293 326
293
October14
AN
A G
OF CHILD
AND FAMILY HEALTH
TO
W
ith year-round summer weather, world-class schools, home help and a
host of recreational activities for all ages, Singapore can be a kind of
heaven for families. But heaven can swiftly turn into hell when illness
strikes, wherever in the world you find yourself.
We are living in the tropics, after all. As I write this, two members of our editorial
team are woman-down with the dreaded dengue, and a good 50 percent of us –
including me – have fallen prey to the virus at some stage. Katie and Rachael are
just two more to be added to the 13,208 cases recorded by the MOH in the first
half of this year. Children, on the other hand, are more susceptible to hand, foot
and mouth disease, which notched up 13,938 victims in the same period.
The good news? This little island is blessed with some of the best and most
medically advanced health care that money can buy.
Every family needs a GP, of course, and there are thousands to choose from. To
find one with an approach – both medical and cultural – that gels with your needs
and beliefs, personal referral is generally the way to go.
But the health care you choose for yourself and your family doesn’t have to start
and end with conventional GPs, dentists and specialists, however essential they are
to us. Not only more familiar modalities such as nutritional medicine, osteopathy
and homeopathy are readily accessible, but perhaps less-known ones such as
TCM (Chinese Traditional Medicine), too. There’s a wealth of healing out there.
Here’s some advice on some family-related health issues – from A for asthma to
G for gestational diabetes mellitus.
By Verne Maree
FAMILY HEALTH