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It’s Never Too Late to Quit Smoking

By Bae Ji-sook Staff Reporter If you feel like you are too old to give up smoking in 2010, you might want to reconsider your resolutions. A U.S. research team verified that smoking could continuously increase one's risk of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of blindness in Americans over 65, and even those over 80. The Science Daily cited a UCLA research team's report for the American Journal of Ophthalmology that women who smoked had 11 percent higher rates of AMD than other women the same age. In women over 80, however, those who smoked were 5.5 times more likely to develop AMD than non-smoking women of their age. The findings were made through monitoring a group of 1,958 women who underwent retinal photographs at five-year intervals, starting with a baseline exam at age 78, where 4 percent, or 75 of the women, smoked. AMD causes progressive damage to the macula, the center of the retina that allows us to see fine details. When the macula degenerates, people experience darkness or blurring in their central vision, preventing them fro

Jan 3, 2010

Pay Heed to the Trivial

By Park Jin-seng For the past 10 years of my career as a marital counselor, many meaningful memories flash through my mind. Throughout my career, dealing with numerous interracial marriage cases, I always felt that the cultural differences between those partners impacted them profoundly and powerfully. My very first foreign patient was a beautiful young American lady with bright blue eyes and shiny blond hair who came to me for counseling. In expressing her hardships, she started to cry. Reminiscing, she told me that she had fallen in love with a young charming Korean man back in the United States and, at last, they decided to tie the knot and move to Korea. However, things didn't work out well. Her prince charming was the eldest son of a prestigious and traditional family in Korea, and his family wanted to hold the largest and grandest wedding ceremony for their precious son. When his bride's parents came to Korea to meet his parents for the first time before the wedding, the groom's parents invited them to a dinner at a most luxurious Chinese restaurant in a five-

Jan 3, 2010

(72) Saju of Actor Lee Byung-hun

By Janet Shin Celebrities are always hounded by those trying to dig up scandals and personal affairs. Some of these stories may be matters of interest, but others may ruin a person's integrity and cause them to stop their public activities. Celebrities can enjoy wealth, fame and adoration, but all these can disappear with just one bad scandal. Some celebrities barely survive such turmoil while others may disappear from the public eye. As usual, many celebrity scandals were exposed this year whether we want to hear them or not. Continuing on the theme of last week's article, the saju of Tiger Woods, this week focuses on Lee Byung-hun, who is also embroiled in a scandal. Lee, a ``hallyu,'' or Korean Wave, star who appears in the KBS drama ``Iris,'' may have to go to court to defend himself against a lawsuit. The lawsuit was brought by a 22-year-old woman, a Canadian-Korean rhythmic gymnast, for damages from Lee's alleged false promises of marriage. After meeting in Canada in 2008 during a promotional tour for the movie ``The Good, The Bad and The Weird,'' the tw

Dec 24, 2009

How to Stay Energetic During Winter Season

By Bae Ji-sook Staff Reporter People tend to feel tired and more lethargic during the winter, when there is less daylight. Experts say the biorhythm of the human body is controlled by the sunlight, as the optic nerve perceives sunlight and triggers the secretion of melatonin. This process is part of the system that regulates the sleep-wake cycle by causing drowsiness and lowering the body temperature. Therefore, a change in the amount of sunlight one receives affects the whole body. According to Prof. Park Doo-heum of Konkuk University Hospital, "Trying to sleep and wake up regularly during the summer and winter helps the body maintain homeostasis." He proposed waking up about 10 minutes earlier than usual in order to stretch. Here's some more advice from Park for staying healthy and energetic during the long winter. 1. Get regular exercise, especially during the daytime. 3. Stretch regularly. 4. Sleep well. This may sound obvious, but sleep is the best way to maintain your biorhythm. If you have trouble sleeping, do not drink alcohol or coffee before

Dec 20, 2009

Haein Temple — Third Jewel of Korean Buddhism

This is the eighth in a 10-part series on templestays. ― ED. By Roger Shepherd Contributing Writer Haeinsa, or Haein Temple, is one of Korea's Three Jewel Temples and it was to be the last one of those three that I would visit. The jewel that Haein Temple is famous for is the Tripitaka Koreana, a complete composition of Buddhist scriptures (Dharma) that have been hand carved onto 81,258 wooden printing blocks. This feat has made Haein Temple a World Heritage Site listed by UNESCO. There are no known errors on the characters of the wooden blocks and they are now the most ancient intact Buddhist Canon that exists in Chinese script. The wooden building from which this unique collection resides in is called the "Janggyeong Panjeon," and is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Situated in the stunning Mt. Gaya National Park area in Hapcheon, South Gyeongsang Province, some 70 kilometers west of Daegu, the temple's grounds are locked safely under the rugged mountain peaks of Sangwang-bong (1,433 meters) and Chulbul-bong (1,430 meters). The geographical feature helped Haei

