Click on the arrow below to listen, or click here. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is having a really good week. And a really bad week. On the Sept 26th Beijing Hour show (audio podcast is above), Paul and I talk about two major news stories this week regarding TCM. The good news comes from a prestigious …

A while back, I discussed Chinese herbs and the flu, and the difficulties I had in finding excellent studies either for or against their effectiveness. After that post, I was introduced to Dr Greg Livingston, an American doctor trained in Chinese Medicine and practicing in Hangzhou. We’ve had a fascinating discussion via email that I …

I’m happy to announce that naturopathic doctor Melissa Rodriguez is now offering her services here at the International Medical Center. What is naturopathic medicine, you may ask? Here’s Melissa’s excellent review: These days many people know about the availability of natural medicines like herbal remedies, homeopathy, and the use of vitamins and minerals to treat …

I’m sure that many of you are interested in Chinese medicine but, like me, have trouble finding good resources to educate ourselves. I just finished a new illustrated book published in 2008 which makes learning about Chinese medicine almost fun. Almost. It’s called The Illustrated Book of Traditional Chinese Cultivation of Health. I recommend it …

One of my continuing goals in China is to find traditional Chinese medicines and practices that I can integrate into my Western, allopathic-style family practice. As I’ve reported a few times, I’ve been struggling to find Chinese herbal medicines that I am comfortable prescribing, usually due to lack of evidence for a clear benefit. As …

Honestly, I’ve tried. I’ve really tried to dabble with Chinese medicines, but after almost four years of practicing medicine here in Beijing, I must admit that I am comfortable prescribing only a few. That could mean a couple things: I’m too lazy to research I’m too busy to research I’ve tried to research but can’t …

There are so many complementary treatments out there, it’s simply impossible to keep up. As an allopathic, Western-trained doctor, I have enough trouble keeping on top of my family medicine literature, so I have even less time to learn about other types of medicine. So, I’ve developed my own screening techniques to weed out good …

The following article is written by guest author and Beijing expat Dr. Melissa Rodriguez, N.D. Her website address is www.drmelissarodriguez.com For many expats, living in a busy metropolitan city like Beijing has many advantages. Benefits include exposure to a different language and culture, a plethora of delicious foods to excite the palate, and the chance …

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 …

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 …

(This is part 3 of new contributor Dr Alan Mease‘s series on Integrative Holistic Medicine. Part 1 and part 2 are here) Integrative holistic medicine is the emerging medicine of the future. Its values are significantly different and are best described by The Declaration for a New Medicine from the Bravewell Collaborative. Declaration for A NEW MEDICINE …

Those of you with high cholesterol will be happy to learn that there are some legitimate options to your statin pills. Many people cannot tolerate the extremely popular statin pills, especially from side effects of muscle aches. But there’s now some very strong evidence that herbal medicines, including red yeast rice, can be at least …