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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.
Microplastics have been discovered riddled throughout human bodies, from lungs and hearts to placentas and even crossing the blood-brain barrier, but the effects that microplastics and even smaller nanoplastics have on human health are not yet fully understood. Photo: Shutterstock
Wellness

Microplastics are building up in our brains, but are we actually in danger?

Study finds a spoon’s worth of plastic in people’s brains but scientists say microplastics’ health effect isn’t yet fully understood.

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Wellness

Physio isn’t just for injuries. So why are we all waiting to get hurt?

Biomedicine: Companies

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

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Mental health

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

Readers discuss a more holistic approach to fostering youth resilience, The Last Dance’s re-release on the silver screen, and enticing visitors to Hong Kong.

Creating school and community environments conducive to supportive peer connections is key to building resilience among our youth. Photo: Shutterstock
Beauty

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

Genetics, hormones, ageing and conditions like polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) can all lead to moustache and chin hair on women – but this is natural and nothing to be ashamed of.

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.

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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.

Under-eye bags or dark circles? Work out which is affecting you and you’ll be better able to fix the problem. Photo: Handout
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.

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

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.

Learning to say “no” at work is essential for protecting our physical and mental health. Photo: Shutterstock
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.

In any given moment we have two options: to step forward into growth or step back into safety, wrote psychologist Abraham Maslow. Photo: Getty Images
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.

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

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.

Seasonal affective disorder, or SAD, can last about five months of the year. Here is how to check if you have it, and how to combat it. Photo: Shutterstock
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

Market vendor Kwan Wai-ming, who works in Macau’s Red Market, is among the locals who shared their healthy-eating tips with 100 Top Tables. Photo: Jocelyn Tam
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.

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

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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

AI offers help with insomnia, but is sleep overrated, or even an evolutionary mistake? Image: Midjourney

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

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

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’

Could Victoria Beckham’s clear skin be partly down to the therapeutic use of bird droppings? Photo: @victoriabeckham/Instagram
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

Experts advise looking for medical-grade products from the likes of SkinCeuticals, Dr Hauschka, Dr Dennis Gross, Augustinus Bader and IS Clinical, which evidence says are better long-term than typical over-the-counter skincare. Photo: SCMP
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

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.

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

Ayurvedic skincare is the latest trend to hit the high street with traditional ingredients like saffron, turmeric, neem and ashwagandha married to modern formulations. Photo: Handout
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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A joint US-Chinese research team has devised a system that converts dirty water into clean water seven faster than other filtrations systems currently available. Photo: Handout
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

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

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