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Know more about premenstrual syndrome

By Jang Su-hee When young women in 20s or 30s walk into the office with a normal gait and no signs of trouble by their appearance, the first thing that comes to my mind is gynecological ailments. In a study done by Dr. Weisz in 2009, research on prescriptions given to women who visited doctor's office for premenstrual syndrome in five western countries ― the United States, England, Canada, France, and Germany ― during the years 2004 to 2006, out of all women who have visited the office during that period of time, only 0.1 percent had premenstrual syndrome as their chief complaint. An interesting fact according to the study is that doctors (6 percent in the United States, 9 percent in Canada, 16 percent in England, 13 percent in France, and 36 percent in Germany) have prescribed alternative medicine. In particular, according to the study, doctors in Germany prescribed Vitex agnus castus to 80 percent of premenstrual syndrome patients. Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) produces psychological, behavioral and physical symptoms that occur 7-10 days before menstruation and disappears

Oct 19, 2012

Beware of silent illness in liver

By Yoon Ja-young There is a saying in Korea that if a body is worth 1,000 won, then the liver comprises 900 won of that. Many people know that liver is important, but few people treat it as such. The liver is called the “silent organ,” as there are no symptoms even if 70 to 80 percent of it is destroyed. When you go to clinic after noting some symptoms, it is probably too late. Doctors thus recommend regular checkups, and those carrying hepatitis viruses should take special heed. Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital in Gangnam and professor Jeong Sook-hyang at Seoul National University Bundang Hospital provided information on the liver and how to keep it healthy. Role of the liver Liver turns the diverse food we eat into essential nutrients that our body needs. As the brain uses glucose as a source of energy, it needs a continuous provision even when the stomach is empty. The liver serves as container for glucose to continuously provide it to the brain. It also manufactures or synthesizes protein, and contributes to the making of bile that helps absorb fat and fat-soluble vit

Oct 19, 2012

Korean mother-in-law

Hello Dr. P, I am an American woman (I am half Mexican, half American), I am the only daughter (in Mexico, the youngest daughter takes responsibility), and have assumed full time responsibility for my elderly father and now my grandmother. I come from a lower-middle class, hard-working family, but I am the first to pursue college and to become a professional. With a bit of my history laid out, can you please give me some tips on meeting my Korean boyfriend’s mother and sister? He has lived in the United States since he was three, so he is very Americanized. However, his sister married a Korean man, and his mother expects him to marry a Korean woman. He has told me that his mother is a very sweet woman, and that initially she may be cold towards me, but would "warm" up after she got to know me. I am scared! I know the obvious things such as respect, and good behavior and manners in American standards. Can you please give me some tips that would help this Korean mother’s heart be at ease about me? I want to show her that I care for her son as much as any Korean woman would,

Oct 19, 2012

(208) What did you dream about last night?

By Janet Shin What comes to mind when you think about dreams? Do they remind you of something impalpable, unrealistic and fanciful? Do you think it is when or where you release your repressed unconscious, as taught by Sigmund Freud, the founder of modern psychology? Or do you just consider them absurd and full of irrational images? What is a modernized interpretation of dreams? Among many channels providing fortune telling, either on- or offline, dream interpretation is still an active and popular area where many people seek answers on a daily basis. They may not be directly related with one’s destiny as a whole. However, they are still a major resource to determine one’s transient or long-range life alteration. It forewarns a significant event, coming in the near future. If saju is to decode symbolic letters from one’s birth, dreams furnish certain images in which we decrypt symbolic content, moods and scenes, or at other times objects, characters and interactions. In my practice, approximately 20-30 percent of my clients request I interpret their dreams. In our cu

