Parents beware of High Fructose Corn Syrup!

Article by Dr Suren Baskaran

High Fructose corn syrup(HFCS) is a combination of fructose(in high quantity) and glucose, that is manufactured from corn.  The controversy is that critics say that HFCS unlike table sugar (sucrose) is more damaging to our health. However others oppose this opinion saying that there is no evidence that HFCS is worse than sugar.

HFCS was only produced in the 70s. The fact is, since 1970 we are eating much more HFCS than ever before in human history.  This is because it is cheaper to produce and very versatile.  HFCS is so ubiquitous, it is virtually impossible to avoid.  It is found in soft drinks, packaged biscuits, condiments, jams, fast foods, low fat packaged food, cereals etc.

Critics of HFCS point out that there is an increase in diabetes and obesity which correlates with the rise of HFCS use.  There are several studies in rats and humans that suggest that HFCS increases obesity and have worse blood tests outcomes compared to sucrose.  Some suggest that HFCS when taken does not give a sensation of fullness and so we can consume more of it.  However the studies are not conclusive and many studies also come up with different conclusions.  The American Medical Association says that the evidence of HFCS being worse than sucrose is not confirmatory and more research is required. 

Whether or not it is worse than table sugar is not that important.  There is no dispute that HFCS is bad news.  We take so much of it daily that it causes a major shift of our lipid levels to the dangerous form which includes high triglycerides.  Such a lipid profile increases the risk of heart attacks and stroke.  HFCS can cause liver abnormality, called `fatty liver' or NAFLD (non alcoholic fatty liver disease).  We now know that NAFLD can be a serious disease than can causes scarring of the liver and liver dysfunction.  HFCS also causes insulin to be less effective (insulin resistance) and a condition called metabolic syndrome.  Even gout is an effect of HFCS.

Too much of HFCS and even glucose has caused so much preventable health problems.  I urge you to look after yourself and your family by avoiding foods with HFCS such as sugared drinks, fast food, processed biscuits and sweets.  Read food labels. 

For more info on HFCS, please click here.

Chickenpox: Update on the boy with complications

Chickenpox Scarring

Remember the boy who suffered from the severe case of Chickenpox?  The good news is that it did not turn out to be meningitis, but the Chickenpox did leave him with a very bad scar to remind him of the entire ordeal.

He had spent one week at KK Hospital where various tests were done to determine the severity of the infection.  The pox just in front of the ear had gotten infected, so he had to be put on antibiotics and they had to perform ultrasound imaging to see the extent of the infection which had caused him not to be able to turn his neck.

After one week at KK, he was discharged but still had to be followed up by the paediatrician and had to be continued on antibiotics.  This picture is taken recently, one month after the initial Chickenpox infection and I have just certified that he was able to return to school.

I had another Chickenpox case recently where a distraught mom  recounted how she had left her child with the in-laws while she was overseas and during the time, her in-laws had another grandchild who had chickenpox and purposely exposed her child to the affected kid.  Subsequently, her child had chickenpox which left her with some scarring!

Please remember that though Chickenpox is a mild disease most of the time, it can still cause serious infection.  So please don't endorse the idea of Chickenpox parties and subject your child to the disease thinking that it is a way of getting them immne naturally to Chickenpox.  You will never forgive yourself if your child landed in hospital because of severe complications.  A better and far safer method is to give your child the Chickenpox vaccine and do also consider giving your child a second dose of the vaccine if you want to confer an higher level of protection.

MMR Vaccine does not cause Autism

The Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccine which was introduced in the 70's has resulted in the dramatic decrease in what used to be the very common childhood diseases of Measles, Mumps and Rubella. I even remember having Measles and Mumps as a child myself, but nowadays you don't see kids with these conditions in the clinic.

Over the past decade, there has been concerns about a possible link between the MMR vaccine and Autism. This was the result of a paper published in 1998 in the British Journal "The Lancet" It has since been shown that the whole thing was a sham. Here is the excerpt from Wikipaedia:


Claims of a connection between the vaccine and autism were raised in a 1998 paper in the respected British medical journal The Lancet.[3] It was later discovered that Andrew Wakefield, the paper's lead author, had received major funding from British trial lawyers seeking evidence against vaccine manufacturers.[4] Ten of the paper's twelve coauthors retracted its interpretation of an association between MMR vaccine and autism.[5] It was also discovered that Wakefield had previously filed for a patent on a rival vaccine using technology that lacked scientific credibility, and that Wakefield knew but did not publish test results that contradicted his theory by showing that no measles virus was found in the children tested.[6] In 2009, The Sunday Times reported that Wakefield had manipulated patient data and misreported results in his 1998 paper, creating the appearance of a link with autism.[7] A special court convened in the United States to review claims under the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program ruled on February 12, 2009 that parents of autistic children are not entitled to compensation in their contention that certain vaccines caused autism in their children.[8][9] The Lancet fully retracted the 1998 paper on February 2, 2010.[10]

