If you’re reading this article, you’re probably worried about wildfire smoke nearby. What can you do to protect yourself and your family? I’ve done a lot of research and blogging about air pollution, during my ten years living and practicing family medicine in Beijing, so I hope to share with you now how to protect yourself from wildfire smoke.… Read the rest
Category Archives: Pollution
My TEDx Talk: Yes, You Can Live Healthy in China
“Ideas worth spreading.” That’s the slogan of the amazing TED collection of talks, and when I was invited last October to give a lecture at TEDx at UIBE, I came up with a topic that I hoped could be challenging and inspiring: living in China can be a healthy, positive experience.… Read the rest
Air Pollution 101: Here’s Your Syllabus
Due to the incredible media exposure this week to our emergency pollution, I’ve been inundated with questions from both patients and international media about pollution. There’s still quite a lot of misinformation about pollution, so here are what I consider to be the most high yield, evidence-based and readable articles.… Read the rest
Is PM2.5 From Air Pollution The Same As From Smoking?
I’m facing a bit of a quandary here. Just last week I was bragging about how air pollution isn’t as much a risk factor to health than much less glamorous topics such as overweight and lack of exercise. Since then, of course, we’ve had the biggest public health emergency I’ve seen in my six years here, with air pollution skyrocketing to an astounding 755 AQI and higher in much of northern China.… Read the rest
Potassium Iodide and Radiation Exposure: Who Needs It?
It’s been a hectic couple days, but at least for today there is no radioactive cloud approaching us. 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 take the OTC medicine potassium iodide to use just before and during exposure. … Read the rest
Indoor Plants: Natural Air Purifiers
Are you aware that certain plants can act as natural air purifiers? Indoor air pollution is a serious problem in many communities, especially in cities. But there are also issues with indoor pollutants such as formaldehyde or varnishes that can also cause problems.… Read the rest