I’m in America right now, visiting my family for the first time in over a year. I’ve been having a wonderful time with them – right up until my older brother casually told me how, a year ago, his cholesterol was checked for the first time and “something was high, like I think my triglycerides …

A few weeks ago I wrote a piece discussing options for smoking cessation, and I specifically plugged varenicline, known as Chantix in most countries (“Champix” here in China), as being perhaps the most effective tool we doctors can now offer. Since my posting, a few drug warnings have come out, and it begs the question: …

Everyone always hears that you need multiple servings of fruits and vegetables for a healthy diet. I remember the older food pyramid in the U.S. recommending 5 servings a day; a couple years ago that increased to 8-9 servings per day. The idea of 8-9 servings a day of anything is discouraging enough to make …

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 …

(Click here for part one, with tips #1-5…) Tip #6: To Every Thing, There Is A Season. Beijing has a surprising variety of all four seasons, which I think is a great thing. Spring and fall, the best times of year here, are unfortunately short, but in general you can expect the same seasonal variations …

I’m always pushing preventive medicine: people can take strong lifestyle measures to literally stave off many diseases, including the biggies of heart disease and cancers. Now, the American Heart Association is seriously pushing prevention in a new campaign focusing on seven good habits. This is a nice shift from the typical emphasis on medicines and surgeries. …

Here’s some good news for everyone: being healthy can lower your risk of coronary heart disease! Yes, this seems obvious that exercising, not smoking, and staying thin will help, but did you know it will reduce your risk 59-77%? Pretty impressive, no? Read on… Coronary heart disease basically means disease leading to heart attacks. This …

There’s an interesting new study published in Lancet this week; in China, the #1 killer is hypertension. This, along with stroke, are common killers all over the world. The problem in China is that treatment levels are much lower than in other countries, especially in rural areas. An easy thing to help high blood pressure …

Heart attacks and stroke combined are the #1 killers in most countries, including China. But there are a lot of lifestyle factors that play into this. In fact, about 90% of your risk for heart attacks and strokes can be modified by your conscious, everyday activities! This should really be an empowering figure for everyone. …