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Treating blood stasis with traditional Korean medicine

 By Lee Sung-hun I could safely assume that most Korean readers have seen red splotchy circles on the backs and shoulders of people and are aware of what those marks are.They are the marks left from cupping _ a typical treatment method for blood stasis in traditional Korean medicine.Although not as well-known as acupuncture, cupping is already a widely available treatment, even in Western countries.Michael Phelps, the Olympic swimmer with 23 gold medals, apparently used cupping treatment during the last Rio Olympics and the resulting cupping marks were clearly visible for all the media to see.Although they were obviously the results from cupping, many Americans who were not familiar with the treatment speculated that they were caused by sleeping with a tennis ball under the back, which sounds horribly uncomfortable.In contrast, blood stasis _ the main target of cupping treatment _ may be an unfamiliar concept for many.A broad definition of blood stasis includes all types of stagnant blood flow in one part of the body instead of normal circulation due to stress, external tra

Nov 26, 2017

Gov't to boost support for trauma centers

Surgeon’s remarks resonating with public By Lee Kyung-min The government will increase financial assistance to nationwide trauma centers, following an outpouring public support for surgeon Lee Cook-jong who drew attention to the poor conditions here while treating a North Korean soldier who defected to South Korea, Nov.13. Lee is the head of Ajou University Hospital trauma center in Suwon. The Ministry of Health and Welfare said Sunday that it would allocate more financial and human resources to the 16 nationwide centers designated in 2012 to reduce the number of preventable deaths to below 20 percent from 35.2 percent in 2010. The centers are supposed to be equipped with the necessary mobile and medical apparatus and personnel around the clock to immediately treat critical trauma victims who’ve sustained major injuries due to automobile accidents, falls, or wounds from penetrating objects. The ministry said it was considering giving more state support to pay workers there, given that most doctors and medical staff remain unwilling to work in the “physically demandi

Nov 26, 2017

Dr. Lee draws support for trauma center

By Kim Bo-eunCalls are mounting to provide better support for nationwide trauma centers, after surgeon Lee Cook-jong who is treating a North Korean soldier defector spoke of poor conditions. At a press conference Wednesday, Lee said “A nurse who was six months pregnant was dispatched on a helicopter (to an emergency scene) due to the lack of personnel.”Lee also said that the severe trauma center at Ajou University Hospital, which is equipped to accommodate 100 patients, currently holds 150.According to reports, the surgeon works 36-hour shifts and is on the verge of losing the sight in his left eye.A week earlier, after the soldier arrived at the hospital, a petition appeared on Cheong Wa Dae’s website, seeking greater support for trauma centers.“Trauma centers are disliked by the hospitals they are affiliated to, because the more patients they treat, the bigger a deficit they see,” it said.“Many aspiring doctors who enter medical school with hopes of taking on the honorable mission of saving lives give up in during their surgical studies due to th

Nov 24, 2017
Dr. Lee draws support for trauma center

People Surgeon finds true meaning of life in Ethiopia

By You Soo-sunKim Tae-hoon, Country Representative Ethiopia Country Office Korea Foundation for International Healthcare (KOFIH) / Courtesy of Kim Tae-hoonIn search for meaning, Kim Tae-hoon, 43, left his profession as a surgeon in Korea and went to Ethiopia with his wife and three little boys. Although the decision has taken him away from one of the most revered jobs in the country and from one of its largest hospitals, Kim says the heart of his work in Ethiopia is still the same: saving lives. “It was not so much about leaving my job as a surgeon but a decision that would allow me to take on a more effective role out of the many things a doctor can do,” Kim told The Korea Times.Since 2013, he has led various health programs under the Korea Foundation for International Healthcare (KOFIH) in the rapidly developing, yet still one of the poorest countries in East Africa.There, he oversees four main projects aimed at improving its health sector: mother and child health, the healthcare insurance system, medical device system management and pediatric heart surgery.The las

Nov 24, 2017
[People] Surgeon finds true meaning of life in Ethiopia

Pohang designated as special disaster zone

Guidelines for college entrance exam unveiledBy Kim Bo-eunPresident Moon Jae-in declared the southeastern city of Pohang a special disaster zone Monday, five days after a 5.4-magnitude quake jolted the city.“The government will muster all of its administrative capabilities to swiftly repair the damage and for the college entrance exams to take place without any setback,” Moon said in a meeting with senior secretaries and aides at Cheong Wa Dae.The President said the two tasks hold utmost priority, stating a comprehensive inspection of disaster preparation will take place after these are over.The designation comes amid aftershocks which continue to hit the city ― 58 have taken place since the quake last week, including two 3.5- and 3.6-magnitude shocks that occurred late Sunday and early Monday.The quake and aftershocks have placed around 1,000 Pohang residents in shelters and wreaked damage on over 5,500 private facilities in the area.Damages have been estimated to exceed 9 billion won ($8.2 million). The disaster zone designation will enable local governments to rec

