Lifestyle - The Korea Times

Bariatric surgery tackles morbid obesity

By Lee Hyuk-joon While there are still starving people in one part of the world, there are many people suffering too much body weight in another part of the world. So, the bariatric surgery was once simply regarded as one of the anesthetic surgeries that eliminate the effort of self-control. However, “morbid obesity” is a disease status, which can be separated from simple overweight, in the aspect that weight loss is seldom successful with non-surgical treatments and many patients have serious associated diseases. Morbid obesity is defined when the “body mass index” (BMI, body weight(kilogram)/height (in centimeters squared)) is 35 or more; over 101 kilograms in case of a man 170 centimeters tall. Surgical treatment is indicated when the patient has a motivation to endure a difficult process before and after the operation, and the BMI is over 40 or 35 with two or more co-morbidities. Because most of this patient fails to lose body weight with medical treatments, and if ever, eventually return to the previous situation, a consensus was made that the bariatric surge

Apr 3, 2011

(130) Romance or scandal (1)

Between career and money cycles in saju There is a joke among Korean adults that “it is romance if I am involved, but a scandal if others are.” While love is consistently the most popular and beautiful theme of literature and art, as it fills our hearts with abundant happiness, it also causes a stigma for some caught up in a web of scandals. The so-called Shanghai scandal which decorated many Korean media outlets was furtively concluded as a mere affair between Korean diplomats and a Chinese woman, caused by lax official discipline. There was an unconfirmed allegation that it was to stir the issue of Jang Ja-yeon, the actress who committed suicide from the depression from sexual and physical abuse by her entertainment agency executives. Her case was investigated as sexual exploitation between a powerless actress and the cultural exalted. And then the Shin Jeong-ah scandal resurfaced with the recently published “4001,” an autobiography referring to her relationship with high profile figures. In the book, she even mentioned some real names and described specific incident

Mar 31, 2011

Prevention is key to overcoming migraines

By Kelly Frances Agonizing pain, nausea, sensitivity to sound and light are all symptoms that you may have experienced individually or all at once. These are all commonly associated with migraines. We’ve all experienced headaches: normally the result of alcohol, hunger, sinus problems or stress. Headaches are the most common neurological disorder in the world, afflicting more people than diabetes, epilepsy and asthma combined. However, experts advise such common symptom may require special medical treatment. “If you experience head pain more than twice a week or your pain is so debilitating that work or normal functioning is impossible, you could be a migraine sufferer” Yoo Youk-jin, physician at Seoul National University Hospital, said. As a doctor in the International Clinic, who specializes in family medicine, he describes headaches and migraines as a “common complaint” from his patients, the hallmark of migraine being “the complete inability to function.” Yoo claims that prevention is the key to overcoming the condition. “For migraine sufferers, the goal

Mar 27, 2011

Merz Aesthetics pledges best product, service

By Kim Tae-jong The head of a fast-growing international aesthetics products company said Korea has emerged as a key strategic market in Asia on its strong leadership in the medical field. “We have built an organization in recent years that includes direct operations in 16 countries worldwide, primarily that has been in America and Europe. Now, South Korea represents the starting point for us in Asia,” Steve Basta, CEO of Merz Aesthetics, told The Korea Times. The company is a subsidiary of Merz Pharma, a German pharmaceutical company with a 100-year history. The aesthetics firm has recently launched its Asia-Pacific headquarters in Seoul to promote two main aesthetics products here ㅡ calcium mineral filler, Radiesse, and the botulinum toxin, Xeomin. “Our commitment to South Korea reflects the fact that South Korea is one of the three most important markets worldwide. We made a commitment, therefore, to build our regional headquarters here. Seoul is now the regional headquarters for our expansion in Asia,” he said. According to recent statistics, there are 729 plast

Mar 27, 2011

Are we hopeless against the power of nature?

By Janet Shin A giant earthquake registered 9 in magnitude hit Japan. It was one of the strongest quakes ever recorded in the Earth’s history. The tsunami, caused by this quake hit northeastern Japan caused massive flooding and even changed the shape of the coastline. There are continued fears about a possible radiation leak owing to damage at nuclear power facilities. This news over the past days reminded us how human beings are vulnerable to the vast phenomenon of nature. There is no logical correlation between this natural disaster and any religious or moral aspects. We cannot relate it with any past histories or unethical behaviors. Although Japan was well-prepared for such a disaster, especially for quakes, and they indeed reported a lower death toll and fewer damaged buildings due to their heightened readiness and calm, this calamity clearly warned us how thin and shallow the fate of human beings is compared to the magnitude of the universe. A mother missed her grip to lose her daughter in the flood and a husband and wife were separated by a powerful wave. The

