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Paik Hospital making patients feel at home

img By Kim Tae-jong BUSAN ― Inje University Haeundae Paik Hospital, based in this southeastern port city, is emerging as a leading player in medical tourism, propelled by its cutting edge medical technology, highly-skilled doctors and fascinating tour attractions. However, the hospital’s president believes its competitiveness comes from its emphasis on custom-tailored medical services and care for patients. “People from different countries have different needs, having various difficulties and conditions,”said Hwang Tae-gyu, president of the hospital, in an interview with The Korea Times. “So it’s important to provide them with customized services, and fully understand their cultural background and private needs.” Medical tourism has been a buzzword in the medical industry on expectations that it will produce higher value-added business, but Hwang believes that medical services shouldn’t be just regarded as a money-making business. “When you’re sick and taken care well, you’ll never forget about it. So, medical tourism is an important vehicle to help people develop th

Walking for a healthy New Year

(121) Reading ones New Years fortune

This is one of the busiest times of the year for saju masters as people want to foresee their New Year’s fortune. Some may call it ``To-Jeong bi-gyeol,’’ or the secret reading of To-Jeong, an eccentric scholar and astronomer from the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910). Though not an established historical fact, it is believed that To-Jeong was made to write a book on divination in order to read people’s fortune by the months of the year. Reading one’s New Year’s fortune through saju is not identical with that of To-Jeong bi-gyeol, however, because the methods and theoretical background of the two are different. Many people ask me why their New Year’s saju is different from the reading of To-Jeong. It is different because saju analyzes the energy connection between the year’s pillar (comprised of stem and branch) and one’s saju (all four pillars of one’s birth). For example, the year 2011 has a metal stem and wood branch, so we need to watch how this New Year’s energy will affect one’s destiny as defined by saju. As a saju master, I developed my ability to code and decode one’s bir

Sufficient communication essential for treatment

By Kwon Mee-yoo Cho So-yun, 42, chair at the department of dermatology at Seoul Metropolitan Government-Seoul National University Boramae Medical Center, said that as the skin is the largest organ of the human body, dermatological research is essential to raise the quality of life. Dedicated to treating patients and researching pathology, Cho won the third Asia-Pacific La Roche-Posay Foundation Award for clinical research section with a project titled "A study on the prognostic value of clinical and histopathological features of dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans in Korean patients" in December. Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans is a rare tumor in the dermis layer of the skin. It makes the skin lump together and can cause death if metastasized to other organs. The symptoms are similar to that of keloid, or an overgrown scar, and is difficult to be distinguished. Cho collected only 65 cases of the neoplasm in three hospitals ― Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital and SMG-SNU Boramae Medical Center ― from 2000 to 2009. "The skin tumor

Beating the winter blues

By Kelly Frances Some of us are born to brave plunging temperatures and relish winter sports. Others struggle with seasonal affective disorder (SAD), also known as the “winter blues.” You may have a difficult time getting out of bed, feel fatigued for most of the day, or the dreary weather may bring you down. Perhaps you experience a lack of motivation at work or while socializing. Maybe you’ve gained weight, or crave comfort foods like ramen, bread, or sweets. You may even have chronic pain that increases during the colder seasons. All of these may be signs that you are experiencing SAD. While people often experience this mainly during the colder months, SAD can occur in the summer and spring as well though the symptoms are different. Insomnia and anxiety are hallmarks of SAD during warmer months. Most people would describe these symptoms, whether in the winter or the summer, as depression. Dr. Yoo Youk-jin, a family medicine specialist at the Seoul National University Hospital, and Dr. Kang Do-hyun, assistant professor and psychiatrist, emphasize the importance of ed

(120) Saju of Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg

The year 2010 has come to close and it was a year when the rapid spread of the smartphone helped cause the rise of the words ``social’’ and ``network.’’ Social commerce, social networks, Twitter, Facebook, social media, smartphones and so forth, have been printed and broadcast all over the world. This e-world has not only been related with the IT business but with politics, the economy, entertainment, advertising and the lives of every ordinary person. In this regard, it would be interesting to read the saju of Mark Zuckerberg, software developer and co-founder of Facebook. He was listed as one of the most intriguing people of 2010 by CNN and as person of the year by Time. Looking at his saju, the day master tells of the energy of a big mountain. Being born in May implies a strong influence of the knowledge star (fire). The career (wood) and money (water) stars are sitting comparatively far from his day pillar. The career star tells of power or social identity, in other words. The expression star (metal) sitting on his day branch suggests his continuous creation of new ideas.

