Obesity rates are rising globally, but is there anything we can do about it? Obesogens, belonging to a larger group known as endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs), have been linked to obesity-related metabolic conditions including insulin resistance and high blood pressure. Tune in this week as we discuss how obesogens promote obesity, common types of obesogens, and what we can do to reduce our exposure.

TLDR: Obesogens are chemicals that promote obesity and may be found in food packaging, toys, medical devices, and even some foods we consume.

Links:

https://open.spotify.com/episode/1xi8yNwyarBhQC2YFKAhKi?si=8UbTkvnoTae5vXoWRPcQWQ

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/what-are-obesogens

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fendo.2021.780888/full

Socials:

instagram.com/thelabdoctors

twitter.com/thelabdoctors

Credit for theme music: Fresh Time by Roa https://soundcloud.com/roa_music1031

Email: [email protected]

Have you ever woken up in the middle of the night in fright wanting to run away but feeling like an ominous presence is holding you down? Studies suggest that 15-40% of people have experienced an episode of sleep paralysis. Listen along as we discuss the science behind this phenomenon, why some people sense or even see demons, and the three-factor structural model that has been proposed for hallucinations.

TLDR: Muscle atonia affecting the limbs and the auxiliary respiratory muscles are respectively responsible for the paralysed state and the feeling of a heavy weight on the rib cage

Links:

https://doi.org/10.1007%2Fs13311-020-00966-8

https://www.healthline.com/health/sleep/sleep-paralysis-demon

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/sleep-paralysis/

https://open.spotify.com/episode/2wawlHtimDdzG4m34kCnQn?si=AxwnPqbBTkWtOMPc6JH1MA

Socials:

instagram.com/thelabdoctors

twitter.com/thelabdoctors

Credit for theme music: Fresh Time by Roa https://soundcloud.com/roa_music1031

Email: [email protected]

Limb lengthening surgery, originally intended for the management of different conditions including birth defects, cerebral palsy, and poliomyelitis, is a medical procedure that aims to stimulate bone and tendon growth thus leading to longer legs and extra height. Listen to this week’s episode to find out more about the process (which involves screws, nails, external frames, and literally breaking your bones), as well as the risks and recovery associated with this surgery.

TLDR: The maximum length for a patient undergoing limb lengthening surgery is 15cm, with most averaging around 7cm

Links:

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/cnainsider/bone-breaking-limb-lengthening-surgery-grow-taller-risk-india-2082011

(Content warning: Graphic depiction of limb-lengthening surgery: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRHpCXgdhR8)

https://www.healthline.com/find-care/articles/orthopedists/wp-599506

Socials:

instagram.com/thelabdoctors

twitter.com/thelabdoctors

Credit for theme music: Fresh Time by Roa https://soundcloud.com/roa_music1031

Email: [email protected]

Whilst some risk factors are modifiable by lifestyle changes, we are *generally* stuck with certain physical traits, like our height. In this week’s episode we discuss a recent genetic study looking at how a person’s height may affect their risk for several health conditions. Tune in to find out whether you may be at a higher risk for developing high blood pressure, high cholesterol, neuropathies, and many other diseases as well as the significance of these associations.

TLDR: A recent study reported that being shorter was linked to higher risk of many heart-related issues whereas being taller was linked to several neuropathies, dermatological and musculoskeletal conditions, and varicose veins.

Links:

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/06/220602140801.htm

https://journals.plos.org/plosgenetics/article?id=10.1371/journal.pgen.1010193

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1570677X09000495

Socials:

instagram.com/thelabdoctors

twitter.com/thelabdoctors

Credit for theme music: Fresh Time by Roa https://soundcloud.com/roa_music1031

Email: [email protected]

Do we spend too much time on social media, and more importantly, how is it affecting our lives? In this week’s episode, we discuss a recent study assessing the effect of social media on how satisfied we are with our lives and vice versa across different age groups. Fret not, there are still benefits to social media, it all depends on how you use it!

TLDR: Researchers reported an overall association between social media use and lower life satisfaction, where effect sizes were the largest in adolescence

Links:

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/03/220328090012.htm

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-29296-3

https://www.betterhelp.com/advice/adolescence/adolescent-age-range-and-what-it-means/

https://doi.org/10.1089%2Fcyber.2014.0070

Socials:

instagram.com/thelabdoctors

twitter.com/thelabdoctors

Credit for theme music: Fresh Time by Roa https://soundcloud.com/roa_music1031

Email: [email protected]

Hair transplant is one of the many hair treatment solutions available today for hair loss or hair thinning, but do you really know what this process entails? Join us this week as we give you the rundown on modern hair transplant techniques, what to expect long-term, and who would most benefit from a hair transplant (spoiler alert: it is not suitable for everyone).

