Tired of trying all sorts of weight loss program and still see no results after cutting down your calories? Well there are many factors affecting a person’s weight. The first and foremost critical step towards achieving proper weight loss is through analysis and identification of a proper weight loss program for your body type. 

Where do we start?
First, you talk to your health care provider, they would know best which diet program would suit your body type. It is important to consult with your specialist and be open with him/her so that accurate measures are taken. It is also helpful to write down your questions in advance, invite a friend/family member with you for support and discuss your goals. 

What should you look for in a programme?
It should be fully noted that a program should have a successful LONG term benefits and not just another crash diet wherein you get fast and instant results and drastically decrease weight. Safe and effective weigh loss should have a plan for the long-term, proper guidance of physical activities and development of healthy eating habit and lastly, ongoing feedback, monitoring and evaluation of progress and changes.

What questions are usually asked?
Your specialists should be able to answer all your questions. Your health specialist should also present the risks involved in the diet suggested. The doctor/specialist should also present to you the costs of this program such as fees for weekly visits, meal replacements, medicines or dietary supplement, and diagnostic tests. 

In the end, proper weight loss is largely dependent on the way you see the program. If you personally want to improve your health and life a healthier lifestyle, then you will succeed. Otherwise, if you do not treat this program seriously, then money will jut be put to waste. Always remember that being healthy should be part of your life and not just a short-term goal of looking better on the outside. Being healthy will give you better you, inside and out. 

Contact Faith Medical Group  at +65 6444 8019 or drop by at our clinics!

Have you ever looked at the mirror and see yourself 10x more weight than you actually weigh? Do you often call yourself fat when all your friends and family tell you that you need to eat more?  Many women nowadays, with the pressure of media and the accompanied stress at work/school, develop eating disorders to maintain a thin physique, sometimes too much. Below is a list of the most common eating disorders of women.

Anorexia Nervosa
It is a disorder that is characterized with a refusal to eat and denial of hunger. Delusion of being fat, avoidance of food, obsession with weight loss and consistent body dissatisfaction. It also includes extreme fear of gaining weight, in taking calories and the like. Most women who have this disorder are very skinny, almost bone-like structure. They have hollow faces and looks very mature due to the lack of nutrients in their body. They have constipation, dry and yellowish skin, extreme hair loss, weak immune system (sickly) and severe muscle weakness. Anorexia Nervosa, when left untreated will ultimately lead to death. 

Anorexia though very common can be cured. 
1. See your doctor immediately.
2. Seek help in gaining weight
3. Treating physiological issues
4. Use of medication 

Bulimia Nervosa
Bulimia is similar to all other eating disorders where one prevents the intake of calories to avoid weight gain. It is usually characterized by unusually frequent eating of meals and consuming large amounts of food (binge eating). After eating a lot, purging or vomiting voluntarily is done by the person to withdraw all the food he/she has eaten. People with bulimia can be described as having normal weight for their age. Since purging is done to withdraw the food consumed people who have eating disorders such as this have inflamed throat, increasingly sensitive teeth and decaying due to the acid from the stomach, reflux disorder and dehydration from purging of liquids.

Bulimia can be cured by 
1. Seeking your doctor’s help
2. Behavioral therapy
3. Improving physiological disposition 
4. Proper Medication


Binge Eating
Unlike the previous eating disorders, people who have this kind are usually obese. They have low self control and tend to eat more than enough. They experience guilt/shame and hopelessness, which can lead to more binge eating. Binge eaters may be experiencing distress/physiological problems that lead them to this habit. People who have such disorders are described as overweight, have heart problems, organ failures and the likes. 

Binge eating can be cured by 
1. Seeking your doctor’s help
2. Behavioral therapy
3. Improving physiological disposition 
4. Proper Medication and diet

Where can you find more information about eating disorders and the likes?
Contact Faith Medical Group  at +65 6444 8019 or drop by at our clinics!

Seeing the scale go up the number system or point to a higher number, may mean different things. Adding more pounds does not necessarily mean that you have gained more fats, it can mean that you have gained more muscles which we all know is heavier than fat. However, not everyone of us experience this circumstances. More people are adding the few extra pounds due to numerous reasons. Weight gain can be caused by stress-eating, eating unhealthy foods/junk foods or fast foods. It also means that there is more calorie intake than calorie expenditure. Looking good, having a proportion body mass index as well as eating right can make a big difference in your life. Not only physically but also emotionally and mentally.

According to the New England Journal of Medicine (2011), specific dietary and lifestyle changes are directly proportion to long-term weight loss. Which mean that changing lifestyle should not only be temporary but a way of life. In addition, crash diets and drastic weight loss can lead to future binge eating and may increase the risks of getting eating disorders. We will be discussing specific eating disorders and its symptoms in the next few articles. 

Here are some ways to cut a few calories. A little extra step can make a difference in the long run.

• Walking more often. Instead of taking the escalator or elevator in malls, why not try using the staircase to burn more calories.
• Switch your daily white carbs consumption to wheat and fibrous carbs.
• Avoid juices that give you complex sugars that are harder to convert to energy thus harder to burn.
• Pack your snacks and bring them to work/school (ingredients that are healthier) than buying fast food outside.
• Drink lots of water. Hydrating your body will help increase your metabolism and flush out toxins. 
• Snacking fruits and vegetables are way better than munching on chips.
• Avoid eating in front of the television since you get to lose track of the amount of food you eat.
• Yes eating salad is a good start but watch out for that dressing, you might end up consuming around 600 plus calories on just your dressing. Oil based dressings are favorable than the creamy mayonnaise based ones.
• Consult your doctors regularly to make sure that you are healthy inside and out. And that you are doing the right thing in keeping your lifestyle healthy. 

