If you are going to work with Singaporean colleagues you will probably run into a different perception of 'health' and what is 'healthy' soon. For the Chinese healthy living is defined as keeping the balance between Yin and Yang, Yin representing passive, feminine and cold qualities and Yang active, masculine and hot.
Many foods are considered as either 'heaty' or 'cooling' and if you have a cough you'll be advised against one or the other group. Which one is which is somethimes a bit counter-intuitive though. At the bottom of this page a short non-exhaustive list of examples.
You may be thinking about using more traditional ways to improve your health while in Singapore, Asian traditional medicine in general and traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) in particular has had a lot of (renewed) interest in the last years.
Singapore, with it’s many ethnic groups has many different types of healthcare available though they are not always easy to find or recognise. The ones we mention here are relatively ‘mainstream’ and can also be found in many Western countries today. Some insurances may even cover some of these cures (if it’s not considered too much of a spa treatment). Some are - briefly;
Based on the concept of “qi” or energy flows acupuncture aims to restore a disturbed balance between energy and blood circulations or remove ‘blockages’. The concept of balance, ‘yin and yang’, lies at the root of this. Acupuncture has made a lot of progress in ‘modern’ medicine and is practiced in many countries, sometimes by regular physicians.
Foot reflexology is not something typically Asian, in the 19th century in Europe the relation between ‘stimulating’ the soles of the feet and total wellbeing was also made but the ‘details’ are different. You will see the charts in the windows here showing the relation between parts of your feet and the body. Reflexology can take the form of walking on special paths (check the National Parks Board), on special shoes or specialised massages.
Bit of a difficult term, basically encompassing everything from herbal medicine to the use of herbal wraps. There are still many shops in Singapore selling ingredients for traditional medicine such as ground bone of …. something. Some forms of herbology even use only certain types and combinations of tea.
Coming from centuries of tradition and experience some of these will work but using traditional medicine is not entirely without danger, particularly if you also use ‘modern’ medicine at the same time. In Singapore everything is however fairly well regulated.
Less of a cure than a prevention Tai-Chi is a low-impact exercise aiming to ensure a balance between mind and body. It is under renewed attention in Singapore and though not in the numbers you can see in China groups of, mainly elderly, people practicing it can be seen early in the morning, it definitely looks relaxing.
Heaty
Vegetables: carrot, leek, onion, shallots, spring onion, watercress
Fruits: apricots, blackberries, black currant, cherries, mangoes, strawberies, peaches
Herbs: basil, bay leaf, dill, caraway seed, cardamon |
Cooling
Vegetables: broccoli, cauliflower, zuccini, corn, aspeagus, button mushrooms, radish, lettuce, cucumber, celery, aubergine, spinach, cabbage, pak choi, kelp, seaweed
Fruits: melons, apples, tomatoes, citrus fruits, persimmon, pears, bananas, pineapple, coconut
Herbs: most teas, white peppercorn, marjoram, tarragon, tumeric |
Neutral
Vegetables: Brussels sprouts, beetroot, pumpkin, snow peas sweet potato, taro, turnip
Fruits: dates, figs, grapes, guava, papaya, plums, raspberries, raisins
Herbs: fennel, parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme
Others: brown rice, kidney beans, almonds, peanuts |
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