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Menstrual leave - an entitlement men reject

By Jung Min-ho, Kim Bo-eun, Bahk Eun-jiFemale workers are entitled to take one day off for menstrual pains every month but few dare to exercise that right in male-dominant workplaces here. The reality they face is harsh. They need to muster tremendous courage to tell their male bosses they will use sick leave for period cramps.Ko Jae-hee, who has been teaching mathematics for three years at a middle school in Anyang, Gyeonggi province, said that female teachers never use the menstrual leave even though they know they are entitled to it. “We’re simply too busy to take a day off. We have so many daily tasks to deal with. Most schools are short handed. If one of us takes a day off, it’s almost impossible to cover his or her job,” said Ko. She said female teachers are terribly reluctant to exercise their right, not because they don’t want to, but because they feel sorry for the extra burden their co-workers have to shoulder in their absence. “Unlike the situation in North America like Canada, Korea doesn’t have a well-designed inst

Oct 30, 2012
Menstrual leave - an entitlement men reject

Protestant churches make policy proposal ahead of election

A group representing Korea's progressive Protestant churches on Monday unveiled its proposal of tax, welfare and other policies for adoption by candidates in the December presidential election based on its own analysis of the government's budget spending.The proposal, which focused on taxation justice and broader welfare benefits, will soon be sent to each presidential candidate as well as legislators and civic and social organizations, said the National Council of Churches in Korea (NCCK), which prepared the proposal together with Christian youth organizations, including the National Council of the Young Men's Christian Associations of Korea.Religious groups have often criticized government policies from religious points of view and made policy proposals. But none of these suggestions has been based on any direct study of government budget spending, the NCCK said."Political slogans have so far been rampant in this society. But we thought the best way to know if the nation's social system is being run in a way that befits the slogans is to see how the government budget was organized,

Oct 29, 2012

Crazy about it

By Rachel Lee A Tetris-like mobile phone game has enthralled Koreans of all ages with its simple and addictive features. Anipang, a mobile application developed by SundayToz, has become the latest mobile craze. The one-minute game, provided by the country’s most popular social messaging service Kakao Talk free of charge, has gained huge nationwide popularity since its release in September. According to its producer, the app has been downloaded some 20 million times in total and about 67 percent of smartphone users in the country have the game set up on their mobile phones. The majority of its addicts says they were not fond of either online or mobile games before but have gradually fallen into the world of 49 cartoon animals once they gave it a go with friends or colleagues. The players, connected through the mobile messaging service, are spurred to play more games to beat their Kakao Talk friends, with rankings and scores being updated in real time. This competitive element plus the one-minute time limit makes the game more addictive. But apparently, there are certain

Oct 27, 2012

Pelvic adjustment to treat pain, correct posture

By Lee Sung-hunThere are quite a number of patients who ask for a pelvic adjustment. Most of them have experienced pain in the back or pelvic region and have taken x-rays, which showed that they have an asymmetrical pelvis. Some just feel a loss of balance between the left and right side of their body and seek help from a clinic. As an integral part of the central bone structure, if the balance (or symmetry) in the pelvis is shifted, it can cause not only pain in the pelvic region as well as back and legs but also significant shifts in body shapes. As such, the pelvic region becomes a focal point in treating pain and posture correction.Most people know the pelvis as the region around the hips. Anatomically, it is the basin shaped bony structure that consists of the innominate bone, sacrum and coccyx. From the top, it is connected to the spine, and spans to the legs at the bottom. It transfers the weight from the spine to the legs, and plays an essential role in walking. The basin shape of the bones provides space for internal organs while protecting them from external forces and shoc

Oct 27, 2012
Pelvic adjustment to treat pain, correct posture

'Ditched'

Dear Dr. P, Two days ago, my boyfriend of three years told me that he couldn't love me anymore. Surely I was and still am devastated. I just lost my job and now I am losing the only person I love. I think he's having an affair with another lady, but I can't seem to prove it. What should I do because I know I can't live without him. Help!Dear sender,I am very sorry that you had to hear these words from your boyfriend. I am sure that hearing these words from the one and only person you love and having lost your job at the same time have put you in a state of tremendous shock. The most important matter in this situation is to maintain your physical and mental health; and then, you can start to understand how he came to such a decision. If his decision is simply due to another woman, it would be best for you to try to have an open and honest discussion with him about this specific matter. There is nothing more fickle than the human heart. If you discover that your boyfriend no longer has the same feeling for you and this cannot be reversed any more, the only option that you have for your

