When an old friend from Manila - let's call her Maria - got in touch six weeks ago to ask if I can help with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue, I said yes of course. But when that friend said she will stay in London for two weeks to have acupuncture treatment, I was bowled over by her trust and commitment.

So over these past two weeks, I saw Maria roughly every other day to give her acupuncture. She has suffered from a debilitating constellation of low-grade fevers, muscle/joint aches and pains, sweating, and fatigue for the past 15 years. But it had worsened significantly in the past two years so she could barely walk a few minutes without getting wiped out. All that conventional medicine doctors could offer were painkillers, steroids and antidepressants - at one point Maria was told there was nothing they could do for her any more.

When I told my friend that of course Chinese medicine can help, it's because it sees auto-immune conditions as difficult but not impossible to treat. The incidence of auto-immune diseases such as fibromyalgia, multiple sclerosis, lupus and rheumatoid arthritis has been on the rise, and there is universal agreement among scientists that industrial toxins and chemicals in the environment are interfering with the functioning of our immune systems. According to the UK's National Health Service, fibromyalgia (a long-term condition that causes pain all over the body) is estimated to affect one in 20 people.

I focused on releasing the fever, lowering her temperature, removing toxins, and easing the aches and pains in her body. And over the past two weeks, Maria has got stronger as the sweats and fever abated and pain reduced. Chinese medicine focuses on lifestyle choices as well - part of Maria's work is making changes to the food she eats (her daily medicine!) and learning Qi Gong (Chinese internal exercises that focuses on breathing and simple movements) to circulate and generate energy, allowing her to get stronger and manage her condition.

It was wonderful to see the shift in Maria's energy levels in a short space of time. She was grateful because she hasn't felt this well in 10 years. But I was also grateful to have had an opportunity to see how intensive treatment can work with someone so committed to getting better.

Photo by Christian Fregnan on Unsplash

Everyday we hear about how sugar is bad for us, but for me that message didn't really hit home until January this year when I found out that my blood glucose (or sugar) level is in the pre-diabetic range. You see, type 2 diabetes runs in my family so although I am not overweight, I am genetically predisposed to insulin resistance. This is when the body's tissues become less sensitive to insulin, which is what enables the body to take up glucose from the bloodstream. This leads to uncontrolled high levels of blood glucose, which we know results in serious problems with the kidneys, eyes, skin and the nervous system. Diabetes is a huge problem: the National Health Service spends £2.3bn-2.5bn a year on inpatient care for people with diabetes. That is equivalent to 11% of its budget!

I remember what my favourite biomedicine teacher, Awais Mian, always used to say about diabetes - the lifestyle advice you're given is not just for those with diabetes, it's for everyone who wants good health. This includes a diet rich in fruit and vegetables, with lots of complex carbs and food with a low glycemic index (delivering sugar to the bloodstream slowly). It means saying no to cakes and biscuits. Vigorous exercise is key, and in my case it's fast walking - not the gentle walks that I used to do, but walking fast enough to really raise my heart beat - and swimming. It helps to have a husband who loves swimming and thinks nothing is more fun than an excursion to London Fields Lido on a Sunday morning.

And of course, I also went down the route of  acupuncture and Chinese herbs. This combination of Chinese medicine and lifestyle changes works - I just has a blood test a few weeks ago and my blood sugar level is back to normal. This is probably going to be a lifelong war with sugar, but at the moment the score is Sugar 0 - Tess 1.

January 16th this year is dubbed Blue Monday, that dreaded day in January when credit card bills come to remind you of your Christmas bingeing, the weather remains gloomy, and not a bank holiday in sight until Good Friday on April 14th. And if you started the year with lots of good intentions about watching your alcohol intake, eating more healthily and getting more exercise, what's happening two weeks into the new year?

If you've already broken a resolution, don't despair. Setting goals is great, but it's also important to be kind to yourself. If we want to make a change, we need to realise that it takes time to create long-lasting, sustainable changes. A few days alone will not do it. I read somewhere that it takes a minimum of 21 days of doing something consistently to create a habit. 

So whether you are ditching alcohol, avoiding sugar, going back to the gym, or sticking to your budget, take into account that it takes at least three weeks for a habit to form. And ask yourself, what kind of support do you need?

Chinese medicine is a great ally when it comes to supporting you with your health objectives. As an acupuncturist, I see my role not so much as a healer as much as an enabler or a supporter. 

Because Chinese medicine is such a flexible medicine, it can help with myriad conditions such as relieving stress, improving sleep, optimising your digestive functions (thus helping with weight loss), boosting immunity. This beautiful medicine treats the whole person, not just an illness. A patient (whom I've been treating for stress relief) told me the other day that because he felt less bloated and more energetic (and more relaxed), he was more motivated to exercise more and eat better. What a lovely way to start the year!

