I just discovered an outstanding website in Hong Kong, the Centre for Food Safety. It’s like the U.S. Center for Disease Control, except this website usually has much more relevant food safety information for us expats, as 95% of Hong Kong’s foods are imported, and mostly from China’s mainland. So we’re eating much of the same …

The flu season is definitely heating up, as some local schools are already seeing partial closures due to cases of the flu. The local government has started a massive campaign to vaccinate the most needy Beijingers (see article below). Note that this is the regular flu vaccine, not the H1N1 vaccine, which is not yet …

There’s an excellent health care blog I just discovered, at AsiaHealthCareBlog.com. Their posts on the public health aspects of China are very well thought out, with good research to back it up. A couple weeks ago, they wrote about the state of pharmacies in China (link is below). As I mentioned before, China has yet …

Many expats feel that a trip to Tibet is a highlight of their stay in China. It can be a fantastic vacation — but many trips have been ruined by getting altitude sickness. Let’s review what this is, and what medicines you can consider taking to prevent this. Symptoms At elevations over 8,000 feet (2,500 …

The October holiday is approaching, and many people are flying south to enjoy a tropical vacation. It’s important for travelers to be medically prepared so as not to have their trip ruined by diarrhea, fevers, or other illnesses. The mosquito-born illness of malaria is also a concern. Many people take a preventive antibiotic to prevent …

There’s an interesting article in today’s China Daily (link below), regarding a worrisome rise all over China of birth defects. They estimate that 4-6% of babies in China have birth defects; this is higher than the usual 3-4% in most populations. The reasons are complex and not completely understood, but some factors include higher maternal …

With World Rabies Day approaching on September 28th, the U.S. Center for Disease Control has announced a new website geared towards children which discusses the terrible, fatal viral disease of rabies. It’s an extremely kid-friendly and high yield source for children. As I’ve mentioned before in my rabies posts, all Beijing expats, especially parents, should …

I’m a big believer in patient empowerment — having them researching as much as they can about their conditions. Modern doctor-patient relationships are very interactive, and less patriarchal than in previous generations. I think it’s great when patients come in with a lot of internet information. Unfortunately, a lot of what they bring me just …

There’s a lot of evidence accumulating regarding which meats are good, or bad, for your health. We seem to understand the basics but it’s nice to start getting data to back up what common sense tells us. A recent study did indeed suggest what many have thought — that a diet high in red & …

Nasal congestion, whether from the common cold or flu, or chronic allergies, can be the most annoying symptom for many people. A runny nose is usually treated with over the counter nasal sprays such as oxymetazoline (Afrin), which works well for up to half a day; this medicine is good for 3-5 days maximum. Another …

A child’s fever is one of the most common reasons for doctor visits. There are only a couple of medicines that are safe for infants; ibuprofen (aka Motrin) and acetaminophen (aka Tylenol, paracetamol). Which one works best? Recent studies show that ibuprofen 10mg/kg is slightly better than acetaminophen 10mg/kg in terms of more rapid effectiveness, …

I found this website at the U.S. Center for Disease Control; it has a few health pages translated into Chinese that may be useful for your coworkers, ayis, etc. There are quite a few regarding H1N1 and regular flu. Does anyone else have good medical resources in Chinese? By the way, the CDC is a …