Life and Leisure

Doctor's family recharges in Asia

By Mike Peters (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-10-17 10:00

To your health

In her profession, Hosoda says, she frequently encounters expats who worry about their health while living in China.

Her advice:

Don't panic:"Despite some of the things you hear, in China's big cities you can get the quality medical care and medicines that you are used to." If you don't speak Chinese and you are not at a Western hospital, a Chinese friend can help communicate your needs.

Get key vaccines:Inoculation for Japanese encephalitis and rabies are highly recommended. While rabies cases declined last year, "it's a big public health problem in China, especially in the countryside. You don't want to be out hiking or visiting a village and get bitten by a dog without having rabies vaccinations."

Get drugs from reliable sources:"The World Health Organization has approved the quality of the made-in-China vaccines reputable clinics use, and we have given hundreds of them to patients without significant problems."

Pace yourself:"Most visitors to Beijing go to one extreme or the other. They are either afraid of the pollution and the food and they stay indoors all the time and eat Western food, or they rush out and try to see every temple and mountain right away.

"Don't try to do too much at once," she says. "Going with the flow is the way to stay healthy."