Lifestyle - The Korea Times

Exercise benefits cancer patients after lymph node removal

Regular exercise may benefit breast cancer patients who had their lymph nodes removed more than those who did not. Researchers at Asan Medical Center in Seoul found that such patients’ are less tired and their heart-lung function improve with daily exercise. In contrast, patients who did not go through lymphadenectomy experienced lethargy and less significant improvement in the respiratory system. The team of Rehabilitation Medicine led by Jeon Jae-young observed 95 participants in radiotherapy over six weeks. The breast cancer patients followed a routine that included aerobic workouts, strength training and stretching for five days a week. The first group’s average score on a fatigue scale decreased from 17.9 and 15.5 (13 percent) while maximum oxygen uptake increased from 23.5 to 30.1 liter per minute (38 percent). In contrast, patients without removal showed increased from 12.1 points to 13.8 on the fatigue scale and had less improvement in cardio-pulmonary function from 24.9 to 29.4 (18 percent). Stage 2 breast cancer patients have lymph nodes under the a

May 11, 2012

Ways to minimize inaccurate occlusion

By Kim Hyun-guen Getting prosthodontic treatments such as dental implants or dentures is rarely a pleasant experience. Often, the device, or prosthesis, inserted into a patient’s mouth, causes discomfort due to inaccurate occlusion. This is when the top and lower parts of the mouth don’t close comfortably together. This defective meeting of the upper and lower teeth can lead to numerous problems. These measures are costly and time-consuming. Fortunately, focusing attention on the jaw hinge axis can improve the success rate of prosthdontic procedures. This problem engages proshodontic dentists across the world. They specialize in the aesthetic restoration and replacement of teeth to restore optimum appearance. Specific procedures include implants, crowns and bridges, dentures, rehabilitation of occlusion and maxillofacial surgery. All the prostheses are made in the laboratory. Thus, duplicating the patient’s mouth and accurate position of upper and lower teeth is a crucial yet nearly impossible task. Consequently, treatments cause lots of stress and it takes tim

May 11, 2012

(188) 2012 - a year of elections

By Janet Shin “How do you foresee the French presidential election, especially the chances of Nicolas Sarkozy?” I have been continuously asked to foretell the chances of many global candidates. Among them, I delivered a negative prospect about Sarkozy after reading his saju. Before long, it was reported that socialist Francois Hollande defeated conservative incumbent Sarkozy. Here is the reason I came up with this reading. Sarcozy was born with the energy of yin earth. Earth energy usually symbolizes harmony and balance. So earth people are fair and try to keep balanced. However we also need to observe other elements surrounding the earth day master. Since Sarkozy was born in the month of cold earth, his saju requires warmth. He has adequate fire energy in the month stem and year branch. This explains a great opportunity for glory. However, he must be careful and try to be humble because the earth elements are awash, being supported by the fire, knowledge star. He is apt to be overly confident and not to listen to others. 2012 is an earth year. When I read this ye

May 10, 2012

Helicopter parents: in between overprotection, assistance

By Jung Min-ho, Bahk Eun-ji, Kim Bo-un, Kim Jung-yoon They simply cannot let go of their children, hovering closely overhead, rarely out of reach from diapers to diplomas, whether their children need them or not. These “helicopter parents” keep their children from developing a sense of independence and a can-do attitude by overprotecting them. The parents, however, believe they just care about their kids’ success a little more than other parents, mainly due to concerns about fierce competition not only in schools but also in the job market. Some even call it an addiction. The over-parenting may clear some obstacles out of the paths that lie ahead of their children ― but at the expense of undermining their children’s ability to stand on their own feet. Devoted life mentors Kim, aged 52, has a daughter who attends a medical school. Her daughter, Lee enjoys studying and has been atop academically since elementary school. But she is now under an extreme pressure. Although she has maintained the top place since entering with a 4.41/4.5 GPA, the tremendous amount of

May 9, 2012

‘Handle your ankle with care‘

By Jang Su-hee A 30-year old woman came into the room with an awkward gait. Without apparent cause, her ankle started to hurt three days ago. However, the truth came out soon after I began diagnosing. Three days ago, she wore three-inch high heels, almost a platform, during her 4-hour commute. She is one of many who live in Incheon with a job in Seoul. No doubt, the heels caused the pain. Not to mention that her shoes were too small, evident from her deformed feet. I asked her to go to the treatment room and get ready for acupuncture. As I got ready to treat her ankle, I noticed she had such thin ankles; indeed her ankles were way too slim for her body. Based on the theory of the constitution of traditional Korean medicine, the human population is divided into four identifiable types — “taeyangin” (people with greater yang), “soyangin” (people with lesser yang), “taeyinin” (people with greater yin), and“soyinin” (people with lesser yin). Different constitutions have specific metabolic features and different susceptibilities to certain aliments. Soyangin have

