Gingko is one of the world’s most popular herbs, mostly taken by older adults due to its reported effects on forestalling the inevitable loss of some brain function, as well as the more serious disease Alzheimers. Is there good evidence? Unfortunately, the best study done so far, just published, says no.… Read the rest
All posts by Dr. Richard Saint Cyr
New Contributor: Dr Alan Mease
This year I would love to add new posts from all interested Beijing (and China) health care providers. I’m pleased to report that this week MHBJ will have a new contributor: Dr Alan Mease. Many Beijingers know him well as he’s been a pediatric doctor at United Family Hospital for 8 years; he has returned from Guangzhou and is now again Chairman of the Department of Pediatrics at UFH.… Read the rest
Plants Can Improve Indoor Air
I’ve talked a lot about indoor air quality, and I’m happy to report that Beijing Kids has an excellent post this week about indoor plants. They discuss a short video from the TED Conference series; this presentation discusses three common house plants and details how efficiently they can remove CO2, create oxygen, and also absorb toxins.… Read the rest
Coffee: Does it Harm or Help?
There’s been a lot of debate over the years over the health benefits of coffee. Now, the trend is towards the positive site, as some well-designed studies show benefit in some diseases.… Read the rest
What Works For The Common Cold?
It’s definitely common cold season. So, it’s a good time to review what treatments actually work for the common cold. The New York Times has a nice review today (Patient Money – Tips to Treat a Cold or Flu, With Your Wallet in Mind) of treatments for the common cold.… Read the rest
My Top Ten Health Information Sites
It’s a new year, and new years are always a fun time for top ten lists. So, I thought I’d share with everyone my favorite health-consumer websites. There’s a lot of bad information out there, and with these websites you can have fair reassurance that the information is vetted by physicians, is up to date, and has little direct commercial agenda.… Read the rest