When the air outside (and often inside) is so cold it makes your bones hurt and your spirit sag, don’t limit your exercise to mindless treadmill pounding and dumbbell lifting. Yoga has many loyal followers, and there are plenty of places here to ease your mind and stretch your ... Read More
Winter in Shanghai means you’re inside a lot, spending much of your time in smoky bars and restaurants. Bacteria and allergy-provoking agents can lead to conjunctivitis, which is highly infectious and hellishly irritating. Weepy, crusty eyes are annoying and unsightly, and the constant itch is intolerable. Desperate to know ... Read More
“We are paying a fortune in annual health insurance,” my husband, Luca, recently yelped at me. “Please help me figure out a way to lower this cost.” Unfortunately, after some investigation, I unhappily reported to my disappointed hubby that finding a low-cost, family friendly insurance plan in Shanghai is no ... Read More
Did you know that expats can donate blood in Shanghai? We didn’t. Donated blood saves lives; America’s Blood Centers says that in the US, someone needs blood every two seconds and that one pint, extracatable in 10-15 minutes, can help up to three adults. It’s an easy ... Read More
Shanghai’s winters are brutal, and spending lots of time indoors, cooped up with the coughing and germ-ridden, can leave your immune system in rough shape. When it’s compromised, so are your white blood cells, which is what your body uses to fight off infectious diseases. How to maintain ... Read More
The word “hypnosis” may conjure up images of mysterious figures waving pocket watches in front of their patients’ faces, but hypnotherapy is actually a method of behavioral therapy that can work to treat some people’s phobias and addictions. It is a relatively fast and non-medicinal form of treatment and ... Read More
Shanghai isn’t one of those cities where you can turn on the tap and enjoy a glass of water. Chances are you’d end up with problems–from diarrhea to much worse (the city’s water contains an array of pollutants linked to cancer, says the Beijing Tianjin Water ... Read More
It’s those hazy mornings when the skyscrapers are barely visible that you realize just how bad Shanghai’s air really is. Sixteen of the world’s most polluted cities are in China, reports the World Bank, and a look around proves Shanghai’s no peach. It’s a given ... Read More
For many people, acne doesn’t stop when they leave their teenage years behind. While mostly associated with adolescents, persistent skin eruptions can also affect older people. At some stage in life, around 25 percent of men and 50 percent of women will suffer from adult acne, and there has ... Read More