A state-run health research institute said it has found that Korean men in their 60s and women in their 40s were most vulnerable to alcohol-induced mental conditions including dementia and alcoholic hallucinosis among all Koreans.The number of Koreans who sought medical help for the condition has increased from 2008 to 2012, from 63,821 to 75,925. The total cost spent to treat the condition increased from 136.3 billion won ($124.5 million) in 2008 to 217.5 billion won in 2012.According to Dr. Le

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) ― Brazil has unveiled new rules aimed at stemming the South American nation’s “epidemic of cesareans” and promoting natural births among private health care providers.Health Minister Arthur Chioro called Brazil’s obsession with cesareans, which account for more than eight out of 10 births handled by private health providers, a “public health problem.”Under the requirements announced on Tuesday, health insurance companies will have to provide users with information about the p

Heart attack has been the No. 1 killer in the world for the last decade and deaths from the disease are still on the rise. As the human heart works continuously during one’s lifetime, a healthy coronary artery, which supplies it with blood, is vital for a healthy heart. As people age, the arterial wall gradually thickens and hardens, which is called atherosclerosis. Enlarged atherosclerotic plaque can become unstable and rupture suddenly. A blood clot is formed in ruptured plaque within minutes

Prices for uninsured patient rooms vary by hospitals from 20,000 won a day to 449,000 won, according to Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service.In South Korea, the cost of hospital stays in single to three-person patients’ rooms -- which cost much more than multi-occupancy patient rooms for four or more -- are currently uninsured by the national insurance program. Many patients, however, are forced to stay in the uninsured rooms if no other rooms are available, and end up paying high hospit

The sinking of the ferry Sewol, which left more than 300 dead or missing, was inarguably one of the most traumatic events for in South Korea this year.Despite the woeful tragedy, what some found even more disturbing was the infamous “binge-eating” strike. It was held by a group of young men back in September to insult Kim Young-oh, the grieving father of one of the ferry’s teenage victims, who had been fasting to demand an independent probe into the disaster and the government’s rescue efforts.T

Twice as many women in Seoul experience career disruption than men, while the wage gap between them is increasing, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Government. A total of 34.2 percent of all Seoul women experienced career disruption as of this year, accounting for 67 percent of all Seoul citizens whose careers were disrupted at least once in their lives.Meanwhile, the wage gap between men and women in Seoul has been increasing since 2008. A working man in Seoul on average made 920,000 won ($8

PARIS (AFP) ― Owning exotic reptiles such as snakes, chameleons, iguanas and geckos could place infants at risk of salmonella infection, according to a British study published on Monday.Researchers in the southwestern English county of Cornwall found that out of 175 cases of salmonella in children under 5 over a three-year period, 27 percent occurred in homes which had reptile pets.Salmonella is a germ that, in humans, can cause gastroenteritis, colitis, blood infections and meningitis.  Reptile