Nov 20, 2017
Pohang designated as special disaster zone

Korean scientists develop biochemical breakthrough for hair loss

The team led by Choi Kang-yeol of Yonsei University discovered that a protein called CXXC5 acts as negative regulator of the Wnt signaling pathway inside of a cell that is linked to follicle development and hair regeneration in adults. / Korea Times fileA group of South Korean scientists has developed a new type of biochemical material to prevent hair loss, the science ministry said Monday, opening a new gateway for treatment in the field.The team led by Choi Kang-yeol of Yonsei University discovered that a protein called CXXC5 acts as negative regulator of the Wnt signaling pathway inside of a cell that is linked to follicle development and hair regeneration in adults, the Ministry of Science and ICT said.In order to prevent CXXC5 acting as a negative regulator of the pathway, the team successfully developed a biochemical material called PTD-DBM."Disrupting the CXXC5-Dishevelled interaction with a competitor peptide activated the Wnt pathway and accelerated hair regrowth and wound-induced hair follicle neogenesis," the researchers said in a paper.The research was funded by the scien

Nov 20, 2017
Korean scientists develop biochemical breakthrough for hair loss

Forced out of schools, single moms struggle to get by

Single moms and their children pose at an event organized by the Korean Unwed Mothers Families’ Association (KUMFA). / Courtesy of KUMFA By You Soo-sunA high school dropout, Oh Sun, now 30, is a mother of two children and the sole provider for her family.It was when she was pregnant with her second child she dropped out of school, again. Just a year earlier Oh had returned to school, seven years after she ― then 17 years old ― quit school and ran away from a home that was swamped in a pile of debt.“I went back because I realized a high school diploma is critical in getting a decent job. And I wanted to be a proud mother to my child,” Oh told The Korea Times.But less than a year later, she was pregnant with her second child and was pressured to drop out.“I really wanted to stay. And no matter how unfair it felt, I had to leave given that in reality, a pregnant student is highly frowned upon,” Oh said.According to Statistics Korea, there were 24,487 single moms in 2015. Of them, 16,140 were under 24 and 350 were in their teens.While Oh’s story r

Nov 20, 2017
Forced out of schools, single moms struggle to get by

12,000 ducks culled in Gochang due to bird flu fears

By Kim Bo-eunA total of 12,000 ducks in the southwestern city of Gochang in North Jeolla Province were culled over the weekend after the H5 strain of avian influenza was detected at a local poultry farm there.The H5 strain detected from the Gochang farm was proven highly pathogenic.Local authorities have dispatched an epidemics prevention team, placed movement control orders and set up disinfection bases in the area.According to local authorities, there are no poultry farms within a 500 meter radius of the farm. Authorities have ordered preventative measures for five farms with 374,000 chickens within a three kilometer radius.There have been no additional reports of suspected cases of bird flu, they said.However, authorities are keeping their guard up because the farm is 250 meters away from Dongrim Reservoir, a habitat for migratory birds.Around 200,000 migratory birds including ducks spend the winter at the reservoir from December through February, according to reports.The bird flu detection comes after five months in North Jeolla Province, where there were positive tests at a smal

Nov 19, 2017

Bird flu virus detected in Gochang

The South Korean government said Saturday the avian influenza (AI) virus has been detected at a poultry farm operated by a local conglomerate located in the southern part of the country.The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said the H5 strain of the bird flu was discovered from the farm with around 12,300 ducks in Gochang, 296 kilometers southwest of Seoul.The government said it is currently carrying out epidemiological investigations, while slaughtering the livestock as a preventive measure.The ministry said it will check to see if the virus is highly pathogenic, with the result expected by Tuesday.Low pathogenic AI strains cause only mild symptoms and may easily go undetected, while highly pathogenic subtypes spread rapidly across poultry farms and cause serious problems, experts said."Although the duck farm is owned by a conglomerate, we cannot reveal the name until we get the result of the test," an official from the ministry said.The ministry also advised local residents to refrain from making visits to poultry farms or wild bird sanctuaries.Prime Minister Lee Nak-

Nov 18, 2017
Bird flu virus detected in Gochang

IIAC regular workers rap gov't move to 'benefit' irregular workers

 ‘Workers should take test before landing job’By Lee Kyung-min About 1,000 unionized regular workers at the Incheon International Airport Corporation (IIAC) have expressed opposition to the government’s move to convert irregular workers to regular status, triggering a conflict, Tuesday.This was in response to IIAC CEO Chung Il-young’s announcement he would convert the status of about 10,000 irregular workers at IIAC-affiliated organizations to regular workers by the end of the year.His remarks followed President Moon Jae-in’s visit to the airport in May, where he pledged to “reduce the number of irregular workers to zero” within his term.The regular workers’ union issued a statement, Monday, demanding irregular workers undergo a hiring process just as strenuous and competitive as theirs.“The hiring should be open and fair. Irregular workers who wish to become regular workers must pass an open competition, a due requirement for the much-coveted occupation of working at the airport,” it said.Applicants should be give

Nov 14, 2017
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