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.
229 articles
closeClear filtersAlcohol
Humans and alcoholic drinks have been linked up to 10.000 BC, where archeologist discovered the fact of purposely fermented drinks. From this prehistoric drink, approximately 7-12% of the world’s population has an alcohol related disease. What Happens After Drinking Alcohol? Alcohol affects virtually every organ system in the body. The main immediate effect is in
Pain Pills
Pain, aches, or sores are the main complaint of up to 80% of people who seek medical attention. Though unpleasant, pain is actually our body’s defense mechanism to withdraw from potentially damaging situations, protect a damaged body part while it heals, and avoid those situations in the future. Though this is an important body response
Psoriasis
Psoriasis is a skin condition where the skin has hyperactive growth resulting in thick, white, silvery, or red patches of skin. Normally the skin grows layer by layer and by time the outer layer will flake off. This turnover time, the time when the inner layer becomes the outer layer, is around 4 weeks, but
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
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
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
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
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,
Formalin in Food
The widespread use of formalin, in preservation of fish, fruit and other food items is posing a threat to public health. The chemical used as a solution in water keeps fish fresh and makes fruits like mangoes attractive. This chemical, usually used to stop dead bodies from rotting, is now being used to preserve edible
The Right Way to Drink Coffee
The main substance in coffee is caffeine, which stimulates every part of the body: It stimulates the brain and makes you feel wide awake, energetic and better able to concentrate. It increases the heartbeat and improves circulation. It enables muscles to work better. It aids digestion by increasing acid production in the stomach. It stimulates
Quit Smoking Today!
Smoking kills more than 440,000 people a year, making it more lethal than AIDS, automobile accidents, homicides, suicides, drug overdoses and fires combined. Think twice before you smoke that cigarette. Smoking may be even more dangerous now than 30 years ago, most likely because the lower tar and nicotine levels in most cigarette brands cause
Snoring and Sleep Apnea
More than 30% of adults snore, at least a few nights each week. Imagine how many people’s sleep are disrupted from one person’s loud snore and what is more a concern is when snoring causes health problems. Snoring happens when the muscles in the roof of your mouth (soft palate), tongue and throat vibrates in
Blocking the Sun
Ultraviolet rays in sun light can cause serious and often irreversible harm to the body. This can range from eye damage to the more extreme, skin cancer. Prevention must start from early age. For the skin, sun blocks or sunscreens have been proven effective. Bali is located just 8 degrees from the equator, so below