I challenge you to name three Asian American musicians. Not K-POP artists like BTS, but American. Can you? Why is that so difficult? Don't be surprised if you haven't even really even considered this question before. We don't often look for something that's not there... but in this case we should. There are so many talented Asian American musicians out there. Unfortunately, with few exceptions (did you know Bruno Mars is Filipino?), Asian American musicians have not been able to break through. Some of them have been 'discovered', but ultimately music execs struggle with how to 'market' them, which has resulted in either them dropping the artist or the artist rejecting what the label thought was needed to make them into a marketable musician. Instead, many have had to forge their own paths, leveraging platforms like Youtube and Soundcloud to build upon a local, loyal following. In honor of Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month (AAPIHM), for this week's Dose, I'd like to highlight three Asian American musicians that are at the top of my list with the hope that some of you might also have a listen (while we're all stuck at home).

Over the last few years, there have been certain aspects of Chinese medicine that have begun to hit the mainstream, with professional athletes popularizing the practice of cupping, and acupuncture being covered by more and more health insurance policies. But what is less well known is what's behind both of those - and that is HOW they are trying to heal you. It isn't with medicine, or traditional physical therapy. The general notion in Eastern medicine of what is ailing you is that there is most often a 'deeper' issue at play and what you see/feel is but a symptom. With Western medicine, you can treat the symptom, but with Eastern practices, the goal is to get to the cause. And quite often, the cause has everything to do with how your energy, your Qi (pronounced "Chee"), is flowing through your body. If it is getting 'stuck' somehow, that's going to cause issues. Both of these treatments mentioned above, and many more Asian therapies (including foot massages!) at some level are ancient treatments, tested over literally thousands of years. You may remember that I briefly wrote about "Qi" in a recent Dose on facemasks and hinted that there was a story there. In this Dose, I am going to share a personal Qi story where I experienced this power first hand.

I'll start this week's dose with a follow up to my last one a couple weeks ago as many readers have inquired as to how my daughter Ally is doing. I'm happy to report that she's back to 100% and is excited to start distance learning tomorrow through her middle school. Thank you all for your concern and well wishes - and I hope you and your loved ones are all faring OK during this challenging time we are in. Given that we are spending so much time at home these days, it's allowed me a bit of time to reflect upon some things that are somewhat different in Asian American homes than in non-Asian American homes - and one of those differences is the topic this week's dose, which I hope you enjoy and can relate to.