Yoga is considered an exercise that helps with strength, cardiovascular and weight loss in the Western world. In ancient Chinese medicine, however, Yoga was also used as a practice in order to cultivate health. Anyone interested in Yoga, or practising the discipline will recognize that the health related to Yoga also provides nourishment for a better balance towards health.

Balancing the flow of energy that is happening in one's body is the philosophy that forms the basis of Chinese medicine. The incorporation of this medicine doesn't just include the balance of the body; it also includes the relationships of the mind and the spirit that relate to the body. All are considered to be intertwined and when the energy flow of one area is off, it changes the energy flow of the entire system.

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Kevin O'Connor lounges in Tai Pan, a posh massage parlor in Beijing. Cradling a cup of tea, he chats softly with the woman digging into his toes. Mr. O'Connor loves a good foot massage. He visits this sanctuary every two or three weeks, often with friends.

"Part of it is relaxation, part of it is social. They serve Chinese noodles, rice dishes. It can turn into a two- or three-hour experience," he says with a laugh.

You'd need a foot massage, too, if you had his job: mapping out Caterpillar Inc.'s mergers and acquisitions strategy in China, a booming market critical to the $36-billion company. (And before you get any funny ideas, there's nothing salacious about foot massage: Reflexology has its roots in ancient Chinese medicine and is an indulgence of Chinese men and women of all socioeconomic levels.)

Since moving to Beijing four years ago Mr.

Ancient healing technique gains new popularity in Iraq

BAGHDAD - Haidar al-Hajam carefully placed the glass jars over the slight incisions on his patient's back and then began to pump out the air. In the ensuing vacuum, the thick dark blood slowly oozed out of the cuts and into the clear containers. "The Assyrians, the Chinese and the ancient Egyptians all used to practice cupping to draw out the corrupt blood," said Hajam as he deftly drained a few more spots on his patient's back in his office in Baghdad's Sadr City slum. Murtada Abu Ali, 45, has become a regular for this ancient treatment known by its Arabic name of 'hijama', or sucking, and says it helps him in a way no modern medicine can. "I got fed up with the painkillers doctors were prescribing for my neck ache, so I decided to use hijama and it's great - I urge others to try it," he said.

Chi-Med close to major biotech deal

A COMPANY which develops modern drugs from ancient Oriental medicines is close to signing the biggest biotech deal in Chinese history.

A billion Red Chinese can be wrong

I've never been to China, never gazed upon any of the 4,000 miles of Great Wall, never dipped a toe in the Yangtze, never walked among the 6,000 or so terra cotta warriors at the tomb of Emperor Qin Shi Huang and never bought a whore in Shanghai.

But I always thought I'd like to visit one day. It's an ancient civilization they've got over there, with a history that encompasses advances in art and medicine, deep philosophical thought, centuries-long dynastic feuds and the invention of writing.

In the old days (or at least in episodes of "Deadwood") they call Chinese immigrants "celestials," which instills an otherworldly wisdom in the people of that land, and it's easy to buy into that when you study its tranquil geography and ethereal architecture, or read Confucius, or even eat a fortune cookie.