Where can you find more information about menstrual cramps and the likes?
Contact Faith Medical Group  at +65 6444 8019 or drop by at our clinics!

Most people are always bothered with menstrual cramps or otherwise, scientifically called dysmenorrhea. Why most people? It’s because women experience the excruciating pain every menstrual cycle and men such as husbands, fathers, and boyfriends are affected by the change in the mood of their loved one. An estimated 30-50 percent of women experience menstrual cramps during their childbearing age (University Health Service, University of Rochester, n.d.). Menstrual cramps are discomfort/pain in the lower abdomen of women during their period. The number one cause of this pain is due to a chemical, prostaglandins, produced by our body that causes the uterus to contract and allow menstrual fluid/blood to pass through. This means that the higher the production of prostaglandins, the more painful it is.

How are menstrual cramps diagnosed?
Most women take over-the-counter drugs like painkillers to suppress the pain. However, women should always consult their doctors to properly diagnose the pain. Physicians normally ask series of questions to properly assess the causes (external and internal) of the pain. They also will provide you with a physical and pelvic exam. Blood tests, ultrasounds are upon recommendations of your doctor.

How do we treat menstrual cramps?
Trust only your doctor when taking medicines. With proper medication and prescription of drugs such as aspirin, ibuprofen or acetaminophen can help alleviate the pain and inflammatory (McKesson Health Solutions LLC, 2003). Second thing can be putting warm compress on your lower abdomen (hydrotherapy) to relax the muscles and relieve pain. In some cases, birth control pills are prescribed to decrease the production of prostaglandin, which in turn decreases contraction and pain. Home remedies are also encouraged such as pelvic exercises (ask your doctor about it) and exercising regularly. In most cases, living and eating healthier can have positive effects on your general well-being.

Where can you find more information about menstrual cramps and the likes?
Contact Faith Medical Group  at +65 6444 8019 or drop by at our clinics!

Just when you think about being too young for cancers, think again. According to Singapore ICO Information Centre on HPV and Cancer (2015), women ages 15 years and older are already at risk of developing cervical cancer. Such cancer has been ranked as the top 6th diagnosed cancer in Singaporean women and 8th in mortality rate. Cervical cancer, like any other cancers is caused by cells that continue to grow and form abnormal cells instead of dying (American Cancer Society, 2015). It starts in the cell lining of the cervix (the womb) and begin in the transformation zone. Cervical cancer cells start with pre-cancerous changes but not all women develop cancer. Luckily, tests like Pap test and vaccinations can help prevent cervical cancer. So many among us ask the question, where do we get such cancer and how can we prevent them?

What causes cervical cancer?

 Although cancers are usually inherited damaged DNA, most often than not these damaged DNA are caused by our lifestyle. Cervical cancer is developed by a virus called Human Papilloma Virus (HPV). This virus can be spread from one person to another through direct skin contact, sexual intercourse, and the likes. HPV, when caused by a higher type of risk, can eventually become cancers. Most simple life actions can be a cause to cervical cancer as well. Here are as follow: 
1) Smoking – we all know that smoking is bad or our lungs. The chemical in it and the way we affect the people that surrounds us with second-hand smoking. These harmful chemicals are transferred to our lungs and carried through our bloodstream. These harmful chemicals damage the DNA of the cervix cells and will ultimately lead to cervical cancer. 
2) Sexual contact – Chlamydia infection is the most common sexually transmitted disease and has no apparent symptom (WebMD n.d.). It is only examined through a pelvic exam. Furthermore, this infection can affect primarily women but can be found in men as well. When women have multiple sex partners and do not practice safe sex, they usually are more prone to catching this infection. Better be safe than sorry.  
3) Drugs – Contraceptives/hormonal drugs can cause irregularities in the cells that may trigger abnormal growth and lead to cancer. An example is the Diethylstilbestrol (DES), which is usually given to women to prevent miscarriage. This drug increase the risk of developing pre-cancer cells linked to HPV. Long-term use of contraceptives/birth control pills may cause cervical cancer as well. Patients should always discuss the benefits of taking contraceptives as well as his/her disposition. 
4) Family History.

Is there anything we can do to prevent/cure cervical cancer?

Many thanks to global innovations and technology, this cancer can be prevented/cured. 
1) Pap Smear test – Visit your doctor to find pre-existing cancer cells before they can spread. This procedure is non-invasive and a test is used to collect cells from the cervix and examined under a microscope. Further, an HPV test can also be done at the same time. 
2) Cervical Cancer vaccinations – vaccines against HPV infections can be prevented 95% of the time. Like most vaccines, it works best if administered by a professional and prior to the exposure of HPV. Such vaccines require 3-doses injected over a period of 6 months. 
3) Healthier living.

Where can you find more information about cervical cancers and the likes?
Contact Faith Medical Group  at +65 6444 8019 or drop by at our clinics!