Lifestyle - The Korea Times

Excessive Drinking Decreases Brain Size

By Park Chung-a Staff Reporter Excessive drinking on a regular basis can decrease your brain size, according to a new study. Brain scans of more than 1,800 people showed that those who consumed more than 14 drinks a week had about 1.6 percent reduction in the ratio of brain volume to skull size compared with non-drinkers. Researchers from Wellesley College, Massachusetts, whose findings were presented last week to the American Academy of Neurology in Boston, also discovered that drinking had a bigger impact on brain volume in women than in men. Women in their 70s appeared most affected by large amounts of alcohol. The researchers examined results of brain scans which were performed on men and women 34 to 88 years old with no signs of dementia. Dividing the group into nondrinkers, former drinkers, low, moderate and high drinkers, the researchers measured brain volume in relation to skull size, considering a marker of brain aging. People with a 12-year history of heavy drinking had smaller brain size than those who began drinking more moderately during that period

May 13, 2007

Increasing Height of Your Child (I)

By Dr. Park Chan-Joo If your child grows less than 4 centimeters a year, or their present height is 10 centimeters shorter than the average height of children his or her age, you may wish to consult a professional about his or her development. In general, the growth curve of young people peaks during puberty. However, this is the same time that sex hormones start being secreted, and these hormones disturb the activity of hyaline cartilage and make it harden, which eventually leads to the stoppage of growth. It is said that it takes about 2 years for the cartilage to harden after the body begins developing sex hormones. Serving as a center of ossification or bone growth, hyaline cartilage is found lining the bones at joints and is also present inside bones. In clinics specializing in children’s growth, the doctors check the X-rays of the cartilage to see if their young patients still have the possibility for further growth. Also, there are tests to show the age of bones or check the secretion of growth hormones. The reasons why children don’t grow enough can be generall

May 13, 2007

Lesson 95

Contrary to the famous proverb ``even a moron connects against a peep,’’ it is often a bad move to answer a peep by connecting. As there is a right way to peep, there is a right way to answer a peep as well. Diagram 1 White 1 is a good move, peeping the cutting point at A and making White able to bridge under with B if Black connects against it. In this case, you may say that ``you are a moron if you connect against a peep.’’ Diagram 2 After White smartly peeps at 1, it is impossible for Black not to lose anything. The best choice for Black is to lessen the loss with the sequence from 2 to 6. Compared to the result of Dia.1, which leaves almost no eye-shape for Black and strengthens the white stones to the left, the position here is much more favorable for Black. Diagram 3 White 1 is a good move striking the vital point of Black’s shape on the upper side. As you know, it is too naive for Black to connect at A to make double empty triangle shapes. You may think that B or C can be the right answer against White 1 since both create tiger’s mouths, but there

May 10, 2007

Lesson 94

As you may know, there is a Baduk proverb saying that ``even a moron connects against a peep.’’ This is obviously an over-simplification and you shouldn’t worry about being a moron even if you choose not to connect against a peep. However, it would be helpful to know that to peep is a very powerful tactic in Baduk. With a peep, you can do something, or make a shape, which requires more than one move. Dia.1 Diagram 1 Black wants to envelop the white group on the side and build a wall toward the center. However, because the gap between the two △-marked black stones is wide, it seems impossible to block in the white stones. In this case, the peeping technique becomes useful. Diagram 2 Peeping is a move placed adjacent to a threatened cutting point; Black 1 here, threatening the cutting point at ▲, is such a move. While White has to defend the cutting point with 2 rather than going out to the center, Black can play the two moves 1 and 3, which reduce the breach in the blockade. If White bends at A instead of 6, Black will cut at 6. Diagram 3 If your peep threa

