The Korea Herald

Chemo safe for pregnant women

Feb 16, 2012

LONDON (AP) ― Researchers have encouraging news for women who find themselves in a very frightening situation: having cancer while pregnant. Studies suggest that these women can be treated almost the same as other cancer patients are, with minimal risk to the fetus.Only about 1 in 1,000 pregnant women face this dilemma, but doctors fear that more will because the risk of cancer rises with age, and more women are delaying having children until they’re older.Doctors have long worried about how to
Medical fees fixed for 7 procedures

Feb 16, 2012

From July, medical fees for seven procedures will be fixed and covered by the national health insurance scheme, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said Monday, as a committee of government officials, doctors and other field insiders approved the plan.The seven treatments are caesarian section, hysterectomy and cataract, hemorrhoid, tonsil, hernia and appendix removal.The plan will be applied at local clinics and small hospitals from July and will be extended to general hospitals and top-tier tea
Samsung launches ‘Hello Mom’ service

Feb 16, 2012

Samsung Seoul Hospital launched a “Hello Mom” service providing assistance for parents or guardians who come with child patients. Staff workers will give assistance at each stage of processing from booking to escorting to preliminary examination rooms and children-only emergency room. The parents will not have to wait in line unless another parent gets in the queue. The hospital said the program was approved of by 48 of 50 parents after a weeklong test run. “Large hospitals can be scary and unco
Simultaneous transplant of seven organs ‘successful’

Feb 16, 2012

Local doctors have successfully transplanted seven organs to a 7-year-old girl last fall, Asan Medical Center revealed Thursday. It is the first simultaneous transplant in Korea involving that many organs, and the sign of a new era of treatments for hard-to-cure disease, the medics said.According to
Eating at night

Feb 16, 2012

Snacking at night can cause reflux esophagitisFancy a snack at night? Many people do. From nibbles such as cookies and candy to heavy foods such as fried chicken, beer or pizza, many indulge in eating long after dinner. Night eating syndrome, or midnight hunger, is a commonly found “disorder” among Koreans. It refers to a lack of appetite in the morning and overeating at night.According to professor Park Gyeong-hee of Hallym University, about 10 percent of adults in Korea eat up to half of their
15-minute-old newborn gets pacemaker for heart

Feb 16, 2012

A newborn became one of the smallest-ever recipients of a pacemaker, undergoing the procedure just 15 minutes after being born.Doctors at Stanford University's Lucile Packard Children's Hospital determined that Jaya Maharaj, born nine weeks premature, had only hours to live if they did not ope
Four top reasons why dieting is so hard

Feb 15, 2012

MELROSE PARK, Ill. (UPI) -- Two-thirds of Americans say they are on a diet to improve their health but relatively few are actually decreasing in size, a U.S. expert says.Dr. Jessica Bartfield, who specializes in nutrition and weight management at Loyola University Health System's Gottlieb Memorial H
Love is like a drug, study finds

Feb 15, 2012

Love appears to use the same system in the brain that is activated when a person is addicted to drugs, recent research found. In the study, researchers at Stanford University showed 10 women and seven men photographs of loved ones. The researchers scanned and observed the participants’ bra
Aspirin could beat cancer spread: Australian study

Feb 15, 2012

Aspirin and other household drugs may inhibit the spread of cancer because they help shut down the chemical "highways" which feed tumours, Australian researchers said Tuesday.Scientists at Melbourne's Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre said they have made a biological breakthrough helping explain h
Botox developer rues missing out on billions

Feb 14, 2012

Botox developer Alan Scott says he rues the day he handed over rights to the best-selling wrinkle-smoothing drug to a US company for just $4.5 million, saying he might have become a billionaire. Dr Richard Ellenbogen injects botox into smile wrinkles on the bridge of Perla Pacheco's nose at Beverly
Mediterranean Diet may be healthier for brain

Feb 14, 2012

A customer browses fruit and vegetable goods displayed on a stall. (Bloomberg)The benefits of the popular Mediterranean diet might not just stop at preventing heart disease, dementia and metabolic syndrome, researchers say. A new study suggests eating in Mediterranean style may reduce damage to smal
Overeating may double risk of memory loss

Feb 13, 2012

(MCT)New research suggests that consuming between 2,100 and 6,000 calories per day may double the risk of memory loss, or mild cognitive impairment (MCI), among people age 70 and older. The study was released today and will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 64th Annual Meeting in N
Philips releases affordable AED

Feb 9, 2012

Philips Healthcare said Thursday that it has started the sales of an affordable version of its automated external defibrillator online early this month. AEDs are portable devices that monitor heart rhythm and send an electric shock to restore a normal rhythm in emergencies such as sudden cardiac arrest.The Philips Heart Start HS1 weighs about 1 kilogram but takes only 8.4 seconds from analysis of the patient condition to electric shock, the company said. “About 60 percent of sudden cardiac arres
‘RotarixPrefilled’ to be released

Feb 9, 2012

GlaxoSmithKline said Monday it will release its Rotavirus vaccine, Rotarix, in a prefilled form as it acquired the Korea Food and Drug Administration approval. Rotarix is a viral vaccine containing live, attenuated human rotavirus that helps to protect children, starting from the age of 6 weeks, from gastro-enteritis (diarrhea and vomiting) caused by rotavirus infection.According to Diagnosia.com, Rotavirus infection is the most common cause of severe diarrhea in infants and young children. Rota
Young patients draw strength from art

Feb 9, 2012

AKRON, Ohio ― The courageous lion has nothing on Ethan Puhalsky.The 7-year-old from Norton, Ohio, bravely endures countless tests, treatments and lengthy hospital stays as he battles leukemia.So when he had the chance to work with an artist during one of his many stays at Akron Children’s Hospital, it’s only fitting that he decided to paint a portrait of his favorite stuffed lion.Ethan’s piece is one of 34 works of art that went on display in the Gallery of Strength art show at Akron Children’s