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(184) Intoxicated with the lust for power

By Janet Shin Fortune tellers become busier during election campaigns. People spread rumors that a certain fortune teller pinpointed who would win in the election. A story about a former presidential candidate, who sent a helicopter to the house of a famous fortune teller to read the upcoming result of his candidacy, is still told to this day. It was not unheard of for many former political candidates to have special measures done to their ancestors’ tombs for better fengshui fortune. They consulted fengshui masters to pick an auspicious site and moved their ancestors’ tombs. According to yin fengshui, there is a strong belief that the qi moves from ancestors to descendants. The corresponding energy between them conveys certain luck to posterity through the tombs. So the location of ancestors’ tombs and rituals performed there have been considered one of the most important duties in Korean people’s life. The story of how the tomb of Prince Nam-yeon was relocated is well known to fengshui scholars. Nam-yeon was the father of Prince Heung-sun (1820-1898), whose son became G

Apr 12, 2012

Doctor‘s rebellion; KMA, health ministry poles apart over 2 policies

By Noh Hyun-gi Without a doubt, the tension between the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Korean Medical Association (KMA) is culminating this month. Doctors are vehemently opposing the government’s plans to reduce out-of-pocket costs for patients with chronic conditions and centralize the process of settling medical disputes to preempt legal actions that came into effect in April. Though the ministry released a compilation of questions and answers on Tuesday to lubricate the friction, much is left to be resolved. Amidst the bureaucratic wrestling, patients are asking the public and the parties involved to consider their position. Disagreements over diabetes and hypertension care initiave On April 1, the government enacted the Chronic Disease Maintenance Policy which provides discounts to a patient with diabetes or high blood pressure if he designates a primary care unit for continuous treatment. The patient’s copayment level (how much a patient pays after insurance coverage) will drop from 30% (2,760 won per visit) to 20% (1,840 won). Roh Hwan-kyu, chai

Apr 12, 2012

Asan Medical Center performs 100 advance tumor removals

Asan Medical Center became the second in the world to perform 100 laparoscopic surgeries to remove pancreato-biliary tumor, according to a press release by the hospital, Tuesday. Also known as minimally invasive surgery, the technique requires small incision (0.5-1.5 centimeters) to reach the mass affecting pancreas and bile duct compared to a laparotomy that needs a larger opening. The Mayo Clinic, a tertiary care unit in Minnesota, United States is the institution that holds the record. The division of gastroenterology led by Kim Song-cheol has been carrying out laparoscopic pylorus-preserving pancreatoduodenectomy (PPPD) since May 2007. The team reached 45 cases by 2011 and 100 in February. A male patient, 65, underwent the 100th PPPD, and was able to leave the hospital eight days after the surgery. Kim has used the method, which has gained recognition recently, to remove other types of tumors such as carcinoid tumor and intraductal papillary mucinous tumor. He stated in the press release he plans to systemize the procedure to make it more applicable. D

Apr 12, 2012

Campaign on narcolepsy in Seoul

Medical associations held an awareness campaign for narcolepsy in Myeong-dong, Seoul, Thursday. The Korean Society of Sleep Medicine and the Korean Academy of Sleep Medicine organized the event titled “Narcolepsy is an illness that requires prompt treatment” to draw attention to the sleep disorder that can lead to drowsiness while driving. According to research by the Korea Expressway Corporation, this was the cause of up to 30% of automobile accidents that resulted in death in 2011. The symptoms of narcolepsy include excessive daytime sleepiness, sleep paralysis and distorted perception. More than 20,000 people are affected by narcolepsy, but only 2,000 seek treatment, said Shin Ro-min from JW Pharma. Staff from the pharmaceutical company staged performances that started at 10:30 a.m. in front of Noon Square.

Apr 12, 2012

Mental health concerns rise with cosmetic surgery boom

By Kelly Frances, Park Jin-seng "This is the nose you'll see most if you go clubbing these days,” said Sumi Lee, a university student in Seoul. She gestured to an ad for a posh plastic surgery clinic, showcasing "before and after" images of a rhinoplasty patient. "I call it the Gangnam nose, and half of my friends have it. If I could afford it, I'd get it too." Lee isn't alone. A country renowned for its dramas, music and high tech culture is swiftly becoming famous for surgically altered faces. The International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery reported that Korea has the second highest rate of plastic surgery procedures per capita in the world after Hungary. A survey conducted by the Seoul city government reported over 50 percent of women under the age of 30 went under the knife in 2011, and 31.5 percent of participants over the age of 15 expressed intentions of having surgery in the future. Last year, the Ministry of Education distributed a booklet aimed at educating students about “plastic surgery syndrome,” or the unhealthy preoccupation with surgery. "It

Apr 8, 2012

(183) Where are we?

