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Turtle marathon to take place Sunday

Come to Mt. Nam in downtown Seoul for a stroll this Sunday and join the Turtle Marathon. The Hankook Ilbo, a sister paper of The Korea Times, is hosting the 424th Turtle Marathon, Sunday. The monthly event has drawn more than 120,000 people since 1978. This month’s walk is hosted by outdoor brand NEPA.CEO Kim Hyung-seob will lead the walkathon, and the winners of the 2012 Miss Korea beauty pageant will also participate. NEPA’s 2012 Fall/Winter Collection will be on display at the event. Upon finishing the walk, there will be a prize draw with backpacks, trainers and more up for grabs. Middle and high school students who participate in the cleanup afterwards will receive certification for two hours of volunteer work. Admission is free. For more information, visit turtle.hankooki.com.When: Nov. 18, meet at 7:40 a.m. and the walk begins at 8 a.m. Where: Outdoor plaza of the National Theater of Korea, near Dongguk University Station on subway line 3, exit 2 or 6.  Inquiries in English: (02) 724-2354  Inquiries in Korean: (02) 724-2611-7  Hosted by: The Hankook

Nov 16, 2012By Do Je-hae
Turtle marathon to take place Sunday

Right to smoke vs. right to breathe

By Bhak Eun-ji, Jung Min-ho, Kim Bo-eun“I can’t stand the smell of cigarette smoke when I step into the restroom in my office building. Some people smoke inside the booths, it’s really irritating,” says Kim Ga-eun, a 31-year-old sales manager.Under the current People’s Health Promotion Law, buildings with floor space of over 2,000 square meters are obliged to ban smoking. However, many people ignore this law and sneak a smoke indoors, leaving non-smokers to endure the experience of passive smoking.“The existing law is largely ineffective, so we need more practical regulations to protect passive smokers more effectively,” Kim said.In response to complaints from passive smokers, the Ministry of Health and Welfare recently announced a revised anti-smoking law that will go into effect beginning Dec. 8. Under the revised law, smoking will be banned in all restaurants including bars and coffee shops with the floor space of over 150 square meters, with all restaurants and bars, regardless of their size, subject to the rule from 2015. Smokers who vio

Nov 13, 2012
Right to smoke vs. right to breathe

Tension-type headache

By Lee Sung-hunHeadaches are almost the most common ailment. It is said that more than seven out of 10 people experience a headache once or more in a year. Although headaches are so common, those who suffer from them fear that the headaches may be associated with something more serious such as a brain tumor. There are numerous causes for a headache, but only a very small fraction of those causes are related to such a severe brain-related condition.Our brain itself cannot feel pain, even if you were to poke it with a needle. What people feel as a headache is felt in the blood vessels, nerves and muscles within and around the cranium that are susceptible to pain. Therefore, there is no reason to fear a life-threatening brain disease just because of a headache. However, it must be noted that if a headache is accompanied with other symptoms such as fever, vomiting, seizure or loss of consciousness, or if it is more severe than a normal one and persists, or if the symptoms become more severe as days or weeks pass, it is recommended that the patient seek out a more precise diagnosis.Genera

Nov 9, 2012
Tension-type headache

Mad about Korea

Tsagaadai Davaadorj, left, talks with Dr. Lim Young-wook, right, who conducted his hip joint replacement operation, while taking a walk at Seoul’s St. Mary’s Hospital in southern Seoul.Mongolian doctor gets new hip joint, new life and new love for KoreaBy Yoon Ja-youngTsagaadai Davaadorj, a doctor from Mongolia, believes he was given a brand new life in Korea.He received a new hip without which he wouldn’t have been able to walk.Tsaggadai, practices ayurvedic and homeopathic medicine at a government hospital in Mongolia and is also a renowned martial artist. He holds black belts in karate, kendo and aikido.Tsaggadai conducts meditation lessons every summer and it was on such session in July last year that he accidentally fell from a very high chair injuring himself in the process.“The next morning, I felt severe pain. I applied ointment, took painkillers and tried acupuncture too. The pain momentarily subsided only to increase again after a few days,” he said.This continued until November, a time he usually enjoys winter swimming. He swam in the fre

Nov 9, 2012By Yoon Ja-young
Mad about Korea

Physical symptom, no medical cause

Dear Dr. P,I am a European living and working here in Korea. My husband and I sold our house and gave up our jobs a couple of years ago to train as career missionaries. I have a “food intolerance issue” which is part of me almost 100 percent of the time — now. It started a couple of years ago when I moved into community living and could not choose the food I ate which often is not as healthy as I’d like because of costs. My symptoms (burning stomach, acid reflex, excess mucus, etc) became worse and worse over the next 18 months as we travelled to North America for training then here in Korea.However, my tests in Europe revealed nothing sinister and my doctor told me to remove all offending foods. Then I left the country early last year. I am reassured that there is “nothing” wrong and aim to fix myself through prayer and a healthy lifestyle. However I still get a lot of reflux daily and wonder if there are psychological issues and whether I could do anything else for myself or whether you could recommend a doctor here in Korea.The symptoms also cau

