When I engage in discussions with people about adopting a slow-aging lifestyle, I often receive this common question: “Doesn't maintaining habits like eating balanced meals, staying physically active, and prioritizing restful sleep become stressful, possibly leading to illness?” This question typica
Omega-3 supplements are once again stirring up controversy. The latest recommendation, highlighted in guidelines released on July 20 by six organizations including the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology, suggests that omega-3 supplements hold no benefit for patients wi
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently decided to increase user fees for fiscal year 2024.On July 28, the FDA finalized and announced user fees for new drugs (specialty drugs), generics, biosimilars, and medical devices, increasing the first three. The FDA will apply these fees from October
When patients are informed that they will need to undergo chemotherapy, the anticipation of nausea and vomiting often arises as one of the foremost concerns. In a study conducted in 2005, individuals battling ovarian cancer and undergoing chemotherapy were requested to assess the intensity of variou
On July 17, the American supercentenarian, Louise Levy, died at the age of 112. Levy was one of more than 700 people who were part of a study on the relationship between longevity and genetics, so her demise has garnered extensive coverage across the global media landscape. The number of centenarian
It was in December 2018 that Tagrisso (osimertinib), an EGFR-mutated anticancer drug targeting non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), won approval for the first-line treatment of stage-4 patients in Korea.AstraZeneca, which developed Tagrisso, has provided drug cost support to patients receiving first-
While speaking on the importance of lifelong learning at the Seoul Future Learning Forum on July 12, I was asked a question that everyone in our society should ponder. The gist of the question was, how do you advise teenagers to accept the need for lifelong learning in a country where it is common t
Recently, a district court acquitted a hairdresser in her 40s accused of performing eyebrow tattooing procedures, including semi-permanent eyebrow makeup, in violation of the Medical Service Act, contradicting the existing legal theory.The legal basis for “tattooing is medical practice” can be found
The world has been buzzing about aspartame, a synthetic sweetener, since June 29 when Reuters broke the news that the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), part of the World Health Organization (WHO), decided to add aspartame to its carcinogen classification. Aspartame joined the exist
In the ever-competitive world of pharmaceuticals, it seems that every few years, a new company emerges touting its latest "miracle cure."This time, it's GemVax & KAEL, a Korean pharmaceutical company, that seems to have discovered the holy grail of medicine with their so-called wonder drug, GV-1001.
Opening the door and stepping into his room, all sorts of nasty smells hit me. The stench of a widower who hasn't showered for a long time, the odor from the rotten food on the floor, and the toilet stink were all mixed. I could hide my face with a mask, but I couldn't help but frown.His birth year
Korea is pretty late with the establishment of its first full-scale biobank but this also places them in the unique position to build their biobanks based on the experience of other fully established biobanks.The Human Genome Project launched in October 1990 was completed in April 2003, revealing th
It can be challenging to recall the details of what you've witnessed and the specific locations where you encountered them. This difficulty arises due to the limited capacity of human source memory. While our brains excel at retaining visual and auditory information, they struggle when it comes to p
A woman in her late 70s visited my office after traveling a long distance by bus from a small town. She complained of dizziness showing me a handful of prescriptions. She had seen at least 10 doctors over the past year, not only in her town but also at hospitals in Seoul. After reviewing her recent
On Thursday last week, news headlines claiming that one in 10 Korean teenagers have tried fentanyl patches flooded media portals. I couldn't help but be astonished by these articles. However, upon closer examination, it became clear that these headlines were misleading because the survey questions w
Drinking water after consuming alcohol serves no purpose in terms of expediting the sobering process. Regardless of the volume of water consumed, it does not facilitate a faster sobering process. It may offer some relief from hangover symptoms. Alcohol acts as a diuretic, which means it increases ur
When the term "orthopedic surgeons" comes to mind, we often associate it with trauma, fractures, spine, and prosthetic joints. These areas attract a significant number of patients and present a wide range of cases. However, my specialization lies in musculoskeletal oncology, a field that prompts man
There are two different smells that humans perceive -- the smell of inhalation and the smell of exhalation. The scent experienced when you inhale, with food in front of you, is referred to as orthonasal olfaction. It occurs when you sniff through your nose. Conversely, when you take a bite of food a
When we talk about aging in our society, we often focus on statistics that show the number of people aged 65 and older is growing. However, the group of individuals aged 65 and older is a very large category, and it can look very different depending on demographic factors such as age, as well as med
Newborn screening began in other countries in the early 1960s. It started with detecting inherited metabolic diseases such as phenylketonuria. In 1961, Dr. Robert Guthrie, a pediatrician and a microbiologist, developed a special strain of bacteria that thrives in the presence of certain amino acids.