Oct 27, 2012
'Ditched'

Radiation dose is key to imaging technologies

By Yoon Ja-young Since the adoption of x-rays, diagnostic imaging technology has made one of the biggest contributions in the history of medicine. The key concern of diagnostic imaging companies today is lowering radiation doses and substituting for biopsies. “Our commitment is to make doses almost negligible,” said Nilesh Shah, chief marketing officer in charge of the Asia Pacific region at GE Healthcare, at a meeting with the media last week on the sidelines of the Korean Congress of Radiology. The company presented diverse products and solutions at the congress. While computed tomography (CT) has become an indispensable tool at hospitals, concern has been growing over exposure to radiation. GE Healthcare thus presented the Optima CT 660, which lowers doses by 40 percent compared to previous models while upgrading the quality of the image. It is capable of cardiac, neuro and chest imaging at 1 millisievert (mSv). The firm also introduced Dose Track, integrated software that tracks and monitors the radiation dose of a patient from CT, mammography and X-ray scanning.

Oct 26, 2012By Yoon Ja-young

What are CT, MRI and PET?

By Yoon Ja-young The development of radiology has enabled early diagnosis, and greatly enhanced the survival rate of people with serious diseases. Most people have heard of imaging devices such as CT, MRI and PET, but few seem to understand when each of these should be used. There is also growing concern that few people are aware of the risks involved in these scanning methods such as exposure to radiation. X-ray The most familiar form of medical imaging is the X-ray, which has been used for over 50 years. As X-ray passes through specific areas of the body, it shows lesions or injuries inside. X-rays are often used to check bones, chests and abdomens. It is easy and cheap. One only has to hold a posture as directed and hold the breath while an X-ray is taken. However, as a person is exposed to radiation during this process, pregnant women had best avoid it. It is also used for diagnosis of breast cancer, but it is often useless for women with dense breast tissue. These women should take ultrasonography instead. CT CT, or computed tomography, is basically ano

Oct 26, 2012By Yoon Ja-young

Spellbound by Anipang

By Rachel Lee, Jun Ji-hye, Ryu Chang-gi About one fifth of Koreans are going crazy trying to get as many hearts as possible every day to play mobile game Anipang. That’s because players need one heart for a round of the simple but addictive one-minute game. Anipang has become an obsession for Koreans of all ages. You can easily spot commuters who are possessed by the game. The name _ a compound of “ani” from animal and “pang” from the onomatopoeic Korean word meaning explosion _ has lured more than half of all smartphone users and positioned itself as a must-have app here. According to producer, Sundaytoz, the game has been downloaded more than 20 million times in total and about 10 million people are playing it daily. It means that nearly 70 percent of smartphone users have the app on their handsets. It can be downloaded from the country’s most popular mobile messaging service, Kakao Talk, and is relatively simple though it requires nimble hands. It presents a screen of 49 cartoon animals, in a matrix of seven vertical columns and seven h

Oct 23, 2012

Healthy two decades after liver transplantation

By Yoon Ja-young Lee Sang-jun, a 62-year-old male, had a small party at Asan Medical Center in Seoul on Oct. 11. It marked the 20th anniversary since he underwent liver transplantation surgery, and Lee is the longest surviving adult liver transplant patient in Korea. Back in 1992, Lee was diagnosed with hepatochirrosis. Doctors said that he needed an immediate liver transplant. At first, he considered getting the complicated surgery at a hospital in the United States. However, at the news of a number of successful liver transplants at Asan Medical Center, he chose the surgery team led by professor Lee Sung-gyu. The country had few organ donations at that time, but Lee was lucky to get a donation from a brain-dead patient. After 23 hours of surgery, Lee started a new life. Patients who get organ transplants have a long way to go even after successful surgery. They have to receive intensive and systematic care afterward, as there may be side effects such as bleeding and rejection. Lee therefore regularly visits the medical center for checkups, and continues to lead a

Oct 19, 2012
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