Templestay launches multilingual web service

By Lee Hyo-won An international website will provide a multilingual service for foreigners wishing to participate in a Buddhist templestay program. Templestay offers visitors an overnight experience in a traditional Buddhist temple. The English Templestay website (eng.templestay.com), will soon be offered in five other languages of Chinese, Japanese, German, French and Spanish for the New Year, said the Cultural Corps of Korean Buddhism. The website plans to provide comprehensive information on temples hosting Templestays for foreign visitors, including a useful online reservation service. There is also a special step-by-step feature, “Find Your Templestay,” which allows users to search for a temple that best suits their personal preferences. Users can share content from the website via Twitter and Facebook. The Cultural Corps of Korean Buddhism also plans to launch a Templestay application for iPhones later this month. Visit eng.templestay.com for more information.

Cardinal urges N. Korea to improve human rights

4-river project is not a matter of belief By Shim Jae-yun Cardinal Nicholas Cheong Jin-suk has called on North Korea to take measures to improve the human rights and living conditions of its people. ``North Korea is restricting freedom and truth while failing to provide the people with rights to live humanly without worrying about survival,’’ Cheong said in an exclusive New Year interview with The Korea Times. He urged North Korean leaders to exert efforts to promote peace on the Korean Peninsula and make its people happier. He was referring to two attacks by North Korea ― the sinking of the frigate Cheonan and the shelling of Yeonpyeong Island in the West Sea. His remarks drew particular attention as military tensions on the peninsula mounted last year due to the North’s provocative acts that triggered anti-Pyongyang sentiment among South Koreans. He expressed deep condolences for the victims and their bereaved families; the Cheonan disaster claimed the lives of 46 sailors and the Yeonpyeong shelling left four, including two civilians, dead. Cheong, 80

Rolfing re-emerging as solution to pain, tension-related ailments

By Kelly Frances Got a headache or sore throat? Aching muscles? Before popping one of the many commercial remedies available, you might consider a trip to your chiropractor for a little “Rolfing”action. As a chronic pain sufferer and post surgery patient, I decided to try out the technique, which is swiftly gaining popularity with the yoga-Pilates-acupuncture crowd as a healthy alternative to pill popping. Admittedly, organic solutions and “well-being” brands may be in vogue, but it’s tough to compete with an affordable promise of “instantaneous results you can achieve anywhere,” especially while recovering from a late night of samgyeopsal and soju or facing a deadline. Dr. Dan Jin, a certified rolfer and registered chiropractor at Sky Wellness Center, explains that Rolfing Structural Integration is a type of deep — really deep — massage that was last popular during the post war era. Well, Rolfing is re-emerging as liver-friendly solution to pain and tension-related ailments. Think of it as a 30 to 90 minute massage during which the patient does a little w

Expressing natural look most important in plastic surgery

By Kim Rahn The most important virtue of a plastic surgeon is not technique but perception, an ability to determine which operation or treatment will make the patient beautiful ― this is what a foreign plastic surgeon said, and this is also what Korean plastic surgeon Kim Young-jae believes. Kim, practitioner of Kim Young Jae Plastic Surgery in southern Seoul, says making patients look natural is more important than just removing wrinkles. “In a facelift, for example, the skin and fascia of the forehead, eyes and cheeks need to be tightened in all different directions, as the skin of each part of the face droops in its own direction. If a surgeon tightens the skins just upward, the patient may look younger but unnatural,” the 50-year-old surgeon said. While most surgeons cut the whole hairline to tighten the skin upward, Kim uses minimal invasive surgery, with which he cuts as small parts of face as possible and as unnoticeable as possible ― generally behind the ears and inside the mouth. The minimum cutting has been possible as Kim uses an endoscope. Kim’s facelift