There are various causes of bowel problems so it is important to assess the progression of symptoms first. Sudden onset of fever, abdominal pain and diarrhea and occasional bloody feces may indicate acute gastroenteritis or bacterial dysentery. Abdominal pain, diarrhea and vomiting are suggestive of food poisoning. Chronic repetition of abdominal pain and diarrhea without fever and vomiting may indicate irritable bowel syndrome. Simple pain around the navel may indicate constipation or somatizat

Technology Sept. 20, 2012

A Korean martial arts master who helped take down a street assailant will be awarded by the Los Angeles Police Department.Lee Gak-soo, a martial arts professor at Myongji University in Seoul, confronted a man who was running away after stabbing two former co-workers and two passersby in Yeouido in Seoul last month. Lee, a former mixed martial arts champion, kicked the attacker in the face and chest while the man was wielding a knife threatening Lee and other civilians. The man, surnamed Kim, was

Social Affairs Sept. 18, 2012

Authorities went on full alert on Sunday for a powerful typhoon approaching the country, ordering closure of schools, suspension of ferry services and evacuation of residents in flood-prone areas. “Typhoon Sanba is medium-sized but is very strong on a scale of intensity,” the Korea Meteorological Administration said, calling for serious precautions. As of 1 p.m. as it passed through Okinawa, Japan, the typhoon had central pressure of 935 hPa and winds of up to 48 meters per second. Winds of such

Social Affairs Sept. 16, 2012

Is hypotension dangerous? There are several things about hypotension that many people believe to be true, but are actually urban myths. This is an example. It is possible that the medical state of “shock,” in other words, a rapid decline in the blood pressure with decreased function of the body organs ― which can be fatal ― has led to the mistaken belief that low blood pressure (hypotension) is dangerous. In cases of severe blood loss or cardiovascular malfunctions, the blood pressure decreases

Technology Sept. 13, 2012

For the disabled, every day is a fight, welfare center counselor says A winding hillside road lined with tall trees and shrubs on the lower slopes of Achasan, eastern Seoul, leads up to a set of buildings bustling with people in wheelchairs and on crutches, chatting in high spirits. On the first floor of the main building of Jeongnip Public Welfare Institution, Korea’s first rehabilitation center, is a 20-something-square-meter office where a small woman with a bright smile has been guiding visi

Sept. 12, 2012

Cigarettes in Korea are the cheapest in the OECD, while the smoking rate is the group’s second highest. According to the data from the European Commission Excise Duty on Tobacco which surveyed the price of the best-selling tobacco in 22 member nations in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development in 2012, Korea sells the cheapest tobacco at 2,500 won ($2.21) per pack of 20 cigarettes, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said Monday.Korea also had the second-highest smoking rate, re

Social Affairs Sept. 10, 2012

U.S. President Barack Obama sent an appreciation letter to Park Chul, the president of the Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, in appreciation of kindness and hospitality he had received during his visit in March to the university. In the letter Obama said that he and his wife, Michelle extended their deep thanks to Park. He said he believes Koreans and Americans can meet shared challenges and build a brighter future for all nations as both share an enduring bond. Obama made a speech at the un

Social Affairs Sept. 7, 2012

A sister-in-law of Rep. Park Geun-hye, the ruling Saenuri Party’s presidential candidate, has left her posts at a law firm and the nation’s land and housing firm. Seo Hyang-hee, wife of the presidential candidate’s younger brother Park Ji-man, resigned as a representative lawyer at law firm Sebit and a legal adviser for the Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH), the state-run land and housing developer.Seo worked as a legal adviser for two years for Samhwa Savings Bank before it went bankrupt

Social Affairs Sept. 7, 2012

Federal scientists have isolated a virus in ticks that has never before appeared in the Western Hemisphere and are calling on other scientists to look for evidence of the disease-causing pathogen.Virus hunters from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the virus causes an illness nearly identical to ehrlichiosis, a tick-borne disease that is caused by a bacterium.The newfound pathogen, known as a phlebovirus, was isolated in 2009 in two Missouri men who doctors knew had been bitten

Technology Sept. 6, 2012

Cystitis is an inflammation of the bladder lining which can be caused by microorganisms (bacteria, protozoa or viruses), allergies, radiation and pharmacological agents. The most common mechanism of cystitis is bacterial infection through the urethra. Because women have shorter urethras than men, they are more prone to urinary tract infections. This is because the bacteria from the urethra, vagina or the cervix can flow back to the bladder. In this case, the main bacterial organisms are those of

Technology Sept. 6, 2012