The Korea Herald

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 New Orleans April 21 to April 28, 2012. MCI is the stage between normal memory loss that comes wit...
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...
‘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....
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 pi...
How to lower cholesterol ― Five facts and misunderstandings

Feb 9, 2012

While performing medical check-ups, I commonly notice an overflow of people who have higher cholesterol than normal. A study was conducted on 50,000 people who took regular medical check-ups at Samsung Seoul Hospital in 2010. It showed that approximately 40 percent of them had higher cholesterol than normal. This means that the level of serum cholesterol is higher than normal in about half of pe...
Contraception mandate outrages religious groups

Feb 9, 2012

The Obama administration‘s decision requiring church-affiliated employers to cover birth control was bound to cause an uproar among Roman Catholics and members of other faiths, no matter their beliefs on contraception. The regulation, finalized a week ago, raises a complex and sensitive legal question: Which institutions qualify as religious and can be exempt from the mandate? For a church, mos...
Latest illnesses point to raw milk‘s popularity

Feb 9, 2012

WASHINGTON (AP) -- An outbreak of bacterial infections on the East Coast illustrates the popularity of raw, unpasteurized milk despite strong warnings from public health officials about the potential danger. Even presidential candidate Ron Paul has joined the cause of consumers looking to buy unprocessed “real foods” straight from the farm, saying government shouldn’t deny them that choice. An ...
Drug firms sign up to new tropical disease fight

Feb 9, 2012

GENEVA (AFP) - Key players in the pharmaceutical industry pledged on Monday to donate 14 billion drug treatments as part of a new, global push to eradicate tropical diseases. Thirteen companies including Novartis and GlaxoSmithKline have committed to the programme being led by the United States, Britain and United Arab Emirates governments, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the World Bank....
Anti-cancer drug for women weakens bone density

Feb 9, 2012

PARIS (AFP) - A drug tipped for widespread use to prevent breast cancer in post-menopausal women also accelerates loss of bone density, thus potentially boosting the risk of fractures, a study published on Tuesdaysaid. Exemestane -- brand name Aromasin -- is part of a drug class called aromatase inhibitors, which lower levels of the oestrogen that some breast cancers need in order to grow. Cana...
Too many kids breathe others‘ smoke in cars: CDC

Feb 9, 2012

CHICAGO (AP) -- Texting while driving, speeding and back-seat hanky-panky aren’t all that parents need to worry about when their kids are in cars: Add secondhand smoke to the list. In the first national estimate of its kind, a report from government researchers says more than 1 in 5 high school students and middle schoolers ride in cars while others are smoking. This kind of secondhand smoke ex...
Birth control mandate irks religious organizations

Feb 9, 2012

The Obama administration’s decision requiring church-affiliated employers to cover birth control was bound to cause an uproar among Roman Catholics and members of other faiths, no matter their beliefs on contraception. The regulation, finalized a week ago, raises a complex and sensitive legal question: Which institutions qualify as religious and can be exempt from the mandate? For a church, mos...
How long can you keep your food?

Feb 9, 2012

Expired produce can be safe for some time if unsealed and well stored Everyone has had the experience of throwing away a half-eaten block of cheese or half-empty carton of milk because it has exceeded its expiration date. But the Korea Consumer Agency on Tuesday said most foods are safe even a few days after their expiration date. “The expiration dates written on the cover of the products are ...
How long can you keep your food?

Feb 9, 2012

Expired produce can be safe for some time if unsealed and well stored Everyone has had the experience of throwing away a half-eaten block of cheese or half-empty carton of milk because it has exceeded its expiration date. But the Korea Consumer Agency on Tuesday said most foods are safe even a few days after their expiration date. “The expiration dates written on the cover of the products are ...
Study on mice shows fasting weakens cancer

Feb 9, 2012

Early research on mice with cancer shows that fasting may weaken tumors and help chemotherapy work better, scientists said on Wednesday. While it remains unknown if the same approach could work in humans, or if it would even be safe, researchers said the findings suggest a promising new route of study for improving response to cancer treatment. In the mice experiments, "the combination of fasti...
Smoking linked to mental decline in men: study

Feb 7, 2012

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Men who smoke experience greater mental declines over time than men who never smoked, but the same link does not appear among women, said a British study published in the United States on Monday. The research suggested that the effects of long-term cigarette smoking show up terms of memory loss, inability to connect past experience with actions in the present, and a drop in ov...