David Brake pointed me to this, as he puts it, ‘hugely entertaining’ chat session at the Guardian with their ‘barefoot doctor’ (free registration with The Guardian is necessary to view the session), who took unremitting abuse from several cynically angry participants. To wit:

Given that 95% of what you preach is superstitious nonsense and that the Observer effectively pays you to plug your products (available at an incredibly over-inflated price at a Boots near you!), how do you sleep at night?

thankyou for asking – generally on my right side so the blood can go more easilly into my liver, there to be purified as i sleep – this is the taoist sleeping position known as coiling of the five dragons – it’s advisable as it tends to prevent an overload of blood to the heart, which would produce unsettling dreams and possibly even waking delusions the next day

generally on my right side …. and possibly even waking delusions the next day

guess you must toss and turn in your sleep as much as you do in print…

Of what, exactly, are you a doctor?

Also, I know two people with Multiple Sclerosis. Should they massage their kidneys clockwise or anticlockwise? And what is the correct chant?