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What will happen if the US adopted herd immunity on Covid-19, and how likely is it going to happen?

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Let’s do a quick math: herd immunity requires minimum infection rate of 70%. Take US population as 300 million, so this means 210 million people infected. Assume a minimum mortality rate of 1%, the total number of death will be 2.1 million. However, the prerequisite of the 1% mortality rate are:

  1. No collapse in the medical system
  2. Sufficient supply of materials
  3. Stable social order
  4. Stable economy and stock market and
  5. Efficient government operation

Otherwise mortality rate of almost 10% in Italy would be a reference. After herd immunity was over, will the US still be able to maintain its dominance in the world?

As President Trump mentioned in a press briefing that the U.S. coronavirus death toll could have reached 2.2 million without social distancing restrictions, and it would signal “we all together have done a very good job” if the number was limited to 100,000–200,000.

Take Italy as an example, which is currently closest to herd immunity (according to available truthful data). The Italian population is about 60 million, herd immunity will mean an infection of 42 million, with mortality rate of 10%, the death toll would be 4.2 million. Right now, infection case is about 100,000 in Italy. Considering increased number of testing and asymptomatic cases, a maximum of 6.4 million people may have been infected, which is still far away from 42 million people.

Presently most countries have adopted lockout and the infection curves have flattened. So it may take many years for the infection rate to reach 70%. If lockout was removed, which appears only a matter of time, the real infection curve could head upward again.

On the other hand, what if herd immunity did happen in Italy but not its neighbors like Switzerland, Spain or France? Should they continue to shut down the entire country and build a wall on the border?

Furthermore, human understanding of Covid-19 is still simple and lack of imagination. As the strangest virus in human history, it has refreshed horizons of human beings in just a few months. What if antibody of the virus had a limited duration, the virus mutated, or the virus suddenly disappeared? Hundreds of thousands of people would have died in vain?

The only hope for herd immunity are vaccines and specific medicines, but we all need to prepare for the worst.

Why hasn’t the US started importing masks from China, arguably the only country capable of relieving American mask shortage?

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Chinese company sued for exporting masks to the U.S.

There is a small company in China with its own factory, which does not have much awareness of patent. Recently, it was sued by a U.S. company for patent infringement for a recent export of masks to America. The US company does not have capacity to manufacture masks, but it has patent on masks.

The American company stated that: “Give us a sum of money and we will withdraw the lawsuit.”

But the total sales of the goods are not even enough to cover the proposed settlement amount.

With this precedent, the number of companies willing to export masks to the United States would be even less. At the time of global pandemic, this would not help relieve the urgent needs for medical equipment in the United States.

But certain American companies care nothing about health of the Americans; they just want to make a buck.

The Chinese standard of masks- KN95 is basically equivalent to N95 (American standard), but different interpretations of two standards in different regions.

Even the US CDC has stated that effectiveness of the KN95 mask is the same as that of the N95, and it is one of the many “suitable alternatives” of N95 masks, which are “in short supply.” According to 3M, the world’s largest mask manufacturer, KN95 is “equivalent” to N95 masks and “can be expected to be very similar in function.”

On March 17, 2020, the US CDC announced a “Strategy for Optimizing the Supply of N95 Respirators: Crisis / Alternative Strategy”, which approved masks of the same level as N95 from other countries can be used in the United States. The list includes Brazil, South Korea, Japan, Australia , Europe, Mexico and China, a total of 7 countries and regions.

However, on March 28, the US FDA launched a new “Emergency-Use-Administration” (EUA), which states that respirator products from only 6 countries and regions can meet the US standards, and excluded China from the list.

On the other hand, in a news conference on March 31, President Trump discussed the potential needs of Americans to wear masks, and said Americans “can wear scarves” instead of masks.

“You can use a scarf, a lot of people have scarves and you can use a scarf. A scarf would be very good.“

When asked if he would recommend all Americans to wear masks, Trump said: “My feeling is if people want to do it there’s certainly no harm to it. I would say do it. Use a scarf if you want rather than going out and getting a mask.“

This article was originally posted on Quora.

Moxibustion and Back Pain

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The following is an article from ‘Yahoo Lifestyle Austrailia‘, which shows a real case of moxibustion working on pack pain.


“I Tried Moxibustion, and It Calmed My Anxiety and Back Pain Immediately!”

An acupuncturist sticks pieces of burning plant roots on my shins and the bottoms of my feet to help calm my back pain and anxiety – it’s a practice called moxibustion, and it’s my favorite form of self-care.

