Lifestyle - The Korea Times

Watch What you Eat After Exercise

By Bae Ji-sook Staff Reporter Many people start the day on jogging trails or on treadmills, believing that working out is the best way to lose weight. However, recent research says that what you eat after exercise is just as important as the workout itself. According to Jeffrey Horowitz of the University of Michigan, what you consume affects the body's metabolism. In his recent study published in the Journal of Applied Physiology, he wrote that "Exercise enhanced insulin sensitivity, particularly when meals eaten after the workout session contained a relatively low carbohydrate content." According to Science Daily, "Enhanced insulin sensitivity means that it is easier for the body to take sugar from the blood stream to tissues like muscles, where it can be stored or used as fuel." For the experiment, nine healthy sedentary men, all between 28 to 30 years old, spent four separate sessions at the University of Michigan Hospital. They were given different regimens: some did not exercise and ate meals to match their daily calorie expenditure; some exercised for

Jan 31, 2010

Buddhist Head to Visit NK

By Han Sang-hee Staff Reporter The most venerable Ja Seung, head of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism, will visit North Korea, according to the biggest Buddhism sect Thursday. He will leave Saturday for a four-day visit along with other high ranking monks. ``We believe the visit will not only be focused on religious exchanges, but also on the stagnated relations between South and North Korea,'' Ven. Won Dam, the spokesman of the sect said. The Buddhist leaders were invited by the Korean Reconciliation Council in North Korea. They will meet the leaders of the Joseon Buddhism Federation and discuss exchanges between South and North Korean Buddhism and also visit Yonghwa Temple, Beobunam; Bohyeon Temple; and Mt. Myohang. Ven. Ja Seung will further discuss with his counterparts about revitalizing Shingye Temple on Mt. Geumgang, the restoration of Yonghwa Temple in Pyongyang and about cooperation in digging for and restoring Buddhist cultural assets. They are also looking into building a humanitarian welfare center in Pyongyang, signing a cooperation agreement be

Jan 29, 2010

(75) Saju and Oriental Medicine (3)

By Janet Shin While we learned how yin and yang, and the five elements are explained in the realm of Oriental medicine, it would be interesting if we could relate it to the realm of saju. As said, Oriental medicine looks at the human body as a small universe with yin and yang and the five elements. So we may be able to read health aspects in terms of saju theory. In order to understand the mechanism, let's see how diseases or disorders are seen from an Oriental perspective. Disorders are the reflection of conflicts between vital energy and malady. The vital energy fights against malady to protect the human body. If the body is full of vital energy and can function normally, the malady cannot attack the human body. On the other hand, ``mal'' energy invades the human body when vital energy is not strong enough to resist. Then, the causes of disorders, mal energy in other words, are divided into two ― internal and external causes. Externally, nature has six environmental energies: wind, cold, heat, water, drought and heat. They are related with the seasons and they enter th

Jan 28, 2010

Quitting Smoking Doubles Cancer Survival Rate

By Bae Ji-sook Staff Reporter A group of British medical researchers has reported that quitting smoking after being diagnosed with early-stage lung cancer doubles a patient's chances of living for another five years. They issued the report after analyzing data from 10 observational studies on the impact of quitting smoking after being diagnosed with the disease. According to the analysis, some 29 to 33 percent of early-stage lung cancer patients who continued to smoke after diagnosis survived for five years, while 63 to 70 percent of patients who quit survived for that long. The higher survival rate is related to a reduced likelihood of tumor recurrence, not from improvements in the condition of the heart and lungs, the researchers said. Researcher Amanda Parsons of the U.K. Centre for Tobacco Control Studies at the University of Birmingham College of Medicine and Dentistry said, "Quitting smoking was associated with around double the chance of surviving at any time point compared to people who continued to smoke." For years, doctors have said that less than one-t

Jan 24, 2010

Donghwa-sa, Temple of the Paulownia Blossom

This is the 10th and final in 10-part series on templestay programs _ ED By Andrew Douch Contributing Writer Day 1 Look north through a gap in the buildings from anywhere in Daegu City and you will see the Palgong ridgeline. This great range of rocky peaks creates a dramatic backdrop to the skyline of the city as it stretches northwest, forming a natural border with Daegu and the small counties of North Gyeongsang Province. The name ``palgong’’ commemorates eight great generals who fell in battle defending its slopes more than 1,000 years ago. The grand summits and deep valleys of this ridge are home to dozens of important Buddhist temples and shrines, including the famous and highly venerated ``Gat-bawi’’ seated stone Buddha and the major temple complex of Donghwa Temple. It was to Donghwa Temple that I was visiting on this crisp and clear Saturday afternoon to participate in their templestay program. The temple sits in the shadow of the highest peaks on the Palgong ridge, and has a long and colorful history. In 493 A.D, the monk Geuk Dal established a temple h

