my timesThe Korea Times
Lifestyle

Others

Korea Times
About Us
Introduction
History
Contact Us
Products & Services
Subscribe
E-paper
RSS Service
Content Sales
Site Map
Policy
Code of Ethics
Ombudsman
Privacy Policy
Youth Protection Policy
Terms of Service
Copyright Policy
Family Site
Hankookilbo
Dongwha Group
FacebookXYoutubeInstagram
CEO & Publisher: Oh Young-jinDigital News Email: webmaster@koreatimes.co.krTel: 02-724-2114Online newspaper registration No: 서울,아52844Date of registration: 2020.02.05Masthead: The Korea TimesCopyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.

Don't overlook stiff and sore shoulders

By Song Sang-hoHousewives often suffer from sore joints. They can even find it painful to use frying pans while cooking as they get older. It is a natural phenomenon that develops as you get old. You have to consider the possibility of shoulder joint disease if the pain persists.Both working-moms and fulltime housewives are burdened with house work here. Days pass by quickly as they cook, do the laundry, and clean their houses. As they become tired before they could do anything about the pain in parts of their body after cleaning their houses and finishing the house work, their shoulders never have time for adequate rest.The shoulder is the only joint that can rotate 360 degrees in our body. Since its range of motion is large, it can be damaged by simple movements such as lifting heavy objects.You should be very careful about modest pain in the shoulder. Casually neglected pain may become worse as time goes by, sometimes becoming so extreme that you may not be able to sleep at night. Rotator cuff breakage is one of the main shoulder ailments. It refers to breakage or damage to the ro

Jan 4, 2013
Don't overlook stiff and sore shoulders

Don't take books to toilet

Doctors say that reading books or newspapers on the toilet worsens constipation.By Yoon Ja-youngSome people read books or newspapers while sitting on the toilet, a place where they can concentrate without being disturbed. However, this is not a recommended habit.Professor Moon Sang-hui at the Center for Health Promotion and Optimal Aging at Seoul National University Hospital said that people shouldn’t sit on the toilet for more than three minutes. “You should complete bowel movements in three minutes. You had better come out of the toilet if you can’t complete them in that time,” she said at a lecture on the prevention and treatment of colon and rectal diseases.According to the Health Insurance Review and Assessments Service, the number of constipation patients was around 570,000 in 2011, up 30 percent from five years ago. The number of patients who had surgery for hemorrhoids stood at 230,000, making it the second most common procedure in the country following cataract operations.While constipation can lead to other problems such as hemorrhoids, many people a

Jan 4, 2013By Yoon Ja-young
Don't take books to toilet

Opinion about over-diagnosis

Dear Dr. P,I have been enjoying your columns for a long time. As a doctor of oncology, I would like to suggest my opinion on your recent column “Anxiety over cancer surgery.” I think that the thyroid cancer patient’s case could be an important issue of “over-diagnosis,” which has been disputed in the medical field recently.Especially among thyroid cancers, in the case of a papillary carcinoma less than 1cm in size, it could be another option to delay the operation and observe the process of the tumor carefully. The thyroid cancer operation is relatively safe, but it is not without complications. It could induce acute inflammation and bleeding as short-term complications, and hypothyroidism, vocal cord paralysis and parathyroid disease as long-term complications.Of course, medical specialists could have different opinions regarding the method of treatment in this patient’s case, but we need to consider a more professional opinion about the treatment. Just like the thyroid cancer, there are many cases where “watchful waiting” should be ap

Jan 4, 2013
Opinion about over-diagnosis

'Boyak' helps restore health through balance

By Lee Sung-hunFor Koreans, a trip to an Oriental clinic to ask for “boyak,” a restorative medicine, is not uncommon if one is of a feeble constitution, feels weakened or if it is hard to recover full strength after a serious illness. For a child, parents will have the kid take boyak if the child does not eat much, is too thin, or prone to catching colds.Some people mistakenly think that “‘hanyak,” or Oriental medicine, and boyak are the same thing. Rather boyak is a specific subset of general Oriental medicine. The term and concept of boyak is unique and does not exist in Western medicine. To Koreans, it is a commonly used term but expat readers may be unfamiliar with it and I would like to devote today’s column and possibly another one to explain it in detail.Oriental medicine puts great emphasis on the overall balance of the body. Internally, maintaining balance amongst all the internal organs, between “qi” (life energy) and the blood, yin and yang, cold and heat, and deficiency and exuberance, and externally, a balance between front

Jan 4, 2013
'Boyak' helps restore health through balance

Wash hands to prevent influenza

Washing hands is essential in preventing influenza and other respiratory diseases, doctors say.By Yoon Ja-youngAmid the freezing cold, influenza is increasing. The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) has advised individuals to take more care with regard to hygiene to prevent the flu.According to data from the centers, the ratio of influenza-like illnesses recorded 2.8 per 1,000 outpatients between Dec. 16 and 22, increasing from 2.7 in the previous week.It also confirmed five types of influenza viruses in the 51st week. Among them was the A-(H1N1)-pdm09 type virus, which drove the country into fear in 2009 and 2010.Influenza is generally pandemic here between December and January, and between March and April.As the flu is easily transmitted through secretions by patients through coughing or runny nose, people should strictly abide by hygiene rules and etiquette in coughing. Senior citizens, patients with chronic diseases, infants aged between six months to five years, and pregnant women are recommended to get vaccinations as they are prone to complications such as

Jan 4, 2013By Yoon Ja-young
Wash hands to prevent influenza

(218) Was Dec. 21 the Doomsday?

