Suddenly, winter has arrived, and my half-hour bike commute to BJU clinic is a lot less fun. So I’m dry cleaning last year’s new toy: a ginormous below-the-knee down coat I had made at Jingkelung for only 500 RMB. I also tricked out my bike with those fluffy handle mitts, plus a pair of pleather …

So my little baby is now a toddler; as of this week, MyHealth Beijing is two years old. Looking back on this surprisingly fast time, I’m really pleased with the response I’ve gotten from many in the community, and I’m deeply thankful to all of you for your support. The number of visitors have been …

After a bit of relaxation (Jiuzhaigou national park is spectacular), and a touch of Chinese language immersion (never enough), I have finally started work at my new family medicine clinic at Beijing United Family Hospital. Moving my practice to BJU is a very natural extension for me; in my four years taking care of children …

I’ve discussed many wellness topics on my expat health blog, but the major interest — by far — is air pollution. Beijingers are thirsty for quality information about air quality, especially regarding how could it affect their children. Let’s review the data now and also talk about healthy steps. In terms of health risks, there …

Which websites do you turn to for health information? There are literally thousands of sites offering advice, but a huge proportion of them are either trying to sell you something or simply don’t provide evidence-based recommendations. So here are my favorite websites for parents to find the best health advice for their family. My #1 …

I love meat. Looooove it. I would never consider going full vegan. At least, I’ve always said that, until… …until a couple weeks ago when I was in Carrefour’s meat section, doing my usual food shopping. For some strange reason, I kept staring at this messy pile of plucked chickens, with small tufts of hair …

Let’s counter recent SMS misinformation with real facts, shall we? I found one website (click here) which posts hourly updates of the radiation numbers in each prefecture in Japan. Also, here are three images below from Austria’s Central Institute for Meteorology and Geodynamics, which show a time-lapse estimated projection of the Japanese radiation exposure headed mostly …

It’s been a hectic couple days, but at least for today there is no radioactive cloud approaching Beijing. But this certainly is bringing up a good debate about what to do in case this actually happens. Usually, if a community is exposed, people are given potassium iodide to take just before and during exposure. Things …

I wish you all a relaxing, restful Chinese new year! I will be taking a bit of a break as well. I personally had a great Year of the Tiger and look forward to next year’s adventures here in Beijing!

Today, January 20th, is dàhán (大寒), “big cold” on the Chinese solar calendar. This is traditionally considered the coldest day of the year, and I won’t argue with that — it’s darn cold. So, on these deep winter days, I thought I’d share with my readers my favorite relief: a trip to a local hot …

Let’s face it, living as an expat can put some severe stressors on relationships. I’ve seen far too many relationship problems in my family practice here, but here’s a positive article from the New York Times that I wanted to share with you. The reporter talks about research showing how many good marriages use a …

So how was your 2010 here in Beijing? Do you feel more or less healthy? For me personally, it was a continuing slow improvement of my overall wellness, and I continue to be fortunate in having no major illnesses. I did make a few changes which I’d like to share with readers (and perhaps you …