Health

Traditional Chinese, Korean and Kampo Medicine: an introduction to the three main strands of Traditional Medicine in Northeast Asia

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by Jinwoong Lim and Sena Lee on 6 December, 2012

in Health | Traditional Medicine

By Jinwoong Lim and Sena Lee According to the World Health Organization (WHO), traditional medicine “refers to the knowledge, skills and practices based on the theories, beliefs and experiences indigenous to different cultures, used in the maintenance of health and in the prevention, diagnosis, improvement or treatment of physical and mental illness.” Implicity bound up [...]

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Yonsei scientists zap cancer cells with magnets

by Philip Gowman 14 October 2012
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This looks like an exciting development in cancer research from South Korea. “We have developed magnetic nanoparticles that turn on apoptosis cell signalling by using a magnetic field in a remote and non-invasive manner,” says Jinwoo Cheon and his Yonsei University team in the introduction to their article published in Nature Materials. “Apoptosis, also known [...]

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Needles and a mouth organ at Team Korea House

by Philip Gowman 10 August 2012
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Yes, there have been K-pop flashmobs, dancing robots, traditional music performances and comedy magic shows at Team Korea House. There has even been a live radio show broadcast from there, with presenters dressed in royal hanbok. Last Saturday (4 August) was the final performance by Dulsori before they head off to Germany. They opened with [...]

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Traditional Korean medicine and hand acupuncture in Team Korea House

by Sena Lee 26 July 2012
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Team Korea House will be located at the Royal Thames Yacht Club, 60 Knightsbridge, during the 2012 London Olympics, from the 27th of July to the 12th of August. In addition to the interviews with the medal winners each morning (9am), a variety of interesting activities and events will take place, including: a drop-in workshop [...]

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What is the Donguibogam and what is in it?

by Jin-woong Lim 30 October 2011
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Koreans usually have two choices when they have to visit a clinic: one is a medical clinic, employing western medicine for treatment; and the other is a traditional clinic, employing traditional medicine. There are many obvious differences between the two types, mainly concerning methods of diagnosis and treatment. Most importantly, the traditional medical clinic has [...]

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Donguibogam: Prevention before Treatment

by Sena Lee 20 October 2011
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The Donguibogam is a medical encyclopedia written by Heo Jun (1539-1615), a royal physician and renowned doctor, in the 16th to 17th century. People often say there has been no traditional Korean medicine (TKM) doctor greater than him since. The encyclopedia was registered at UNESCO as part of the ‘Memory of the World’ register in [...]

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Korea’s metrosexuals lead the world

by Philip Gowman 26 September 2011
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Korea is the metrosexual capital of the world, accounting for 18% of global sales of male beauty products and potions http://t.co/mrcSq7PJ

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Is there a doctor in the peninsula? – Heo Jun and the Donguibogam medical textbook

by Matthew Jackson 26 August 2011
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Known as one of the greatest books in the history of Eastern medicine, the Donguibogam was composed by Heo Jun, a court physician in the early 17th century, and is today included as part of UNESCO’s World Heritage list. Despite the huge advances in medicine since that time, it is still referred to by doctors [...]

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The lengths to which people go to speak a language better

by Philip Gowman 12 August 2011
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We knew Korean kids had tongue operations to speak English better; now an English girl has done it to improve her Korean pronunciation: http://bit.ly/q6lTm4 #

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Live Long and Prosper – Food Advice from Old Choseon

by Matthew Jackson 4 July 2011
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Traditional fermented dishes such as doenjang and Kimchi form the basis of the Korean diet. It is a known fact that the inhabitants of cultures and regions which have fermented milk products as part of their daily diet (e.g. the Caucasus) tend to live longer. In the case of soybean-based dishes such as doenjang, the [...]

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Cosmetic surgery not the most common surgery

by Philip Gowman 17 December 2010
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So you thought cosmetic surgery was the most common form of surgery in Korea? Wrong. It’s piles. http://bit.ly/eI4W1L #. The Korea National Health Insurance Corp gives the statistics in the Korea Times.

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Traditional Korean Medicine in Korean Culture #2: Boyangsik and Boyak

by Sena Lee 9 December 2010
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Feeling below par? Get some energy food. Sena Lee explains why. Ask a Korean about Korean food and one of the things she’ll be sure to say is: “it’s very healthy”. Behind these words is a wealth of traditional knowledge about the health-giving properties of certain foods and combinations of ingredients. Two of the key [...]

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The instant six-pack

by Philip Gowman 7 November 2010
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I heard that in Korea you can get 6-pack implants like you get breast enhancement. Can anyone confirm? Won Bin's was impressive in Ajosshi – but I’m sure his was natural.

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Traditional Korean Medicine in Korean Culture #1: Ondol and Samgyetang

by Sena Lee 29 July 2010
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Korea is a country of contrasts and contradictions, in which seeming opposites can coexist in harmony with each other: it is a developed modern country with a high standard of living while keeping traditions alive at the same time; it has world-leading technology, but it is not uncommon for people to consult a shaman for [...]

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Heo Jun and Sancheong’s herbal heritage

by Philip Gowman 12 July 2010
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Thursday 6 May 2010. The mayor hurries off for an appointment: not only is the Sancheong Medicinal Herb Festival in full swing, but elections are approaching in a month’s time. In fact I’m amazed he has found time to meet with this foreign blogger at all. He leaves the rest of us to finish the [...]

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2010 Travel Diary #24: Lunch with Sancheong’s Mayor and the battle for the 2013 Donguibogam Expo

by Philip Gowman 7 July 2010
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Thursday 6 May 2010. We drive to a quiet restaurant – though in Sancheong County that describes most of them. In the shaded car park we are greeted by a large reception committee. The mayor and his wife, all dressed in hanbok, are waiting, and many of the county officials. I think my friend Kyung-sook [...]

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Double entry, poison and murder: historical sources examined at SOAS

by Philip Gowman 17 June 2010
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LKL reports from the 21 May conference at SOAS – Historians, clerks and accountants: Methodological issues in the use of sources on Chosŏn History. The one-day seminar at SOAS examined the value and danger of using alternative historical sources. The types of sources discussed ranged from family and guild accounting records, via personal travelogues, ancient [...]

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Mad Cow scare prevents blood donations

by Philip Gowman 5 April 2010
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Korea Times says Brits can’t donate blood to save a Korean with cancer because we’ve got mad cow disease http://bit.ly/dqku2r #

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Kimchipedia Part 2 – Obesity, Cancer and Global Pandemics

by Matthew Jackson 29 January 2010
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Kimchi’s anti-cancer properties are a focus of growing interest. Professor Park of Pusan University injected a Kimchi extract into mice with cancer cell transplants. After one month, the control set had an average tumor weight of 4.3 grams, whereas the group that were fed with Kimchi extract had an average tumor weight of 2.0 grams. [...]

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Kimchipedia Part 1 – Everything you wanted to know about Kimchi, but were too polite to ask

by Matthew Jackson 18 January 2010
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Introduction Kimchi has been eaten in the Korean peninsula for over 2,000 years. The modern Korean consumes about 30 kilograms of it per annum. It is credited with keeping obesity at bay in the country, and is believed to combat stress and to slow the ageing process, as well as fighting cancer and a wide [...]

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Piles of Piles in Pusan

by Philip Gowman 15 December 2009
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Piles of Piles in Pusan: Korea’s most common operation (more common than plastic surgery?). The southern city is the haemorrhoid capital of Korea http://bit.ly/7x1zc7. 11:12 PM Dec 15th from bit.ly

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