A-Z of Health

針灸是中醫常用的其一種治療方法，療效比方劑快和簡單。「針刺」和「艾灸」的統稱，針是指用針刺激產生針感，而灸則是指用熱刺激產生熱感，以達至防...

Dementia is a broad term for the deterioration of brain function resulting in memory loss, reduction in language skills and behavioural and...

Angina is a symptom of coronary heart disease. Based on Population Health Survey 2003/04, 1.6% of Hong Kong people aged 15 and...

Anterior cruciate ligament is one of the paired crossed ligaments inside the knee. It connects the thighbone to shinbone and ...

Anxiety is a normal inherent emotional response. When facing crises or challenges, anyone would feel anxious and uneasy. Under normal circumstances, an appropriate amount of anxiety can activate corresponding physiological responses to help us stay alert and cope with daily challenges or protect ourselves in unexpected events. However, if a person continuously experiences unknown disturbance and fear even in the absence of crisis, the persistent and excessive anxiety, apart from causing emotional disturbance, may also hinder his/her daily life. Under such conditions, the person may be suffering from an anxiety disorder.

The usual pattern of a heartbeat starts when an electrical impulse is produced by part of your heart called the sinus node. The impulse is conducted to the top chambers of your heart (the left atrium and right atrium)...

The symptoms of asthma are caused when airways (the tubes which carry air to and from your lungs) narrow and become inflamed...

Athlete's foot, known medically as tinea pedis, is a skin disease induced by a fungal infection of the foot. Although athlete's foot is infectious, the condition is not highly contagious. Some infected individuals may not even feel the itchiness or be aware of the condition for years after being infected.

The 3-5% of the general population has ADHD. It is more prevalent in boys than in girls. The causes of ADHD are: 1) Brain damage (and the CNS); 2) Genetic Factor; 3) Neurotransmitter imbalances; 4) Psychological factors; 5) Environmental toxins; and 6) Early childhood traumatic experiences.

Back pain is an extremely common complaint – it’s estimated that over 60% of people suffer from it at some time in their lives...

The prostate is a gland, about the size of a walnut, only found in men. It is located just below the bladder and surrounds the tube known as the urethra...

Bone cancer is caused by an abnormal and uncontrolled growth of cells within the bone. It can be benign or malignant...

Bowel cancer, also known as colorectal cancer, is the name for any cancer of your large bowel and rectum (back passage), Very rarely ...

Breast cancer is a tumour in the breast that contains cancerous cells. A breast tumour is a lump created by an abnormal and uncontrolled...

Cervical cancer is a common form of cancer among women. In its early stages, the tumor may not produce any noticeable symptoms but it...

Chemotherapy is used to destroy many different types of cancer at various stages. Chemotherapy medicines can stop cancer cells dividing...

Chicken pox gets its name from the Latin word “cicer”, meaning chick peas because the spots were thought to look like chick peas on the skin...

The term COPD has replaced the previously separate conditions of chronic bronchitis and emphysema. Bronchitis affects the lining of your...

The runny nose, sore throat or bunged up feeling of a cold is caused by one of many viruses that infect the upper part of the breathing system...

A colonoscopy is an examination of the lining of the colon (large bowel) using a flexible, tube-like telescope called a colonoscope...

Itchiness, soreness and a vaginal discharge can be signs of infection. However, it is quite normal and healthy for women of child bearing age to have...

Constipation is when there is a change in the usual pattern of bowel movements, either bowel movement occurs less often than usual...

Your heart is a pump that circulates blood to your lungs and the rest of your body. The surface of your heart is covered these arteries and...

Cystitis is an inflammation of the bladder (the bag in which urine is stored after it leaves the kidneys). When the bladder is full, urine is passed out ...

A cystoscopy is an examination of the inside of the bladder (the baglike organ that stores urine in the body) using a thin, flexible, tube-like...