Mar 24, 2011

Non-surgical treatment is possible for scoliosis

By Kelly Frances Remember when you were a kid and your mother told you to stop slouching and stand up straight? Turns out she had good reason to nag at you. Scoliosis is that reason, a common medical condition in which a person’s spine is curved from side to side, causing the spine to appear shaped more like an ‘S’ or ‘C’ rather than a straight line. Chiropractor and clinic owner Park Rin estimates that one in three Korean children suffer from scoliosis, which is thought to be inherited though as often appears in families with no history of the condition. People can also develop scoliosis through poor habits and when left untreated, it can lead to a “hunched back.” In later life, scoliosis can cause pinched nerves and decreased body functioning, including problems with digestion, breathing, and chronic pain. The Korean public school system checks student posture annually, helping to identify afflicted students. Park explains that early detection is critical: “Once a patient gets into their 20s, it becomes much harder to correct their problem, so school nurses pla

Mar 20, 2011

Walk or run in the Turtle Marathon

By Kwon Mee-yoo Spring can’t decide whether to stay or not but eager participants in this month’s walkathon scheduled to take place at Mt. Nam this Sunday will not be de-motivated. The 404th Turtle Marathon hosted by The Korea Times' sister paper, The Hankook Ilbo is a monthly event that has drawn more than 120,000 people since 1978. Unlike an ordinary marathon, the Turtle Marathon allows participants to move at their own pace, enjoying the early morning air and natural surroundings. Lee Jong-yong, president of Renew System, will lead this month's marathon. Renew System is a construction material company specializing in environment-friendly waterproofing materials. Afterwards at the plaza, Korean traditional percussion music group Harang and fusion Korean quartet Heyya will perform traditional Korean music with a modern twist. All participants will be given beverages from Nongshim during the walk and middle and high school students who participate in the cleanup afterwards will receive certification for two hours of volunteer work. This month's raffle prizes includ

Mar 15, 2011By Kwon Mee-yoo

(128) Saju of a North Korean defector

Thirty one North Koreans had been found drifting on a fishing boat in inter-Korean maritime border in February. While four of them declared to defect, the return of the rest are still under tough negotiation, because North Korea refused to accept if it was not all 31’s return. This became an issue due to the political and ideological interests between the two governments. Since there are more and more North Korean defectors living in South Korea, I am asked to read their saju from time to time. Unfortunately, some of them are still not satisfied with their lives in South Korea although they escaped from miserable lives in North and survived from dangerous journey on their way to South Korea. Apart from financial support of South Korean government, mental and psychological instabilities exist as ever owing to cultural differences between the two establishments. Does the external environment where one lives in influence one’s saju? Theoretically, there shouldn’t be any interaction between them because saju consists of four or eight letters given from one’s birth. However

Mar 10, 2011

Heel Pain: Plantar fasciitis

By Yoo Youk-jin Do you suffer from pain in your heel? Especially, a stabbing pain that usually occurs with the first few steps from your bed in the morning, or with prolonged standing in hard shoes on a hard floor? Or any sharp pain in the heel with only the first steps of a run and worsened pain after the run is completed? Or maybe you have pain after getting up from a seated position for some time. In such cases, press on the medial (inner) aspect of your heel. If you have a strong painful or burning sensation, it could be plantar fasciitis. This condition is the most common cause of heel pain, and is an inflammation of the connective tissue called the plantar fascia that runs across the bottom of the foot, connecting the heel to your toes. Plantar fasciitis most commonly occurs in women, between the ages of 40 and 60, or people who are overweight. Exercise that places a lot of pressure on the heel, such as long distance running, ballet dancing or aerobics, can contribute to this condition. Occupations such as teachers or waitresses can be another risk factor. The

Mar 6, 2011

(127) Power, the name of poisoned chalice

Based on the birth year, month, day and time, we are able to get the four pillars of destiny, which consists of heavenly stems and earthly branches. One’s personality is characterized by a day stem ― heavenly sign, then, the life progresses its paths on the axis of the day master. The characteristic of day masters, however, is not simply one of five elements but is delicately defined by a month branch. The month branch is generated by a climate of one’s birth. So the weather, place, humidity, and so on are all mingled in one’s saju, especially in a month branch. The other letters are named by the five elements generation and restraint circulation respectively. The related cycles can be diagramed below. According to this theoretical system, we are able to see certain pattern in saju. The ruling pattern can easily be inferred by even beginners. Here we may relate them as follows; Wealth cycle: businessmen, making a fortune Power cycle: politicians, leaders, reputation Resource cycle: intellectuals, respect, knowledge Output cycle: artists, performers, at

Mar 3, 2011

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