https://www.scmp.com/rss/328359/feed Stories of hope and inspiration, from the experiences of medical doctors and their patients on the front lines along the path to good health. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com [Sponsored article] Medical breakthroughs in recent decades have saved many lives, but it is the workers behind the health care in places such as hospitals and out-patient clinics that help a patient to heal. Yet in their hearts, the health staff really hope to see fewer patients walking in the door. “Working in a hospital, we not only can help people get well, but we also can teach them how to take care of themselves, so that they do not need to come to the hospital,” says Alex Lan, president... https://www.scmp.com/presented/news/hong-kong/topics/hong-kong-adventist-hospital/article/3162040/state-art-hong-hong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/presented/news/hong-kong/topics/hong-kong-adventist-hospital/article/3162040/state-art-hong-hong?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 05 Jan 2022 02:00:18 +0000 Pediatric services in the US could be overwhelmed by thousands of sick infants and young children – an overlooked group that has a higher risk of serious illness from Covid-19, according to a new study. While children are at a lower risk of fatality from the disease as compared with the elderly, the very young were most at risk of becoming seriously ill, the study said.  It warned the sheer weight of population numbers in the United States meant there was an urgent need to be prepared. The... https://www.scmp.com/health/dont-overlook-risk-covid-19-poses-children-study-warns/article/3080827?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/health/dont-overlook-risk-covid-19-poses-children-study-warns/article/3080827?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Apr 2020 12:03:54 +0000 Hospital surgical assistant Marco Wan, who has seen many patients taken into the operating room for urgent procedures over the years, was stunned when, at the age of only 34, he was told he had suffered a heart attack. The Hongkonger found himself out of breath and experiencing severe chest pains soon after walking up a steep flight of steps on his regular trip into work at Hong Kong Adventist Hospital – Stubbs Road, in Happy Valley, in March 2017. Behind the mask: who are unsung hospital... https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/health-wellness/topics/health-matters/article/3049862/how-life-and-death?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/health-wellness/topics/health-matters/article/3049862/how-life-and-death?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 10 Feb 2020 10:12:40 +0000 Every second counts in a heart-related emergency. A delay of even a couple of minutes could be the difference between life and death in the case of cardiac arrest or other complications affecting this vital blood-pumping organ. Coronary heart disease led to the deaths of an average of 10.6 people in Hong Kong each day in 2017, according to statistics from the Department of Health Between 2008 and 2017, more than 30,000 Hong Kong patients have died because of the problem – with sudden deaths... https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/health-wellness/topics/health-matters/article/3042730/10-things-about-heart?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/health-wellness/topics/health-matters/article/3042730/10-things-about-heart?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Dec 2019 03:58:29 +0000 None of us wants to have to endure surgery, but should misfortune strike and we end up needing an operation we will want it to be carried out at a well-equipped hospital by a seasoned surgeon supported by a team of highly trained staff. Robotic prostate cancer surgery helps keen triathlete make speedy return to competition Many of us have only limited knowledge about the detailed workings of operating rooms, also known as operating theatres, which have to be carefully maintained and prepared to... https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/health/topics/health-matters/article/3041655/behind-mask-who-are-unsung-hospital?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/health/topics/health-matters/article/3041655/behind-mask-who-are-unsung-hospital?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Dec 2019 02:37:36 +0000 Cancer comes with little or no warning and does not discriminate – affecting everyone, young and old. Damian Walsh, a Hong Kong-based Australian IT executive and father of two young sons, found that out the hard way last year. How improved 3D breast cancer test can save lives through early diagnosis among Hong Kong patients Yet thanks to a robotic surgical technique, the keen triathlete found that just over two months after his prostate cancer surgery he was able to take part in an Ironman... https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/health-wellness/topics/health-matters/article/3040682/how-robotic-prostate-cancer?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/health-wellness/topics/health-matters/article/3040682/how-robotic-prostate-cancer?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Dec 2019 01:31:29 +0000 The vaping industry has suffered a series of setbacks around the world following a spate of deaths in the United States. A number of governments are now considering or implementing bans even as Donald Trump has wavered over whether to introduce similar measures in the US. Now China, where a lack of regulation and the ease of buying online helped create millions of e-cigarette users, has dealt what may be the most substantial blow yet to the global industry. The world’s largest country banned all... https://www.scmp.com/china/online-sales-ban-hits-chinas-vaping-industry-dont-expect-it-disappear-puff-smoke/article/3039520?