Insights and Updates

In 2010, chronic disease accounted for 85% of all deaths in China; 45% of chronic-disease deaths occurred before age 70; and chronic disease caused 70% of the total disease burden. It is estimated that in 2010 China had over 200 million people with hypertension, 120…

Before writing this, I must state that I am not a qualified father myself, and the education I give my son may not be right. The views here are for reference only and open to debate. I write because parents troubled by family education have…

Every morning at three or four I rise and, in the dead quiet, read alone in the living room to start the day. Around six I prepare breakfast for the family; after breakfast I see my wife to the shuttle bus stop, then stop by…

Pain in the hypochondria caused by various acute and chronic hepatobiliary diseases, gastritis, reflux esophagitis, gastric neurosis, or coronary heart disease is often attributed in Chinese medicine to liver depression and qi stagnation. The treatment principle is to spread the liver, move qi, and stop…

Patients and families often ask me about the efficacy of folk remedies. Usually behind each remedy lies a miracle story of a cancer patient's recovery, but in my ten-plus years of practice I have never seen a single verified case of anyone reproducing such a…

Erchen Tang comes from Taiping Huimin Heji Jufang, and the patent medicine Erchen Wan, based on this formula, is sold on the market. Erchen Wan is the representative Chinese medicine formula for damp-phlegm. It consists of six herbs: Fabanxia (processed Pinellia), Huajuhong (tangerine red peel),…

Today is the forty-first birthday of Mr. Nicholas Stephenson Maimaiti Zhou Ergou. Before dawn, while all was quiet save for the chirping of autumn insects, he was already up. In his heart he said to himself: "Happy birthday, Nicholas Stephenson Maimaiti Zhou Ergou." It was…

People keep asking me this, and I have always felt such questions must be answered with great care, because many Chinese easily mistake religious faith for superstition. In reality, many religious believers are indeed superstitious, hoping that praying to gods and Buddhas will cure their…

Heshouwu (Fallopia multiflora / Fo-ti) is a household-name Chinese herb. As the name suggests, many believe it turns white hair black, to the point that shampoos advertise Heshouwu extract as restoring dark hair. Most people know Heshouwu as a tonic, but not that it also…

Tongyou Tang is a classic formula by the Jin-Yuan physician Li Dongyuan. It moistens dryness and unblocks obstruction, nourishes yin and blood, resolves stasis and breaks concretions. It is indicated for gastrointestinal dryness-heat with damaged yin fluids and failure of downbearing, presenting as dysphagia, constipation,…