I was deeply involved in public health in Beijing and all of China during my ten years there from 2006-2016. This interview below, from 2014, is a perfect 30-minute summary of my life there, my goals, and how I was trying to make an impact in bringing family medicine to China; providing fact-filled advice about air pollution and food safety; and trying to push the fact that lifestyle choices were still far more important than any public health threat.… Read the rest
Category Archives: Public health
Alcoholism: A Family Scourge
I miss my father. He should be around to be granddad to my wonderful boys, helping me raise them to be good men. But he’s not around, dying far too early, from alcoholic cirrhosis of the liver. Only in his mid-60’s, he was a wonderfully warm-hearted man with a deep belly laugh, very much the average-guy Martin Crane to my Frasier Crane-like stuffiness.… Read the rest
Wildfire Smoke: How To Protect Yourself
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
Which Lifestyle Choice in China Will Kill You First?
If the tooth fairy gave you 10,000 RMB every year in China that you could only spend on your health, what would you buy? Would you get an air purifier? How about a gym membership; an organic delivery service; a daily massage — what would you choose?… Read the rest
Got 3 Minutes? Learn How To Save A Life: The New, Easier CPR
How many of you are terrified at the idea of doing mouth-to-mouth recusitation on strangers? We’ve all seen the doctor TV shows when people drop on the streets from a heart attack, and bystanders start basic life support (hopefully). It’s always a dramatic scene of pounding on the chest and mouth to mouth breathing.… Read the rest
Obesity and Diabetes: How Does Your Country Rank?
It’s no secret that obesity, and its twin sister disease of diabetes, have become epidemics of every modernizing country. I work in a family medicine clinic in China and am now witnessing firsthand the expanding waistlines of Chinese people, as they quickly adopt the “Western” diet.… Read the rest