Self-care tips for the new year

2021 is coming to an end. The COVID pandemic is still here; the Omicron variant is spreading like wildfire in many parts of the world. You may have suffered immeasurable loss this year, or faced numerous challenges. Or you may have enjoyed a very productive and successful year. Regardless of how 2021 has been forContinue reading “Self-care tips for the new year”

2020 end-of-the-year reflection

This year, the COVID-19 pandemic propelled us into a world of unprecedented hardship and heartache. As vaccines are starting to be made available to the public and more people are adhering to social restrictions, we hope that this is the beginning of the end of the worst pandemic the world has seen in the lastContinue reading “2020 end-of-the-year reflection”

Help your child regulate emotions and build meaningful relationships

Have you ever wondered why some people bounce back from setbacks and challenges more easily than others? Or how some people can create and maintain meaningful friendships for life while others struggle in relationships? Emotional intelligence or emotional literacy refers to the ability to identify and manage one’s own emotions, as well as to readContinue reading “Help your child regulate emotions and build meaningful relationships”

COVID-19: practical ways to cope with stress and anxiety

Hong Kong endured nearly 8 months of social unrest before COVID-19 hit the city in January 2020. Citizens were already facing a major mental health burden, with the medical journal The Lancet reporting that almost 2 million people in Hong Kong- about 1 in 3 adults in the city- experienced symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)Continue reading “COVID-19: practical ways to cope with stress and anxiety”

Does gut bacteria affect your happiness?

The gut microbiome (i.e. the bacteria in our gut) has been getting lots of attention recently. Scientists are becoming increasingly aware of the key role these trillions of microbes play in health and disease. Not only do these gut microbes within us help us digest food and metabolize drugs but over the past decade, researchContinue reading “Does gut bacteria affect your happiness?”

Autism, depression, brain health- linked to gut bacteria

There is now strong evidence that links conditions such as autism and depression to the the gut microbiome, i.e. the microorganisms that live in the gut. Recently, neuroscientists presented evidence for this link in a symposium at the Society for Neuroscience meeting in Washington DC called “Gut Microbes and the Brain: Paradigm Shift in Neuroscience”. Earlier this year, Dr.Continue reading “Autism, depression, brain health- linked to gut bacteria”

Childhood bullying: more harmful than you think

A new study reveals that children exposed to bullying during childhood are more likely to develop psychiatric disorders in adulthood, regardless of whether they are victims or perpetrators. The research team examined the victims of bullying, the bullies themselves, and those who fall into both categories. While victims of bullying were more likely to developContinue reading “Childhood bullying: more harmful than you think”