The number of patients with tic disorders has been on the rise in Korea for the past five years, according to the Ministry of Health and Welfare.A tic is an abrupt and repeated movement that can occur in any body part, such as the face, hands, or legs. The uncontrollable making of noises such as sniffing and throat clearing is called a vocal tic.According to the ministry, the number of Korean patients with a tic disorder increased by 7.8 percent, from 16,000 in 2009 to 17,000 last year. More tha

A large international study questions the conventional wisdom that most people should cut back on salt, suggesting that the amount most folks consume is okay for heart health ― and too little may be as bad as too much. The findings came under immediate attack by other scientists.Limiting salt is still important for people with high blood pressure ― and in fact, a second study estimates that too much sodium contributes to up to 1.65 million deaths each year. The studies both have strengths and we

Ptosis is a condition where the eye appears small and sleepy due to an abnormal drooping of the upper eyelid when looking straight. There is congenital ptosis where a drooping of the eyelid is present from birth; it can also be acquired with age as well as being a secondary effect of trauma or a disorder. It is treatable by surgery depending on the patient’s condition.CauseCongenital ptosis occurs when the levator palpebrae muscle that raises the eyelid is not strong enough due to abnormal devel

Ewha Womans University Mokdong Hospital is offering free cervical cancer vaccines for young women from less fortunate households starting in August.One hundred teenagers from Seoul’s Yangcheon district will benefit from the service, organized jointly by the hospital, the Yangcheon-gu office and British multinational health care company GlaxoSmithKline.GSK manufactures Cervarix, a vaccine that protects against two human papillomavirus types (HPV-16 and HPV-18) that cause 70 percent of cervical ca

Dermatologists criticize traditional doctors’ cosmetic treatment as ‘invasion of expertise’

Sleep is not just rest, but a very important process for performing mental and physical activities. Getting enough good-quality sleep is also necessary for maintaining mental and physical health. Chronic sleep deficiency or poor quality of sleep significantly increases the risk of depression, diabetes mellitus and coronary heart disease.Human sleep consists of 20-25 percent REM (rapid eye movement) and 75-80 percent Non-REM sleep. During REM sleep, the eyes move rapidly and most people experienc

In order to maintain a well-balanced routine, plenty of sleep and proper eating habits can be helpful, a medical expert in Seoul said Friday.“Nighttime activities, although generally demanding on your health, are not all harmful as long as they are balanced with sufficient sleep and careful eating habits,” Lee Jung-kwon, family medicine professor at Samsung Medical Center, said in an interview with The Korea Herald. “If people just remember a few important tips it can make a huge difference in h

Egypt’s military says devices it claimed it invented to detect and cure AIDS and hepatitis C need more testing. (123RF)CAIRO (AP) ― Egypt’s military said Saturday that devices it claimed it invented to detect and cure AIDS and hepatitis C need six more months of testing.The army had earlier promised to reveal the technology to the public this coming Monday after making what experts dismissed as an outlandish claim last February.At a news conference then, the head of the army’s Engineering Agency

More patients in Korea choose to get mastectomy and reconstruction on the same day

Food poisoning is a very common disease during the summer, and most people are quite familiar with it. During the summer, various infectious diseases are common. The reason that food poisoning is common during the summer is because bacteria thrive at this time of year.Food poisoning is a disease caused by the ingestion of bacterial toxins. However, diseases from food more commonly occur through direct invasion of bacteria into the body. Therefore, the common term “food poisoning” more accurately

High sodium consumption and speedy eating heighten likelihood of stomach cancer, other illnesses

WASHINGTON (AP) ― The government’s top drug abuse experts struggled Wednesday to find ways to expand use of a medicine which is widely-considered the best therapy for treating heroin and painkiller addiction, but which remains underused a decade after its launch.Sen. Carl Levin of Michigan pressed officials from the White House, the National Institute of Drug Abuse and other agencies to increase access to the buprenorphine, a medication which helps addicts control drug cravings and withdrawal sy

What is athlete’s foot?Athlete’s foot is an infectious disease caused by a type of fungus (dermatomyces) that infects the skin between the toes, the lower surface of the foot and the hands. Dermatomyces reproduces actively in a warm, moist environment, so athlete’s foot is common during summer, particularly during the rainy season.Types and symptomsThere are three types of athlete’s foot, which differ according to the location of the infection and the symptoms ― hyperkeratotic, interdigital and