Ancient fix wins
Re: "Weed no panacea", (PostBag, June 1).
Jason A Jellison describes "cupping" as an outdated, pre-medieval medical procedure to move blood around.
For the past three years, I have seen a string of doctors, including orthopaedic surgeons, for the treatment of acute bursitis on my right hip. They tried all sorts of things, including ultrasounds, physiotherapy and injecting the inflamed area with steroids. Nothing worked.
Then a friend asked if I would be willing to try Chinese medical treatments. I agreed and was "cupped". I felt almost immediate relief, and after a second "cupping" session, the bursitis was totally under control. A pre-medieval procedure it may be, but it worked for me.
David Brown
China's hidden crisis
Re: "Trump is not entirely wrong about China", (Opinion, May 31).
Yi Fujian's article contains some truth, albeit watered-down truth. When he stated, "China's government has few options for addressing its demographic crisis. Its attempts to loosen fertility rules failed miserably, because low household incomes meant that families could not afford to have more children," it was a calculated understatement.
The demographic crisis in China is far worse than he reveals. Current estimates place the total Chinese population at 300 to 400 million, not the 1.4 billion the CCP brags about. I doubt that Yi Fujian might doubt the Beijing government's figure, but does not dare mention it, perhaps due to his hundreds of thousands of followers on Weibo (the heavily censored Chinese equivalent of Facebook).
Unemployment in China, particularly among new graduates, has reached crisis levels. Homelessness, social discontent, a pervasive sense of hopelessness among youth, the return of millions of Chinese to the countryside because they feel survival in urban environments is untenable, and political instability characterise today's China. Corruption is rife.
By comparison, Trump's tariff regimes are the least of China's problems.
Michael Setter
Not so proud
Re: "Proud to be out", (Online, June 2).
As an older gay man who refuses to attend gay pride parades and festivals, I reviewed the online Post photographs of Bangkok's gay pride parade and realised the damage those images will do to Thailand's reputation in much of Latin America, Russia, and much of Eastern Europe.
In one photo, there is a tattooed Asian male wearing nothing but a necklace and a rainbow thong, with his genitals bulging out for the world to see. In others, there are "furries" prancing around in their animal fetishes, a male wearing a fishnet shirt which exposes his chest, a female or drag queen dressed up as (I think) Spongebob Squarepants, and an older, rather overweight male dressed up in a blouse with pink hair in a female haircut. So, aside from the fact that more traditional countries will be very displeased with these images, I ask a question to any parent who might read this letter: Are these the kind of people you want teaching your children or around them?
Jason A Jellison
