The Star Online: Nation
The Star Online: Nation |
- 1.2 million have bladder problems
- Forum to discuss preventive laws and rising crime rate
- Higher-end property has no room for triads to exploit
| 1.2 million have bladder problems Posted: KUALA LUMPUR: An estimated 1.2 million Malaysians suffer from some form of incontinence or inability to control urinal or faecal functions. Continence Foundation Malaysia president Dr Peter Ng said that urinary incontinence, or the inability to control the bladder, which affected more women than men, was the most common pelvic floor disorder. The severity, he said, varied from person to person. Dr Ng, a consultant urologist, said that one in 10 women had regular incontinence problem, while one in 20 men experienced it. He said that there were two types of urinary incontinence affecting women – "stress incontinence" and "urge incontinence". "The stress incontinence is caused due to coughing, laughing, sneezing, exercising or other movements that increase intra-abdominal pressure," he said. As for urge incontinence, the leak was involuntary and was triggered by the sound of running water or drinking small amounts of water. Dr Ng said in an interview that some people had a mix of stress and urge incontinences. Fortunately, all of these can be treated. "Incontinence is not a disease but rather a symptom of some other condition," Dr Ng said. "A sign that something else in your body is not functioning properly," he added. "Urinary incontinence can happen to anyone but it becomes more common with advancing age. As you get older, women and men have similar urinary problems. "The only difference is the prostate gland. Men have difficulty passing water (commonly due to prostate enlargement) and women wet themselves (commonly due to weak pelvic muscles)," he added. Dr Ng said that there were many causes of incontinence and that sometimes it was only a temporary condition triggered by a certain food or consuming liquids such as alcohol and caffeine, that might irritate the bladder lining. For women, it was caused by a previous pregnancy and childbirth, whereby, the pelvic floor muscles or the urinary sphincter or the nerves that control these muscles could have been damaged. It can also be due to the weakening of the bladder muscles, he said. Dr Ng said that more than 80% of the cases could be cured by either controlling bowel movement, doing pelvic floor exercises, training the bladder, medication and surgery. He felt that incontinence was not always an easy subject as it was still considered embarrassing or taboo to discuss the issue. "Patients should see a urologist to get diagnosed. This will enable them to lead a normal life." — Bernama |
| Forum to discuss preventive laws and rising crime rate Posted: PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian Crime Prevention Foundation will be organising a forum to discuss whether preventive laws are the solution to the nation's growing crime rate. "It will look at current legislation and other necessary measures to fight violent crime," said Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye when contacted. According to the MCPF vice-president, the rising crime rate was a serious concern and the public wanted answers as to how it could be addressed. "The forum is organised as a platform for the Home Minister to hear from all sides before enacting any new preventive laws," he said. The half-day forum will be held on Aug 24 at the Sunway Resort Hotel. It is jointly organised with the Asian Strategy & Leadership Institute, better known as Asli. The forum's programme would include presentations by Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department, Pemandu and the newly-minted Crime Prevention Department. |
| Higher-end property has no room for triads to exploit Posted: GEORGE TOWN: There are now fewer cases of triads monopolising renovation works of high-rise buildings in the state, said Penang Master Builders' and Building Materials Dealers Association. Its president Lim Kai Seng said many high-rise units were already partially furnished and were priced from RM400,000 onwards. "This makes it unnecessary for high-rise property owners to engage contractors to do renovation. It also reduces the opportunity for the triads to provide renovation services," Lim said when commenting on triad-linked contractors who compel high-rise property owners to engage them for renovation works. He said the triads usually targeted low and medium-cost projects priced at around RM72,000 because these units were sold without any basic renovation package. He said this allowed them to offer their services at a higher cost, usually at about 20% more. According to Lim, the triads begun to control renovation works for high-rise buildings in the 1990s when the construction industry in Penang was booming. "Before that they used to collect ang pow from developers and contractors. They muscled into development projects to broaden their revenue base," he said. "Over the years, police have worked with us and the developers to bring down such activities. So far, the authorities have proven to be very cooperative and efficient in arresting triad-linked contractors." Lim denied allegations that contractors were in cahoots with the triads to monopolise renovation jobs. "We have always lodged police reports whenever we received complaints from buyers," he added. |
| You are subscribed to email updates from The Star Online : Nation Feed To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
0 ulasan:
Catat Ulasan