Following the 1998 publication, there has been many large epidemiological studies conducted to look into the safety of the MMR vaccine. All of these studies concluded that the MMR vaccine was safe. I recently read one of the papers published by the Cochrane Collaboration in 2008. This paper reviewed all the previous studies conducted on the safety of the MMR vaccine and concluded that there was no link between MMR and Autism. The following the summary of the paper:



I hope this short post will give parents a better understanding of issues behind the MMR/Autism link. I think there is very good evidence to show that the MMR vaccine is safe and benefits far outweigh the risk. At this point in time, there is no reason to believe that giving the MMR vaccine will cause the child to develop Autism.

Karri Family Clinic is now on Facebook!

One of our patients pointed out to me that it would be very convenient if they could read my updates on facebook too. So I have now created the Karri Family Clinic Facebook page and invite everyone to join as a fan!

Karri Family Clinic

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Chickenpox: Complications do occur, Parents please vaccinate your kids!

I had hope that I would never have to see a severe chickenpox case but it was only a matter of time before it happened.

This boy came to the clinic today with severe Chickenpox which had gotten infected. What is more serious is that he was also complaining of neck stiffness. So I had to send them immediately to KKH to investigate for possible Chickenpox meningitis.

To all parents who are reading this post. Please don't think that Chickenpox is something every child needs to get. If this child had been given the Chickenpox vaccine, there is a good chance that he would never get Chickenpox and in the 20% of cases where they still get Chickenpox after vaccination, it would never have gotten to this stage of severity.

I am following the case closely. If the KKH doctors also suspect meningitis, then they would do a lumbar puncture where a long needle is inserted into the lower back to extract some of the cerebro-spinal fluid to confirm if the virus has infected the brain. Please pray that this is not the case. Chickenpox meningitis can sometimes leave the child with some long term side effects with regards to mental ability.

Concerning the booster dose for Chickenpox. I have already written about this in my previous post. The 2nd dose of Chickenpox vaccine is currently the standard practise in the US, but the practise is not yet adopted in Singapore. Parents can still opt for a booster dose after the first dose in order to give your child a higher level of protection.

Again, parents, please be aware of this and make a wise decision for your child based on facts and not on hearsay.

Chickenpox: Does your child need a booster?

We are currently experiencing an outbreak of Chickenpox at one of the childcare centres in the area and a few of the children are experiencing breakthrough chickenpox even after they had their first Chickenpox vaccination.

Please note that no vaccine is 100% effective and evidence has shown that even after the first vaccination, approximately 2 in 10 kids may still contract Chickenpox. We call this "breakthrough" chicken pox. Breakthrough Chickenpox is often a milder form of the disease and usually does not last as long as compared to kids who have not been vaccinated.

Because of this, the US has been advising parents to give their kids a booster jab ie, the doctors in the US are now giving children 2 jabs instead of one. The second jab is to be given at least 3 months after the first one. In Singapore, the MOH has not recommended a booster Chickenpox jab yet.

*Note that even if the child has been exposed to kids with chickenpox, the vaccine has been shown to be effective if given within 72 hours of exposure.

Since it is less than 2 weeks to the Chinese New Year, many of our parents are very stressed since they have already made plans to go overseas or even just the fact that they will not be able to do their customary visitations.

If your child has not yet taken the chickenpox vaccination, please do consider bringing them to the clinic for a jab. If your child has already taken the first jab, you might want to consider taking a second one to give them a higher level of protection. After the first jab the protection level is around 80%. This increases to more than 90% after the 2nd jab.

Chickenpox is usually a mild disease, but it can be very stressful if it disrupts your travel plans! We even have mothers who are pregnant who have to make special arrangements to isolate themselves from their children!

You can read more about the recommendation from the US CDC by clicking here.

Job Vacancies available: Clinic Assistants

We are currently looking for Clinic Assistants who will be able to work the evening shift including Sunday evenings.

Applicants should have experience working in a family clinic, have good interpersonal skills and be familiar with registration and dispensing of medications.

If you are interested, please write to leslie.tay@gmail.com with your resume or call the clinic at 67850311