At some point in their life, everyone experiences some sort of unhappiness, often triggered by a traumatic event such as the break-up...

Diabetes is a disease in which the body does not produce or properly use insulin, a hormone that is required to regulate blood...

Composed of bone and intervertebral discs, the spine plays a major role in supporting and bearing the weight of the body. By giving a cushioning effect, the intervertebral discs allow us to achieve a certain degree of body flexion. As modern people often bow their heads to look down on their mobile phones and bend their spines incorrectly, the intervertebral discs in the neck and waist are often stressed, which make disc herniation an even more common problem nowadays.

痛經是指「經行腹痛」，即是婦女於月經前、後或行經時，以下腹及腰部疼痛難忍為主，甚至影響工作或日常生活的一種婦科常見病...

Sudden severe hearing loss and deafness in one ear are both common symptoms of ear stroke. Ear stroke is also known as sudden sensorineural hearing loss. In as short as three days, the patients will suddenly lose part or all of their hearing ability. Meanwhile, they may experience sudden dizziness, tinnitus and earache. At the initial stage, many people would not take the symptoms seriously as they may think that it is only due to blockage of the ear canals caused by ear wax. Some may even think that the symptoms would disappear after a while, thus delaying the time for medical consultation. In fact, sudden sensorineural hearing loss is considered an emergency situation and the first two weeks after the onset of illness is the golden period for treatment. Once hearing abnormalities are detected, patients should seek medical advice as soon as possible. In the absence of timely and appropriate treatment, it could be difficult for the patients to recover their lost hearing. In the worst case, the condition may even lead to permanent deafness.

Anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa are diseases that involve both the physical and mental health. In addition to abnormal eating behaviours (anorexia / bulimia), anorexic patients have distorted perceptions of their body image and develop excessive dieting habits for the pursuit of "ideal" body shape. They would use various extreme methods in order to lose weight. Meanwhile, bulimic patients often engage in overeating, followed by feelings of guilt and the use of inappropriate methods to avoid weight gain. Thus, they are rarely underweight. In fact, it is not uncommon for adolescents and women to have eating disorders. In the absence of appropriate treatment, eating disorders can cause physical and psychological harms.

Eczema, also known as dermatitis, is a term used to describe skin conditions that are characterised by irritation or inflammation...

During the menstrual cycle the lining of the womb, known as the endometrium, gradually thickens and fills with blood as it prepares for the arrival of...

A couple is considered infertile when they fail to conceive after one year of regular, unprotected sexual intercourse.......

If your liver is healthy, there should be little or no fat in it. However, sometimes, fat molecules called triglycerides begin to collect in your liver...

Favism, full name of which is Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase (referred to as G6PD) Deficiency, is a common recessively inherited condition in Hong Kong. The majority of patients are males.

Fibroids are benign (non-cancerous) growths of the muscle of the uterus (womb). They are sometimes called myomas, fibromyomas...

Do you easily suffer from painful feet after a long walk? Do you find excessive wearing from the inner part of your shoe heels? These signs may be related to flat feet. On the inner side of a healthy foot, there is a concave region called the "foot arch". As the characteristic of surfaces we walk varies, it is our foot arches to provide certain elasticity and torsion during walking and running, and apart from supporting the weight of the body while walking, the arches also help to avoid shock and maintain balance. For patients with flat feet, their inner foot arches have collapsed and do not form the shape of arches like healthy soles do while standing. Rather, their feet are flat and close to the ground. Flat feet are very common in children. With the increase of age or weight gain, a small percentage of adults may also develop flat feet due to various acquired factors.

The runny nose, sore throat or bunged up feeling of a cold is caused by one of many viruses that infect the upper part of the breathing system...

