Lifestyle - The Korea Times

What caused jump in thyroid cancer cases?

By Jung Min-ho, Jung Sung-eunA woman gets thyroid ultrasound scan in this file photo./ Korea Times fileThere has been a dramatic increase in the number of Koreans diagnosed with thyroid cancer in recent years. But is the growth, which has been significantly faster than the world average, a result of better health checkups or over-diagnosis?Lee Jae-ho, a medical school professor at the Catholic University of Korea, is one of the experts who believe that healthy people are being harmed by the culture of greed at hospitals which create their own epidemics. Patients too frequently are being put under painful and costly treatment for small, slow-growing tumors that would never cause problems, he said.``When crunching the number for every case out of 100,000 people, the thyroid cancer rate in Korea is now about 10 times larger than the world average,’’ Lee said.``The increase in cases coincided with technological development that enabled doctors to detect tumors they could not find by feeling the throat of a patient. The problem, however, is that these tumors are mostly far fro

Mar 27, 2014

What caused jump in thyroid cancer cases?

Advertising books through podcasts

A podcast show, “Park Si-baek’s Annals of the Joseon Kingdom,” introduces history of the kingdom (1392-1910) in chronological order. / Courtesy of HumanistBy Baek Byung-yeul, Nam Hyun-woo, Park Ji-won Whether it is because of increased smartphone use or a lack of free time, Koreans don’t read books.Koreans’ average daily reading time was 23.5 minutes last year, the lowest ever, according to a survey of 2,000 adults conducted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.The poll said 39.5 percent answered that they don’t read books because they don’t have enough time. Seventeen percent said they don’t enjoy reading and 16.1 percent said they don’t have time for reading because they do other things in their leisure time.In a bid to diversify their promotion channels, publishers, who have struggled to sell books, began to utilize podcasts and Internet radio shows as their new marketing tools.Those podcasts have been biased toward liberal political shows, as podcast listeners are found to be generally younger as they adapt

Mar 25, 2014

Avoid deficiency of vitamin C

Dr. Fiona Harrison of Vanderbilt University speaks at the International Symposium on Vitamin C at the Plaza Hotel in central Seoul, Tuesday. / Korea Times photos by Shim Hyun-chul  By Kwon Ji-younIt is important to avoid a deficiency of vitamin C rather than supplementing above optimal, according to Dr. Fiona Harrison of Vanderbilt University. Her research has focused mainly on the damage vitamin C deficiency can do, not the benefits huge amounts of supplementation can have.“Changes in the brain can be slowed down with adequate vitamin C,” Harrison told The Korea Times at the Plaza Hotel, Tuesday. “We use mouse models that have specific genetic manipulations, so that we can control vitamin C levels in the brain.” She found that mice with low brain vitamin C levels develop signs of Alzheimer’s disease earlier, causing learning and memory problems, and other changes in the brain that would not be seen until many months later. “This could be relevant to humans,” she said. “Our studies do not show that vitamin C can cure

Mar 25, 2014

Vitamin C helps prevent aging, Alzheimer's

Dr. Edgar Miller, left, of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine; Lee Ho, center, president of the Korean Society of Food Science and Technology; and Choi Sung-won, president of Kwang Dong Pharmaceutical Co., speak at the fourth International Symposium on Vitamin C at the Plaza Hotel in central Seoul, Tuesday. / Korea Times photos by Shim Hyun-chul By Kwon Ji-younDr. Edgar Miller of Johns Hopkins University said that vitamin C is an essential micronutrient for human health, referring to a randomized trials study in which 1,407 participants saw their blood pressure drop after taking vitamin C supplements.“In observational studies, increased vitamin C intake, vitamin C supplementation and higher blood concentrations of vitamin C are associated with lower blood pressure and lower risk of cardiovascular disease,” he said during an international symposium at the Plaza Hotel in central Seoul, Tuesday. Miller noted that a meta-analysis of clinical trials saw that there was a significant, but modest reduction in blood pressure with oral vitamin C supplementation doses th

Mar 25, 2014

Vitamin C helps prevent aging, Alzheimer's

Mission impossible: raising baby without Internet

By Jane HanAs weeks and months go by, there’s a question I keep asking myself over and over again: How on Earth did parents in the past raise a baby without the Internet? Seriously.Starting from pregnancy — actually, even preparing for pregnancy — till now, the Internet has been my first and foremost trusted go-to place for everything baby. From baby supplies, to baby food, to baby behavior, there’re just too many things about which a new mom is clueless.Of course there’s the old-fashioned way of asking family elders, doctors, friends and so on, but honestly, at least for me, the holy Internet is the place where I can get more high-quality information than anywhere else. I just need to make sure my sources are good.I don’t want to end up with a bunch of amateur advice from first-time moms just like myself, so I make sure I get a good mix of professional advice from pediatrics experts and experienced moms for well-rounded guidance.So far, this is pretty much what kept me a halfway decent mom to my twin infants. But things didn’t start off so e