Dec 17, 2009

Korean, Chinese Women More Likely to Have Diabetes During Pregnancy

By Bae Ji-sook Staff Reporter Ethnic Korean and Chinese women are more likely to suffer from gestational diabetes mellitus, a diabetic disease that only prevails during pregnancies, than other races, medical Web site EurekAlert! said, quoting a group of American researchers. According to a Kaiser Permanente study of 16, 757 women in Hawaii, more than 10 percent of women of Chinese and Korean heritage may be at risk of developing diabetes, which is about one-third higher than average and more than double that of Caucasian and African-American women. Untreated gestational diabetes mellitus can cause various complications, including early delivery or the need for a caesarian section. Some experts say it could also cause the child to develop obesity later in life. After the researcher divided Asians into five ethnic sub groups, it was found that Korean and Chinese women had the highest risk, and Japanese and Vietnamese women had relatively low chances of contracting the disease. Lead author Kathryn Pedula, a researcher at the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Rese

Dec 13, 2009

(71) Saju of Tiger Woods, John Edwards

By Janet Shin Tiger Woods, a global golf star, is embroiled in a scandal as rumors of his infidelity continue. Rumors have quickly spread since the National Enquirer revealed his affair with Rachel Uchitel. Then his reputation took more blows after his neighbors found him lying in the street outside his house after plowing his SUV into a fire hydrant and a tree. Woods issued a statement that the accident was his fault but a private matter, and declined to reveal more details. A few days later, Woods finally expressed regret on his personal Web site for his ``transgressions.'' The apology was announced the same day that a San Diego cocktail waitress, Jaimee Grubbs, admitted in public that she had a two-and-a-half-year affair with Woods, even producing voice and text messages from the golf star. There also are reports that Tiger and Elin Woods are in marriage counseling and are renegotiating their prenuptial agreement that will give her more money. Woods, until now, managed to avoid the tabloid spotlight. Despite being the richest athlete in the world and one of the pla

Dec 10, 2009

Advice for Drinking at Year-End Parties

By Bae Ji-sook Staff Reporter Have you ever had a severe headache, stomach pain as well as a feeling of nausea the morning after binge drinking? Hangovers are a global pain following excessive drinking and one of the most reported aftermaths of yearend parties and other events encourage excessive drinking. The liver can take up to 160 grams of alcohol, equivalent to three bottles of soju or 16 bottles of beer, within 24 hours. If you drink more than that, the longer and harder you will suffer. According to Dr. Lee Jung-kwon of the Samsung Medical Center, extreme hangovers cause inflammation of the stomach and disorders of the heart and liver. Also, alcohol affects the brain, heart and testicles and causes brain nerve disorder and heart disease. ``It is true that the more often you drink alcohol, the less drunk one feels because his or her body gets used to it. Some studies showed that the capacity of the liver to deal with alcohol goes up by 30 percent if one drinks alcohol for two weeks straight,'' he said. ``And some people with good self-control tend to get less dr

Dec 6, 2009

(70) Saju and Oriental Medicine (1)

By Janet Shin In the previous column, the five Oriental studies in association with yin-yang and five elements, were mentioned once. It is as follows: 1. Saju (four pillars), the study of fate. 2. Face and palm reading, the study of shape of faces and palm lines to read fate 3. Divination (I ching), Classic of Changes 4. Oriental medicine, the study of human body 5. Zen, meditation Let's continue reviewing Oriental medicine and how it can be translated in terms of saju. Traditional Oriental medicine is largely based on the philosophical concept that the human body is a small universe with yin and yang. It is a set of complete and sophisticated interconnected systems, and those systems usually work in balance to maintain the healthy function of the human body. Different from the Western anatomical concept which divides the physical body into parts, the Chinese concept is more concerned with function. So when yin and yang are balanced, it is considered a healthy condition. When the balance of yin and yang is broken, it is considere

Dec 4, 2009

Visit to Tongdo Temple, the First Jewel

This is the seventh in a 10-part series on templestays. ― ED By Roger Shepherd Contributing Writer On a warm mid-afternoon in early November, I arrived at my next jewel of the Three Jewel Temples of Korean Buddhism, the Tongdo Temple. Located on the southeast coast in South Gyeongsang Province and about 40 kilometers north of Busan, the temple is one of largest temples in Korea. The name "tongdo" means "to master the teachings and redeem all sentient beings from suffering," or simply to "pass into enlightenment." The temple was established in 646 by Master Jajang Yulsa. Before then, he traveled to China in 636 where he received the sarira (relics) of Buddha, and then returned to Korea with them. With the support of Queen Seondeok of the Silla Kingdom (53 B.C.-A.D. 935), Master Jajang Yulsa oversaw the construction of the temple from a small hermitage located beneath the summit of Mt. Yeongchuk (1,090 meters). The name derives from Mt. Yeongchuk in India where the Buddha taught his followers. The templestay program I was visiting was attended by a medium-sized group

Dec 3, 2009
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