I recently experienced a wonderful thing — my first Father’s Day as a father. It was a glorious test of real fatherhood, from a 4 am feeding to a doctor’s visit to us all taking a long afternoon siesta, his drool soaking my Sunday best shirt.… Read the rest
Category Archives: Prevention
Are Chinese Healthier Than Americans?
During these hot summer evenings, my wife and I love to bike around Beijing’s hutongs. On every street corner and in every park, generations of families, friends and neighbors dance en masse, sing along to a classic tune, and chat away while walking — often backwards.… Read the rest
“Leaves Of Three, Let Them Be” — Avoiding Poison Ivy and Oak
“Leaves of three, let them be.” Sounds familiar to many of us, yes? This quote refers to the dreaded poison oak and poison ivy, plants which line the hiking trails and woods of much of the world. To protect themselves from being eaten, these hardy weeds have developed a very effective defense: their shiny leaves are coated in an incredibly reactive oil which causes a severe local, swollen and weeping rash, which often burns but mostly is incredibly itchy.… Read the rest
Natural Ways To Prevent H7N9 And Other Viruses
What can you do right now to prevent getting the flu? As H7N9 continues to dominate our health headlines, I thought I’d continue my refresher course on prevention of this and other viruses. I’ve already discussed the specific tips for preventing H7N9 bird flu as well as getting a good night’s sleep; now let’s go over the actual evidence for the many herbal and non-prescription methods to prevent colds and flu.… Read the rest
Don’t Want To Get H7N9 Flu? Get A Good Night’s Sleep!
As this H7N9 infection slowly gains steam, I thought I’d continue to post some quick updates, on top of my previous article mentioning prevention. I wanted to again mention a fascinating 2009 study from the Archives of Internal Medicine which proved that getting less than 7 hours of sleep dramatically increased your risk of getting infection from common viruses.… Read the rest
Can A Child Be Too Clean? Some Bacteria And Probiotics are Healthy
It usually feels like we live in a toxic world here in Beijing, bombarded daily from the air and what we eat and drink. But what about the other extreme of being too clean? In our zeal to protect our families from toxins and germs, could we be harming as much as helping?… Read the rest