Dr Siew Tuck Wah

Alcohol is often treated as harmless—as long as we do not drink “too much.” But we now know that is not true. Every drink exposes the body to acetaldehyde, a toxic by-product of alcohol metabolism that can damage DNA and increase cancer risk.

This is worse for those of us with Asian flush, when reduced ALDH2 activity means acetaldehyde is cleared less efficiently. The redness, heat and racing heartbeat are not merely cosmetic—they are signs that acetaldehyde is building up.

“Detox” supplements such as NAC, L-cysteine, DHM, glutathione, B vitamins are designed to solve the problem - but do they work?

Save this for your next night out, and share it with someone who thinks flushing is harmless.

Frequent flying looks glamorous — until jet lag starts affecting your sleep, energy, focus, recovery, and performance.

Because I travel regularly for work, I no longer treat flying as just travel. I treat it as a protocol.

A few things that help me:
• Start adjusting sleep and meal timing before the flight
• Switch to the destination time zone once onboard
• Eat lighter and minimise alcohol
• Use melatonin strategically at bedtime
• Prioritise movement and daylight after landing

The biggest lesson?

Don’t wait until you land to fight jet lag.

Start shifting your body clock before the flight, and reinforce the new rhythm with light, movement, food, and sleep timing when you arrive.

The goal isn’t just to survive the flight — it’s to arrive clear-headed, functional, and ready to perform.

Collagen drinks, powders and gummies are everywhere -but do they actually work? 🤔

The evidence-based answer is: yes, possibly… but not quite in the way many advertisements suggest.

In this article, I take a closer look at what science really says about oral collagen supplements, how collagen works in the body, and what kind of results you can realistically expect for skin, joints and healthy ageing.

Read more here:
https://www.drsiew.com/do-oral-collagen-supplements-actually-work-an-evidence-based-look/

Do Oral Collagen Supplements Actually Work? An Evidence-Based Look - Dr. Siew Oral collagen supplements are everywhere now — powders, drinks, sachets, gummies, capsules.

Are all before-and-after photos fake? No.
But many are exaggerated, manipulated, or designed to create unrealistic expectations.

AI, Lighting, angles, expressions, makeup, filters, and even immediate post-treatment swelling can completely change how someone looks online.

Real aesthetic results are usually subtle, gradual, and natural-looking — not overnight transformations.

Patients deserve honesty, realistic expectations, and evidence-based treatments, not illusions created for clicks.

I still remember one of my first major life challenges — enlisting into the army almost 30 years ago.

I was still a teenager then. Rebellious, unsure, and suddenly thrown into a completely new world, away from home for the first time. The only time I had outside camp was on the weekends.

And through it all, my mother would spend every precious minute with me — making sure I had everything I needed for the week ahead, and quietly giving me the strength to go back in again.

Looking back, it was never just during my army days.

Through my years in school, through the long and difficult days as a junior doctor, and through the many ups and downs that came after, my mother has always stood by me. Unwavering. Patient. Always trying to lift my spirits when I was down, and always giving support when I needed it most.

That kind of unconditional care, love, and patience is something only a mother can give.

Thank you, Mum, for standing by me through every season — even when I was difficult, rebellious, or too young to fully understand what your love meant.

Happy Mother’s Day to my mum, and to all the mothers out there. ❤️

Do oral collagen supplements actually work?

The evidence-based answer is: yes, possibly — but the benefit is modest and specific.

A new umbrella review in Aesthetic Surgery Journal Open Forum looked at 16 systematic reviews, 113 randomized controlled trials and 7,983 participants. The strongest skin-related findings were improvements in skin hydration and skin elasticity.

But collagen did not significantly improve everything — for example, the review found no significant improvement in skin roughness.

Therefore, Oral collagen is not nonsense, But it is also not magic.

It may be a reasonable supportive supplement, especially for hydration and elasticity — but it should not replace the fundamentals: sunscreen, good skincare, adequate protein, sleep, exercise, and evidence-based treatments that stimulate collagen directly.