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/china/online-sales-ban-hits-chinas-vaping-industry-dont-expect-it-disappear-puff-smoke/article/3039520?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 27 Nov 2019 11:00:07 +0000 At least 11 Hong Kong women are found to have breast cancer every day and one in every 15 women in the city will be diagnosed with the disease during their lifetime. Cases of the most common type of cancer affecting Hong Kong’s female population have more than tripled over the past quarter century or so – up from 1,152 in 1993 to 4,108 in 2016, according to the Hong Kong Cancer Registry. The advantages of the new 3D technology over the conventional one are that patients will feel less pain... https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/health-wellness/topics/health-matters/article/3039389/how-improved-3d-breast?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/health-wellness/topics/health-matters/article/3039389/how-improved-3d-breast?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 27 Nov 2019 02:22:28 +0000 Mary Henderson might still be playing for the Hong Kong women’s cricket team if she had not injured her shoulder. The Briton, 50, has enjoyed a remarkable sporting life, having played competitive soccer, hockey, squash, lacrosse, netball, skiing and tennis. She represented Hong Kong’s women’s cricket team at the East Asia Cup in 2017. However, taking part in all these high-intensity sports – as well as the rigorous training that they entail – led to increasing pain in her right shoulder, which... https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/health-wellness/topics/health-matters/article/3037889/ex-hong-kong-womens?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/health-wellness/topics/health-matters/article/3037889/ex-hong-kong-womens?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 19 Nov 2019 02:38:47 +0000 Hong Kong orthopaedic surgeon Dr Daniel Mok Wah-hong, who has more than 35 years of medical experience and teaches shoulder arthroscopy around the world, admits he still has much to learn. “There seem to be new advances in medical treatments every month, if not every week,” says Mok, a specialist in orthopaedics and traumatology at Hong Kong Adventist Hospital – Stubbs Road, in Happy Valley. “Doctors need to keep up to date – to learn what is the best antibiotic or drug treatment and the best... https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/health-wellness/topics/health-matters/article/3037342/why-hong-kong-shoulder?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/health-wellness/topics/health-matters/article/3037342/why-hong-kong-shoulder?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 12 Nov 2019 06:33:15 +0000 Eight years ago, Lu Gau-cyun was forced to retire from her job because of worsening pain in her left knee. Four years later she was forced to start using a walking stick. “My feet began to turn in and I was getting more bow-legged to avoid putting pressure on the knee,” Lu says. “When I walked, I waddled like a duck. I often ended up in a cold sweat because of the pain.” I feel like I am almost 100 per cent back to normal … I look forward to going out and resuming my normal activities Lu... https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/health-wellness/topics/health-matters/article/3035553/how-knee-replacement-surgery?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/health-wellness/topics/health-matters/article/3035553/how-knee-replacement-surgery?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 30 Oct 2019 09:22:20 +0000 Today’s urban life puts a lot of stress on our bodies, both mentally and physically. We ignore minor aches and pains, to our own perils. Often by the time we visit the doctor, the condition has already become rather serious. Lam Wai-hong, diagnostic radiographer II at Hong Kong Adventist Hospital – Stubbs Road, has seen it with his own eyes – literally. Through various types of scanning equipment, he provides important visual information to aid the doctor’s diagnosis and prescription of... https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/health-wellness/topics/health-matters/article/2182042/3-common-spinal-conditions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/health-wellness/topics/health-matters/article/2182042/3-common-spinal-conditions?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 14 Jan 2019 13:29:48 +0000 When Dr Mak Kin-cheung was still a student, he suffered a slipped disc while playing tennis. A slipped or prolapsed disc involves the soft cushion of tissue between two bony segments of the spine bursting out of its proper position. In Dr Mak’s case, the incident limited his activity and impaired his lifestyle for a significant period of time. It also gave the keen sportsman a personal insight into the importance of having a healthy spine and of having a good caregiver. Yet becoming a spinal... https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/health-wellness/topics/health-matters/article/2174140/doctors-orders-dos-and-donts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/health-wellness/topics/health-matters/article/2174140/doctors-orders-dos-and-donts?