Nov 9, 2012
Physical symptom, no medical cause

Severance to host symposium on palliative medicine

The Severance Hospital in Shinchon, central Seoul, is holding a symposium on palliative medicine Nov. 10.While focusing on the development of cancer treatment, the country hasn’t paid as much attention to palliative medicine which aims at improving the quality of life of the patients from diagnosis till death. On top of taking care of the psychological pain of patients and family, palliative medicine can ease the symptom of the patients.Doctor Rodney Tucker from the Center for Palliative and Supportive Care at the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s School of Medicine and Stephen Howell, a certified registered nurse practitioner at the center, will make presentations on palliative medicine in the United States.“It will be an opportunity to learn about the palliative medicine system in the United States and consider its applications in Korea. I hope it will help improve the quality of life for cancer patients,” said Suh Chang-ok, a radiation oncology professor who heads the hospice center at the hospital.

Nov 9, 2012By Yoon Ja-young

Recipe for diabetes patients: mushroom beef broth

Courtesy of Vita Books IngredientYou will need 60 grams of rice, 30 grams of minced beef, 10 grams of shiitake mushrooms, 10 grams of king oyster mushrooms, 10 grams of oyster mushrooms, 20 grams of onion, 5 grams of carrot, 500 milliliters of water, sesame oil and salt.For seasoning of meat, you will need some salt and “matsul” (cooking wine). Step by step1. Wash rice and soak it in water for about 20 minutes. 2. Season the meat and marinate it for around 30 minutes.3. Chop shiitake mushrooms, king oyster mushrooms, oyster mushrooms, onions and carrot.4. Grease the pot with sesame oil, stir-fry meat, add rice and continue stir-frying. 5. When the rice is fried enough, add the chopped vegetables and stir-fry them. Add water and boil.6. Stir with wooden spatula while boiling. When the rice becomes soft enough, season with salt.This is an excerpt from “Best Recipes to Fight Diabetes” by professor Cha Bong-soo at the Severance Hospital of Yonsei University Health System, the Nutrition Team at the hospital, and CJ Freshway, published by Vita Bo

Nov 9, 2012By Yoon Ja-young
Recipe for diabetes patients: mushroom beef broth

Maria Fertility Hospital to offer lecture in English

The Maria Fertility Hospital, one of the most famous fertility clinics in the country, will hold a lecture on infertility in English at 1 p.m. Nov. 24. The basic concepts of pregnancy, infertility, intrauterine insemination (IUI) and in vitro fertilization (IVF) will be explained in plain language. A Q&A session and hospital tour are also scheduled.Located in Dongdaemun, Seoul, the clinic has been operating for 23 years and performs more than 10,000 IVF procedures a year. For further inquiries, send an email to hyejunlee@mariababy.com or visit the Website, http://mariababy.com/neweng/index.asp. An English speaking coordinator is available on 02-2250-5577.

Nov 9, 2012By Yoon Ja-young

Check your joint health in 'Gangnam Style'

By Song Sang-hoWellton Hospital PresidentGangnam style has become the style of the world. Psy, a popular Korean singer, is winning global popularity with his song “Gangnam Style.” The U.S. drama “Glee Season 4” on Fox channel chose “Gangnam Style” as their cover dance, and the cast dances it in their preview, which is available on their website. Thew “Gangnam Style” music video is ranked as the second most watched on YouTube, and is expected to beat Justin Bieber’s “Baby” for top spot.The horse-riding dance is the key point of “Gangnam Style.” This dance is composed of shuffle dance steps and swinging hand and arm motion as if riding a horse. The dancer keeps his back straight, has both knees bent a little bit, and then each leg takes a step in turn. This horse-riding dance is not only fun and joyful but also helps the joints.The horse-riding dance is good for the women who are vulnerable to osteoporosis. Stepping with both legs naturally gives bounce to the body. Bouncing actions give weight loading to the

Nov 9, 2012

Vital tips for students

By Yoon Ja-youngThe nationwide College Scholastic Ability Test took place, Thursday, and will determine which students get to attend schools of their choice. By applying health sciences to their lifestyles, students can pull up the efficiency of their studying on top of maintaining good condition until the day they get admissions. Professor Lee Jung-kwon and Professor Yoo Jun-hyun at Samsung Medical Center offered some health tips for them.Sleep at least six to eight hoursTo maintain health, one needs adequate rest and sleep, appropriate exercise, and balanced nutrition. The doctors recommend that they sleep between six to eight hours to activate brain cells. Many students sleep for too short a time, but they should know that the human brain needs sleep. What they have studied is organized and memorized in the brain while they are asleep. Sleeping is not wasting time.If they don’t sleep enough, they can have problems like headaches, dizziness or fatigue. These symptoms can ruin their exam taking. Hence, they shouldn’t study overnight, especially during the exam season. Ev

Nov 9, 2012By Yoon Ja-young
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