E-SENSE

Does exercise help or hinder?

Wed, 22 Jul 2026 23:02:00 -0700

Fitness has become a trend in and of itself, from the constant barrages of companies from the food and beverage industry shovelling the words protein and fibre wherever they can, all while different types of activities constantly pop up. Of course, when you consider previous trends that were literal health hazards like the 2017¹ tidepod challenge, this shift towards fitness is a massive upgrade in comparison…right?

At first glance, there is nothing wrong with people wanting to take care of their bodies. Consumers are becoming more aware of what they are eating and how it impacts them, and people are finally getting outside to ‘touch grass’. Thanks to the multitude of health creators online, providing numerous free fitness programs, a key example being Chloe Ting². Becoming healthy is no longer hidden behind a financial paywall. Yet this abundance of choice brings about a hidden downside: is our approach to exercise actually starting to do more harm than good?

While wellness has become more accessible, people are paradoxically suffering because of how commercialised the industry has become. To be clear, exercising itself is highly encouraged, but we must be mindful about how we go about it. For starters, it is crucial that information regarding posture and form comes from a certified & reliable source

Not to mention, internet nutrition tips can be incredibly sketchy³. Uncertified influencers push misinformation and promote their own products. Consumers must avoid falling for these tactics and conduct their own research instead. We need to exercise great caution when dealing with online information that is designed to cause panic. Misinformation is a lot easier to spread than the truth, and is a lot harder to correct once it takes root⁴.

Much like how you have an end date, so do your cells. They also die and get renewed in a continuous cycle known as cell turnover¹. A process that is defined as producing new cells to replace lost and injured cells. While certain parts of your body, like the neurons in your brain, are exempt from this cycle and stay with you for life, most of your body is constantly refreshing its cells. In fact, your body replaces about 80 grams of cells every single day, mostly within your blood and skin².

However, as you get older the cell turnover rate starts to slow down, meaning, damaged cells stay in your body for longer³. While this decline affects all organs, it is extremely important for body parts that are required for your survival, such as your lungs, kidneys, liver etc.. Just think to yourself, how much plain water did you drink today?

Truth of the matter is, the organs you started out with when you were younger are not the same organs you have today. You can even see this with your own eyes. A knee that was scraped during your childhood might have only taken a week to heal, and now the same injury takes a month⁴. Like it or not, your organs slow down and become more vulnerable to damage as cell turnover drops. It is imperative to get frequent check-ups to ensure...Read More

你仲係咪「你」？

Wed, 15 Jul 2026 22:00:59 -0700

你有冇聽過「忒修斯之船」（Ship of Theseus）呀？呢個係嚟自希臘神話嘅一個著名悖論，講緊一艘船，隨住忒修斯航行，船上嘅部件隨住時間全部換過晒。呢個故事帶出一個好有趣嘅問題：當每一塊木板都換咗做新嘅之後，佢仲係唔係原本嗰艘船呢？定係已經變成一件全新嘅物件？其實，呢個概念有好多方面都可以直接套用喺你自己嘅身體上面。如果我哋嘅細胞不斷咁更新，我哋仲係唔係同一個人呢？

就好似我哋有個終結日期咁，細胞都一樣。佢哋都會死，然後喺一個叫做「細胞更替」嘅持續循環入面被更新¹。呢個過程嘅定義就係製造新細胞，去取代受損同死咗嘅細胞。雖然你身體某啲部份，好似大腦入面嘅神經元，就唔受呢個循環影響，會跟你一世，但你身體大部份嘅細胞都不斷喺度刷新緊。事實上，你身體每日會換走大約80克嘅細胞，當中大部份都喺你嘅血液同皮膚入面²。

不過，隨住年紀大咗，細胞更替嘅速度就會開始減慢，即係話，受損嘅細胞會留喺你身體入面更耐³。雖然呢種衰退會影響所有器官，但對於維生必需嘅身體部份，好似肺、腎、肝等等，就極其重要。你自己諗吓，今日飲咗幾多液體？當中有幾多係純水，可以畀你嘅腎臟順暢咁過濾走？

事實就係，你細個嗰陣時嘅器官，同你而家嘅器官已經唔同㗎啦。你甚至可以用自己對眼睇到。細個嗰陣擦損膝頭哥，可能只係一個禮拜就好返，而家同一樣嘅損傷就要成個月先好⁴。鍾意又好，唔鍾意又好，隨住細胞更替下降，你嘅器官會慢落嚟，仲會更加容易受損。所以，定期做檢查去確保身體一切正常運作，係非常之重要。傳統嘅驗血同化驗工作依然係必須，但係好似E-SENSE嘅VitoCheck呢類先進、非侵入性嘅影像平台，就開拓咗新嘅方法，去順暢咁追蹤呢啲細微嘅內部變化——令你可以更清楚咁睇到自己身體不斷改變嘅狀況。