Food allergy refers to the condition when the human body has ingested certain harmless foods and mistakenly treated certain proteins in food as harmful substances. The reaction incorrectly activates the defence mechanism of the immune system, causing immediate, serious or even life-threatening symptoms (such as serious peanut allergy) or other chronic symptoms (such as gluten allergy, also known as celiac disease). Skin rashes, runny nose, itchy skin, vomiting, etc. are common symptoms of allergy. In severe situations, it may induce dyspnoea, the dropping of blood pressure, and even death. Allergic reactions are repetitive, and the same symptoms will be induced whenever the same foods are eaten.

Bone is a living tissue, made up of cells that produce a hard, crystalline compound of mineral salts, mainly calcium phosphate...

Frozen shoulder, also known as adhesive capsulitis, is a medical condition characterized by stiffness and pain in your shoulder joint. It is a condition...

Gallstones are solid lumps or "stones" which form in the gallbladder or bile duct. They are formed when some of the chemicals...

The lower oesophageal sphincter, which connects the oesophagus and the cardia of the stomach, is responsible for preventing food in the stomach and gastric acid from backing up into the oesophagus. Abnormal relaxation of the sphincter allows gastric acid to travel back into the oesophagus, which can lead to inflammation, ulcer, bleeding and pre-cancerous changes in the oesophagus if its fragile mucous lining comes under sustained stimulation by gastric acid.

A gastroscopy is an examination of the upper part of the gastrointestinal tract - the oesophagus (gullet), stomach and duodenum (the first...

Glaucoma is one of the common causes of visual loss and blindness in adults in Hong Kong, and worldwide. The visual loss in glaucoma is not reversible. Particularly in early stages of the disease, there may not be any symptoms, and visual loss may occur without being noticed by the patient. If glaucoma is recognised at an early stage, then progression of visual loss may be halted, slowed, or prevented. Should glaucoma be diagnosed, you will generally require long-term follow-up, monitoring and/or treatment.

Gout is a type of arthritis, which causes inflammation of your joints. It causes pain and swelling, usually in one joint in your body...

Hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) is primarily caused by different types of enteroviruses (EV). Although the patients of HFMD are mostly children, the disease can actually affect people of all ages. While the annual peak period of HFMD in Hong Kong is generally from May to July, a smaller peak may also occur from October to December. Among the various kinds of enteroviruses, enterovirus 71 (EV71) has a greater chance of causing serious complications such as viral meningitis, encephalitis, poliomyelitis-like paralysis, etc.

The risk of having a heart attack increases as you get older and is more common among men than women.

Heart failure is the result of damage to your heart muscle. This damage may weaken your heart, but it doesn't mean that our heart is about to stop...

The heart has four valves. They open and close to make sure blood flows in and out of the four chambers of the heart in the correct direction. If damaged, however, they fail to open and close properly and the heart has to pump harder, which in the long run can lead to palpitation, difficulties breathing and even increase the risk of stroke due to blockage of blood vessels outside the heart.

Named for its spiral shape, Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is a kind of bacteria that can live in the stomach. By secreting enzymes that neutralise the acidity of gastric acid, H. Pylori can survive in highly acidic environments while parasitising on the surface of the human gastric mucosal layer or in the duodenum without getting killed. Some of the substances secreted by H. pylori will further damage the protective function of the gastric mucosa and stimulate more gastric acid secretion in the stomach, thereby inducing gastritis, gastric ulcer, duodenal ulcer, and even gastric cancer. The International Cancer Research Agency has also listed H. pylori as a Class I carcinogen.

Hepatitis is an infectious disease caused by viruses. The whole body is affected by the viral infection which leads to systematic illness, and the liver is particularly susceptible to damage......

Being a small and flat butterfly-shaped organ located in the front of the trachea in the neck, the thyroid gland is difficult to observe and feel under normal circumstances. In fact, the thyroid gland is an endocrine gland responsible for producing hormones that are carried by the blood to various parts of the body. The two hormones produced by the thyroid gland are mainly thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3), which are responsible for regulating the body's metabolic rate. Variations in T3 and T4 levels often cause thyroid problems such as hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism. The former refers to the condition when an overactive thyroid secretes too much thyroxine, whereas the latter means that the thyroid gland does not produce sufficient thyroxine.

