Tag Archives: health

January arrives quietly. After the noise of Christmas and the forced optimism of New Year’s resolutions, the world exhales. The decorations come down. Life resumes. Carnival beckons. It is in this quieter month—often overlooked, rarely celebrated—that we mark Cervical Cancer Awareness. There is something painfully appropriate about that. Cervical cancer …

Have you ever noticed that some people never get ill? They seem to be so perfectly constructed that no matter what dreadful ailments are soaring about the countryside, they remain untouched. Some years ago, I had written about how I had been plagued by chronic headaches since I was about …

“[…] Addiction is not a moral failure. It is a disease that hides in plain sight—applauded when convenient, ignored when dangerous. We celebrate excess, mock restraint and then act surprised when bodies fail. “Alcohol plays the long game. It seeps quietly into ordinary evenings… Slowly, it rewires reward systems, erodes …

According to Chinese astrology, from mid-February, 2026 will be known as the Year of the Fire Horse. From what I’ve gathered, this occurs only once in 60 years. I was born in 1966, falling into the category of a Fire Horse. Apparently there are many horse years—gold, water, wood and …

It’s not a local thing, not a Caribbean thing even. It’s more of a contemporary thing; this craving for brown food. Everyone succumbs to the smell and crunch of crispy, fried platters of unhealthy greasiness. Every shade is available—golden, tan, pale—however you like it, you can order it, and devour …

“[…] In Trinidad and Tobago, non-communicable diseases like heart disease, diabetes and cancer continue to claim far too many of us men far too early. Mental health struggles often left unspoken, add another layer. “Statistics show that men are far less likely than women to seek timely medical or psychological …

Chapter 8: It was an onslaught of information… Reading about breast cancer survivors and their stories quickly shifts from spectator to participant when you yourself have been diagnosed. At that time, I recalled social media stories and went in search of those, just so I’d have a ‘friend’ to share …

The life that Safiya Sinclair describes in How to Say Babylon bears many similarities with lifestyles throughout our region. I have heard enough stories to convince me. The specific nature of her relationship with the Rastafari culture can easily be transferred to fit the widespread value systems that allocate superior …

I had mentioned in a recent column that I was hesitant to review Safiya Sinclair’s How to Say Babylon, because I was afraid I would gush too much. My friend, Patrick, had quickly messaged me to object. He wanted to read my full response, he said. “Write the thing, in …

If you have grown up in an agricultural environment, you have a strong sense of what fruits and vegetables look like in their natural state. You recognise their scents, even when you are not quite aware of it. I recall uncovering a container of shredded cabbage and discovering my late …

Chapter 7: I had some dark days… Imagine moving from a place of ‘normal’ to being told you have breast cancer and having to process that. Now, imagine being told that the lump can be removed, but not before an MRI is done to get a better image. Next, imagine …

I was surprised to find it was in December 2023 that I hosted a pepperpot lime at my home. Seems like it was just last Christmas when my friend Lynette came to teach us how to prepare this national dish of Guyana. My daughter was working on an article on …