This morning was spent looking around some inpatient departments and discussing western and Traditional protocols. There are some ideas which are really traditional, like the benefit of treating seasonally, so for example in the asthma clinic they are treated with herbs taped on to acupuncture points to warm the qi, this is especially beneficial in the summer because it is already warm, so warmth plus more warmth is considered particularly beneficial. The patients who have been in this hospital for asthma will come in for season treatments, this can take a few years, but the patients often get a lot better long term by being treated this way. All departments give healthy lifestyle advice, so alongside the obvious stuff for a stroke patient like don't smoke and drink will be dietary stuff that will improve the blood, so recipes that can be done at home. Same in oncology and other departments. This is the type of stuff we are missing in our advice at home so it is good to hear it being practised so seriously.