A hysteroscopy is an examination of the inside of your womb (uterus) using a telescope called a hysteroscope. This may be...

Incontinence is defined as an involuntary loss of urine that's enough to cause a social or hygiene concern. It is more common in women than...

香港有不少夫婦受不孕的問題影響。目前巿面上有不同的治療方法，包括人工受孕，注射排卵針及中醫調理等，而中醫調理是其中一種較天然的方法...

Insomnia is a feeling of not being able to get enough sleep. This is related to finding it hard to get to sleep, waking up without having...

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) emphasizes the unity and harmony between nature and the human body. The theory of TCM medicine believes that human beings rely on all things on earth that surround them in order to survive. Hence, it is important for people to grow and develop in accordance with the laws of the four seasons. TCM describes the normal climatic changes in the four seasons as the "six qi", which include wind, cold, heat, dampness, dryness, and fire. However, abnormal changes in the six qi, e.g. "being excessive" (such as extreme heat, extreme cold, etc.) or "being insufficient" (such as cold rather than warm in spring, and hot rather than cool in autumn, etc.), will make it difficult for the human body to adapt and become a pathogenic factor. Such conditions are referred to as "six excesses" or "six evils" by TCM practitioners. Among all, dampness is one of the "external evils" that causes diseases. Due to the humid climate, illnesses caused by dampness are quite common in Hong Kong. As the weather in summer is dominated by high humidity, people are more susceptible to diseases caused by dampness during the long summer.

IBS is one of the most common problems of the digestive system. It typically causes pain in the abdomen, bloating or an altered bowel habit. Women...

A kidney stone is a hard, stone-like mass that can form in one or both kidneys. Most people are born with two kidneys, organs...

Knee arthritis is one of the most common causes of knee pain. It is characterized by pain, swelling and stiffness. There are many types...

A laparoscopy is an examination of the organs within the pelvis or abdomen using a flexible, tube-like telescope called ...

All adults aged above 30 should go for regular health check. Those with high-risk factors (e.g. smoking, drinking, sleep deprivation and inadequate exercise) or a family history of serious illnesses (e.g. cancer and heart disease) can undergo personalised screening according to their needs.......

White blood cells are made in your bone marrow - the soft, spongy centre of your bones. They are involved in your immune system, which...

Cancer that starts in your liver is called primary liver cancer. About 1,800 people are diagnosed with liver cancer each year in HK...

Lung cancer is the uncontrolled growth of cells in the lungs. This creates a lump (tumour) that can be either malignant (cancerous) or benign (not cancerous)...

Caused by the measles virus, measles is a highly contagious disease. In general, people who have not been vaccinated or have only received one dose of vaccination, such as new immigrants and domestic helpers, are at high risk of being infected. People who have been infected with measles and become seriously ill can have their respiratory system, digestive system and the brain damaged. In worst cases, it may even cause death. To prevent the outbreak of measles, the most effective method is to vaccinate against the virus.

Meningitis is a disease in which the meninges (the membranes between the skull and the brain) are infected. This is usually accompanied by a bacterial or viral infection of any part of the body with symptoms, such as the ear, sinus or upper respiratory tract......

We have a pair of menisci: medial and lateral menisci. Meniscus is a crescent-shaped fibrocartilage. It shares load and acts as cushion...

Approaching their middle age, most women cannot help but find menopause worrying if not horrifying, as if it signaled a progressive deterioration of body functions and the dissipation of youth. To alleviate the discomfort and uneasiness caused by menopause, it is necessary that we have a thorough understanding on the physiological phase of menopause, by recognizing the changes in the body and maintaining a healthy physique through minor yet significant adjustments of daily activities.

月經失調，亦為月經不調，是指隨著月經週期出現的不適症狀......

