News & Lifestyle
Visitors from Hong Kong
Posted on 14/11/2012
Young doctors & students interested in TCM's place in Europe visited Clinic
Happy New Year and Spring Festival!
Posted on 27/01/2012
Xin Nian Hao! A look at the Chinese New Year traditions and celebrations.
The Chinese Language and Turtle's Feet!
Posted on 15/06/2011
An interesting language and life update from our overseas practitioner, in Taipei, Paola Campenelli.
Winter Diet
Posted on 23/11/2009
As you move into Winter, you need to adjust your diet as the weather is colder so a diet that produces more heat is necessary. The Winter diet should be warming and substantial, with more wholegrains, less fruit, lots of steamed...
A Nice Cup of Tea
Posted on 11/06/2008
In a study of 497 men and 540 women, 30 years and older, those with a history of tea consumption of between 6 and 10 years showed higher bone mineral density of the lumbar spine than non tea drinkers, and those with over 10 years history of tea consumption showed the highest bone mineral density in all measured regions of the body. (Arch Intern Med. 2002;162:1001-1006).
Chocolate, Chocolate....and More Chocolate!
Posted on 04/06/2008
Cocoa, a key ingredient in most chocolate products, is rich in flavonoids - a natural plant substance that has antioxidant properties. Some flavonoids may have anti-inflammatory effects similar to aspirin. Low concentrations of these flavonoids can reduce platelet activity in the blood, thereby lowering the risk of blood clots. In a study of healthy, nonsmoking adults with no history of heart disease, researchers at the University of California, Davis, found that platelet activation was inhibited 2 hours and 6 hours after ingestion of a cocoa-enriched beverage. These results suggest that for healthy people, moderate intake of chocolate over the long-term may inhibit platelet activity and ultimately reduce the risk of heart disease.
Benefits of Alcohol
Posted on 04/06/2008
Drinking small quantities of alcohol at least three or four times a week could protect men from having a heart attack. Researchers from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and the Harvard School of Public Health Study have found that men who drank moderate amounts of alcohol three or more times a week were up to 35% less likely to have a myocardial infarction than non-drinkers. The researchers tracked the drinking habits of nearly 40,000 men over a 12-year period and looked at the effects of drinking red wine, white wine, beer and spirits. They found that no single type of beverage was better than the other, and drinking with meals made no difference. Frequent consumption was thought to be more effective because alcohol"s effect on clotting and platelets was short-lived. (New England Journal of Medicine. 2003 Jan 9;348(2):109-118)
Love Is All You Need
Posted on 04/06/2008
According to the great Chinese physician Sun Simiao (581 to 682 CE) people have illness "because they do not have love in their life and are not cherished". Now Dr. Dean Ornish (author of Love and Survival), a surgeon who gave up traditional approaches to heart disease in favor of a holistic programme of low-fat diet, exercise and support groups states "those who feel lonely, depressed or isolated are three to five times more likely to suffer premature death or disease. I don't know of anything else across medicine that has such a broad and powerful impact."