Lifestyle - The Korea Times

Going to the doctor in Korea

By Kelly Frances A trip to the doctor can be daunting, especially when you're away from home. Miscommunication and procedural differences contribute to the vulnerability that accompanies illness. "I've watched many new co-workers go to the doctor and get freaked out by the pill cocktails and little baggies, as well as getting a shot regardless of your symptoms" said Bruce Alexander, a manager at a leading “hagwon” chain. While major Korean medical institutions are looking to cash in on the growing medical tourism industry, big changes can also be found in the small, privately owned clinics of Korea. According to clinic owners, many of those changes are fueled by customer demand and growing multiculturalism. Family physician Park Soon-oak opened her clinic in 2002, in Haebangchon (HBC) in the Yongsan district in Seoul, an area known for its large expatriate population. She named it "Woori-dul Clinic", meaning "Our clinic", but it has since been nicknamed the "The HBC Clinic" among expats. Park sees an average of 70 patients per day, 10 percent of whom are foreigners

Mar 11, 2012

(179) Destined to divorce?

By Janet Shin Those who live a secure life are also curious about their saju or destiny. They sense their current stability may change sooner or later. It is a telltale fact of our life. We all experience certain warning signs for various reasons. Everybody has their own hurtful wounds to heal. People usually do not know how to handle them initially. They try to ignore, deny and then accept and cure the matter. Unfortunately, the situation doesn’t get better easily, especially when it is destined. Of course, it is not just their fault. It is not easy to prepare for bad days when people are on a roll. They may be curious about saju as a theory but hardly relate it to their real lives. Life, however, is not always smooth sailing. It is like a roller coaster. The uphill must be followed by the downhill. It is just a matter of how drastic the curves are. Ordinary people are usually flustered as they do not know what the whole picture of the problem is like. Saju is able to tell them where they are and when the change will come. A woman requested a saju consultation. She want

Mar 8, 2012

Tips for nocturnal leg cramps

By Lim Ju-won Nocturnal leg cramps are sudden involuntary contractions of the lower leg and foot muscles. Leg cramps commonly occur in the foot, thigh, or calf at night or during rest, and last from a few seconds to a few minutes. They are characterized by sudden muscle tightness and pain. Besides being painful, leg cramps disrupt sleep and can cause distress and anxiety. The risk of night leg cramps increases with age. Pregnant women also experience leg cramps at night more frequently. What can cause nocturnal leg cramps? There are many different possible causes of leg cramps. Overuse of leg muscles, prolonged standing or sitting in one position, and wearing uncomfortable shoes are risk factors for developing leg cramps. The cause of legs cramps is unclear in most cases. These cramps can be related to dehydration and electrolyte disturbances such as magnesium, calcium, potassium and sodium. Reduced blood flow through muscles can be associated with leg cramps. Medications that may cause cramps include inhaled long-acting beta agonists (LABA), diuretics, and beta blocker

Mar 4, 2012

(178) Marital harmony (2)

By Janet Shin One of the most frequently asked questions during a saju reading is about married life. Some wonder about love because their spouses do not satisfy their yearning to be loved, or the other party is not faithful. Others are concerned about happiness. Happiness is a major desire, which is fulfilled sometimes by financial stability. But most importantly, it is realized more by sentimental intimacy. It is a chemical connectedness, not a physical bonding. A marital relationship is not easy to describe only with superficial conditions. The seemingly abundant environment, such as a nice house, wealth, prestigious cars or prospective jobs does not always lead to devoted love between a husband and wife. In reading “gunghap,” or the marital compatibility of a couple, saju masters differentiate superficial harmony (“geot gunghap”) from inner one (“sok gunghap”). The sok gunghap is often described as what their partners are like in bed in its secular meaning. However, its actual significance is the inner or true compatibility of a couple compared to the superficial external

Mar 1, 2012

Miss Korea 2012 to stage regionals

The annual Miss Korean pageant will host its regional preliminaries for the national-level event. Selected over three months, from April to June, the top three winners from each region will qualify to vie for the coveted 2012 crown. The main event in Seoul is scheduled for early July. The country is divided into fourteen regions for administrative purposes and Korean residents and in Japan and the Americas. Miss Korea 2012 and two runners-up will compete in the following year’s Miss Universe, Miss International and Miss Earth. The competition is the oldest one in the country, having been held annually year for 55 consecutive years. It is sponsored by the Hankook Ilbo, a sister company of The Korea Times. The current title holder is Lee Seong-hye, who won the crown on Aug. 3 last year. Dates and deadlines for registration vary for different regions. An information session is scheduled for March 23. Pre-registration is necessary. Call 02-724-2611, e-mail misskorea@hk.co.kr, or visit http://misskorea.hankooki.com for more information, especially on the requireme

