By Eveline Gan, TODAY | Posted: 18 January 2011
SINGAPORE : With all the recent attention-grabbing headlines on nudity and public displays of affection, it would seem that Singaporeans are becoming more open about sex.
However, this is not the case for some couples whom gynaecologist Dr Yong Tze Tein sees at her clinic.
A senior consultant at the Singapore General Hospital's department of obstetrics and gynaecology, Dr Yong has seen her fair share of married couples who have sexual dysfunction and problems consummating.
In the past two to three years, she has seen 12 such cases - a figure which represents only the tip of an iceberg, since most people are too embarrassed to come forward and admit their problem.
A majority of the couples Dr Yong sees are in their 30s and have been married for a few years. They end up being referred to her when they are unable to successfully conceive.
According to Dr Yong, the sexual dysfunction issues she has seen are varied. For instance, there was a female patient with an anatomical problem - her hymen was so thick that it was impossible for sexual penetration to occur - and surgery was required to fix that.
Sex - What's that?
Interestingly, Dr Yong also sees couples who are clueless about the "birds and the bees".
"We've seen couples who try to have sexual intercourse but do not succeed, so the women end up not having any actual penetration. They are either not very sure what to do or have misconceptions about how sex is like," said Dr Yong, who recommended that both husband and wife see her at the same time for treatment.
Occasionally, the problems are more deep-seated and require a multi-disciplinary approach, with the help of an urologist and psychologist.
Sexual dysfunction becomes a challenge to treat when there are psychological problems or if either spouse is not open to treatment.
Take Jessie and Mark (not their real names) for instance. They have been married for several years but have not consummated their marriage.
While Jessie was eager to get professional help, Mark was embarrassed and unwilling to open up about his sexual problems.
"You could sense the wife's frustration and the husband's avoidance towards the issue. He made excuses like how he found sex very ticklish. He was always absent during consultations. I told his wife it was not possible for me to treat them when one party is always not around. You need two willing people to make sex happen!" said Dr Yong.
Mark's reaction is not uncommon. According to Dr Yong, men find it harder to talk about their sexual problems.
Left untreated, sexual dysfunction can become a chronic issue, making it harder to treat. Dr Yong advised couples to seek help early if they encounter problems.
Touching Base
While it is impossible to say how much sex is healthy, Dr Yong recommended couples to "touch base" at least once a week.
"Who are we to say that it's not right for a married couple to not have sex? But making love demands some form of trust and shedding of inhibition. If there's no sex in a marriage, then the couple wouldn't have truly experienced that level of intimacy," she said.
- TODAY/il
Taken from ChannelNewsAsia.com; source article is below:Sexless in the city
While this is a localised problem in Singapore, obesity is a worldwide phenomenon...
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SINGAPORE: The problem of obesity is getting worse in Singapore.
The latest National Health Survey shows the obesity rate has increased from 6.9 per cent in 2004 to 10.8 per cent this year.
This year's National Healthy Lifestyle campaign is thus adopting a more holistic approach to help Singaporeans fight the flab.
More than 1,000 people turned up at the launch of the campaign by Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong.
They tried out the new Singapore Workout that includes traditional dance moves.
The message is for Singaporeans to get healthy together and combat obesity.
Health Promotion Board (HPB) CEO Lam Pin Woon said: "Based on the National Health Survey, the obesity rate is definitely on the upturn.
"This is very alarming for us; we do not want to be in the same situation like the other western countries where the obesity rate is that one in three of the population is obese.
"For now, our obesity rate is (about) 10 per cent - that's already very alarming, and we have to do something about it.
"This year, we want to create a social movement (and) get everyone to see the value of having a healthy weight (and) enjoy life by being healthy".
The HPB attributes the rise in obesity here to a lack of physical activity and a more sedentary lifestyle.
The National Health Survey found that 54.1 per cent of Singaporeans do not exercise.
Mr Neville Dotival, who lost about 18kg over three months to weigh 88.8kg, said: "I feel a lot better, I feel more energetic, I can play more with my kids.
He added that he is now fit enough to join his sons in activities during school events such as Sports Day.
HPB's Youth Health Division director K Vijaya said: "There is a growing body of evidence to suggest that chronic disease including obesity has its roots in pre-natal and the early developmental stages of one's life.
"As a result of this evidence, we are shifting our obesity prevention efforts further upstream, to the pre-natal and early years of one's life.
"We will be empowering parents to nurture health lifestyles, among their children.
"We are coming up with guidelines, strategies to provide a conducive environment for this purpose such as baby friendly hospitals that support breast feeding.
"In addition, we will be coming up with guidelines to prevent indiscriminate advertising of food and beverages to children".
Other efforts include getting those from the food industry to develop lower calorie food products and meals, to cut some 25 billion kilocalories from Singapore's food supply by 2013.
HPB also intends to roll out a nationwide Body Mass Index survey every two to three years to better monitor obesity trends.
-CNA/wk
From ChannelNewsAsia.com; source article is below:Singaporeans getting fatter
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Channel NewsAsia - Tuesday, June 2
Tan Tock Seng Hospital sets up additional H1N1 screening facility
SINGAPORE: Singapore has confirmed two more cases of H1N1 flu, bringing the total so far to seven.
Patient number six is a 36—year—old Singaporean man who returned from Manila last Friday on Singapore Airlines SQ917 at 5.50pm. He was seated at row 17.
The Ministry of Health (MOH), which is reviewing the case, suspected that he may have caught the virus from another passenger as his symptoms only appeared a day after his flight.