Mar 21, 2014

Mission impossible: raising baby without Internet

How to have safe sex during pregnancy

By Lee Hye-junA survey showed many couples become less sexually active during pregnancy, especially when the female partner is in the third trimester.Some 80 percent of men said one of the biggest reasons for this is the fear of hurting the baby during intercourse, though the expectant fathers’ sexual desires were constant.Some women experience a drop in desire for sex because of various reasons — hormonal changes, morning sickness or bodily adjustments.For them, sexual activity become uncomfortable due to abdominal swelling or back pain. Concerns over the baby’s health and negative self-image sometime make women shun sexual activity.However, sexual activity during pregnancy is harmless for fetuses except in some high-risk pregnancy cases. A high-risk pregnancy may involve miscarriage, preterm labor, vaginal bleeding, cramping, amniotic fluid leakage, premature cervix opening or a low-lying placenta (placenta previa).Fetuses stay in mothers’ wombs, floating in the amniotic fluid. The fluid plays a significant role in cushioning and protecting them from outside

Mar 21, 2014

Plantar fasciitis stems from bad habits

By Lee Sung-hunSome of you may have experienced pain on the heel while stepping out of bed. You may think the pain will soon pass, but it may last longer unless you seek medical attention.As the weather warms up, you may want to do some exercise, perhaps to prepare your body for the summer season, but the pain in the sole inhibits you from doing so.The thick connective tissues that run from the calcaneus (heel bone) to the five toes, fanwise, are called the plantar fascia.“Plantar fasciitis” refers to the inflammation in the plantar fascia caused by repetitive movement.Typically, the sole of a foot is arch-shaped, not flat, to better absorb the shock of walking and running. Plantar fascia helps support the arch and acts as a shock-absorber by protecting joints from direct impact.One characteristic symptom of plantar fasciitis is the sharp pain while taking the first step out of bed.Pain usually subsides after a bit of movement. Patients generally do not feel any pain at rest, but it resurges as they begin to move.Those with plantar fasciitis complain of acute pain that co

Mar 21, 2014

(272) How to apply five elements to your daily life - food and health

By Janet Shin The study of oriental philosophies ― saju, face reading, feng shui, oriental medicine, divination and zen ― puts together all the aspects of time and space. They accordingly include everything in the nature of earth, heaven, human life and the universe.Owing to their interactive connectivity, once you start learning one, you get to encompass the others. They teach how the universal energy from birth determines one’s destiny, the way the environmental factors influence our living as well as after death, how the same truth affects the human body and health, the logic of changes and ultimately the process to become aware of our existence and mindfulness.Nevertheless, don’t be overwhelmed by the metaphysical philosophy of their idealism. They are actually pertinent to general common sense for our everyday lives whether we are from the East or the West.They can tell you where to locate yourself, which profession to serve, whom to be the companion of your marriage and business, the smart ways to face the challenges and even the tips for balancing your food se

Mar 20, 2014

(272) How to apply five elements to your daily life - food and health

Dating becomes a 'must'

Men present flowers to their partners during a dating event in Marronnier Park, Hyehwa-dong, Seoul in this Aug. 12, 2010, file photo. / Korea TimesLove consulting emerging as thriving businessBy Kwon Ji-youn, Yoon Sung-won, Park Jin-hai“If you’re in your 30s and have been single your entire life, there must be something wrong with you,” says Ji Eun-joo, a 32-year-old housewife. “I met my husband when I was 28 and we got married last year. Before that, I dated more than 10 men, just to see what’s out there.” Society seems to agree.Anyone who has yet to engage in a serious ― no, even a minor ― relationship is considered “damaged goods,” which is ironic, considering only a decade ago, those who had engaged in sexual relations outside of marriage were considered unsound.One’s dating history has become a specification that is not only analyzed, scrutinized and contemplated, but is also something one feels he or she must accomplish in order to “get ahead,” or fit in. It has become a burden so much like uncompl

Mar 18, 2014

International symposium to discuss vitamin C's effects

This is a poster for the fourth International Symposium on vitamin C to be held at the Plaza Hotel in Seoul on March 25. The Korean Society of Food Science and Technology (KOSFOST) organized the event under the sponsorship of Kwang DongPharmaceutical Co. / Courtesy of KOSFOSTBy Kwon Ji-younExperts in medicine, pharmacology and health products from around the world will gather to hold a symposium at the Plaza Hotel in Seoul, March 25, to discuss the anti-aging effects of vitamin C.The Korean Society of Food Science and Technology (KOSFOST) said Friday that it will host the fourth International Symposium on vitamin C to discuss how to prevent diseases in the elderly.It said that the symposium is expected to focus on cancer treatment using vitamin C and its effects on aging skin.Kwang Dong Pharmaceutical Co. is sponsoring the event. The company is well known for its vitamin C product, Vita 500.According to Kwang Dong, Dr. Fiona Harrison of Vanderbilt University and Dr. Edgar Miller of the Johns Hopkins University are among those who will speak at the symposium, theme

Mar 14, 2014

Others

Others

What caused jump in thyroid cancer cases?

Advertising books through podcasts

Avoid deficiency of vitamin C

Vitamin C helps prevent aging, Alzheimer's

Mission impossible: raising baby without Internet

How to have safe sex during pregnancy

Plantar fasciitis stems from bad habits

(272) How to apply five elements to your daily life - food and health

Dating becomes a 'must'

International symposium to discuss vitamin C's effects

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