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Jeju aspires to be top medical tourism destination

By Noh Hyun-gi JEJU CITY — Hospitals in Korea are keen to accommodate more patients from overseas by marketing their medical excellence and coordination service. In 2011, local centers drew 110,000 foreign patients and broadening medical tourism has bred a booming business such as online communication tools and personal brokers. This upward trend is not yet a nationwide phenomenon. Medical tourists flock to the “big five” in the capital — Asan Medical Center, Samsung Medical Center, Severance Hospital, Seoul National University Hospital and Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital and don’t go anywhere else pretty much. A regional hospital’s attempt to standout in this skewed competition opens a whole new chapter. Cheju Halla General Hospital is marching into alternative medicine and profit-making, both bold moves, to lure travelers to Jeju Island. Located in Jeju City, the 700-bed facility is converting an old hotel into a hydrotherapy resort in Seogwipo, a city on the southern part of the island. WE Hotel, short for water and energy, will sit in on a reservoir of carbon

Jun 7, 2012

Falling into smartphone pit

By Kim Bo-eun, Kim Jung-yoon, Jung Min-ho, Bahk Eun-ji In public areas it’s increasingly common to see people so engrossed in smartphones that they completely ignore people around them. They interact more with these treasured devices than with colleagues or lovers sitting right in front of them. It seems they simply can’t take their eyes off these portable electronic companions. In classrooms and offices the situation is similar as students and employees make compulsive use of their smartphones. Concealing the devices beneath their desks, students chat with friends, post status updates on Facebook, play games and embellish photos. This is how 15-year-old Park spends her day at school. “I know I should not be playing games or texting friends on Kakao Talk, but I cannot put my phone aside, because it makes me feel anxious about missing something,” Lee said. “I need to check my phone every minute to see if I have a new message from friends and to check Facebook updates.” Park’s mother says her daughter always has her head buried in her smartphone; she uses it while wal

Jun 6, 2012

Identify constitutions correctly for cure

By Lee Sung-hun Quite often Koreans refer to their body type, or what we in Korean Oriental medicine (KOM) refer as body constitutions. The word ‘constitution’ may not be directly mentioned, but you will hear Koreans say things like, “I can drink as much Soju as I like, and be okay with it, but a single glass of beer can upset my stomach.” Some say that they can eat as much flour-based food as they like, and others will say that they have problems digesting this type of food. There are those who only like drinking cold water, and yet others will only drink warm water. Such are the instances that reveal our body’s characteristics – our constitutions. These traits reveal what is suitable or unsuitable for our bodies, allowing us to live a healthier and longer life. The term constitution has been used for a very long time in KOM. However, the term Sasang Constitutional Medicine was coined by Lee Je-ma (A.D. 1837-1900) during the late Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910). In his book, “Dongeuisoosebowon,” or longevity and life preservation in Oriental medicine, Lee says that humans

Jun 4, 2012

Sanofi Pasteur helps homeless

President eager to leave footprint in Korea, root for policy changes By Noh Hyun-gi Corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities make the most difference when they utilize a firm’s specialty and ambition for recognition, and cater to the most neglected group in society. Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccine division of global pharmaceutical Sanofi Aventis, is marking its presence in the country’s capital by hitting all the right notes. Since last October, it is standing by the abandoned and unregistered of Seoul by providing free flu and pneumococcal vaccines. Titled Helping Hands, the project offers the shots, basic medical checkups and winter kits to homeless shelters in Seoul. To make this a continuous endeavor, the company signed a memorandum of understanding with local government “Naturally, we wanted to stick to our area of expertise, vaccines, and so in this kind of program, we wanted to try to increase access to vaccines, focusing on those who would benefit the most,” said Ranga Welaratne, president of the Seoul branch, at his office in Gangnam, southern Seoul,

Jun 4, 2012

Seek helpf for postpartum depression

Dear Dr.P, My son is five months old. Ever since he was born, I have felt overwhelmed, fatigued; I don't want to do anything. My husband lost his job, so we're broke. His parents sold the only chance I had at having a car. I can't keep up with my housework. I'm just exhausted, down in the dumps all the time. It's always one thing after another. All my friends are treating me poorly and I feel worthless and hopeless. The only thing that keeps me going everyday is my son. Please help me. (CaelsMom) Dear. CaelsMom Even in healthy women, there are many cases in which women experience depression or anxiety after giving birth. On top of that, your husband's professional career has hit a slump and your in-laws aren't being very helpful, so I can just imagine how painful this time is for you. You are suffering from depression, and this can be a torturous and suffering period. Especially in this case of postpartum depression, things can take a dangerous turn. On that note, I strongly recommend you seek professional help. I understand that it is financially difficult for you at