If you’re unfamiliar with the technique, moxibustion is the warming and stimulating of acupuncture points using moxa, a dried Asian herb derived from the mugwort root, and is often incorporated into acupuncture sessions. According to Donna Hernández, a licensed acupuncturist and board-certified herbalist at the Yinova Center in New York City, the 2,000-year-old practice can improve the circulation of blood flow and Qi (what is believed to be one’s life force or energy), as well as aid in relieving pain, fatigue, anxiety, infertility, and digestive disorders.

I stumbled upon moxibustion thanks to a Google search deep dive in a time of desperation. Completely defeated by my mental and physical aches, a slew of holistic-based articles led me to the practice. Now, I always finish my 90-minute sessions with five minutes of moxibustion.

Although moxa comes in many forms, from balms to incense to cones, my acupuncturist uses stick-on moxa, which looks as though the end of a cigarette was placed on a small metal bolt, so it stands up straight. My acupuncturist sticks one onto the center of each of my shins and one at the bottom of both my feet. She then lights the ends and lets them burn down towards my skin.

Once lit, the moxa sticks can cause slight pain in the literal heat of the moment. The root is on fire, so you feel a burning sensation as it shortens toward your skin – but it’s worth it. Trust the process. It shouldn’t actually burn your skin, so always speak up if it gets too painful.

Suspended Moxibustion
Suspended Moxibustion


Hernández clarified that the moxa is placed on the bottom of your feet to warm the Kidney 1 acupuncture point, a calming and nourishing point that helps ease the spirit of the body, ground the patient, and pull out inflammation.

The point below your knees on the center of your shin is called the Stomach 36 point, which is known to aid back pain, Hernández said.

Within the first few seconds of the five-minute practice, the earthy, sage-like smell of the burning root fills the room, and you feel a wave of relaxation come over your body. After, my mind is still, my back is pain-free, and I seemingly float home.

This elevated state of relaxation lasts for a few hours after my acupuncture session, but I do feel that my anxiety and back pain is milder for the following week.

Hernández noted that moxa is very powerful and drying, so it’s important to use sparingly. Although you can partake on your own, it’s wise to learn best practices from a certified acupuncturist first, as moxibustion therapy varies from person-to-person depending on what needs to be remedied.

I have yet to try any holistic treatment that compares to moxibustion; the immediate relief I’ve felt is unparalleled to other practices. I am forever grateful to Google and my acupuncturist for the introduction. Now, I know how to instantly reset my body and mind when I need it most.

How Does TCM Fight Viruses?

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TCM is peculiar in its fight against viruses. Regardless of the type of the virus, TCM first assesses symptoms of invasion of these viruses into the body, such as dizziness, thirst, fever,etc. and determines attributes of the disease (Yin and Yang, Cold and Heat, etc.) based on the symptoms, then treat the symptoms according to these attributes. So when the viruses die the disease would heal. Therefore, from the TCM perspective, there is no need to worry about updated variant of future viruses. Whenever a new virus appears, we can alwaystreat it using the same principle.

TCM treatment is usually achieved by changing internal environment (adjusting Yin, Yang and Five Elements). Therefore, eventually it is the body’s self-healing power that cures adisease. During the past few decades, Western Medicine has been studying various antibiotics to fight cold viruses. But viruses would also adapt to fight against these new antibiotics. In the end, no drugs will be left to use. This is a war that will never end.

Typhoid fever is like an unexpected catastrophe. You can’t predict when it will happen to an individual. We can only try to keep warm, enhance human immunity, and not let chill invade the body. If chill had already invaded, it must be handled properly. There’s no need to take antibiotics each time, or the chill will become source of all diseases.
When prescription of the TaiYang Disease is used to treat a cold, the speed could be very fast. I once knew a friend who was a pharmacist who was very interested in TCM and even got an American TCM license. I asked him: “Do you take Western medicine or Chinese medicine when catching a cold?” He looked at me surprisingly: “How can TCM treat cold?”

Nowadays many doctors of TCM still take Western medicine to treat a cold, the reason is they do not understand the basic TCM classic – “Treatise on Febrile Diseases”.

A male J, about 35 years old, Chinese. One day he had a fever with sore body and cough. The fever still persisted after taking Western medicine, and coughing became even more severe. After three days of torment, he came to see me. After giving him a dose of “Daqing Dragon Soup”, the fever was completely gone within about 30 minutes, so was the feeling of dull pain in his lungs.



This article is based on the content of “Deciphering TCM” by Tongmei Pan; the original book was written in Chinese.

What Is Typhoid Fever in TCM?

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Simply speaking, typhoid fever in TCM is a disease when cold was not completely eradicated. Usually people will ask: “A cold is caused by a virus. What does it have to do with chill/cold?”

Western Medicine believes that colds are caused by viral infections. Therefore, antibiotics must be used to kill these viruses in order to treat the cold. Chinese Medicine practitioners believe that colds are caused by chill/cold, which does not come off too scientific according to Western Medicine. Therefore, many people think that it is impossible for TCM to cure colds.