May 7, 2012

Ok ― wonder woman of Seoul St. Mary‘s Hospital

By Noh Hyun-gi Ok Jin-ju will answer your email inquiries about anything from catching a cold to having heart surgery, make sure you fill out any necessary paperwork, and nag other doctors to get you an appointment. The director of the International Health Center at Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital takes every opportunity to help her patients. The family doctor trained in France and runs the department that takes care of foreigners who come to Korea for advance medical services as well as expats currently living here. Her team consists of four nurses fluent in English, one Korean-Japanese nurse and a Russian coordinator with a medical degree. “With aggressive marketing, Korean healthcare services can expand their patient base beyond neighboring countries to North America and Europe because there is an unmet need for timely medical services,” Ok told The Korea Times. Recalling her days at Lille 2 University of Health and Law in Paris she said; “I am sure things have changed but I still hear from my French patients that getting an MRI scan can take months on a waiting list.

May 7, 2012

Center helps students beat inconveniences

Customized equipment, assistive tools are offered at discounts By Noh Hyun-gi Every year, the number of “integrated” classrooms is increasing. In 2011, 70 percent of some 80,000 students with disabilities studied in regular schools, compared to 56 percent of 70,000 in 2000, according to the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology. Though new schools are equipped with ramps and lifts to accommodate the pupils, wheelchairs and other auxiliary devices make them conspicuous. Fortunately, a government-subsidized institute is helping minimize inconveniences for them. The Seoul Assistive Technology Service Center in Goduk-dong takes orders from parents and school teachers to modify regular furniture for children with varying physical disabilities. For example, the center’s technicians can add arm rests, safety belts, cushion or leg separators to a classroom chair in three weeks. This customization only costs material fees — an average of 25,000 won. Anyone can order up to three items at the center. Seoul residents may qualify for discounts of up to 80 percent.

May 7, 2012

(187) My name is Lofty Mountain

By Janet Shin “You were born with the energy of the mountains” I often start my saju reading with this kind of comment. They sometimes refer to the sun or other times the sea or rain. They vary in accordance with the five elements of one’s birth energy. I know it sounds a little unrealistic in reading destiny and if you knew the meaning of each comparison, you would find it more metaphysical. However, it provides crucial information about many facets of our lives. It is philosophical as it connotes Oriental teaching about the cosmos. But what I’ve experienced is that it explains a lot about our destiny. If destiny literally delivers a somewhat fatal significance, you may apply this kind of identification to our lifestyle and pursuit of life. In every lecture, I put emphasis on the necessity to adopt saju correctly. This is because it has been regarded as a superstitious or sometimes even omniscient and shamanistic practice. That is actually not correct. If you refer to saju more rationally, you will be able to get many substantive answers when you are in need of specific ass

May 3, 2012

Understanding identity, key to connection

DEAR DR. P: My adopted father passed away two years ago, and I am still in mourning. There are no words to describe how I feel. But more importantly, I can’t stop thinking about why I didn’t want to learn anything about Korean culture. My father attempted several times to provoke my interests, to no avail. Why did I try so hard to forget my past as a little girl in the orphanage? I just started learning Korean language and history. However, I have been conditioned to think, feel and speak in an “American way.” Suddenly, I don’t recognize my true self. How can I ever achieve harmony, resolution and productivity between the two worlds? (Anonymous) DEAR ANONYMOUS: I offer my deepest condolences for your loss. I understand your frustration and regret. As a person lives out his or her life, it is impossible to ignore one’s origin. The disappointment, anger and confusion you feel may stem from the circumstances your Korean roots were denied and replaced with total assimilation and acceptance of American culture. However, it is not too late to get in touch with your past and

May 3, 2012

Let‘s set mad cow facts straight

By Noh Hyun-gi In memory of the 2008 candlelit protests that were triggered by concerns about the safety of U.S. beef, over 3,000 gathered in Cheonggye Square, central Seoul on Wednesday night. Holding candles in paper cups, just like four years ago, they demanded the administration keep its promise to ban American beef imports following an outbreak of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), more commonly known as mad cow disease. On April 24, a dairy cow in California was found with the first BSE case in nearly five years. The mood was not as boisterous as four years ago but both media and public appeared to be wary, not so much because of health hazards but the political explosiveness of the issue. It is one benefit of experience, having undergone rumors and misinformation about mad cow disease that almost toppled the government last time around. Still, it is important to see how BSE should be medically perceived in order to rid consumers of misunderstanding once and for all. The chance of people falling sick from eating BSE-contaminated beef is extremely low.

May 3, 2012

Others

Others

Exercise benefits cancer patients after lymph node removal

Ways to minimize inaccurate occlusion

(188) 2012 - a year of elections

Helicopter parents: in between overprotection, assistance

‘Handle your ankle with care‘

Ok ― wonder woman of Seoul St. Mary‘s Hospital

Center helps students beat inconveniences

(187) My name is Lofty Mountain

Understanding identity, key to connection

Let‘s set mad cow facts straight

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