ‘penis facial’

Beauty

Winning formulas: do medical-grade cosmetics really deliver on their promise?

Look for products from the likes of SkinCeuticals, Dr Hauschka, Dr Dennis Gross, Augustinus Bader and IS Clinical – which experts say are better for you than typical over-the-counter products

Skincare

Cold comfort: the positive effects – and limitations – of ice therapy

Celebrity fans of cold therapy include Jennifer Aniston, Demi Moore, Daniel Craig and Alicia Keys who say it has benefits for the skin and circulation – though experts caution against overuse

Fans of cold therapy, celebrities and otherwise, say it has benefits for the skin and circulation – pictured here is Charlotte Tilbury’s cryo mask – though experts caution against overuse. Photos: Handout
United States

‘Will save lives’: US sets tap water standards on ‘forever chemicals’

The new rule would reduce exposure to “forever chemicals” in the water supply of 100 million people, preventing thousands of deaths and tens of thousands of serious illnesses, the Environmental Protection Agency said.

The US Environmental Protection Agency announce the first-ever limits on PFAS, or “forever chemicals,” in drinking water. Photo: Shutterstock
Skincare

Move over, K-beauty – Ayurvedic skincare is 2024’s beauty trend to know

The latest trend to hit the high street sees traditional ingredients like saffron, turmeric, neem and ashwagandha married to modern approaches and formulations

Science

US$2 H2O: low-cost, portable filtration device delivers clean water anywhere

A joint US-China research team says their ‘powerful and affordable tool’ can also filter nanoplastic-contaminated water.

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Beauty

Explainer | What the state of your nails says about you – and how to make a better impression

From nail strengtheners by Dior, Hermès, Paume and Dr’s Remedy, to Glosslab’s waterless mani-pedis that are better for nails and the environment, there are many ways to boost the health of your nails

From nail strengtheners by Dior, Hermès, Paume and Dr’s Remedy, to Glosslab’s waterless mani-pedis that are better for nails and the environment, there are many ways to boost the health of your nails. Photo: Shutterstock
Beauty

Explainer | What is keratin and why is it an ingredient in hair care products?

Damaging the natural substance in your hair results in brittle, rough and frizzy strands – but some treatments such as Brazilian blowouts can help

Damaging the keratin layer in your hair can result in frizzy locks, but thankfully certain products and treatments can restore straightness and smoothness. Photo: Shutterstock
Wellness

Health questions: is a sauna good for a cold? We see through the hot steam

Some people believe having a sauna will reduce their cold symptoms, or that they can ‘sweat out a cold’ in the sauna. Is there scientific evidence for or against these notions?

Wellness

Health questions: is pickled ginger good for you? We chew over the evidence

Pickled ginger is often eaten to accompany sushi. It’s known that fresh ginger is packed with health benefits, but what does the science say about the benefits or otherwise of the pickled kind?

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