Ear infections can affect any one, though children are particularly vulnerable to them. But there are different types, and the possible treatment...

Migraine is a type of severe headache, often one-sided, which may also be accompanied by nausea, vomiting or...

Bones affected by osteoporosis are lighter and less dense than normal. They are also more likely to break, even as a result of a minor bump or fall...

In ovarian cancer, cells in your ovaries start to grow abnormally and out of control. Ovarian cancer can sometimes spread more widely in your...

Ovarian cysts are fluid-filled sacs (pockets) that can occur inside or on the surface of the ovaries (the two small organs that produce eggs (ova) in...

The Pap smear is a screening test to pick up premalignant changes in cells of the cervix so that treatment of those changes in cells of the cervix...

Parkinson's disease is a condition affecting the nervous system. It causes muscle tremor, stiffness and slowness of movement that becomes...

Piles, or haemorrhoids, are areas in the anal canal where the tissue has become swollen. They are very common at any age. Piles are round...

Plantar fasciitis is the most common cause of heel pain. Plantar fascia is a band of tissues connecting your heel bone with your toes...

Pneumococcus, also known as Streptococcus pneumoniae, is commonly found in the human upper respiratory tract. Children under the age of 5 and elderly over the age of 65 are at high risk. While sinusitis and otitis media are the common mild diseases after being infected, some people's conditions may deteriorate rapidly and suffer from more serious conditions such as bacteremic pneumonia, sepsis, and meningitis. As the drug resistance of pneumococcus is increasing, it is very important to be vigilant in preventing pneumococcal infections.

Polycystic ovaries are small cysts - fluid-filled sacs - on the surface of their ovaries . Some of these women may also have additional symptoms...

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a kind of anxiety disorder. When a patient experiences or witnesses major traumas or catastrophic events, such as threats to personal safety, tragedy of witnessing death or injury, sudden loss of family members, natural disasters, or personal experience of violence or crimes, he or she would often feel lost or anxious. In some cases, the patient may be easily frightened and suffer from insomnia. These emotions of loss, uneasiness or distress often become less severe over time. However, if such symptoms continue to worsen and persist for over a month, leading to interference with daily life, it may be necessary for the patient to seek professional assistance for assessment and support.

Your prostate is a gland that produces the liquid part of semen. It's about the size of a walnut and lies at the base of your bladder...

Your skin is made up of several layers, the top one of which constantly sheds old cells and replaces them with new ones from underneath. ....

Radiotherapy can be used to treat many different types of cancer. Radiotherapy works by destroying the DNA inside cancer cells, preventing...

Most of the muscles in the human body are striated muscles. The muscle fibres of the striated muscles are shown as alternating, light-and dark-coloured horizontal stripes. In general, striated muscles are attached to the bones and allow us to control the activities of different parts of the limbs. Rhabdomyolysis refers to the dissolution of skeletal muscle fibres, which causes the release of myoglobin in muscle cells into the body's blood circulation. As these substances will eventually be excreted in urine through the kidneys, a common symptom is tea-coloured urine. When a large number of striated muscle cells are dissolved and result in a massive release of these substances into the blood, there can be chances of arrhythmia and acute renal failure. In severe situations, the condition can be fatal. Hence, this disease must not be neglected.

Sciatica is a symptom instead of a medical diagnosis. It refers to sciatic nerve pain travelling from your lower back through your hips and buttocks...

Being the main supporting structure of our body, the spine is responsible for protecting the central nervous system. A healthy spine should be completely vertical by looking at the back. Scoliosis is when the spine is bent abnormally towards the left or right, it will appear in a "C" or "S" shape.

Asthma is a common chronic inflammatory disease of the airways that affects estimated 358 million worldwide. According to European Respiratory Society (ERS)/ American Thoracic Society (ATS) severe asthma guideline, severe asthma is defined as asthma that requires high-dose inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) plus a second controller (and/or systemic corticosteroids) to prevent it from becoming ‘uncontrolled’ or asthma that remains ‘uncontrolled’ despite this treatment.