By Janet Shin“For the Maya a new era is starting now. May enlightenment continue to enrich your lives.”This is what I received from a Mexican friend, an avid feng shui practitioner with a keen passion for Oriental philosophy. I also have a personalaffection for the Mayan Civilization and have visited ancient ruins such as Tikal several times.In terms of calendars, there is something in common between the East and West. The solar calendar is largely followed globally. In general, the way days are counted in a year seems quite similar, namely most of them consider there are 365 days a year.The Maya calendar has cycles and counts or varying length. A 260-day count was used alongside a rough 365-day solar year and within them were smaller cycles of 13 and 20 days. Meanwhile, ancient China was believed to primarily follow a lunar calendar. But once we go deeper to study reality, they actually arranged each month based on solar motion. There were 24 divisions of the year (14-16 days each), which combined the lunar and solar calendars. It was not a problem to count days of a mon

Jan 3, 2013
(218) Was Dec. 21 the Doomsday?

It's a New Year, It's a New Start

Jubilant revelers witness the first sunrise of the New Year at Haeundae Beach in Busan, Tuesday.                      / Korea Times photo by Lee Seong-deokBy Rachel Lee, Jun Ji-hye, Baek Byung-yeulThe New Year is with us ― a time to let go of our past and make a fresh start. To start anew, some people, standing at the crossroads, choose a path that is rarely trodden.They want to make their life different from others, refusing to remain complacent at status quo and imposing on themselves daunting challenges.What are you going to do to make sure you have your best year ever? Life is yours to make of it whatever you desire, and some people are already putting the pledges they have made to themselves into practice.  Taking a different routeThe vast majority of students in Korea enter university straight after graduating from high school, so those taking different courses might seem slightly off the rails.Jeong Yoon-hyuk, a 19-year-old who will graduate from his high school in February, has opted not to apply for college. Instead

Jan 1, 2013
It's a New Year, It's a New Start

Oriental healthcare program launched

Kyunghee University Hospital at Gangdong in Seoul launched a healthcare program for children and teenagers during the winter vacation, based on Korean traditional medicine.The program comprises diverse clinics, ranging from growth, joint and vertebrae and diet to atopic dermatitis, tic disorders and dysmenorrhea.The clinic reflects the increasing interest children and teenagers are taking in appearances, many want to be tall and thin. The hospital said that it focuses on improving each person’s constitution and maintains a balance inside the body instead of simply making them taller. The four-week-diet program, meanwhile, intensively helps people lose weight through not only exercise but also acupuncture, meditation and herbal medicine.The hospital also advised that if a child who doesn’t have much concentration blinks their eyes too often or repeats a certain activity, such as sniffing, the parents should pay attention as the child may have a tic disorder.“The diverse clinics prepared for the winter vacation will help students adapt better in the upcoming new schoo

Dec 28, 2012

Oriental healthcare program for vacation launched

Kyunghee University Hospital at Gangdong in Seoul launched a healthcare program for children and teenagers during the winter vacation, based on Korean traditional medicine.The program comprises diverse clinics, ranging from growth, joint and vertebrae and diet to atopic dermatitis, tic disorders and dysmenorrhea.The clinic reflects the increasing interest children and teenagers are taking in appearances: many want to be tall and thin. The hospital said that it focuses on improving each person’s constitution and maintaining a balance inside the body instead of simply making them taller. The four-week-diet program, meanwhile, intensively helps people lose weight through not only exercise but also acupuncture, meditation and herbal medicine.The hospital also advised that if a child who doesn’t have much concentration and blinks their eyes too often or repeats a certain activity, such as sniffing, the parents should pay attention as the child may have a tic disorder.“The diverse clinics prepared for the winter vacation will help students adapt better in the upcoming new

Dec 28, 2012By Yoon Ja-young

Household income determines colonoscopies

While medical checkup is essential for a healthy life, low income households aren’t getting as much medical checkup as high-income households, a research showed. The gap was especially big during the times of economic crisis.A research team led by professor Kim Hyoung-ryoul at Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital analyzed the rate of colonoscopy depending on household incomes. The analysis showed that the participation rate of the colonoscopy screening stood at 21.7 percent in 2007, but this fell to 16.9 percent in 2008 when there was a financial crisis.While the rate picked up for those with high household income in 2009 after the financial crisis, from 27.7 percent in 2008 to 35.2 percent in 2009, it continued sliding among those with low-income, from 16.3 percent of 2008 to 15.3 percent of 2009.Colon cancer is one of the most common cancers, and colonoscopies are effective in early diagnosis. Participation in colonoscopies, however, is low in Korea compared with other developed countries."Colon cancer is increasing sharply among young people due to the westernized diet...because

Dec 28, 2012By Yoon Ja-young
previous page
328329330331332
next page

Most Read in Lifestyle