The Korea Herald

Heat wave alert issued

Jul 26, 2012

The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday issued a heat wave alert for the nation and asked people to take extra care of their health. According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, two people died of heatstroke and 21 have been reported with heat-related diseases as of Monday. “In order to avoid being affected by the heat wave, people should refrain from going outdoors between noon and 6 p.m.,” the KCDC said. “Plenty of relaxation is needed and people should drink more w
Coping with insomnia

Jul 26, 2012

Fifty-six-year-old housewife Choi Eun-hee cannot go to sleep at night. She said she is usually ready to sleep long before she actually falls asleep. “From around 10 p.m. I wait to fall asleep but stay awake all through the night. It’s only around 4 a.m. that I finally get some sleep,” she said. Choi said her problem is negatively affecting her life. “When I was able to sleep I did not realize that it was so important. Now I feel lethargic and sometimes depressed. The harder I try to fall asleep
How not sleeping affects your body

Jul 25, 2012

Even men in excellent health have their attention and working memory decreased along with an increase in stress hormones when not sleeping for a day, according to Samsung Medical Center’s psychiatry professor Hong Seung-bong’s team.Professor Hong’s team held a study on how sleep deprivation affects a person’s attention and working memory. The team forbade five healthy men to sleep for 24 hours, who had an average age of 25.3 with normal sleeping patterns. This experiment was put on the Journa
High-salt diet depletes body of calcium

Jul 25, 2012

Canadian researchers say people who eat high-salt diets tend to develop kidney stones and osteoporosis because when sodium leaves the body, so does calcium.Principal investigator Todd Alexander and his team at the University of Alberta discovered an important link between sodium and calcium -- they both appear to be regulated by the same molecule in the body.When sodium intake becomes too high, th
Parents key to teen's alcohol, drug use

Jul 24, 2012

Some parents assume whatever they say about drugs and alcohol may be drowned out by peer pressure, but U.S. researchers say parents are key.Michael Cleveland of the Prevention Research Center at Pennsylvania State University said influences on what teens do often come from their friends, but parents have big roles.Cleveland and colleagues interviewed high school freshmen and sophomores, asking the
Moms saddest when kids back in school

Jul 23, 2012

This photo is not directly related to this article.(Bloomberg photos and graphics)The return of school days is more emotionally tolling for mom than kids; she is the saddest when classes start, a U.S. survey indicates.Plum District, a Web community of mothers, conducted an online survey of more than 2,400 of its members last June, and found 40 percent of moms said they were the saddest family memb
Gray hair may indicate good health

Jul 22, 2012

Graying hair is typically regarded as an indicator of senility, but new study suggested it may actually be a sign of health, according to a report on Livescience.com.Researchers from Museo Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales in Spain recently found that some wild boars with reddish furs tend to be more vulnerable to cell damage. Red fur points to abundant pheomelanin, a pigment that produces col
Sugary drinks can change muscles in month

Jul 22, 2012

Sugary drinks lead to alterations in muscles similar to those in people with obesity problems and type 2 diabetes, researchers in Britain said. Dr. Hans-Peter Kubis of Bangor University in England said the research showed regularly drinking soft drinks changed the way muscles use food as fuel, making them prefer to burn sugars over fats. "This study proved our concerns over sugary drinks have bee
Gray hair may indicate good health

Jul 20, 2012

Graying hair is typically regarded as an indicator of senility, but new study suggested it may actually be a sign of health, according to a report on Livescience.com.Researchers from Museo Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales in Spain recently found that some wild boars with reddish furs tend to be more vulnerable to cell damage. Red fur points to abundant pheomelanin, a pigment that produces color in fur. Scientists found that more pheomelanin boars have, more likely they are to lack glutathio
Moms may not see if kids are overweight

Jul 20, 2012

Many mothers can‘t tell whether their toddlers are big kids or too-big kids, U.S. researchers discovered.Dr. Erin Hager of the University of Maryland School of Medicine and colleagues had low-income moms of overweight toddlers choose silhouettes that the moms thought represented the size of their child.“Ninety-four percent of the mothers of overweight toddlers chose a silhouette that was two or mo
Ewha identifies new rare hereditary disease

Jul 19, 2012

A group Korean doctors have identified a new hereditary disease, which has been acknowledged by international academia.Dr. Choi Byoung-ok of Ewha Womans University and others on Wednesday said that the rare breed of a hereditary illness they found for the first time in the world in 2011 was named “Peripheral Neuropathy, Myopathy, Hoarseness and Hearing Loss” by the U.S. National Institute of Healt
Man’s battle with eating disorder sheds light, breaks stereotypes

Jul 19, 2012

CHICAGO ― Rob hated to run. But he hated to stop even more.That’s when his disparaging inner voice, the one that had belittled him since seventh grade, would emerge. If he didn’t keep going, it said, he was going to get fat. He would never have the shredded abs that taunted him from every fitness magazine. He would be just a regular guy ― not the superman he felt driven to become.So on he ran. And when even six hours a day of exercise weren’t enough to quiet the voice, he started skipping meals,
Rainy season and skin problems

Jul 19, 2012

Many patients complain of skin problems during the warm and humid rainy seasons. During this season, the skin is more vulnerable to infection due to heat and humidity, which is ideal for the growth of microorganisms.The warmth and the humidity allow the rapid growth of fungi and bacteria, which are why some skin conditions are more prevalent during the rainy season. We will now look into some common skin conditions which can develop during the rainy season.Athlete’s footAthlete’s foot is common
Highly anticipated weight-loss pill wins approval

Jul 19, 2012

WASHINGTON (AP) ― A new weight-loss pill that many doctors consider the most effective of a new generation of anti-obesity drugs got the approval of the Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday.The pill, called Qsymia, was approved for patients who are overweight or obese and also have at least one weight-related condition such as high blood pressure, diabetes or high cholesterol.The drug offers hope for those who have failed to lose weight in other ways, but its path to approval also underscores
Things you might want to know about sepsis

Jul 19, 2012

How much do you know about sepsis?Probably not many Koreans are aware of the illness since the government has designated sepsis vaccination as mandatory. The threat and fear of sepsis is very low here. Still, there is always a chance of contracting the disease as improper wound or injury management can easily lead to it. Dr. Ron Daniels, a specialist physician at Critical Care and Anaesthesia and CEO of the Global Sepsis Alliance, shared some information about sepsis in his written interview wit