May 31, 2012

Queen Silvia promotes dementia care

By Noh Hyun-gi After watching her mother suffer from dementia, Queen Silvia of Sweden can understand the wide net of the incurable disease. As the progressive neurological disease robbed the late Alice Soares de Toledo of her memory, cognitive functions, mobility and thereby her independence, her daughter, the Queen experienced how it affected not only the patient but the entire family. “Today more people are reaching old age, thanks to higher standards of living, of course we want to be healthy but unfortunately this is not the case for most people,” she said at the opening speech at the Sweden-Korea Dementia Forum at Bucheon Geriatric Hospital, Thursday. More than 30 million people around the world suffer from dementia, and if we do not develop a cure, 103 million will be affected by 2050. What surprised her most was that the nurses who took great care of her late mother had no former training. They had mastered the skill to accommodate people with dementia through hands-on experience. This inspired Queen Silvia to found Silviahemmet, a dementia training agency

May 31, 2012

World No Tobacco Day

WHO advises Korea to fight smoking at industry level, raise awareness By Noh Hyun-gi High cigarette consumption has consistently tarnished Korea’s reputation as 25.6 percent of the entire population aged over 15 smoke according to OECD Health Data 2011. Though the figure has declined 16.6 percent from 1999 to 2009, it is still higher than the OECD average of 22.3 percent. Even more striking is the gender divide, 48.3 percent of males over 19 smoke according to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, whereas only 6.3 percent of females are habitual smokers. At a conference to celebrate the 25th World No Tobacco Day, Thursday, Korea will make it a priority to combat tobacco consumption according to ministry officials. Korea will work to cut the male smoking rate to 20 percent through adopting stronger warning graphics on packaging and indicating the ingredients of tobacco products, said Im Chae-min, minister of health and welfare at the Korea Press Center in Seoul. Im emphasized Korea’s efforts to tackle tobacco consumption through expanding no-smoking areas and suppor

May 31, 2012

Insatiable craving for getting thinner

Many young women go on extreme diets By Jung Min-ho, Bahk Eun-ji, Kim Bo-eun, Kim Jung-yoon As much as a flat stomach is every woman’s wish, shedding a few extra pounds is every woman’s dream. Many Korean women are on a diet of one form or another, and some of them are extreme, putting their health at risk. Kim, a 20-year-old college student, recently appeared on a popular TV show to introduce her diet “secrets” that helped her lose 15 kilograms. Shockingly, her secrets were spitting out the food before swallowing it and hitting herself to lose fat in particular areas of the body, clearly serious self-abusive behaviors. Proud of pulling off her initial goal of losing 15 kilograms in five months, Kim showed off the large contusions on her legs, saying more bruises mean more fat to burn. Although Kim’s methods sound far fetched, many young Korean women and teens _ obsessed with the goal of getting thinner and thinner _ are relying on unproven, unhealthy dieting. Most young female Koreans are already skinny enough compared to those the same age overseas. Still, the w

May 30, 2012

Doulas provide additional support for expats birthing in Korea

By Kelly Frances Lisa Fincaryk was teaching English in Seoul when she learned she was pregnant with her first child. Like any expectant, first-time mom, she was faced with choices, the biggest being whether or not to stay in Korea to deliver her baby. “Korea had become our home, and I felt confident that I could do it here,” she said. “We chose one of the big four hospitals in Seoul, partly due to a friend’s advice and to ensure we’d have an English speaking doctor.” Fincaryk recalls the big day as being “very stressful, unsatisfactory and dampened by the rigorous policies which are common at any women’s and children hospital.” “It seemed to me that there was a clear need for better services to educate and support couples, especially foreigners,” she said. The stressful experience led her to help a close friend with her labor six months later.“I told her I would go to her birth and do what I wish someone had done for me.” From that endeavor came Birthing in Korea, a doula service provider. Four years and 130 births later, Fincaryk and her team are dedicated to sprea

May 28, 2012

Causes and cures for excessive sweating

By Jang Su-hee A good looking 32 year-old man, 180cm in height wearing a purple polo shirt walked into the clinic with his girlfriend. His problem started two years ago. After playing basketball with his friends, he sweated a lot and felt chilly afterwards. Ever since that incident, he has been suffering from chills and constant excessive sweating. Sometimes these symptoms would be accompanied by an unpleasant odor. He has also been experiencing watery stools at times. Excessive sweating, also known as diaphoresis or hyperhidrosis, may be a problem some people have to face daily. The human body has two types of sweat glands, Eccrine glands (located across the body) and Apocrine glands (concentrated in hair follicles in the scalp, underarms, and groin). In natural cases of sweating, these glands are stimulated by the body’s autonomic nervous system, secreting fluids, usually water and sodium chloride, onto the surface of the skin to cool off the body’s temperature. The cause of hyperhidrosis in general is still unknown and the cause is generally attributed to genetics

May 28, 2012
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