As Americans embrace \u2018alternative\u2019 remedies, people online joke that they\u2019re \u2018Chinamaxxing\u2019 their wellness routines<\/p>\n
Did you drink ice water today? If you did, that was \u201cnot very Chinese of you\u201d, according to Sherry Zhu, a 23-year-old Chinese American creator based in New Jersey<\/a>. If you were really serious about \u201cbecoming Chinese\u201d, you would be sipping hot water every day, she warned in a TikTok<\/a> video with millions of views. \u201cI really do feel like, digestion-wise, a lot better when I\u2019m drinking hot water,\u201d she later explained to GQ<\/a>.<\/p>\n Zhu\u2019s guidance is taken from traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), a health system that dates back 5,000 years and offers a holistic approach to treating symptoms \u2013 physically, emotionally and spiritually. Other creators of Chinese descent have their own TCM hacks: keep your feet warm<\/a> and your periods will be more bearable. Drink tea made with goji berries<\/a>, jujubes and ginger as a cure-all. Move your body every day to promote the flow of qi<\/em>, or internal energy. \u201cDo my Chinese baddie routine with me,\u201d they caption their videos in half-authoritative, half-joking tones. \u201cAdvice from your Chinese big sister.\u201d<\/p>\n