The Korea Herald

Ministry authorizes 14 cord blood banks

Jan 19, 2012

The Ministry of Health and Welfare on Tuesday said it has authorized the operation of 14 cord blood banks nationwide. After authorization, the 14 facilities will be able to save the cord blood that remains in a baby’s umbilical cord after the cord has been cut. The cord is a rich source of unique stem cells that can be used in medical treatments.Cordblood.com notes that cord blood banking is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to save your baby’s cord blood stem cells for potential medical use. Sav
U.S. obesity epidemic shows no hint of shrinking

Jan 19, 2012

CHICAGO (AP) ― America’s obesity epidemic is proving to be as stubborn as those maddening love handles, and shows no sign of reversing course. More than one-third of adults and almost 17 percent of children were obese in 2009-2010, echoing results since 2003, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Tuesday.“It’s good that we didn’t see increases. On the other hand, we didn’t see any decreases in any group,” said CDC researcher Cynthia Ogden.Early in the decade, slight increases w
Marathoners show low heart incident risk

Jan 19, 2012

NEW YORK (AP) ― It’s dramatic news when a marathon runner collapses with no pulse. Now a big study finds such calamities are rare and usually due to a pre-existing heart problem.The study also found such incidents are increasing as more runners try to go the distance.“You hear about this more and more,” said Dr. Aaron Baggish, senior author of the study.Baggish, who runs a program for athletes with heart issues at Massachusetts General Hospital, and co-authors present their analysis in Thursday’
Panic disorder

Jan 19, 2012

Case vignette: “When returning home, I suddenly had a cold sweat, felt dizzy, felt my heart tighten and felt like I could die. Also, I felt like I had difficulty breathing. Also, I not only had numbness in my hands and feet but also felt my heart beating. This was intolerable. I was very nervous that such things would happen again.” An office worker, Mr. K, experienced a sudden onset of the above symptoms. Now he is worried that he will again have a sudden onset of panic symptoms that are both f
Three steps to deal with strokes

Jan 19, 2012

Strokes remain one of the biggest causes of death in Korea, and signs of onset are vagueAs Korea continues to become an aging society, more attention should be placed on the possibility of and risk factors leading to strokes, since they are more common among the elderly.According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, cerebral diseases were the No. 2 cause of death among Koreans in 2008, with 73.6 deaths per 100,000 people. Among cerebral diseases, strokes are the single largest cause of death,
Lack of sleep makes your brain hungry

Jan 19, 2012

New research from Uppsala University, Sweden, shows that a specific brain region that contributes to a person's appetite sensation is more activated in response to food images after one night of sleep loss than after one night of normal sleep. Poor sleep habits can therefore affect people's risk of
Study: Babies try lip-reading in learning to talk

Jan 17, 2012

WASHINGTON (AP) — Babies don't learn to talk just from hearing sounds. New research suggests they're lip-readers too.It happens during that magical stage when a baby's babbling gradually changes from gibberish into syllables and eventually into that first "mama" or "dada."Florida scientists di
India reports new TB strain resistant to all drugs

Jan 16, 2012

Indian doctors have reported the country's first cases of ``totally drug-resistant tuberculosis,'' a long-feared and virtually untreatable form of the killer lung disease. (MCT)It's not the first time highly resistant cases like this have been seen. Since 2003, patients have been documented in Italy
Australia experts call for energy drink warnings

Jan 16, 2012

SYDNEY, Jan 16, 2012 (AFP) - Researchers in Australia on Monday called for health warnings on caffeine-loaded energy drinks following a spike in the number of people reporting medical problems after drinking them.Health professionals from the University of Sydney's Medical School and the New South W
Study finds no better odds using 3 embryos in IVF

Jan 13, 2012

LONDON (AP) — A new study of fertility treatment found that women who get three or more embryos have no better odds of having a baby than those who get just two embryos.They also have a greater chance of risky multiple births."Women who have gone through infertility treatment want the best cha
Special attention needed to knee joints during winter

Jan 12, 2012

The knee is the largest joint in the human body. Because it is located central to the lower extremities, it is susceptible to trauma. Many people are vulnerable to an injury to the knee joint because of traffic accidents, falling and sports/exercise. Particularly during the winter season, the number of patients who injure themselves falling increases because of sports (e.g., skiing and boarding), icy roads and muscle stiffness.Patients frequently sustain a sports injury because of the overflexio
Dispute arises again over whether to fluoridate tap water

Jan 12, 2012

The nation is abuzz once again over whether the fluoridation of tap water should be expanded to the entire country for the sake of public health.The issue came to a head as the Ministry of Health and Welfare announced on Tuesday that adding fluoride to tap water at a density of 0.8 ppm has proven effective in preventing dental cavities in children. A research team from Wonkwang University studied 9,000 elementary school students divided into two groups ― one group living in areas with fluoridate
Medical fees to go down at designated clinics

Jan 12, 2012

The government has decided to discount medical fees for people who designate neighborhood clinics as their primary care facilities, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said Wednesday. The new system comes into effect starting in April.Currently, 70 percent of outpatient medical expenses are covered by the national health insurance program, but for those who register a nearby clinic as their primary care unit the coverage will be increased to 80 percent, leaving only 20 percent up to the patients,
Red wine researcher accused of falsifying data

Jan 12, 2012

HARTFORD, Connecticut (AP) -- A U.S. university says a researcher known for his work on red wine's benefits to cardiovascular health falsified his data in more than 100 instances. (Bloomberg)Nearly a dozen scientific journals are being warned of the potential problems after publishing the Unive
Your home’s age important for child lead exposure

Jan 12, 2012

WASHINGTON (AP) ― If you’ve been putting off repairing a peeling windowsill, or you’re thinking of knocking out a wall, listen up: Check how old your house is. You may need to take steps to protect your kids from dangerous lead.The risk of lead-based paint from older homes is back in the news, as the government considers tightening the definition of lead poisoning in babies, toddlers and preschoolers. Lower levels than previously thought may harm their developing brains.That’s a scary-sounding m