Feb 28, 2012

Marital harmony: tragedy of a couple

By Janet Shin Choosing a suitable spouse is one of the most important decisions to lead a happy life. We all try to meet someone who will be a faithful companion throughout our life journey. Couples reach marriage, sometimes through true love, or sometimes under the other conditions. Whatever the reasons are, they ultimately wish to live a happy married life. This, seemingly easy wish is actually the most difficult thing in our life. Why is that? We humans are not perfect. Everybody has their own drawbacks and sometimes hidden trauma. When it is explained by a saju perspective, it is because we have only four pillars, not five pillars of destiny. The cosmos and every being in the cosmos are explained by yin, yang and the five elements. It is because the five elements (and yin and yang) have been considered the most appropriate energy, relationship and activity to constitute the universe. They are not only physical substances but spiritual existences and phenomena. However humans, being endowed with only four pillars of destiny, are always lacking energy to complete a harmonio

Feb 23, 2012

Non-invasive prenatal test has promising future

By Kelly Frances Leading gynecologist Kim Chang-kyu is pursuing a dream that took root during his childhood, when he witnessed the struggles faced by his mentally disabled aunt and a family death related to pregnancy complications. “My dream is to reduce congenital abnormalities in pregnancy," he said. "Within the next 5 years, I expect big changes for women in Korea.” Kim says a new, non-invasive, DNA blood test is the key, but lack of education and money-hungry medical professionals stand in the way. “Babies with Down syndrome have an extra copy of a specific chromosome. The blood test can identify this accurately,” he said. “Women are marrying and starting families later in life, and the incidence of congenital birth defects such as Down syndrome has risen.” Age and risk of Down syndrome Invasive testing takes place in approximately 15 percent of pregnant women in Korea, some 70,000 women annually. Of those, 3 percent will suffer complications and miscarry. Amniocentesis and chorionic villus sampling are the most common choices of prenatal testing in K

Feb 19, 2012

(176) Unbowed: distorted life of a man

By Janet Shin Saju, or the four pillars of destiny, decodes the signs from birth to read one’s destiny. We are imposed with eight symbolic letters from birth: four heavenly and four earthly signs. The heavenly letters, or stems, literally mean something ideal and intangible, while the earthly letters, or branches, reflect reality indicating a lapse of time. Consequently, the heavenly stems are substantiated by the existence of earthly branches and the earthly branches are idealized by the status of heavenly stems. These two energies combine to construct a pillar, so that all of us have four pillars of birth year, month, day and time to determine our destiny. They are multi-dimensional, having both concepts of time and space. I have read many lives that their ideal stems are struggling with earthly branches in reality. This may be true of our lives, and most people just manage to hang in there. But for some, the quirk of fate is too severe. It is one of the critical competencies that a saju master must possess, to read the interaction of these eight letters in one’

Feb 16, 2012

Basics of low back pain

By Lim Ju-won Low back pain (LBP) is one of the most common complaints among people. It is estimated that about 70 to 85 percent of all people have at least one experience of suffering from LBP at some time in their lives. There are many causes but they are typically classified as specific and nonspecific. Most people have nonspecific LBP, which is not caused by a specific disease or abnormality in the spine but by strains or sprains to muscles or ligaments. LBP is rarely caused by a potentially serious spinal condition, such as a fracture, cancer, infection or a disorder called caudaequina syndrome, which causes weakness and bowel or bladder dysfunction as well as pain. LBP that is associated with leg pain can be due to a herniated disc or spinal stenosis. So, do not assume the worst even if you do experience LBP. Almost everyone gets this at some point in their lives. It can be scary but most cases are not serious and it usually goes away within four to six weeks. The cases that require surgery or urgent care are rare. If people experience symptoms such as numbnes

Feb 12, 2012

(175) Ill-fated relationship

By Janet Shin In our lives, we encounter relationships that end up disintegrating over something not so serious at first. We may just consider it bad luck after losing face. One has to pay more effort to restore the loss of faith in many cases. The seemingly good personality is seen under a new light after certain incidents that ruined a shaky relationship. If they read their saju before it’s too late, they should be able to get their hearts ready and avoid the worst case scenario. There was an entangled affair in a family. A woman lived a normal life without having anything to seriously worry about. But she had a brother who didn’t adjust himself to society and kept committing petty crimes. Although he was in his fifties, he was constantly imprisoned and there were no scruples about it. Meanwhile, this woman (we will call her “A”) got to know another woman (“B”). They became close like sisters and shared their thoughts. They found that they were on the same wavelength and saw each other quite often. Surprisingly, woman B fell in love with A’s brother. At first, A couldn’t

Feb 9, 2012

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