One of my favorite non-doctor pastimes has always been photography, and I’m pleased to announce my first solo show in China: an exhibition at Cafe Zarah this October. Cafe Zarah, east of the northern tip of Nanluoguxiang on Gulou, is well known to many expats, and owner Julia has an excellent monthly collection of art. My …

How is your health in Beijing compared to your home country? Do you think air pollution is a problem? Are organics overhyped or crucial? Are you happy or unhappy with your expat clinic? You can answer all of these questions in a very simple, 10-question survey I’ve created. It’s called Expat Health Snapshot: Beijing 2010, and …

Beijing’s internet forums are always filled with heated debates as to which air purifier is best: IQAir vs Blueair vs others; import vs local; etc etc. I finally decided to jump into the fray and enter the great debate. As I’ve mentioned in many posts, I am a big fan of indoor air purifiers because I …

How many of you are like myself and take fish oil or flax oil supplements? This is one of the world’s most popular supplements, as many have heard about the health benefits of the main ingredient, omega-3 fatty acid (DHA and EPA). But just how effective is omega-3, and for what diseases? Let’s look at …

You’ve probably never seen these three words together: “Beijing”; “driving” and “relaxing”. But I’m here to spread the good word that sometimes, if you choose carefully, driving around Beijing can indeed be pleasant. So I’ve created a list below of my favorite drives around Beijing, where the journey is just as relaxing and pleasant as …

We’ve been getting a lot of calls from concerned parents regarding the local campaign to vaccinate all schoolkids with measles vaccines. As far as I understand, this is voluntary for students. Firstly, people should understand that there is no crisis of a sudden measles outbreak; this is simply a national campaign to wipe out measles, …

I’ve often written about how Beijingers may need a good filtration mask on the really bad days here, but it’s difficult to find good ones. I’ve usually recommended any official N95 mask, and I consider the 3M company to be the most professional company for these. Unfortunately, they are much more geared for construction teams …

Everyone knows about CPR — cardiopulmonary recusitation. We see it on TV and movies all the time; someone drops to the ground unconscious, and people start to perform chest compressions and mouth-to-mouth breathing to keep them alive. It looks great on TV, but in real life the survival rate is very low — mostly because …

I recently wrote about acne and discussed how there wasn’t much evidence linking diet choices with acne. Now I’ve discovered a recent literature review published last year, which does show some linking with acne flares and cow’s milk, as well as high glycemic-index foods. Their review continued to find no correlation with chocolate, fats or …

What works better for acute muscle injury like neck or back strain — ice or heat? Most doctors say that the initial ~48 hours of an injury, with the swelling and achiness, are best treated with ice. But actual research has been fairly scanty. Now, there’s an interesting new study which helps find some real answers. …

All Health Care Practitioners, both expats and Chinese, are welcome to the annual General Medicine Course from October 22-24 at Beijing United Hospital. This year, they are offering a full day of English courses on October 24 in addition to the usual translated courses.  They have compiled an experienced panel of speakers with topics that are …

Welcome back to those of you who enjoyed your summers and are starting a new school year. I’ve collected a list of the top posts of the summer: Top Ten Wellness Tips For Beijing Newcomers: Part Two and Part One (from June) What’s Your Favorite Chinese Medicine? Here’s My List… 太可怕！My Air Quality Journal, Part …