Is cold caused by viruses? I think this answer is yes and no. I suggest that everyone do an experiment. If you live in San Francisco, try move your bed next to the window at night,open the window, wear only underwear, don’t put any covering on the body, and last for one night. San Francisco’s nights are usually very cold, and after getting up the next day, you will immediately have running and stuffy nose, or even as severe as a fever; this is the typhoid fever. So now is it only relevant to viruses?

Someone may ask why sometimes one member of the family catches a cold and the others would start getting it too. Isn’t it obviously caused by a virus?

In fact, according to TCM cold can be caused by two factors: 1) It was observed that some colds were caused by viruses in ancient times, which was called “plague”. Most plagues CAN be treated by “Seasonal Febrile Disease Theory” of TCM, and with good results. 2) Some colds, however, are caused by exposure to chilly environment.

Therefore, if an individual simply suffers from a cold caused by chill, it can be treated according to theory of “Treatise on Febrile Diseases”; if a cold is caused by plague (virus infection), and the symptoms are the same as typhoid fever, it can still be treated according to theory of “Treatise on Febrile Diseases”. If the symptoms are different, then treatment based on “Seasonal Febrile Disease Theory” would be effective.




This article is based on the content of “Deciphering TCM” by Tongmei Pan; the original book was written in Chinese.

TCM Treatment Is ‘Digging up Diseases’

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At the time an individual is born, theoretically he is completely healthy. Gradually during the course of his growth, many colds are caught; these colds usually do not disappear because of taking of antibiotics, thus hide deep inside the body. After tens or sometimes hundreds of such cases, eventually the ‘Yin’ disease is formed inside the body, as was mentioned in the “Treatise on Febrile Disease”.

Through taking of Chinese Traditional Medicine (CTM), or herbs, the body is able to shake up and expel these diseases, and all the old diseases begin to reappear- those who caught cold in the past would catch it again; those who got pneumonia before would get it again. Facing these unresolved diseases again is a normal phenomenon during treatment.

Therefore, the majority of the illnesses ‘cured’ by western medicine only appear so, but in actuality they ‘hide’ inside the body. It is only through proper treatment of TCM can the old illnesses be dug out and cured, thereby reaching the ultimate goal of eradication. This is the rationale behind ‘Treatment is digging up diseases’.

On the other hand, such treatment method also varies case by case. For young adults, diseases can and must be ‘dug up’, so that complete rehabilitation could be achieved . For middle-aged and elderly, however, it is a different story. Severe confusion would arise if all past diseases that had been accumulated for decades were dug out all at once, unless the patients and their families could fully understand the rationale behind the treatment. Therefore it is sometimes better to leave the diseases intact rather than treating them.

No matter how serious the dug-out diseases, eventually they would exit the body. The cold could be rapidly expelled through take of CTM, or natural rehabilitation could be achieved with adequate rest. It is, however, strongly advised against taking of western medicine again.

Many people, upon digging up of all their diseases, would feel extreme fatigued and drowsy, which is result of repayment of the debt of accumulated sleep deprivation. As long as enough sleep is guaranteed, rehabilitation is only a matter of time. It is strongly advised against take of any stimulant in order to counteract these phenomenon.


This article is based on the content of “Deciphering TCM” by Tongmei Pan; the original book was written in Chinese.

Limitation of TCM Therapies

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1. TCM cannot cure people with unhealthy life style, such as staying up late or even overnight, excessive use of brain, accumulation of stress, depression, drinking ice water, lack of exercise, eating processed foods, excessive take of western medicine, etc.

2. Result of treatment of organic diseases is relatively poor
Records exist that TCM could cure severe life-threatening diseases such as cancer, and with great success, but there are some restricting factors: 

1) These TCM physicians are limited in number;

2) Some of such experiences are restricted by modern medicine management regulations and cannot be popularized in most places in today’s world. For instance, some prescription have been validated to be very effective in treatment of a variety of medium to advanced cancers; however, because of a crucial yet controversial TCM herb medicine of monkshood, whose toxicity is pretty large by modern standard, the difficulty in populating such prescriptions is tremendous.

(Note: once decocted in water for extended periods of time, the toxicity of monkshood is largely reduced and not comparable with that of crude monkshood, but its curative rationale of ‘counteract one toxin with another’ bear immense efficacy against a multitude of stubborn disease).

As a result, when diseases developed to the stage of organic illnesses, very few TCM physicians possess both ability and condition of treatment to restore patient’s health, while the majority of TCM physicians are powerless under such circumstances.

3. The effect is poor when both Chinese traditional medicine (CTM) and Western medicine (WM) are taken at the same time

It has long been the author’s observation that treatment effect is generally poor on patients who take both CTM and WM at the same time. The reason is these belong to medicine of two different system, between which conflicts frequently arise.

