Most expats probably remember the late 2008′s food safety scare regarding melamine in milk products (especially formula) causing kidney problems in hundreds of thousands of Chinese infants. Unfortunately, it seems that we still need to be concerned about milk products in China, as the Chinese papers have been detailing yet another resurgence in the illegal …

I found an interesting post from True/Slant that reviews the 2009 literature in psychology and chose their favorite top ten articles. The author discusses some fascinating studies which center on issues such as: Playing video games could be an unlikely cure for psychological trauma. Turns out, saying you’re sorry really is important—and not just to …

Those of you interested in China’s food industry may want to check out a new paper discussing the current state of China’s retail food sector. The US Foreign Agricultural Service has a great collection of their Global Agricultural Information Network reports (called GAIN Reports). They recently published their new analysis of China’s retail food sector. The …

Parents always face this dilemma: “half a teaspoon” or “one tablespoon” of medicine for their child. But it’s fairly obvious that spoons now come in all shapes and sizes, so perhaps your child isn’t getting the correct dose. Now, a new study shows that there is a lot of variability in those spoons, enough so …

I’m a big fan of tai chi and yoga; they are a wonderful exercise for young and old — especially tai chi for the elderly. They also provide terrific and sustaining lifestyle changes to deal with stress. The Mayo Clinic website just published a nice series of articles about tai chi and yoga that can …

I read an intriguing post recently on the Global Times about a Greenpeace investigation into China’s foreign-owned supermarket chains. This Greenpeace “Supermarket List for China” ranked the 15 largest supermarkets based on categories such as pesticides and GM foods. The report had Wal-Mart, Tesco, and Ito-Yokado rank at the bottom of the list, while Carrefour, …

All you runners spending a paycheck on the latest running gear may want to know that mounting evidence suggests barefoot is better. There’s a fascinating review in the latest Scientific American (Observations: Running barefoot is better, researchers find) that reviews the latest medical literature, including a recent article in Nature that analyzed stress patterns of …

People often ask me, “is your medical practice different in China compared to the U.S.?” Finally, after working in China for three years, I can now answer you with a definitive yes — and no. And sometimes Y… OK, What’s Different? #1 Difference: Chinese patient expectations – Last week I had another of many similar …

Here’s part two of that interview on BON TV’s Easy China talk show, discussing air pollution in Beijing. Part 1 is here. Highlights of part 2: myths of air pollution(4:00); children’s risks (8:00); indoor air treatments (9:00); air purifier quality (19:30); The Great London Smog of 1952 (24:00).  The screen is too big below, but you can right-click …

Every once in a while, children and adults feel a lot of pressure or pain in their ears, and thick wax clogs their ear canal and needs to be removed. Doctors can try to scoop or rinse it out, but many over-the-counter drops can soften it up. But which one works best? This was reviewed …

(The following is from guest contributor Chris Buckley) The air quality index from the US Embassy (AQI) that many of us are familiar with is based on particles suspended in the air (PM2.5, meaning particles smaller than 2.5 microns). Now the Embassy has added a second AQI for ozone to the particle measurement. The new …

I mentioned a couple days ago that I recently had a fun hour on BON TV’s Easy China talk show, discussing air pollution in Beijing. Here’s the video feed from part two. Each segment is 30 minutes long. The screen is too big below, but you can right-click over the video and get full screen. …