I knew as soon as I saw my boss when I met him last week (I am still doing my old, pre-acupuncture job on a part-time basis) that I will catch his bug. He looked rough and was coughing and sneezing terribly, and I was going to spend the next six hours talking and interacting with him.

Oh great, just what I need, another cold. So after I got home, I pulled together my arsenal of nature's anti-cough ingredients. My friend Ginie swears by this remedy and posted the following online recipe that anyone can use as a rough guide (http://gwens-nest.com/cough-remedy/).

I mixed raw honey, garlic, ginger, lemon, turmeric and black pepper and kept it in a jar for me to take a spoonful every time I'm in the kitchen. I thought it tasted wonderful despite the strong garlic/ginger taste, though my husband was not so impressed!

The ancient Chinese believed that food is another form of medicine, along with herbs, acupuncture, tui na (medical massage), cupping, and health cultivation. It is wonderful how you can take basic kitchen items and take advantage of their natural antibacterial, antiviral and anti-inflamatory properties.

Do try to find raw honey as it has the ability to dry up mucus (but do not give to infants). Garlic is great for the common cold as it has antiviral, antibiotic and diaphoretic (induces sweating) properties. Turmeric has important healing properties: curcumin, the primary ingredient which gives it its yellow colour, has anti-inflammatory  and antioxidant qualities. Take turmeric with black pepper to help increase absorption.

Four days later, I am still coughing but I am hoping that this homemade remedy, some Chinese medicinal tea, and plenty of rest will speed up the healing process. 

Happy new year, everyone! I hope you all had a festive celebration and good rest, and ready to face 2016 tomorrow morning, the first working day of the new year.

I've had a great break but I must confess that all my Chinese medicine training has not stopped me from falling prey to the dreaded Eating-far-too-much-rich-food-while-on-holiday disease. My family and I spent a wonderful week in Lisbon, where a good friend showed us the sights and sounds of this beautiful city by the Tagus river.

I was also excited because I adore Portuguese food, having spent so much time in Macau while living in Hong Kong many moons ago. In fact, I got married in Macau and our our wedding feast was a happy marriage of Chinese and Portuguese food. So fast forward to 19 years later, and there I was, gorging on octopus and squid cooked in olive oil and cilantro, braised pork and clams, lots of fried potatoes, lots of vinho verde, endless pastel de nata. Oh Tess, you should have known better!

I always tell my patients to eat moderately, avoid foods that are too oily or Damp-forming (dairy and sugar are the main culprits for Damp, a climatic condition in Chinese medicine that is a source of disease), minimise alcohol (causes the build-up of Heat), and eat in a calm and relaxed atmosphere (put away those electronic gadgets!). In my gluttony, I managed to forget all about that in the first few days, and the result, shall we say, was a very unhappy digestive system. In my case, that was Damp-Heat in the Stomach.

I will still make caldo verde at home, that wonderful soup made of kale and potatoes, and indulge in Alentejo wines, but I will remember to be sensible and not overdo it.

It became apparent very quickly after arriving in Harbin that the local cuisine is all about one thing. Fried, preferably deep-fried. Actually, make that two things. Fried and salty. The perfect combination if you want to have high blood pressure.

Hypertension is the main reason why people have stroke. If you have been eating the typical Harbin cuisine all your life, you are bound to have an unhealthy blood pressure. Add to that the Harbin fondness for meat and alcohol (think of those cold winters that you have to get through), and it certainly explains why the hospitals have got very good at treating stroke patients with a combination of Western and Chinese medicine. Because there are so many of these patients!

What you need to do is have lots of fruit and vegetables and prepare them very simply. I like wandering around the local street markets to see what is in season. Unfortunately I live in student accommodation without a kitchen, so am reliant on the university dining halls and local restaurants for food. Eating healthily has been my biggest challenge so far during these past six weeks since starting my hospital placement.

One of our favourite treats now is to go hotpot (or steamboat) restaurants. You sit down on a table with a small stove in the middle. A big pot goes on that, filled with broth. You order plates of vegetables, mushrooms, tofu (and meat if you like), which are placed in the pot until they are cooked. You fish these out and eat them with a sauce that you create from a selection of sauces, herbs and other ingredients. It's a beautiful meal, with no sign of oil anywhere! 

I was in my favourite noodle shop in Central (Hong Kong) for lunch, enjoying a bowl of king prawn dumpling noodle, a side order of green vegetables with oyster sauce, and a glass of soya milk. Delicious and nutritious fast food, and relatively cheap at HK$49 (£3.79). 

I couldn't help wondering why anyone would prefer your typical Western fast food like McDonald's or KFC, except I've just been told that a Big Mac meal with fries and Coke is still the cheaper option at about HK£25 (£1.94). What a depressing thought.

In seven days I'll be crossing the border into mainland China, taking the sleeper train from Hong Kong to Beijing. I wonder what the fast food situation is like. What am I going to be eating?!