By Janet Shin Have you ever got lost in your life? Owing to the development of technology, we are able to enjoy lots of modern conveniences. Some of them are quite gnarly and others have unexpected novelty. Futurologists might have predicted, but who could ever anticipated all the fantasmo devices. If I take my personal story, for example, I always have a hard time to find my way to a place. Due to the help of automobile navigation system, I sometimes drive to the meeting places nowadays, but driving is still one of my most strained things to do. This is often a funny joke for my students at feng shui classes. How about the satellite mapping services offered by Internet portal sites? Aren’t they incredible? We must be proud of the world and era where and when we live. Except for the fact that every human is not ready to fully utilize those advanced technology, the world seems overly wonderful, with the dreadful developments which exceed our imagination. This is truly a praiseworthy achievement and we never know how much further it will go. I remember a day in my chi

Apr 5, 2012

Prevention of viral gastroenteritis

By Lim Ju-won Viral enteritis is an infection of the stomach and intestine that causes diarrhea and vomiting. The symptoms usually appear suddenly. Viral enteritis also causes fever, abdominal pain or cramps and loss of appetite. If a person suffers from diarrhea and severe vomiting, their body loses a lot of water so that they become dehydrated. Dehydration makes them feel thirsty, tired, or dizzy. Severe dehydration can be life-threatening, so patients suffering from this need re-hydrationtreatment in hospital. Causes Norovirus is the main cause of viral gastroenteritis, which is a common illness affecting all age groups at all times of the year. Norovirus is the most common cause in adults and rotavirus is the leading cause in infants and young children. Prevention The following are recommended for prevention of the virus: — Wash hands frequently.Use soap after using the bathroom or changing a baby’s diaper, and make sure to clean hands before you eat or drink. — Wash raw fruits and vegetables before consumption. — Wash knives

Apr 1, 2012

A great fortuneteller

By Janet Shin There is an interesting fable about a frog fortune teller in Korea. He was not actually an innate fortune teller but muddled through various affairs. He didn’t become famous through choice. What he foretold turned out to be true by chance and more and more people visited him to have their fortune read. However the frog felt uncomfortable as he thought he was deluding others with misleading rumors. In the meantime, an emperor in China lost his royal seal. He explored every avenue to find it but in vain. He ordered most the famous fortune tellers in China to seek the seal, with fruitless results. Then he heard there was an extraordinary fortune teller in Korea. He ordered his staff to bring him to China. It was the frog. Being just an ordinary frog, he, of course, was not able to find any clues where the seal was. As he anticipated it would be hard to save his life if he couldn’t carry out the mission, he requested the emperor to allow him 100 days of grace. On the 99th morning, bewailing his last day of life, he went to a well to wash his face. A willow leaf fell

Mar 29, 2012

(181) Qi, the life energy

By Janet Shin In every study, the most important thing is the basis. Especially when it comes to saju, as it is a study of life and destiny, there comes a moment when you realize it truly requires your heart and soul not your brain to grasp the core essence. For all students who are to learn saju, I always make sure to plot their saju first and read what they see. It shouldn’t necessarily be a perfect reading. Depending on their knowledge, it can start from acknowledging their day masters and month branches. The day master describes one’s character and the month branch influences the whole life like a living environment. Then they begin to comprehend what other elements constitute their saju. As they study furthermore they get to recognize other people’s energy, such as their spouses, children, parents and friends, manifested in their saju. At the same time, they can discern signs of wealth, success, failure, power, reputation and intelligence, which include mental and physical conditions. Sometimes, they have to face misled and unrevealed truths of their life, which is quite p

Mar 22, 2012

Between life and death carved in your palms

By Janet Shin I have lived a life travelling many countries for various reasons. And they were mostly underdeveloped and sometimes dangerous. For someone like me, who was intrigued by fate, physical hazards, such as war, terrorism and epidemic disease were not major factors to fear. I had to fight more against the mental frailty and complicated relationships among different interest groups. It wasn’t a rare experience to travel when there were global influenza pandemics, SARS, the Sept. 11 terrorist attack, Sri Lanka’s civil war and kidnappings in Central America. A restaurant where I often stop by for a quick meal in between meetings was mobbed by armed robbers right after my visit and all the diners in that restaurant had everything stolen. Fortunately, I walked out of the dangerous places without being wounded or suffering losses. I had strong guts to digest and enjoy most local foods and sound body to endure intensive itineraries. This unnecessary conceit, however, became weathered and modest after experiencing more lives and learning saju. One of my

Mar 15, 2012
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