BFM :: The Bigger Picture

Last month, a school was temporarily shut down amid a case of mass hysteria. Possessed by spirits? The wandering uterus? Since ancient times, many cultures offered explanations to the medical curiosity. But why does it seem to affect mainly females? And what does modern medicine actually know about this intriguing phenomenon? Consultant Psychiatrist, Dr Philip George, unravels the mystery.

"The rule is to carry as little as possible" said philosopher Henry D. Thoreau and Claire Sancelot has taken heed. Together with her family, she attempts to lead a sustainable, zero-waste way of life, through simple and minimalistic living. Claire, who maintains the zerowastehongkong.com blog and Zero Waste Kuala Lumpur Facebook page, joins us to share how she does this and to discuss why we should all start taking steps to simplify our lives.

There are about 50 different types of lysosomal storage diseases (LSD). LSDs are life-threatening and the average lifespan of patients does not exceed 20 years. Enzyme replacement therapy is now available for seven types of LSDs but each individual ERT cost averages about RM1 million a year. Hear all about lysosomal diseases, why treatment is so costly and how everyone can help.

Everywhere in the world people are living longer, and an ageing population is bound to change our society in many ways. Is Malaysia prepared to cope with the needs of her elders? We speak to Professor Nathan Vytialingam, an Advisor and past President of the Malaysian Healthy Ageing Society, and who also sits on the advisory panel of the Global Coalition on Aging, to explore how we should address the changing attitudes towards older people and their needs and to discuss what makes an age-friendly city.

Last November, Terengganu made headlines when it became the first state in Malaysia to issue a fatwa prohibiting the illegal hunting of wildlife. A five-minute film called ‘Harimau Selamanya’, was made to highlight the need to protect our environment in the context of Islam, with a special focus on the plight of the Malayan tiger. We discuss the film and wildcat conservation efforts with Dr. Reuben Clements, the co-founder of the non-profit research group Rimba, who is also and the lead researcher of Project Harimau Selamanya, and Harun Rahman, the producer and Director of the ‘Harimau Selamanya’ short film.

This week, on Invisible Cities, Uma - and special guest Amir Hafizi - travel to Kampung Bukit Kuin Satu in Kuantan to tell you the story of a man who was the pillar of his community; a man remembered for his stories and the stories he tells and how those very stories shape both the people and the places around him.

Show Notes:

i. You can find a copy of Amir Hafizi's "Scenes of the Father" here.

ii. Look here for Amir's profanity laden blog entries. They are rude, hilarious, and really rather clever.

Thirteen genetic superheroes walk among us but they don’t know it. These individuals were discovered from an analysis of the genomes of more than half a million people. The study showed that they have genetic mutations that is known to be disease causing – but do not exhibit any symptoms. Can genetically resilient individuals really exist?

At the end of 1955, Chief Minister David Marshall’s popularity was at an all-time high. Five months and seven days later, after a failure to win independence at the Constitutional Talks with the British in London, he resigned. What happened? In this episode, PJ Thum recounts the events of the Talks, the failings and failures of Singapore's politicians, and reflects on what David Marshall's 14 months in office tell us about what makes a great leader. Please send questions, comments, and feedback to [email protected] or visit the website. Support the show at Patreon.

The worst disease isn't always the one that kills. Imagine a disease that has your antibodies attacking your joints, swelling them, and eventually twisting them out of shape. A disease that you cannot cure but have to control for life on drugs. That would be rheumatoid arthritis – a disease that forces one third of its patients out of their jobs. Tune in as we speak to afflicted patients and the medical specialist who treats them to learn about the economic burden of rheumatoid arthritis on Health & Living at 4pm. This documentary is brought to you in collaboration with Pfizer Malaysia.  

The Global Child Forum describes itself as an independent, global multi-stakeholder platform for informed dialogue and thought leadership on how to advance children’s rights, in support of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Dr. Fiona Rotberg, the Research Director at the Global Child Forum, joined us to shed more light on this initiative and what it advocates, and to discuss the findings of this year's South East Asia Benchmark Study on Children’s Rights.