You hear it over and over again: You cannot get the flu from the flu shot. But it depends on what you mean by cannot get the flu. I will agree that it is true that you cannot get the flu from the actual injection. That’s the kind of thing they can test in a lab. […]

I’ve taken a decent time off from this blog, and for those few readers that noticed, I apologize for my absence. I still have lots more to say, so I’ll try to keep my writing up with my brain. I have wanted to write on October’s outbreak of fungal Meningitis for a while now, especially […]

Late August is a time of abundant harvest, endlessly pale blue skies, yellow flowers, tall grasses, and sultry, humidity. To be entirely honest, I don’t really like it, though not for any of the above in particulars. I love tomatoes and corn, synonymous with the season, but that doesn’t seem to be enough. It could be a fleeting […]

For most of the year, I’m not a huge advocate of “the salad.” I see people ordering icy cold plates of lettuce and raw peppers in January and I can’t help but cringe. But, when we finally hit summer’s muggy humid heat, when bare feet become the footwear of choice and gardens offer up endless […]

For whatever reason, it has become normal to dehusk one’s corn in-store. There are very few things that irk me the way that this does (The song Call Me Maybe being one of them). “But it’s so much easier to just do it there,” you whine, “and I avoid getting those little corn silky things […]

Here’s a common question/lingering fear/excuse for berating my profession: CAN ACUPUNCTURE KILL ME? And that’s completely legit. You should be asking that question. After all, we are dealing with the combination of needles and skin. Still, I have seen the “dangers” of acupuncture presented so far out of proportion that there is a common school […]

It’s mid-summer. Let’s talk heat stroke, shall we? This is the one area you don’t need to have a deep philosophical understanding of Chinese medicine to get. I mean, when you’re hot and feel kind of sick from it, you’d probably love to dump some excess heat. Typical reactions to the malaise, nausea, headache and […]

Last week I wrote on the health benefits of turmeric, and I’ve kind of been obsessed with it ever since. Because of its actions as an anti-inflammatory and, in Chinese medical terms, as a blood mover, it is especially good for women during “that time of the month,” and anyone experiencing chronic pain. Most importantly […]

Turmeric is widely present in many everyday foods (like yellow happy mustard and curry powder), but most Westerners don’t consider it an ingredient. If you do, you likely have only encountered it dried and powdered, an excellent spice in its own right, but vastly different from the fresh juicy rhizome, save for a slight bitter […]

Here’s an interesting new research finding: exercise may be bad for you. Now, I know what you’re thinking. Actually, I know what you might be thinking. It likely falls into one of two camps: Camp A: That’s a load of crap Camp B: Oh thank goodness. Now I can spend more time catching up on […]