THE bubbly has flowed. The gifts have been swopped. The festive season is over.

Now bring in the doctors.

Yes, December is the season for merry-making but it is also the period when some ailments strike with a vengeance. For instance, family physicians like Dr Chng Shih Kiat often see a 10 to 20 per cent rise in the number of patients coming in with the sniffles during this period.

It is, after all, flu season in the northern hemisphere, thanks to the cold, wet weather which makes it easier for the flu virus to survive and be transmitted.

With families often taking vacations in cold countries during the school holidays, there is a chance they might catch the bug, says Dr Chng, who is also the deputy medical director of Raffles Medical Clinic.

'What's more, people are often out during the festive season. In crowded places, the bug tends to then pass on to other people,' he says.

The sick don't just go to Western doctors, either. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) physician Lim Lay Beng also sees 20 to 30 per cent more patients for headaches and digestive problems immediately after the merry-making. These are caused by excessive eating and drinking, she says.

'People stay up late, eat lots of 'heaty' food at barbecue parties and consume plenty of alcohol. All these can lead to problems, especially if the person has a history of digestive problems.'

With another bout of celebrations around the corner - watch out Chinese New Year, here we come - LifeStyle asks four doctors and specialists about the ailments they see most during the festive season and how one can stay healthy and happy.

chengwee@sph.com.sg

Down in the dumps

Dr Ken Ung, consultant psychiatrist at Adam Road Hospital

Sees more cases of: Depression

Numbers up by: 10 to 20 per cent

Caused by: Ironically, the festive mood and merry-making. People who are pessimistic and negative by nature are more vulnerable to feeling low during this period. If they are alone, their loneliness is aggravated amid the joy of the season.

For some people, it may be a wave of sadness that passes. But for others, the blues may persist and affect their daily lives - this is when they slip into clinical depression and are likely to seek medical help, says Dr Ung.

If you are prone to feeling down during the festive season, he advises meeting up with friends or family to keep yourself busy and occupied.

Lessons for Chinese New Year: This is another festive period that can trigger pangs of sadness in some people, so keep yourself occupied and surround yourself with company during this time.

'The negative feelings tend to subside when the season passes,' notes Dr Ung. 'But if they don't, don't feel shy about seeking help.'

You can call the Singapore Association for Mental Health hotline on 1800-283-7019.

When the flu bug bites

Dr Chng Shih Kiat, senior family physician at Raffles Medical Clinic

Sees more cases of: Flu

Numbers up by: 10 to 20 per cent

Caused by: The year-end flu season in the northern hemisphere. As the weather gets colder and wetter, the flu virus survives better and transmits more quickly - bad news for families who tend to travel to countries there for the year-end holidays.

It doesn't help that people tend to stay up later and hang out in crowded places during the festive season as well. This leads to reduced immunity and quicker spreading of the flu bug respectively. Dr Chng suggests taking a flu jab before travelling to avoid catching the influenza bug overseas. A jab usually costs around $28 and is available at most clinics.

During your travels, keep your immune system in top condition by drinking plenty of water, taking vitamin C pills and getting lots of rest.

Lessons for Chinese New Year: CNY actually brings a different set of problems - usually food-related, says Dr Chng.

As people gorge on snacks, the more likely problems that general practitioners see are indigestion, vomiting and diarrhoea. Eating raw fish (yu sheng) that is not properly prepared might lead to bacterial infection and diarrhoea as well.

His advice? Exercise self-control. If you don't want to offend the host, just take bite-sized portions of food as a gesture of goodwill.

Clearing the air

Dr Kenny Pang, ear, nose and throat consultant at Pacific Sleep Centre

Sees more cases of: Sleep apnoea

Numbers up by: 10 to 20 per cent

Caused by: Drinking alcohol and smoking. Studies have shown that sleep apnoea - a condition when one stops breathing for brief periods during sleep - worsens when one drinks or smokes.

This is because smoking and drinking lead to muscle relaxation. As such, the muscles of the upper airway and throat collapse more and obstruct more often.

The sufferer may not know this himself, but his partner would probably have noticed it, says Dr Pang.

'However, she may not think it's serious until it becomes very bad after a night out partying during Christmas and she can hear him choking many times,' he says. 'That's when she might ask her husband to see a doctor.'

Lessons for Chinese New Year: People who have sleep apnoea should avoid drinking more than the recommended amount, say one glass of wine or a mug of beer. Cut down on smoking as well.

What a pain

Ms Lim Lay Beng, traditional Chinese medicine physician at YS Healthcare TCM Clinic

Sees more cases of: Headaches and stomach discomfort

Numbers up by: 20 per cent

Caused by: Late nights and partying. According to TCM, the body produces more 'stomach heat', which in turn leads to headaches in the forehead area.

Drinking too much alcohol, on the other hand, leads to 'liver fire' and headaches at the temples. These could be the equivalent of what people term a hangover, says Ms Lim.

Overeating is another problem since there is so much good food around during the festive period. If one eats too much, the food becomes 'stagnant' in the body and churns out 'stomach heat'. This leads to stomach discomfort and possibly headaches.

The condition worsens if one takes a lot of spicy or deep-fried food as these foods are 'heaty', which TCM practitioners believe produce heat and dampness in the body, leading to sore throats and phlegm.

Ms Lim says a combination of acupuncture and Chinese herbs can help to dispel the heat in the body and allow qi (energy) to flow once more. When that happens, the pain will be gone.

Lessons for Chinese New Year: Keep an eye on the young ones as children are more likely to fall ill, says Ms Lim. This is because people are out in the sun more for the rounds of visiting. The heat may affect children who are physically weaker.

This can lead to sore throats and cough, and is compounded by the fact that they are tempted by 'heaty' food such as cookies and chocolates.

Ms Lim sees about 20 per cent more children for such problems immediately after Chinese New Year, so watch what they are eating.

Hosts can help too. Instead of serving soft drinks, Ms Lim suggests they prepare homemade barley water or chrysanthemum tea - 'cooling' drinks that can help clear phlegm.

This story was first published on Jan 6, 2008