Modern WM has invented tens of thousands of drugs, the reciprocity among them are often unclear even to researchers of WM; many patients actually die of the resulting side effects every year. The reciprocity between CTM and WM is even less studied, leaving the risk of their combined usage much greater. For example, to treat cold according to “Treatise on Febrile Disease”, if diagnosed and treated properly, normally within 3 days the patient is expected to reach full recovery. But if antibiotics is taken at the same time, sometimes it would last for weeks without recovery.




This article is based on the content of “Deciphering TCM” by Tongmei Pan; the original book was written in Chinese.

Can Ancient TCM Works Apply to Modern People?

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The answer is it’s not entirely applicable, because there are huge differences between life of ancient and modern people:

1) Time of sleep: 
There was no convenience of electric light in old times, so very few people could stay up all night. Generally people were already sound asleep at 9 PM, and got up as early as 4 to 5 AM.

2) Life style-
Ancient people do not have access to the multitude of entertainment as we do today, such as sound and light stimulation in the form of TV, film, cell phone and internet.

3) No electric products-
Mainly no refrigerator, so ancient people did not have access to ice water or cold food.

4) Means of transportation-
Ancient people did not have vehicles like cars, and had to rely on their feet mostly of the time, which results more exercise than modern people.

5) Food-
There was no chemical fertilizers in old times, so all foods were organic.

6) No Western Medicine in ancient times-
So no one could take both Chinese traditional medicine (CTM) and Western Medicine at the same time.


This article is based on the content of “Deciphering TCM” by Tongmei Pan; the original book was written in Chinese.

Cosmetology Effect of Moxibustion

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Where do you think a person is least afraid of cold?

It is the face. You may understand better if recall people in the ski resort, where almost every part of the body is covered except the face. No matter how cold it is, the face will always be exposed, but you won’t feel cold. Why is it so?

It is because the head and face are the areas where Yang Qi is most abundant. So by strengthening Yang Qi in this region, it would be a shortcut speedy cure.

One of the greatest benefit of moxibustion is it could quickly eliminate acne in the face, especially the acne for the adult women. After several times, your face would turn pink and white, and skin texture would improve perceptibly, which is almos as effective as the expensive cosmetics. Meanwhile, it was also found that chronic and allergic rhinitis that have been dragging for years often improve too.

Granted one must be careful not to touch moxa stick with the skin if you don’t want to leave any scar.

If your constitution is deficient in Yang, you could quickly get local channels dredged via moxibustion, and restore luster to the face. If you are past adolescence and deficient in Yang Qi, then effect of this method would be even more amazing- it could slow down aging and rejuvenate.

Furthermore, moxibustion of the Yintang acupoint could also help you discover other hidden conditions of the body. Then you can combine moxibustion with other methods and obtain unexpected health enhancement effects.

Yintang acupoint
Yintang acupoint


Is It Possible to Perform Moxibustion at Home?

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Because of innate risk factor of moxibustion, primarily the various adverse effect, where some could become very uncomfortable and may take weeks to disappear, such as certain rashes; also in come cases, new symptoms, especially those related to past illnesses of the individual, would emerge again after the treatment is performed, which be very confusing and even frightening. So it is not recommended to perform moxibustion without proper guidance.

However, the overall safety record of moxibustion is pretty high, and even the most serious adverse effect could be eliminated with correct measures. In fact, moxibustion is deemed a relatively safe treatment method of TCM, which includes acupuncture, cupping, scraping theropy, massaging, and herbs.

The greatest challenge of performing it at home actually lies in whether one could obtain proper guidance to sail through various obstacless through moxibustion.

  1. What kind of equipment is to be selected?
  2. Where to get quality moxa/stick?
  3. Which moxibustion method is best based on individual case?
  4. What diseases or conditions can be treated by moxibustion?
  5. How to select acupoints that would best treat disease or conditions?
  6. What are the precautions that need to be followed?
  7. What are the diseases/conditions not suitable for moxibustion?
  8. What kind of adverse effect may happen during and after moxibustion, and how serious can they become? 
  9. Most importantly, if adverse effects did happen, are they treatable? and if so, how to treat them?
  10. Are there any other benefits of moxibustion other than treating diseases/discomforts, such as improve constitution and enhance immune system, so that one would be well equipped against possible pathogenic factor in the future?
  11. If any accidents during moxibustion happens, how to deal with them?
  12. And more…

Therefore, we are providing a consultation service that is targeted at solving all questions and doubts you may have about performing moxibustion at home, so you could fully enjoy the immense benefits that have been proven to be effective for over 2,000 years and on numerous people for a variety of diseases & conditions.

Click Here if you are interested in learning more about our consultation service.