Oct 18, 2012

Templestay marks a decade

By Chung Ah-young Since the templestay program was first introduced ahead of the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup in a move to promote traditional Korean Buddhist culture, its popularity has been steadily soaring attracting both local and foreign tourists. In commemorating the 10th anniversary of the program, plans are being put in place to diversify the current programs on offer, so as to ensure that it incorporates the needs of its range of participants all with the aim of serving as a wider public good beyond its current religious outlook. Ven. Beopjin, director of Cultural Corps of Korean Buddhism, an affiliate of the Jogye Order, said the last decade served as a preparatory launching pad upon which the program’s identity was crafted. A new dispensation of the growth and internationalization of the program is therefore being ushered in. “When I visited other countries, I found most people I met there easily associated Korea with the templestay program. I was surprised. The templestay is now national cultural tourism brand,” the monk said in a press conference in Seoul, We

Oct 17, 2012

Confusion on child porn

By Kim Bo-eun People who download videos or animation containing indecent images of minors could find themselves facing criminal charges under recently revised laws. The prosecution’s indictment of five people last month for possessing child pornography files has thrown the nation into confusion and caused a huge online debate. It was the first judicial action taken after the revised Youth Sex Protection Law became effective in March. The law states that even if a person deletes a file right after viewing it, he or she will be guilty of owning such material. The crackdown on pornographic images of people who appear to be under 18 is aimed at catching pedophiles because the government believes child pornography is behind the growing number of sex crimes against children. It’s true that actual pedophiles exist and it’s natural for the legal authorities to take steps to bring them to justice. But the catch is that the law and ensuing crackdown could cause confusion and suffering for many who are not pedophiles. A controversial part of the law is that it stipulates th

Oct 16, 2012By Kim Bo-eun

Be extra careful what you download

Internet users up in arms over vague guidelines on child porn crackdown By Kim Bo-eun, Jung Min-ho, Bahk Eun-ji “Jjanggu,” the popular character in Japanese animation series “Crayon Shin-chan (“Jjanggu the Unstoppable”), often takes his pants off to perform a butt-revealing dance. The kindergarten student’s cute trademark dance has recently become the subject of an online dispute as to whether downloading the TV series would be taken as possession of child pornography. The silly dispute stems from the vagueness of the National Police Agency’s recent announcement that it will crack down on the possession of videos or files that contain content that “could insinuate child pornography or imply sex with minors.” According to the revised Youth Sex Protection Law that went into effect in March, simply downloading such a file with content implying sex with those aged under 18 becomes illegal. Under the law, even if the file was deleted right after viewing it, the downloader can be fined up to 20 million won for possessing the material. The law also stipulates that viewing p

Oct 16, 2012

Medipost to donate 3 bil. won to SNU

Medipost made a pledge to donate 3 billion won to Seoul National University (SNU) College of Medicine. It is the biggest donation ever to the top medical school in the country. The stem cell biotechnology firm is headed by Yang Yoon-sun, who graduated from SNU medical school in 1989. The company is one of the leaders in the country’s biotechnology sector, having developed Cartistem, a stem cell treatment for knee cartilage defects early this year. Kang Dae-hee, dean of the school, appreciated that the donation will fund research to strengthen cooperative ties between academia and industry.

Oct 12, 2012

Pregnancy & back pain

By Lee Sung-hun With a sudden weight gain of 5 kilograms (11 pounds) or more, most people start complaining of back pain. During pregnancy, most women experience weight gain larger than 10 kilograms (22 pounds), making their backs vulnerable to pain. Among pregnant women, 50 to 80 percent experience some form of pain, be it in their pelvic area or back region. Yet, the majority of those women regards such pain as nothing more than a common pregnancy-associated pain, or chooses not to seek diagnosis and treatment for the fear that such treatment may harm the baby. Although in most cases the pain naturally disappears several weeks or months after childbirth, approximately 10 percent of women suffer from pain years after a pregnancy. Such patients may experience even more severe pain during their next pregnancy, and thus such pain should be monitored carefully. Commonly, back pain will occur five to seven months into the pregnancy, but may start as early as eight to 12 weeks. Women who have experienced this pain prior to pregnancy are more prone to pregnancy related back pain,

Oct 12, 2012
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