TLDR: Hair transplant procedures are considered permanent, however, hair follicles may thin over time.

Links:

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments/21519-hair-transplant

https://advancedclinicsok.com/hair-transplant-faqs/

https://www.healthline.com/health/hair-transplant#procedure

https://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/hair-loss/hair-transplants

Socials:

instagram.com/thelabdoctors

twitter.com/thelabdoctors

Credit for theme music: Fresh Time by Roa https://soundcloud.com/roa_music1031

Email: [email protected]

This week, we delve deeper into how we hear the world around us and what happens when our brain processes these signals and information. Besides being a useful mnemonic device, music is connected to memory of events in our lives, some of which are inextricably linked to certain emotions thanks to the activation of the limbic system. These associations may prove useful in improving cognitive function and even in managing neurological diseases.

TLDR: Researchers have found that playing Alzheimer’s patients music that they have a connection to may improve recall of memories

Links:

https://www.healthline.com/health/echoic-memory

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-06-27/music-memory-song-that-takes-you-back-to-a-moment-in-time/12391160

https://www.nature.com/articles/srep15219

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2776393/

Socials:

instagram.com/thelabdoctors

twitter.com/thelabdoctors

Credit for theme music: Fresh Time by Roa https://soundcloud.com/roa_music1031

Email: [email protected]

You may be familiar with short- and long-term memory, but how do we get to these stages of memory? In this episode, we go through sensory memories, or simply what happens when our sensory systems receive information. Listen along as we discuss the fascinating neurobiological explanation for the close association of smell with memory, and how our senses may be linked to mental health.

TLDR: The sense of smell is the strongest amongst the five major senses at evoking a memory, which may be attributed to the direct connection between the olfactory system and the hippocampus

Links:

https://www.webmd.com/brain/what-are-sensory-memory-examples

https://www.healthline.com/health/mental-health/sensory-memory#types-of-sensory-memory

https://newatlas.com/science/olfactory-smell-memory-hippocampus-connectivity-evolution/

https://www.verywellmind.com/why-do-we-associate-memories-so-strongly-with-specific-smells-5203963

Socials:

instagram.com/thelabdoctors

twitter.com/thelabdoctors

Credit for theme music: Fresh Time by Roa https://soundcloud.com/roa_music1031

Email: [email protected]

The recent monkeypox outbreaks in multiple non-endemic countries have health officials concerned, but will it be the cause of the next pandemic? In this episode, we cover what is monkeypox, how the virus is transmitted, symptoms to look out for and where the smallpox vaccine fits into this story. Stay until the end for the dos and don’ts for protecting yourself against monkeypox.

TLDR: The current risk for the general public appears to be low, according to WHO, where spread of the virus is through close physical contact

Links:

https://www.cdc.gov/poxvirus/monkeypox/about.html

https://www.cdc.gov/poxvirus/monkeypox/symptoms.html

https://www.who.int/emergencies/disease-outbreak-news/item/2022-DON385

https://www.who.int/emergencies/disease-outbreak-news/item/16-may-2019-monkeypox-singapore-e

Socials:

instagram.com/thelabdoctors

twitter.com/thelabdoctors

Credit for theme music: Fresh Time by Roa https://soundcloud.com/roa_music1031

Email: [email protected]

With the news that Singapore will soon provide women access to elective egg freezing, we go through the entire process of this procedure in this week’s episode. Egg freezing, also known as oocyte cryopreservation, involves consultation, precise medications for egg production and maturation to facilitate successful egg retrieval and vitrification. Listen on to learn about the finer details of each step and other factors that should be considered during egg freezing and beyond.

TLDR: Social or elective egg freezing provides the option of preserving women’s fertility should they choose to conceive later in life

Links:

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/commentary/egg-freezing-unmarried-women-fertility-career-prepared-motherhood-2621591

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-61076349

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/treatment-tests-and-therapies/sperm-banking

https://extendfertility.com/egg-embryo-freezing-ivf-fertility-medication/

https://www.pacificfertilitycenter.com/egg-freezing/vitrification

Socials:

instagram.com/thelabdoctors

twitter.com/thelabdoctors

Credit for theme music: Fresh Time by Roa https://soundcloud.com/roa_music1031

Email: [email protected]