Did you know that everything around you is covered in yucky germs? Yep, we all know that, but it’s again verified to scare everyone…

It’s a popular misconception among not just the population but also many doctors, that a greenish runny nose = bacterial infection = the need to take prescription antibiotics. Well,  it’s not true! As this fun New York Times article reviews, the color is more a sign of clumps of  your body’s infection-fighting white cells as …

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 …

We are now deep into winter, and most likely you and your family have already been through a couple rounds of the common colds and flu. What simple tasks can we do to cut down on these inevitable illnesses? There are a lot of home remedies and folklore about preventing the common cold, but let’s …

Here’s another pop quiz: Which scenario below requires antibiotics? A fever for 3 days Cough that turns wet A cough that “gets deeper into my chest” Runny nose that turns yellow The oversimplified answer is “none of the above”, at least not without having a doctor check you out first, to decide whether it’s a …

Winter’s chill is upon us already, and the months ahead can feel very long — but you can fight off the winter blues with a few health tips. One major problem with Beijing’s winters is the dry air. Beijing’s extremely low humidity indoors and outdoors will dry out everyone’s skin and throats. Many of us …

It’s definitely winter season already, at least in terms of a lot of colds going around. I’ve mentioned a lot of preventive medicines on my blog, especially my new favorite, vitamin D. But there may be an even simpler way to cut down on getting the common cold — gargling! Yes, it seems that those …

How many of you have trouble finding such basic health items such as vaseline, epsom salts, heating pads and others? Well, you’re in luck; part of my clinic‘s major renovations this year has involved upgrading our pharmacy to provide a more Walgreens-style consumer-friendly service, and I’m happy to report that we now carry a lot …

It’s that time of year again: flu shots are here. We all are a bit shell-shocked after last year’s H1N1 pandemic madness, and many communities were divided on the pros and cons of the flu vaccine. So who really needs the annual flu shot? There’s actually a very comprehensive new study which should help shed …