The hottest topic on my blog, apart from air pollution, is always food safety in China. The newspapers are filled almost daily with the latest scandal, or a repeat of old scandals, and it’s a legitimate question to wonder just what is safe to eat. I’d like to share my tips both as a doctor …

A big study shows a 12% rate of “mild” reactions to acupuncture in kids. But is that too high, given the benefits? Listen to find out.

It’s no secret that children all over the world are putting on too much weight; in the US, an astonishing 1/3 of children are overweight or obese. Even in China, the obesity rates for children are dramatically rising. Being overweight as a child can lead to many diseases as an adult, including heart disease, diabetes, …

I’ve been in America for 2 weeks at conventions, and I must admit that I find Boston’s autumn blue skies absolutely thrilling. I’ve literally been oohing and aahing at the deep blue skies, which are radiating the bright orange leaves, crisp green lawn grasses and white picket fences. Life truly is easier to love when …

Today is World Rabies Day, and to promote this important issue I’ve decided to share with you a not-very-hypothetical scenario, along with three different outcomes. Which one would you choose for your precious child? The Scenario:  A 5-year old expat girl gets scratched on the leg by the new family cat. The cat was bought …

A hot news story right now is from California, where students are being forced to get the pertussis booster vaccine or they won’t be allowed in school. This new law was pushed because of a pertussis epidemic which has already killed 11 children, especially in areas like Marin county where vaccination rates had slumped. I’m …

In our crazy-busy expat lives, it’s easy to be distracted from the basics of safety — take seat belts, for example. Even if you want to wear them, it’s almost impossible to find working seat belts in the back of a Beijing taxi. And for those of you with cars, studies show that a surprisingly …

How many parents, when they take their child to the doctor because of an ear infection or a cold, expect to get antibiotics? I’ve seen a fascinating variety of patients and illnesses during my ten years as a family medicine doctor, but this topic of antibiotic overuse is one issue that never seems to end. …

This week on my CRI Radio Beijing Hour podcast, host Paul James and I take another 5-minute dive into the health headlines. This week I talk about yet another food safety scandal, this one involving a type of edible snail called a nassarius snail (see photo) which has sickened many — and killed a few …

Summertime offers wonderful opportunities for outdoor activities, but your skin can take quite a beating. Let’s review the basics of symptoms and treatment.

I’ve been biking to work for all of my five years here in Beijing, and I still love that community connection I feel during my commute. Sandstorms, rainstorms, winter cold – dou meiwenti. I’ll even bike during the bad pollution days, with an N95 mask. But one thing was conspicuously missing: a bike helmet. I have …

I’ve mentioned before that TV viewing can lead to weight gain for children, and now there’s an official policy statement from the American Academy of Pediatrics which reviews the evidence and offers advice to parents and doctors. Called “Children, Adolescents, Obesity, and the Media”, the bottom line is that there is indeed strong evidence that …