Reminiscences

About the author Privacy policies, terms, and conditions   A couple of days ago, I wrote about Spironolactone - a super drug for the treatment of acne. This is not the end of the acne fighting struggle: Spironolactone is not effective in curing  stubborn acne that has already formed, and cannot help remove thick tissues that sometimes form in areas where the pimples once were.  In rare cases, the thick tissue may take the form of a small keloid . It should not happen frequently but is extremely frustrating when it does: the keloid may have a rubbery texture and may be darker in color than the surrounding skin. It would be a painful reminder of what was there and has not completely vanished. This happened to me several times when I still had some stubborn acne that did not heal easily on its own. My dermatologist in Hong Kong (last named Yip, whom, last time I checked, is still working) performed cryosurgery on the keloid tissue, i.e....

About the author Privacy policies, terms, and conditions For a long time, I've wanted to write about spironolactone for acne treatment. I've found it to be the most, perhaps only, way to cure acne for at least a sizeable sector of women acne sufferers. While there  seem to be enough testimonies to its effectiveness on the Internet, one more would not hurt. Those who are contemplating this treatment can feel more motivated to for for it when they come across my blog. If you are a persistent acne patient, and have tried over-the-counter medicines and oral antibiotics but to no avail, you might not need to turn to Accutane, which I heard is a scary drug.  Acne in many women is caused by hormones.  Spironolactone seems, from what I observed, the ultimate cure with the least side effects. In my case, it seems to have had no side effect at all. I have heard of this medicine for some time. Yet I always turned to antibiotics such as meocyclin...

About the author Privacy policies, terms, and conditions During my month-long visit to Vancouver, I dined at the same restaurant multiple times. Let me tell you the reasons. :)  One evening, I just finished penning a new essay for an American think tank, and so I decided not to do my cooking as usual. I went to this place is called ETEA Cafe , located on 3281 E 22nd Ave, in Vancouver (Renfrew-Collingwood).  As the name would suggest, this is not a place for fine dining. ETEA Cafe is indeed a fast food restaurant. In fact, it is advertised as a Taiwanese bubble tea restaurant. The night before, I went out past 9 pm and only two restaurants were open in the neighborhood: this one and a Korean restaurant. I went for the latter: Damn! Their food was meh and it was a total rip-off! (please picture this: flavorless udon noodles with two shrimps and two oysters costing over $15 excluding tax and tip!) ETEA Cafe is a very pleasant surprise. So hungr...