Wellness

I came across this column I wrote in 1998, and for some reason it felt so relevant that I thought I would share this trimmed version (with a Billy Joel headline). When I quit full-time work, a major factor had been the desire to spend more time with my infant …

“[…] We are staring at a deeply wounded nation. Many are concerned mainly about the impact on business and the nation’s economy from direct effects of serious crime. But there is a more massive problem lurking. “The mental health implications of the rising homicide rate in Trinidad and Tobago extend …

Not long ago, a couple of letters to the editor appeared where the writers complained about extremely long waits at public health institutions. I had immediately thought that this is why I walk with a book whenever I have to go to any institution, public or private. But then I …

I don’t mean to be harping on health issues, especially given my lack of medical credentials. But as I said, I’ve experienced enough to feel that it is worth sharing information when it relates to the public good. So bear with me. Please. A few weeks ago, my offspring called …

“[…] The term ‘mental slavery’ suggests that even after physical chains have been broken, the psychological and cultural chains imposed by centuries of oppression can persist. “These chains are manifested in the form of internalized racism, self-doubt, and a sense of inferiority that can be deeply ingrained in the consciousness …

If I seem to be cantering down the road of health issues these past few weeks, it is because I have been talking to several sufferers who don’t seem to know what’s going on with them. Of course I have no medical training, but I have had such a diverse …

“She have the flu,” he said, when I asked about his daughter, who sounded weak and listless on the phone. Her symptoms? Fever, body aches and headache. I told him it sounded like dengue, and he should probably get her tested. It baffled me that no one in the household …

When people’s homes are flooded, when farmers lose livestock and crops, when roads become impassable during the rainy season, it’s impossible not to feel sympathy. The shell-shocked look is common as people try to assimilate what has happened, and what they have to do next. Apart from the horror of …

Something tells me that I already mentioned that I had dengue four times; once, dengue haemorrhagic fever, another at the same time as chikungunya. The first time, around the year 2000, was an ordeal itself, worsened by the fact that I had no idea what was happening when the pains …

“[…] When jilted lovers murder their ex-lovers in cold blood […] it is usually because of a failure to control their emotions. It has nothing to do with the other person. Furthermore, why give any human being that amount of power over you? “[…] In your mind, the person’s going …

The report of the investigating team of the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) into the death in April this year of seven babies in less than a week in the Neo-Natal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of the Port of Spain General Hospital (POSGH) has been delivered. In clear terms it …

A friend of mine was worried about her increasing forgetfulness. It didn’t seem any more acute than that of most of the people I know (myself included) over 50. But it was so disturbing to her that she was contemplating getting tested for possible ADHD. She is 51, and now …