Showing 1 - 10 of 25
Give mental health a chance
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 18/10/2022
» A string of mass shootings by officers in recent years may involve many factors, but they highlight the need for an improvement in mental health services, experts say, following the nursery massacre in Nong Bua Lam Phu's Na Klang district that left 36 people dead, mostly young children, and others injured.
A call for help
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 23/08/2022
» We pull on layers to protect our vulnerable core. When they break, we are exposed and desperate for new shells, but they take time and do not come easily. Sometimes, we borrow them from the dead.
Biotech breakthrough in virus vaccines
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 12/04/2022
» The National Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (Biotec) recently announced the success of developing a pseudotyped virus for a Covid-19 vaccine and drug trials.
On the road back to normalcy
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 22/03/2022
» Anchalee Woratai, 79, lives alone in a small room. Her daughter and niece died years ago, but their photos still hang on the wall. Piles of clothes, bottles and food containers are neatly squeezed into a confined space. Anchalee was able to make her own way until she caught the coronavirus.
Euthanasia a service not a sin for the elderly
Oped, Thana Boonlert, Published on 04/02/2022
» Have you ever imagined how you might die in old age? I remember once telling a close friend that I would use a "sleeping pod" -- if euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide were legal. But in Thailand, it is only terminally ill patients who have the right to forgo treatment in such a way that allows them to die "naturally". Under Section 12 of the Public Health Act, they can make a will denying the use of public health services that would prolong the end stage of their illness.
A natural remedy against Covid-19?
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 26/01/2022
» Short of breath at night, Ekkaluk Thongchan decided to ignore his doctor's instructions and rummage through his bag for herbal pills believed to treat fever and respiratory symptoms. Made of kot chula lumpa (sweet wormwood) and boraphet (heart-leaved moonseed), the temple-grown remedy gave him a new lease of life.
Debunking the endgame theory
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 18/01/2022
» Like all viruses, SARS-CoV-2 adapts for survival. First identified in South Africa in November, the new variant of concern, Omicron, has now swept across the world. It carries a large number of mutations, including those on the spike protein, which are thought to increase transmissibility. However, studies have found that it causes milder infection than previous variants.
Pandemic progress
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 29/11/2021
» When the Covid-19 crisis unfolded two years ago, researchers scrambled to uncover the source of and cure for the killer virus. At the time, there were no medicines. Soon after, vaccine development kicked off, giving hope of protection to us all.
Breaking down the virtual wall
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 07/09/2021
» From bed to bed, a worn-out medical worker is busy looking after coronavirus patients in a crowded hospital. He observes their condition and scribbles details in medical records. An oversight could mean their condition gets worse. However, this is all taking place on a screen.
Covid stretching crematoriums beyond capacity
Life, Thana Boonlert, Published on 16/07/2021
» The spike in the death toll from Covid-19 has burdened temples with cremation amid concern over the risk of contamination.