The Korea Herald

CDC: Older teens often text while behind the wheel

Jun 14, 2012

ATLANTA (AP) ― Think your teen would never text while driving? More than half of high school seniors admitted in a government survey that they’ve done just that.It’s the first time the question was asked in a teen poll on risky behavior, and the finding comes amid a renewed federal crackdown on distracted driving.Texting and cellphone use behind the wheel is “a national epidemic,” Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said Thursday.“We need to teach kids, who are the most vulnerable drivers, that
WHO’s cancer agency: Diesel fumes cause cancer

Jun 14, 2012

LONDON (AP) ― Diesel fumes cause cancer, the World Health Organization’s cancer agency declared Tuesday, a ruling it said could make exhaust as important a public health threat as secondhand smoke.The risk of getting cancer from diesel fumes is small, but since so many people breathe in the fumes in some way, the science panel said raising the status of diesel exhaust to carcinogen from “probable carcinogen” was an important shift.“It’s on the same order of magnitude as passive smoking,” said Ku
Implantable pain disc may help those with cancer

Jun 14, 2012

BALTIMORE _ An estimated 3.5 million cancer patients around the globe are in severe pain from their disease, but many get no relief.In poor countries the cost is considered too high for drugs like morphine when such opioids are often stolen, abused or not taken according to instruction.But some Johns Hopkins University scientists have been working on a solution for those patients, as well as some in the United States, that uses a flexible button-sized disc implanted under the skin that releases
Staying healthy in the summer heat

Jun 14, 2012

The summer heat has gripped the nation early, pushing the mercury above 29 degrees Celsius around the country. Premature hot weather often causes illnesses. Here are some tips to keep you healthy in the summer. Take extra care when working outdoors: heat cramps prevail when you lose salt after sweating too much. Spasms can last for 2-3 minutes on the arms, legs and abdomen. Massage the body parts and take saline water. In case of heat exhaustion, which can occur when working in the heat for more
Spray tans causes cancer

Jun 14, 2012

A study found that spray tans can cause cancer. Scientists in the U.S. discovered that spray tans contain a chemical which if inhaled causes asthma, lung cancer, emphysema and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.“The lungs have a huge surface area, so this compound gets into cells and gets absorbed into the bloodstream. The consequences of that have not been shown to be safe,” said Dr. Rey Panettieri at the University of Pennsylvania.He said that people who use the spray once a month should no
Ministry warns against doctors’ protest over change of pricing

Jun 13, 2012

The Ministry of Health and Welfare said Wednesday that it would seek to penalize doctors who go on strike against diagnosis-related group pricing system.The strike, due to start July 1, is against the government’s policy to slash health insurance expenditure and is expected to cause chaos in the national medical industry. “It is a shame that some of the facts have been distorted. The DRG-pricing system has been supported by about 80 percent of medical institutions nationwide and its effectivenes
A woman scared of all electronic devices and even Wi-Fi

Jun 13, 2012

Hannah Metcalfe, 34, who is 11 weeks pregnant in England, avoids all the electronic devices like iPads or mobile phones because those gadgets allegedly make her sick.Metcalfe says she feels headaches and stomach cramps whenever she is exposed to electromagnetic waves, which make her fearful about the health of her unborn baby.“I need to avoid Wi-Fi as much as I can,” said Metcalfe. “It makes me ill and I have to consider what it could be doing to the baby.”Metcalfe believes that her miscarriage
Is dental hygiene linked to premature death?

Jun 12, 2012

Failing to brush your teeth regularly could increase the risk of dying prematurely from cancer, scientists claim.According to researchers, one in five cancers is affected by dental plaque which plays a key role in infection and inflammation.A Swedish research team analyzed the health of 1,390 adults from Stockholm for 24 years and found that those with the most bacteria on the surface of their teeth and gums had 80 per cent increased risk of premature death.The study tracked the health of 1,390
Atkins diet may increase risk of heart disease: study

Jun 12, 2012

The Atkins diet may increase the risk of heart disease, a recent study conducted over a period of 25 years has revealed.The diet, officially called the Atkins Nutritional Approach, was welcomed by dieters around the globe as it encourages consumption of fatty foods while shunning sugar and starch.Now, however, scientists have raised a red flag over the diet, warning that it could increase blood cholesterol to dangerous levels causing heart problems.Researchers from Sweden analyzed data on the fo
Use body weight to fend off attacker

Jun 11, 2012

The history of the human race depended on basic survival instincts of protecting oneself from animal or enemy attack.We live in a modern world where society has evolved to have well-defined laws, proprieties, standards, and other things to protect us.But this doesn’t mean that we live in a safe and comfortable world without strangers or enemies. We never know what lurks around the corner.This column is meant for those who would like to know the basics on self-defense and be prepared to protect y
Likelihood of death rises with ‘birthday blues’: study

Jun 11, 2012

For those over 60 years old, birthdays could be a stressful event that raises the likelihood of death from heart attacks, strokes, falls, suicides and even cancer, the Daily Mail reported on Sunday.According to a study conducted by researchers from Switzerland, those over age 60 are 14 percent more likely to die on their birthdays.On the special day, scientists found heart attacks rose more than eighteen percent while the stoke levels increased by 21.5 percent.“One interesting finding is that mo
Doctor tries oriental medicine to treat hair loss

Jun 10, 2012

When 41-year-old Ryu Yeong-ho realized that her seborrheic dermatitis was not getting any better, she decided to seek an alternative route. Her condition, a debilitating scalp condition that can ultimately lead to permanent hair loss among other complications, has recently affected an increasing number of individuals. For Ryu, the diagnosis had been the same: all the dermatologists she visited had prescribed similar shampoos and ointments to stave off the symptoms and told her it was incurable.D
More child food allergies in urban areas

Jun 8, 2012

Children living in rural areas of the United States have fewer food allergies than children who live in urban areas, researchers found.Lead author Dr. Ruchi Gupta -- an assistant professor of pediatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, and a physician at the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago -- and colleagues said the study involved 38,465 children age 18
U.S. teen recovering from rare illness after having fry-ups

Jun 8, 2012

A U.S. teenager has a “dream diet” that makes him the envy of his friends. The 15-year old boy consumes mountains of fry-ups including 56 sausages, 24 rashers of bacon and 24 burgers fried in a liter-and-a-half of olive oil every week. But he is no grease-lover -- he eats fatty foods to survive.Lee Jones suffers from a rare disease, contracted by just one in 14 million people, called GLUT1 that means he can’t process glucose and has to eat lots of high-fat foods to survive. Without his special d
Kid CT scans linked to small leukemia risk

Jun 8, 2012

Children and teens scanned multiple times by computed tomography have a somewhat increased risk of leukemia and brain tumors, U.S. and British researchers say.Senior investigator Amy Berrington de Gonzalez of the Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics at the National Cancer Institute and colleagues at Newcastle University in England obtained CT exams from radiology departments in hospitals a