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Dear Helen, What is the difference between a cold sore and herpes. On the mouth they kinda look the same, don’t they? - Anderson. Dear Anderson, Cold sores and herpes look the same because they are from within the same family of viruses. Cold sores are most commonly associated with HSV1 or Herpes Simplex Virus 1. Genital herpes is most commonly associated with HSV2 or Herpes Simplex Virus 2.

Dear Helen, I read somewhere in a publication that was more than 10 years old that bacterial vaginosis is quite common in women and may not be easily recognised by doctors. Does that still hold true today? Also, with BV, why is there a bad odour after sex? - Catherine Dear Catherine, Dear Catherine, When it comes to BV (bacterial vaginosis) I think it depends on the doctor you see and whether

UV & You by Nick Nunes Though not celebrated across the world or as yet endorsed by the United Nations, July was recognised as UV Safety Awareness Month in the United States. For a country that experiences pretty severe sunshine year round, Barbados should definitely be on board with advocacy for ultraviolet (UV) awareness. According to Winchester Hospital, “Dark-skinned people, including

The furore caused by the Trojan Riddim brought into sharp focus just how impactful and influential lyrics in music can be.The discourse continues to be about “the songs on the Trojan Riddim”, but really it’s the lyrics that could incite violence and hate that people have a problem with. The music of the riddim tells a very different story. Those stories could be about positive

Maternity Matters by Midwife Andrea Jordan “ TOUCH IS THE FIRST LANGUAGE WE SPEAK”. These are the famous words of Stephen Gaskin, late husband to one of America’s most well-known midwives Ina May Gaskin, and they sum up humanity’s basic need for communication through physical interaction and touch. The bonding that results is the attachment which develops between both parents

ADOLESCENT HEALTH by Nakiah Thomas-Edwards THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANISATION PRESENTS SOME KEY FACTS ABOUT ADOLESCENTS THAT SPARK COMPARISON WITH BARBADOS STATISTICS. According to the WHO over 1.5 million adolescents and young adults aged 10–24 years died in 2019, nearly 5000 every day. The report also stated that young adolescents aged 10–14 years have the lowest risk of

SUPPORTING A FAMILY MEMBER WITH PSYCHOSIS by Jomo Phillips MSSW-MFT (Clinical Fellow AAMFT) Couple & Family Therapist/Clinical Social Worker Since I have been a clinician, I have had individuals on various occasions call me often in a panic about a family member who has started to exhibit bizarre behaviour. Nothing is scarier than experiencing a family member who appears to hear

THE POWER OF Music IT HAS LONG BEEN SCIENTIFICALLY PROVEN THROUGH VARIOUS EXPERIMENTS THAT SOUND AND MUSIC IMPACT THE PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH OF HUMANS. ARTS THERAPIST AND MENTAL HEALTH COACH CHERITH PEDERSEN DISCUSSES THE VARIOUS WAYS THIS CAN OCCUR. Music keeps us chipping With all the stir that music has created recently in Barbados, we begin to ask: what is all the fuss about?

HOW MU SIC HELPS YOUR BODY, MIND AND SOUL TO STAY IN KEY by Dr. David Akombo The practice of using music for healing diseases in humans has been an ongoing phenomena for thousands of years. Music was regarded as a special force over thought, emotion, and physical health in ancient Greece. Earlier studies have observed that in the year 600 BC, Thales was credited with curing

WHY DO WE LAUGH? by Nick Nunes It may have been terrifying when the Joker asked,“Why so serious?” but it’s an honest question that a good portion of the population should ask themselves more often than they do. We live in a very serious world and the growing immediacy of our lives can have serious stress effects on our mental state that can transfer to real physical