Jan 21, 2010

Women Can Endure More Stress During Ovulation

By Bae Ji-sook Staff Reporter Menstruation may be stressful for many women, causing mood swings and minor or severe pain in the stomach and lower areas. Apart from its well-known functions such as blood circulation, recent studies show that menstruation is beneficial for regulating stress. According to researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, women handle stress more effectively than men, which alters the way their bodies experience chronic diseases such as depression, cardiovascular disease and autoimmune disorders. The scientists used functional MRIs to monitor the brain activity of healthy men and women viewing stress-triggering images. The women underwent brain scans twice, once at the start of their menstrual cycle and once during ovulation. At the start of their menstrual cycle, women's brain activity in response to stress was similar to men's. But men's response to stress was much higher when compared to women's during ovulation. Jill Goldstein, director of research at the Connors Center for Women's Health and Gender Biology at the hospital, s

Jan 17, 2010

(74) Saju and Oriental Medicine (2)

By Janet Shin Let's continue to study the connection between saju and Oriental medicine. The major philosophical origin of Oriental medicine is the concept of yin and yang. The physiological function of a human body is maintained by the cooperative relationship with the opposing or organic activities of yin and yang. According to qi theory, all the functions of the human body are subject to the activity of ``qi,'' and the source of qi is breathing and ingestion. We will further review human health in connection with the five elements and how they are read by saju, through one's birth year, month, day and time. As previously mentioned, Oriental medicine is largely based on the philosophical concept that the human body is a small universe comprised of yin, yang and the five elements. Ancient people thought that the five elements constituted the universe: wood, fire, earth, metal and water. These five elements were also applied to the human body. Although translated as ``elements'' in Western terminology, they should not be understood as blocks of matter. They exist,

Jan 14, 2010

Misconceptions on HIV Must Be Eradicated

By Bae Ji-sook Staff Reporter Though AIDS is one of the most known diseases globally, few people in Korea are well informed about it. It has been less than three decades since the disease was verified by experts, after its symptoms were first reported in 1981. Since then, a lot has changed and many misconceptions have been eradicated. We know that HIV is diagnosed across the spectrum of sexual orientation and that transmission occurs through non-sexual routes as well. However, the Korean government still confuses HIV positive status with AIDS in official reports, and there are still groundless rumors floating around the country regarding the transmission of the virus ― including one that says it's an airborne disease. Prof. Kang Moon-won of Seoul St. Mary's Hospital stresses that the HIV virus is carried through the blood, and its chances of transmission are lower than those of other viruses. "While the chances of developing hepatitis when exposed to the virus through needles or other accidents are some 20 to 30 percent, those for HIV mark only about 0.3 percen

Jan 10, 2010

(73) Saju of Brittany Murphy

By Janet Shin American actress Brittany Murphy died of a heart attack on Dec. 20, at the age of 32. She starred in films such as ``Clueless", ``Just Married," ``Uptown Girls," and ``8 Mile". The cause of her death is yet to be determined. While an autopsy was performed on Dec. 21, full results will not be available for several weeks. Experts are examining her medical records and toxicology reports. This year there were several celebrities who died, through accidents or by other causes. Since their deaths, reports about their personal lives have surfaced. Some were about financial problems, others about mental breakdowns or issues related to their spouses. Murphy was laid to rest in the Hollywood Hills on Christmas Eve, with friends and family recalling the late actress' life and work. ``A bright light that lit the world is forever dimmed, but will live on in the hearts of those that Brittany touched," her family said, in a statement. Now let's see what happened to her life from the perspective of saju. She seemed to have suffered a string of career setbacks. She was

Jan 8, 2010

Yongjoo Temple Offers Warming Experience

This is the ninth in a 10-part series on templestay programs. ― ED. By Roger Shepherd Contributing Writer It was a shockingly cold, but clear early winter’s day when Magnolia Wetherston and I stepped off the bus No. 46 from Suwon Station to head to Yongjoo Temple in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province. Wetherston is a friend of mine, a visiting outdoor nutritionist from the United Kingdom who is in Korea to experience some of its culture ― would a templestay fulfil that experience? The entrance to Yongjoo Temple is unlike that of most other temples in Korea. No large mountain looms in the background to provide a magnificent panorama, nor is it located at the top of a winding road flanked by oak and maple trees. Rather, it sits on the outer belt of Suwon in a quiet semi-industrious area at the base of a small hill. I wondered about this, and as I walked up the short path to the main gate, I stopped to look at the red two-pillared post in front of me. There was a tablet explaining the history of Yongjoo Temple, or ``Dragon Bead Temple.” The temple was constructed in 854 during

Jan 7, 2010

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