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 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 …

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 …

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 …

Do you or a loved one suffer from arthritis pains? Arthritis is common for many people, especially as we get older and add wear and tear to our joints. Elderly people are also at higher risk of falls. So anything to help decrease pain and fall risk, as well as help your quality of life, …

Last week, 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 wanted …

Everyone knows that there is very little that Western medicine can offer for the common cold and flu. And every Chinese person is similarly convinced that famous Chinese medicines like ban lan gan ke li, yin qiao jie du pian, or gan mao qing re ke li work really well for similar symptoms. As a …