> UMMC’s first surgery without anesthetics for sedation
Several experts and lecturers from Universiti Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC) have successfully performed the centre's first hypnosurgery, a procedure that uses hypnotherapy instead of anesthetics for sedation. The surgery was done last November on a male patient with carpal tunnel syndrome, which is caused by compression of the median nerve that runs through the wrist. The patient must attend four to five hypnotherapy training sessions as preparation for the surgery. Dr Alan Soh @ Abdul Hanan, who is president of Malaysian Society of Clinical Hypnosis, said the pain sensation was relieved by hallucinations created by the patient himself. The patient, Azlyzan Harun, 34, said he imagined himself diving in the ocean and that he felt no pain throughout the surgery, which lasted 40 minutes.
> Student, friend assaulted and robbed on bus
A 17-year-old student from Pontian, Johor claimed he was assaulted by a group of youngsters in a bus, around 7.15pm last Sunday. Teh Kian Wei said the group of about 10 troubled taunted him and his friend, a girl, when they were on the bus from Batu Pahat back to his house in Pontian, telling them to go back to China. He claimed they later punched and kicked him, and one of them used an iron ring to hit him, causing injuries to his back, shoulder and ears. They also took away his watch and a smartphone. He said the bus driver and conductor tried to stop the fight but were threatened by the group. The driver later sent him to a police station to lodged a report.