Wellness

The prescription for healthy living was flawless, if I do say so myself. Grilled fish, fresh vegetables, fruits bursting with antioxidants, legumes, thirty minutes of exercise each day, eight hours of sleep, less stress, avoid all the fried foods that have become staples in our diet, take medications that may …

Covid-19 was a masterclass in socioeconomic inequities but heatwaves have also ignited pervasive disparities in our society. The elderly, those living alone, children, low-income communities, homeless, outdoor workers, athletes, stray animals and those with chronic illnesses bear the brunt of heat-related risks. Their limited access to air conditioning, inability to …

In 2005, Thomas Schelling won the Nobel Prize in Economics for his work on cooperation and conflict. Schelling’s work largely highlighted the importance of individual actions to collective outcomes. The idea is simple. As individuals, we all make decisions and these decisions lead to a collective outcome for communities, for …

No matter how thrifty I am, it is a challenge to manage the high cost of living. Working from home gives me a welcome kind of flexibility to shop around. Cooking brings me pleasure, mainly because I don’t have to do it as I live alone. Growing up as part …

World Suicide Prevention Day is observed annually on 10 September. The international theme for 2024 to 2026 is “Changing the Narrative on Suicide”. It seems mundane to ask the question: “How are you?”—but if your gut tells you something is wrong, ask again. Try this instead: “You haven’t seemed like …

In the days before the new academic year begins, the quest for books, uniforms and shoes continues. Health is often ignored—but a child who is exhausted, hungry, anxious, dehydrated or struggling to see the board cannot succeed. Sleep patterns may have changed during the vacation, so it is wise to …

This Independence Day, Trinidad and Tobago turns 64. If the country were one of my patients, this would be about the age when I would become more interested in health. I would ask about diabetes in the family, home blood pressure checks, cholesterol, sleep, smoking, alcohol, waist circumference and whether …

“[…] I urge our PM not to use the word ‘coolie’ to self-reference. I accept the fact that you may not be endorsing the slur but instead flipping the insult on its head to honour the resilience of people who survived indentureship and built lives despite oppression. “However, I believe …

In two years, I will be a pensioner myself. So when I say the upcoming budget must increase the old age pension, I’m not speaking from theory—I’m speaking from fear and genuine trepidation. Every week, I watch elderly men and women in the supermarket putting items back on the shelf. …

“[…] ‘No rule was broken’ is a legal answer to a question that isn’t, at its heart, legal. It’s a question about what the Savannah is, who it belongs to, and on what terms it was ever meant to be touched…” The following Letter to the Editor on the Government’s …

The third scalding shower before breakfast was not for cleanliness. It was the only place the young man stopped vomiting. There was a cycle of blood tests, drips, injections for nausea, endoscopy and abdominal scans that yielded little useful information. The hot-water behaviour is such a peculiar clinical clue that …

Is this new UNC Government celebrating our Independence, or declaring its independence from public accountability and the rights of its own citizens? In 1999, under the administration of Prime Minister Basdeo Panday, part of the Queen’s Park Savannah was paved—reportedly to facilitate the Independence Day Parade. Now, because the North Stand …