Sun2Surf:

Health minister is worried about the state of affairs among Malaysian youths and wants young people to take charge of their own well being.

More and more young Malaysians are becoming obese. There is an increase in youths suffering from depression. Social, synthetic drug usage amongst the young is at an alarming rate. And while the spread of HIV from drug abuse is down, AIDS contracted from indiscriminate, unprotected sex among heterosexuals is on the rise. And a lot more young people between 21 and 25 are smoking.

It’s an understatement to say that Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai is deeply concerned with the state of affairs involving our youths.

Knowing fully well how important this segment of society is to the future of the country, it is the minister’s intention – indeed it is one of his main goals – to see as many young Malaysians grow up into productive adults, having adopted a good, healthy lifestyle.

But the challenge seems insurmountable, what with almost the whole world’s youth population, going through the same predicaments.

“The young today have so much more to cope with; a lot more to deal with than the past generations. And this is where the problem lies. Many are not able to withstand the stress which comes from the ultra competitive world we live in now,” Liow, who has a daughter and two sons, discloses.

Liow reveals, because of this, some become suicidal (although he says the numbers are not so high in Malaysia as in many other countries), some turn to drugs, and there are those who just give up on life. Then there are the others who would find solace in their packs of cigarettes.

“Twenty one percent of the population smokes. That’s shocking.” (more…)

Sunday’s Zaman:

According to information from the World Health Organization (WHO), by the year 2030 the majority of deaths in the world will be related to cancer.

Data show that 24 million people a year get cancer, 17 million people die from it annually and 75 million people are currently living with it.

Judging from past data, it appears that cancer rates will rise by about 100 percent in the future. This incredible increase will largely affect developing nations like Turkey, which this year declared the week of April 1-7 Cancer Week.

And so we thought this would be a good occasion to review the importance of early detection and of making sure you do everything you can to protect yourself from this deadly disease.

1. Quit smoking

Support the smoke-free air project. By quitting smoking alone, you can add another decade to your life. So take a step for yourself this year and put out a real effort to quit smoking.

Get professional help on this front if you need it; create your own smoke-free zone.

2. Don’t postpone getting a check-up

Don’t put off your annual medical check-up. Undergo all the screenings you need to and remember, some are for women and some are for men.

Also, don’t forget that when you are dealing with certain types of cancer, early detection can make all the difference, with some even having a 90 percent recovery rate with early detection.

Also, don’t forget that people who have family members with cancer and people over a certain age have to take even more care with their annual screenings.

3. Get rid of extra weight

It is well known that extra weight increases the risk of uterine, colon, breast, esophageal and kidney cancer.

Even losing only 10 kilograms can do much to reduce your cancer risk. It is also becoming more and more recognized that the so-called Mediterranean diet has a number of health benefits.

Olive oil, green vegetables and all sorts of fresh foods that have not been processed do a world of good in protecting against cancer and keeping you healthy.

So eat many whole grains. As for high calorie, high fat, low grain foods, these all play a role it seems in stomach and (more…)