A holistic approach to good health is well within reach

The cold season triggers many ailments, and I am often assailed by bouts of colds and coughs. Very often, my Chinese colleagues urge me to see a doctor of traditional Chinese medicine and take herbal medicines as preventives and cures. But somehow, something or another seems to be holding me back from tapping that route.

Though I have been in China for over a decade, my trysts with TCM have been sparse, barring the few general health herbal medicines prescribed by regular doctors. That, however, has not dulled my interest in or enthusiasm for TCM, or my belief in its amazing restorative properties that most aficionados swear by.

And it indeed should be. After all, it is built on a foundation of more than 2,000 years of practice and includes various forms of herbal medicine, acupuncture, massage, cupping, exercises and psychological therapy.