References:

¹O'Brien LE. Tissue Homeostasis and Non-Homeostasis: From Cell Life Cycles to Organ States. Annu Rev Cell Dev Biol. 2022 Oct 6;38:395-418. doi: 10.1146/annurev-cellbio-120420-114855. Epub 2022 Jul 18. PMID: 35850152; PMCID: PMC10182861.

²Sender, R., Milo, R. The distribution of cellular turnover in the human body. Nat Med 27, 45–48 (2021).

隨住全球人口老化，我哋不得不仔細睇吓，當我哋真正變老嗰陣，究竟會發生咩事。年紀大咗，除咗會累積智慧，仲會帶嚟病痛，令生活日益艱難。拎重嘢變成苦差，行幾步路已經喘晒大氣，而慢性疾病就會好似獵食者埋伏咁，慢慢爬上你背脊。好多時，等我哋察覺到嘅時候已經太遲，死亡危機已經殺到埋身。

其中一種喺香港日益常見嘅慢性病就係慢性腎病（CKD），由2010年到2021年間²，病例翻咗接近一倍。慢性腎病成日俾人叫做「沉默的疾病」，因為佢本身冇乜明顯早期病徵。每10個患者入面，只有1個確診，但係每年因為呢個病而死亡嘅人數，仲多過乳癌或者前列腺癌^3,4。

雖然去到後期死亡率好高，但如果及早發現病情惡化嘅跡象，就可以透過健康嘅生活習慣同埋藥物去控制病情發展。呢啲健康習慣包括做運動同埋飲充足嘅水，世衛建議每日飲3公升；不過好似香港呢類炎熱地區，佢哋建議進一步飲到4公升⁵。如果不幸發展到真係出現病徵，治療選項就會窄好多，剩返洗腎（透析）或者換腎。事實上，超過一半接受緊透析治療嘅病人係61歲以上⁶。要確保腎臟健康，定期檢查係關鍵。好似E-SENSE嘅VitoCheck呢類先進、非侵入性嘅影像平台，可以為器官健康提供一個無痛無創、容易觸及嘅窗口，喺傳統臨床檢查之外，擔當一個重要嘅早期預警角色。

References:
¹World Bank. (2022). Birth rate, crude (per 1,000 people) | Data. Worldbank.org. https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.DYN.CBRT.IN

²Yue, N. C., Ho, S.-C., Mak, J. K. L., Cheng, F. W. T., Tam, E. Y. W., Lau, W. C. Y., Hoo, R. L. C., Tan, K. C. B., Yap, D. Y. H., & Cheung, C.-L. (2025). Prevalence and incidence of chronic kidney diseases in Hong Kong: a 12-year territory-wide retrospective cohort study. The Lancet Regional Health - Western PacificRead More

Hong Kong's Aging Reality: Fighting the Surge of Kidney Disease:

Wed, 08 Jul 2026 22:00:00 -0700

Time is the one resource that is given to all of us. It never stops for anyone or anything, and in a way it is the most fair asset that exists in the universe. After all, we can only grow older, never become younger; with every day that passes adding to the biological counter that is our age. It has become routine in today’s world to see more elderly people in our daily life due to declining birth rates¹.

As this global shift occurs, it asks us to take a closer look at what happens when we actually grow older. With age, not only do we obtain wisdom but also ailments that make life a lot harder than it used to be. Heavy lifting becomes a chore, a few steps leave us gasping for air, and chronic conditions start crawling onto our back much akin to how a predator stalks its prey. Oftentimes, by the time we realise it, it’s too late, death is already at our door.
One such disease, which is growing increasingly common in Hong Kong is chronic kidney disease (CKD), with cases almost doubling from 2010 to 2021². CKD is often referred to as a ‘silent disease’ due to its asymptomatic nature. Only 1 in 10 people are aware of their diagnosis³, despite it taking more lives than breast cancer or prostate cancer each year⁴.

Even though the mortality rate is high in later stages, if its progression is caught early, CKD can be controlled through healthy lifestyle changes and/or medication. This includes engaging in exercise and staying hydrated. The WHO guideline of water intake of 3L...Read More