Patient number seven is a 30—year—old Australian tourist who had travelled to Chicago, Detroit and New York in the past two weeks, between May 14 and 30.
He flew in from New York via Frankfurt on SQ25 at 6.18am on Monday and was seated at row 54.
MOH said their symptoms are relatively mild and it is now trying to get in touch with close contacts of the Australian tourist.
Those who have yet to be contacted by the ministry should call the MOH hotline at 1800—333—9999.
As more cases are discovered, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, which carries out all screenings, has created a separate temporary facility at the nearby Communicable Disease Centre (CDC) to process all suspected patients, who will be separated according to their recent travel history.
Patients who have flu—like symptoms, but have not been to high—risk areas like Canada, United States and Mexico or relatively low—risk areas like Japan, Spain and United Kingdom, will be screened at Tan Tock Seng Hospital's Emergency Department decontamination unit.
The whole testing process at the new facility will take about 12 hours. But with up to 100 patients waiting in the same area, what are the chances of catching the virus from someone else?
Christopher Soh, nurse manager, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, said: "I would say it's much safer in here rather than out in the streets or shopping centres. We have several protocols in place to keep the patients here safe.
"Example, all patients coming to us are issued masks so that they are protected.
Secondly, all patients are spaced out two metres apart, away from each other."
A well—ventilated area also reduces the spread of the virus.
Those who are tested positive will be admitted to the CDC's SARS Wing, also known as CDC 2. The building can admit up to 50 patients, but more space can be made available at CDC 1, if needed.
MOH is also reviewing its control measures to deal with the H1N1 situation in Singapore. It has set up a National Scientific Committee, which will study the local cases and make recommendations on treatment guidelines.
The committee will also analyse the genome of the virus and compare it with international data. Serial tracking of the virus will also be carried out to look for mutations and to assess the potential impact of the mutations on clinical disease.
The ministry said information gathered will help establish scientifically if the new virus strain could turn out to be like the seasonal flu in terms of its impact on public health.
Authorities could then adapt their containment measures, which currently involve contact tracing and the hospitalisation of every case, to focus on the treatment of at—risk groups and those who are seriously ill.
The committee will be chaired by MOH's director of Medical Services, Professor K Satku.
— CNA/so
From Yahoo! News; see the source article here.
A laboratory works to produce the world's first DNA test for the Mexican flu strain
SINGAPORE: Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said the battle with the H1N1 virus is far from over even though Singapore has downgraded its response to the threat and immediate danger has subsided.
Speaking at the Singapore Medical Association's 50th anniversary dinner, Mr Lee said Singapore must remain vigilant as the virus continues to spread to more countries.
Singapore must watch closely how the pandemic unfolds and continually update and improve its contingency plans.
He said Singapore will also have to address shortcomings, sharpen procedures and restock medical supplies to fight the virus.
Mr Lee said: "Pandemics are a dangerous threat that we must take seriously. Influenza and other viruses will continue to mutate and evolve, and if not Influenza A(H1N1), then some other new viruses will eventually emerge and reach our shores. We must be fully prepared when that happens."
At the event on Saturday, Mr Lee was also conferred an Honorary Membership by the Singapore Medical Association.
It is the highest honour the association can confer on those who are distinguished in public life or who have rendered meritorious service to the medical profession.
Mr Lee acknowledged doctors have a difficult job and outlined five reasons why he thought so.
First, doctors have to perpetually learn and relearn, keeping abreast of the flood of medical knowledge, as patients depend on them to keep up with rapid medical advancements and offer the best advice.
Second, doctors must always do what is best for the patient and as such, the doctor's advice must always be honest, well-founded and based on what is in the patient's best interest.
Third, doctors are expected to uphold the highest ethical standards, otherwise they will lose patients' trust.
Fourth, doctors must have a good systems view of the whole healthcare system in that while they do what is best for individual patients, they also have to think in terms of what works for the whole medical system.
He gave the example of the US, which has many excellent doctors but a healthcare system that has major shortcomings.
PM Lee added: "Despite spending enormous sums each year, the US healthcare system is plagued by bad practices like over-servicing and defensive medicine, and poor outcomes in terms of coverage, life expectancy, etc.
"In Singapore, our doctors need to understand how our system works - the 3Ms financing network, the restructured hospitals, subsidies and means testing, etc.
"Not every doctor needs to be an expert in our healthcare system, but doctors need to appreciate enough to operate within it, so as to keep healthcare costs under control and to benefit the greatest number of patients."
Fifth and most importantly, doctors must value the human relationship between doctor and patient. This requires respect and empathy for patients and their families.
Mr Lee noted that technological advancements might have rendered some old practices unnecessary.
He gave the example of how some medical schools have dropped cadaveric dissection using computer simulation instead. Because there's no blood, no smell and no mess, there's also no emotional engagement.
Mr Lee continued: "Old timers worry that we have lost something important along the way. I recently read an article by a US doctor, lamenting the loss of a valuable tool for future doctors to learn about humanity and the emotional strains of doctoring. As she pointed out, 'we learn to heal the living by first dismantling the dead.'"
He said that in Singapore, the practice has also changed with a single body used to teach eight students at one time.
Mr Lee said that as Singapore updates its medical school curriculum to include new knowledge and skills that students must absorb, something has to give.
But its future doctors must still learn about the human and emotional aspects of doctoring and will have to do so in other ways as they progress through medical school and beyond. - CNA/vm
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