May 3, 2007

Traditional Sport Energizes Mind, Body

By Lee Hyo-won Staff Reporter Yoga is all the rage in Korea. But why not try something original and inherently Korean, like kooksundo? The traditional sport combines meditation and pressure points to rejuvenate the mind and body. It is a mental and physical disciplinary training that anyone can do daily. It is based on six systematic and scientific disciplines, which essentially include stretching out every muscle in the body for balance and flexibility and meditative hypo gastric breathing (deep breathing using the lower abdomen) to absorb ``ki,’’ or vital energy that is believed to exist in the universe and in all living things. Sound a bit like yoga? But calling kooksundo ``Korean yoga’’ would be a big mistake, according to kooksundo master Kim Woo-shin. The 68-year-old former civil servant has been practicing the art for 17 years. ``Kooksundo is a traditional form of training that is profoundly Korean,’’ he said. ``To balance out any unevenness in the body, often caused by poor posture, you stretch every muscle in the body _ forward and backward, up and down, lyi

Apr 30, 2007

Good Sleep Improves Memory

By Park Chung-a Staff Reporter Have you ever felt as if you think and memorize more clearly after a good sleep? According to Harvard Medical School researchers, people who acquire adequate sleep are more likely to have better memories than people who do not get much sleep. In a study, people were tested to see how well they remembered word pairs after being awake all day. Those with a good night's sleep had significantly higher scores than those who were awake all day. ``There was a very large benefit of sleep for memory consolidation, even larger than we were anticipating,’’ said study author Jeffrey Ellenbogen, an associate neurologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston and a postdoctoral fellow in sleep medicine at Harvard Medical School. The researchers focused on sleep’s impact on a certain type of memory called ``declarative’’ memories, which refer to those dealing with certain facts, episodes and events. The research involved 48 healthy people between the ages of 18 and 30 who were divided into four groups. Two groups were presented with word pair

Apr 29, 2007

Lesson 93

An observer gets eight more points than the players _ this is a well-known baduk proverb meaning that a person who is watching a game can make more precise and reasonable decisions than the actual player. This is not surprising at all, and you probably had similar experiences in everyday life. For instance, two people fighting each other cannot admit the fact that either of them may be wrong, while the spectators usually feel that both are in the wrong anyway. Two people in love often cannot see each other’s shortcomings, while their friends worry on their behalf. Why the people playing a game themselves cannot judge the situation as it is, or take the proper action, it is very likely caused by their desire to win. This doesn’t mean that you simply want a victory. It may be easier to calm down and play cautiously if your only goal is to win the game at the end. However, when you play, you want to win, not only the game itself, but also in the individual situations that arise. In order to feel that they are winning in every moment and situation, people play risky moves and sometim

Apr 26, 2007

Liver: Military General of Body (II)

By Dr. Park Chan-Joo In my last column, I talked about the functions and physiology of the liver in both Oriental and Western medicine, and the reason why the organ is called the ``military general'' of the body. But as much as the liver plays a vital role, it can equally be a source for problems when not functioning properly. To say nothing of hepatitis and fatty liver, Oriental medical doctors believe that a number of varied diseases, including chronic fatigue syndrome, hypertension, hyperthyroidism, strokes, headaches, dizziness, irregular menstruation and ``hwa-byong (anger syndrome),'' are related to the liver. In recent years, the average age for coming down with serious adult diseases such as hypertension and strokes has gotten lower. Although these diseases used to occur mostly in the old in the past, more and more ``younger'' middle-aged people nowadays are suffering from them. Why is this? From the perspective of oriental medicine, the liver is mainly involved in the outbreak of hypertension and strokes. When you are stressed and tired for a long period of tim

Apr 22, 2007

Lesson 92

You’ve learned how to use a few basic techniques and concepts of Baduk in practice through life-and-death problems. The ``false eye’’ is another concept better learned through life-and-death problems. Two separate eyes are vital for the life of a group of stones. Therefore, if you can destroy one of the two, it would be the simplest way to rob the life of your opponent. False Eye

Apr 20, 2007

Lesson 91

The technique to put your opponent in a self-atari situation, which you learned in the last lesson, is very useful in solving life-and-death problems. The technique you’re going to learn here is quite similar to the self-atari. Do you remember that there is a point in the game where your stones no longer have any liberties? This point is called the ``illegal move’’ or ``illegal point’’ and you will lose the game if you play in such a way. Illegal moves are one of the first things you learn, and are something to avoid at all costs. However, illegal moves can also be used as a method to save your group of stones. Prevent Your Opponent from Playing

Apr 15, 2007

Others