Despite the general open-mindedness of our society, sex remains a topic rarely discussed in public. Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) seem like something far away from us, and many suffering from such diseases are reluctant to seek medical attention out of embarrassment.

Shockwave is a kind of high-energy sound wave that penetrates the skin surface into body tissues without puncturing the skin. As a non-invasive therapy, it has been widely used in the recent years in orthopedics and physiotherapy to treat pain of the ligaments, tendons, soft bone tissues, etc. The principle of the therapy is to use extracorporeal shockwaves to penetrate the skin surface and reach the injured part of the tendon. Through generating vapourised blasting and destroying adhesion of the injured tendons, scars, and even calcified or fibrotic soft tissues (so-called loosening the injured body sites), it stimulates re-growth of soft tissues, accelerates blood circulation, and promotes recovery. Meanwhile, high-energy shockwaves can stimulate pain receptors, block transmission of pain, and achieve immediate pain relief.

Sinusitis is an infection or inflammation of the membranes that line the nasal passages and sinuses, the air-filled spaces at the front...

An abnormal or uncontrolled growth of the cells of the skin can be benign or malignant. If it's malignant, it's called skin cancer.

Perhaps most Hong Kong people have already heard of sleep apnea. As the name suggests, "sleep apnea" is a breathing disorder related to sleep. For patients who suffer from sleep apnea, their upper respiratory tracts may be obstructed due to various conditions. Sometimes the patients' breathing command could be affected by problems in the central nervous system, which would result in repeated suffocation during sleep. As this reduces the oxygen content of the blood, patients would suddenly wake up to take normal breaths and then fall back into sleep. Since the condition makes it difficult for patients to enter a deep sleep state and gain sufficient rest, their health and energy level during the day could take a toll.

People with the diagnosis of Social Phobia experiences persistent, intense anxiety generally linked to the presence of other people or in social situations. They irrationally believe that they are being critically judged by others, they know or don’t know. Being shy as a child is nothing abnormal, but children with social phobia have intense fear of daily situation, such as going to school, playing with other kids, talking to teachers or adults, and so on. However social phobias typically begin in adolescence and interfere with developing friendships with peers.

A sprained ankle is a very common injury around the world. You may have sprained your ankle at some points in your life...

A stroke happens when the blood supply to your brain is cut off.

The thyroid gland is an endocrine gland. It produces hormones that travel around your body in your bloodstream. Hormones are chemicals...

中醫學的理念講究「治未病」、標本同治及人與天時相應，在未病之前先做好防禦來避免疾病發生，「天灸」療法就是由「冬病夏治，夏病冬治」的理論發展...

CM considers our sleeping cycle as a vibrant and constitutive physiological process with the characteristic postulation of vital energy (qi), yin and yang to explain the sleeping pattern. The vital energy inside the body has a specified route and course to flow daily. The energy cycle governs the sleep-wake cycle in conjunction with yin and yang. The continual daily succession of yin and yang in the nature determines the sleep rhythm in our body. When yang energy is dominant, it helps keep you awake. On the other hand, when yin energy is abundant, it helps you sleep. If the yang energy is not interacting with the yin energy, or the internal yin and yang balance has been disturbed, you may become excessively excited leading to insomnia, which is presented as the inability to obtain sufficient sleep, difficulty falling asleep or being unable to asleep throughout the night.

Working can be positive because it may give your life structure and provide satisfaction. A certain amount of pressure at work is a good thing...

Zika virus infection is a mosquito-borne disease caused by Zika virus. The most common symptoms of Zika virus infection are fever and skin rash, usually accompanied by conjunctivitis, muscle or joint pain and general malaise...

Zoster (Shingles) is a painful, blistering rash found on the patient’s body.