Category: Paradise… In Sickness & In Health

When it’s cold and raining one day, and dry and warm the next, does the changing weather make you feel sick, crazy, ill, achy, or all of the above? If so, you are quite normal. Changes in weather systems can have a lot of effects on  the human body and brain. A lot of the science on how […]

The old lady is rumbling, at least at the writing of this article, that’s all she’s doing so far. However, with her previous eruption and the devastation it caused imprinted clearly on the landscape and historic records of that time, caution has prevailed, and 100,000 villagers evacuated from the high-risk zones. It’s natural that we […]

So the word on the streets here in Bali has it that rubella is the flavor of the month in several schools and childcare facilities. This disease has largely been eliminated in developing countries due to ongoing vaccination programs. Here in Bali where there are significant numbers of people choosing not to vaccinate, as well […]

Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder, and other sensory disorders (TBIs, hyperacusis, auditory processing disorder etc.) often have difficulties being in loud environments. In these disorders, the ears process sound normally but the hearing centres and circuits of the brain don’t correctly process incoming information. This can affect understanding, especially in challenging listening situations such as […]

Let me tell you David’s story. It happened a long time ago. Close on 20 years ago I believe. It was one balmy Bali evening and my pager buzzed to say that I was needed to evacuate a 12-year-old boy to Singapore following a near drowning incident in the hotel pool. Remember I am talking […]

When I see the way some wounds are dressed here it makes me shudder. It wasn’t long ago that the only dressing available here was a roll of gauze and a bottle of bright red mercurochrome. Thankfully the mercurochrome is off the shelves. As the name suggests it does contain mercury and this is why many countries banned […]

Health in the NewsBoth Japanese Encephalitis JE and Listeriosis have hit the local news this week with 2 infants on the West of the Island in a critical condition after contracting JE and batches of imported apples from the USA being taken from the shelves after the have been found to be contaminated by Listeriosis So why are we worried JAPANESE ENCEPHALITIS What Is Japanese Encephalitis JE is a serious viral illness that affects the brain It primarily affects children between the ages of 2 ndash 10 years the elderly or individuals with lowered immune systems Case fatality rates range from 03 ndash 60 average 30 and approximately 30 of those survivors will be brain damaged in some way How does Japanese Encephalitis present Some people that are exposed to the disease will have very mild or no symptoms at all Those that suffer severe acute infection would show any or all of the f

Expired DrugshellipStow or ThrowItrsquos a habit of mine to clear out my cupboards for the New Year and as usual I find that a good deal of medications in my personal household pharmacy are over their usebydate Living in a place like Bali where a lot of people including myself stock up on medications from overseas some of them very expensive many will store their medicines past the expiry date printed on the box A bad habit perhaps Wrong It is probably a sensible one according to a study done by the American FDA which found that most drugs are labeled very conservatively as far as their shelf life is concerned and that many are still potent up to 10 years after the given expiry date According to the FDA drugs ldquoexpirerdquo on the date theyrsquore projected to have lost 10 percent of their potency which means they are still 90 effective although the outdated drug is not as effective as t

FliesMost people have noticed the incredible onslaught of flies that we are suffering in Bali this year Although many are outdoors too many are making themselves at home in and around the house as well Flies enjoy the great indoorsndashndashitrsquos warm therersquos often food on offer and the weather isnrsquot bothersome They fly in through open doors and windows that donrsquot have screens and seem to find it hard to fly back out again Their constant buzzing around is annoying and even worse they are potentially unhygienic They spread a myriad of diseases nontheleast of them typhoid fever which is very common here in Bali Here are some tried and true methods for getting rid of flies in the house Cleaning away fly attractants 1 Clean the kitchen thoroughly Remove all sources of food or prevent access to food that has to be left out Flies will hang around the kitchen if there is a f

Terrorist Attack What Would You Do After recent events in Sydney our memories have been given a serious nudge back to the time when Bali was the target of religious extremists Make no mistake Those radical groups are still here and still have the same views and the same intentions Terrorist watchdogs have also stated that ISIS numbers in Indonesia have tripled in recent months Could this be the writing on the wall Not to cause panic or paranoia just a timely reminder of the world we currently live in and an occasional lookoveryourshoulder may be wise advice Terrorism is implemented in many forms however our most likely risk here would probably be bomb gunfire or hostage I doubt or Im hoping that nuclear or biowarfare strategies would not reach our shores at this stage General Guidelines for Preparing for a Terrorist Attack bull Be aware of your surroundings b