I am very proud to report that this website has been peer-reviewed by the NGO Health On the Net Foundation, and was certified for inclusion in their HONcode list of the most ethical and trustworthy medical websites. More information from them: HON has been created for improving the quality of information intended to both patients …

I find myself in an unexpected position here. As am American, I rarely considered Walmart a place to shop for general products, much less my groceries. I was fortunate to live in the natural paradise of Sonoma and San Francisco, and I had multiple produce stands along my commute to work everyday, with food straight …

No, not the virus — the vaccine. My clinic received our shipment of vaccine for staff members, and I was first in line…of a very short line. Yes, many of my staff chose not to take the vaccine, as well as my wife and a majority of Chinese people polled. It’s humbling that I can’t …

The New York Times has an excellent series of articles, called “Forty Years’ War”, reviewing medicine’s efforts to fight cancer over the last forty years. This weekend’s article reviews the important issue of prevention of breast and prostate cancer. For both diseases, there are well documented studies that show a decrease in new cases of …

I am very pleased with the positive response I’ve received from Beijingers after only four months of this website. I’d like your help in improving it! Please click on the link below: a popup window will lead you through two very quick survey questions. If that doesn’t work, please click on the second link. Each …

It’s impossible for me to ignore the health care debate raging in my home country. One constant theme in the U.S. regarding improving health care is the need for better monitoring of what hospitals and doctors actually do, and which treatments actually work. This is not at all easy to do, but some doctors and …

Yes, we are definitely in flu season. And yes, most of it is probably H1N1. But most everyone is doing fine. I still recommend the vaccine for high risk groups that can get it, but it’s a personal decision, and I can’t even convince my wife to get it! So, let’s focus more on natural …

I’ve mentioned before that there is a new Beijing Healthcare Forum which meets bimonthly at Luce. Here’s our description from the Google group website: We are a group of academics and professionals engaged in projects and enterprises related to health care services.  Our goal is to better inform ourselves and others about emerging trends in …

Here’s a fun new study which kids everywhere can show their parents; chocolate milk is good for your heart! This study, just mentioned in this New York Times column, describes how the study group given skim milk plus cocoa powder had lower levels of inflammatory markers as well as higher levels of the good cholesterol, …

It recently occurred to me that I’ve become a bit of a Doctor Doom and Gloom, so I’m going to lighten things up a little. On weekend posts I’ll focus on what everyone should be doing; relaxing, reconnecting with family, recentering themselves and having fun! So, today’s post is simply a nice photo from my …

The Chinese English language newspaper Global Times today has an article relevant to many expats; there is a wave of fake condoms being sold in smaller shops all over China. I can’t find their internet link but the gist is that recently the police busted a counterfeit condom ring in Shaoyang that was shipping to …

There’s an interesting story today in the New York Times discussing China’s tough approach to fighting H1N1. Their quarantining procedures were some of the strictest in the world and provided a lot of well-publicized headaches for many. Some feel that this indeed did benefit China as it slowed down the spread and allowed China time …