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 20 Nov 2018 08:15:15 +0000 Are you sitting slouched at your seat as you read this? While you are definitely not alone in this increasingly common habit, understanding how your spine works might help you straighten up a little. The spine is a set of bones stretching from the pelvis to the head, which support the upper body, help us stand and give us mobility. What’s the vitamin that, with the right exercise, will help your bones stay healthy? It also houses and protects the spinal cord, which is part of the organ that... https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/health/topics/health-matters/article/2170756/your-spine-has-26-bones-and-here-are?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/health/topics/health-matters/article/2170756/your-spine-has-26-bones-and-here-are?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 29 Oct 2018 16:17:29 +0000 Health supplements can be expensive and confusing – and news reports about their effectiveness often change frequently. However, when it comes to healthier bones and joints, there is one vitamin supplement that actually works – and who would know better than an expert in bones and joints? How minimally invasive heart surgery helped keen marathon runner with life-threatening condition to get his ‘rhythm’ back Dr Daniel W.H. Mok is a specialist in orthopaedics and traumatology at the Hong Kong... https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/health-wellness/topics/health-matters/article/2169201/whats-one-vitamin-right?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/health-wellness/topics/health-matters/article/2169201/whats-one-vitamin-right?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 18 Oct 2018 12:30:00 +0000 Hong Kong’s population is growing sportier than ever. Yet how do residents in the city who keep fit to stay trim and healthy – and also love sport – deal with the inevitable injury problems when they crop up? Someone may feel that they are fit and healthy, but then one day they do something seemingly innocuous, such as reach up for a vase in a top cupboard, and suffer a shoulder spasm. Minimally invasive heart surgery helps runner get his ‘rhythm’ back The number of Hongkongers playing sport... https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/health-wellness/topics/health-matters/article/2167477/how-sports-injuries-are-rise?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/health-wellness/topics/health-matters/article/2167477/how-sports-injuries-are-rise?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Oct 2018 08:49:29 +0000 When keen marathon runner Yeung Yuk-kong visited a doctor at a private clinic five years ago he thought was just suffering from flu. Love and care prove vital to a healthy heart So, he was stunned to discover he had a life-threatening abnormal heart rhythm, which he says meant he “could have died at any time”. My first run after surgery felt so good – it was even better than winning the lottery Yeung Yuk-kong, heart patient The Hongkonger, 58, like many other people, had never heard of atrial... https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/health-wellness/topics/health-matters/article/2165975/how-minimally-invasive-heart?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/health-wellness/topics/health-matters/article/2165975/how-minimally-invasive-heart?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 27 Sep 2018 07:23:05 +0000 On a recent Sunday, an otherwise healthy Hong Kong man in his 60s saw an alert on his smartwatch signalling his heart rate had skyrocketed to 160 beats per minute. He was so concerned that he went to the hospital. That decision saved his life. “It turned out to be a very severe blood vessel problem,” says Dr Jeffrey Fung Wing-hong, clinical director of the cardiac electrophysiology laboratory at Hong Kong Adventist Hospital – Stubbs Road. One patient [who saw a smartphone warning] thought he was... https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/health-wellness/topics/health-matters/article/2164579/wearable-monitors-can-help?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/health-wellness/topics/health-matters/article/2164579/wearable-monitors-can-help?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 17 Sep 2018 10:44:16 +0000 Some time ago, Dr Jason Ko treated a heart patient in his 20s whose dying wish was to eat a hamburger and French fries. Ko, a consultant in cardiology at Hong Kong Adventist Hospital – Stubbs Road, said the patient had been suffering from a fatal genetic disease called Duchene Muscular Dystrophy, which causes the muscles to deteriorate at a rapid rate, leading to severe heart and lung failure. “As a doctor, I naturally advised against unhealthy fast food and tried to give him a positive outlook... https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/health/topics/health-matters/article/2162871/love-and-care-prove-vital-healthy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/health/topics/health-matters/article/2162871/love-and-care-prove-vital-healthy?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 05 Sep 2018 08:00:00 +0000 The safe arrival of a newborn is always a joyous moment for the parents. However, things will change quickly and become deeply worrying if they discover their child is suffering serious health problems. That is what happened to the parents of 16-year-old Hongkonger Lai Sai-yu shortly after her birth. They were told by a paediatrician that their baby daughter was suffering from a rare genetic disease linked to serious heart problems. “Sai-yu was in the hospital’s intensive care unit after she... https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/health-wellness/topics/health-matters/article/2161460/how-heart-surgery-transformed?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/native/lifestyle/health-wellness/topics/health-matters/article/2161460/how-heart-surgery-transformed?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 27 Aug 2018 04:28:06 +0000