Health stories from BIMC.
Guidance on staying well in Bali, travel-health advice and updates from across the BIMC network — written by our medical teams.
783 articles
closeClear filtersRadiation Exposure and Your Health
What is Radiation Exposure? Radioactive materials give off a form of energy that travels in waves or particles. This energy is called radiation. When a person is exposed to radiation, the energy penetrates the body. For example, when a person has an x-ray, he or she is exposed to radiation. Radiation is measured using the
Chronic Cough
A cough is your body’s reflex to keep the airway clear. The sudden air “explosion” will clear the airway from irritants or obstructive substance so that breathing and the intake of oxygen becomes effective. Coughing is not a disease in itself, but rather a symptom of other disorders. It is a common problem and the
Gastroenteritis in Children
Diarrhea and vomiting are common reasons parents bring their children to the doctor or even to BIMC Hospital’s emergency room. Most are related to gastroenteritis, infection of the stomach and intestines. While usually it is a non-fatal illness, statistics show gastroenteritis to cause 3 million deaths annually worldwide. Many children have more than one episode
Hives
Hives, or the medical term “urticaria” is a common allergic disorder in which a red, itchy, lumpy skin rash appears ‘out of the blue’. The skin lumps are known as weals. 15-20% of the population would experience hives at some point of their lives. Urticaria is caused by the release of histamine, a chemical substance
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Arthritis by definition is a group of conditions involving damage to the joints of the body. It is a general term to describe inflammation of the joints, characterized by redness, warmth, swelling, and pain within the joint. As many of 100 medical conditions have symptoms of arthritis. While rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a type of
Color Blindness
Studies show 5% to 8% of men and 0.5% of women in the world are born colorblind. That is 1 out of 12 men and 1 out of 200 women. Many people think anyone labeled as “colorblind” only see black and white – like watching a black and white movie or television. This is a
Migraine Headache
Did you know? – The word migraine is derived from the Greek word meaning “pain involving half the head”. It affects at least 1 out of 10 people, mostly females and peaks between the ages of 20 and 50 years. – Headache is a very common complaint in general practice. – 85% of the population
Obesity
BMI There are several ways to calculate whether you are within a healthy weight range or not. One of the simple ways is by calculating your body mass index (BMI). To know your BMI is by dividing your weight in kilograms with your height in metres squared. For example, if you weigh 65 kg and
A New BIMC Hospital In Nusa Dua
On 7th January 2011, BIMC Hospital began construction of their new hospital project located in the Bali Tourism Development Corporation (BTDC) area of Nusa Dua. Nusa Dua lies in the most Southern part of Bali and is conveniently located just 20 minutes from Bali’s Ngurah Rai International Airport. Aiming to finish the project by the
Swine Flu Discovered In The UK
Recent news reports the discovery of H1N1 virus infection in poultry for the first time in the UK. Experts found the virus was similar to the H1N1 strain from the recent human swine flu outbreak. The poultry infected turkeys, showed mild signs of the disease and none of the birds died. The UK government stress
Anti Aging
Anti-aging is not just a myth like the “Fountain of Youth”, it is actually a true application of medical science. Aging is the biological changing process of an individual progressing through time. Research shows that there are, in fact, two distinct types of aging. Aging caused by the genes we inherit which is called intrinsic
Vertigo
A spinning sensation is the best way to describe the main symptom of vertigo. Statistically, this is the chief complain of 5 – 10% of the general population. It may also be associated with nausea, vomiting and ringing in one or both ears (tinnitus). Vertigo can be divided into two major categories, peripheral vertigo and
Conscious Sedation
Some medical procedures may be uncomfortable or painful. In these cases, general anesthesia might not always be necessary, while without medication it may be traumatizing for the patient. Therefore, clinicians developed “conscious sedation”, a procedure giving moderate sedation while the patient can still respond to verbal direction. It is also known as procedural sedation. Patients,
Swimmer’s Ears
Swimmer’s ear is another term to describe outer ear canal infection or otitis external. Since this condition frequently occurs to people who swim a lot, it is also called swimmer’s ears. Actually the infection can happen in any situation causing a moist environment of the ear canal. A moist environment aids bacterial growth infecting the
Bali Rabies – Update
Since the emergence of rabies in Bali in late 2008, this viral disease has been problematic for the government. One of the factors causing difficulties in the eradication of rabies on the island is the Balinese culture towards dogs. The Balinese people have close companionships with dogs, even with the strays. They tend to let
Concussion
Doctors may describe it as a “mild head injury”, because it’s usually not life threatening, but believe us, the effects of a concussion can be more than just mild! Of course, at least once, you’ve heard someone you know say that they’ve had a head injury. In America alone, head injuries are one of the
Safe Diving
Since 4500 BC, humans have engaged in free (breath-hold) diving to obtain food and substances from shallow ocean floors at depths of 100 ft or more. Humans, always ready for new inventions and exploring new areas, created several equipments to make water exploration possible. The invention of SCUBA was one of the biggest inventions. Scuba
Bali Belly
The tropical paradise island of Bali has many things to offer; the unique artwork, the beautiful scenery, and great parties. One other event you won’t forget is if you experience gastroenteritis or as it is commonly called on this island, ”Bali Belly”! Another term commonly used to describe Bali Belly is Traveler’s Diarrhea. Seem familiar?
Before You Go to the Beach
Bali’s beaches are one of the main interests that draw visitors to the island. Did you know you could get sick from swimming in the beaches? Some can even result in serious illnesses that may last longer than your vacation. Here are some things you should know before swimming at the beach. Although the beach
Hemodialysis
Imagine your kidney as the filter and waste disposal machine of your body. The human body produces and metabolizes several substances. Blood transports the waste of metabolized substances to the kidney which will filter and remove extra fluid and toxins from the body. When the kidneys fail to work, which can be caused by several
Watch out for Dengue Fever!
Watch out for Dengue Fever! We think it’s time to remind you about dengue fever… again. The tropics and the rainy season… One unique combination that reminds us of dengue fever. Indonesia is an endemic region of dengue fever. This disease can be found in almost every region and anytime of the year, with a
Bali Medical Evacuation
Bali Medical Evacuation Medical evacuation or often referred to as a “Medivac”, was initially developed to transfer injured soldiers from the battlefield to a proper medical facility for better treatment. The military were first to establish a specially designed aircraft for medivacs. By time, air medical evacuations have became available for civilians and operated
Home Pregnancy Test
Positive or negative? This is the big question for every woman taking the home pregnancy test. In fact, then another question should pop-up, “Is it false-positive or false-negative?” Read on. Home pregnancy tests are designed to detect the presence of hCG, the hormone manufactured by the blatocyst (the name for the hollow clump of cells
Pulmonary Embolism
You must have heard about people having a heart attack, where there is a blood clot blocking the blood supply to the heart. Similar to a heart attack, pulmonary embolism is a lung attack, where a blood clot is blocking the blood supply to a certain part of the lung. In most cases, the clots