Health Information

Thinking of parents living alone in their hometowns naturally brings a heavy heart along with concerns about their health. Recent research shows that beyond mere emotional issues, loneliness and social isolation can actually erode healthy life expectancy. In this article, we will summarize relevant research findings and discuss what children should consider. What is the relationship between loneliness and healthy life expectancy? When experiencing both loneliness and social isolation simultaneously, major chronic diseases… Read more

After the holidays, it is common to hear stories about the distance between daughters-in-law and their in-laws widening noticeably. It is also a time when parents-in-law frequently complain that holiday visits have decreased and contact to check on their well-being has become less frequent compared to the past. While this change is often described as "daughters-in-law these days cutting ties easily," analysis suggests that underlying this phenomenon is a problem with the relationship structure itself. In a lecture, Professor Lee Ho-sun, who has researched gerontology, [mentioned that] daughters-in-law and their in-laws… Read more

When news of a sumo wrestler's dramatic weight change is reported, it is easy to first think of marriage and the support of his wife. Indeed, when the transformed appearance of Japan's top sumo wrestler Takakeisho became a hot topic, this interpretation was the first to spread. However, if we examine the process of his weight change step by step, we can see that there are structural reasons at play that are far more significant than the event of marriage. In this article, starting from who Takakeisho is as a person, his weight… Read more

You have likely felt self-conscious about the color of your teeth while smiling in the mirror every morning. Dental whitening procedures can be burdensome due to the cost and time commitment, and with so many types of whitening toothpastes on the market, it can be overwhelming to know which one to choose. Amidst these concerns, actress Ryu Hye-young's introduction of a toothpaste she has been using for a long time in an Olive Young shopping video became a hot topic. In this article, we will discuss what kind of product the Colgate OpticWhite whitening toothpaste mentioned by Ryu Hye-young is, and what its features are… Read more

Smoking can leave changes not only on the face and inside the mouth but also on cancer and organ diseases. The gums or lips may darken, the skin may become dull and rough, and the sense of taste and smell may become dulled. If the habit of pursing the lips is combined with a loss of skin elasticity, wrinkles around the mouth may deepen. The speed of recovery after quitting smoking varies by body part. While the sense of taste and smell may improve relatively quickly, changes in skin color and oral pigmentation will change gradually… Read more

The idea that anyone can obtain sufficient Vitamin D simply by getting enough sunlight is incorrect. Even with sun exposure, blood Vitamin D levels can remain low depending on an individual's physical condition and lifestyle, so it is more realistic to consider diet as well. In this article, we will discuss the role Vitamin D plays in bone and immune function, and how to incorporate fish like salmon and mackerel, as well as UV-exposed mushrooms, into your diet… Read more

During the changing seasons, health advertisements addressing familiar symptoms such as sore throats or bad breath are frequently seen. Recently, even fake doctor advertisements have emerged, using interview formats with figures who look like real doctors to recommend specific products. This has increased the need to verify information about the person and the product separately before trusting an advertisement. Based on an example of an advertisement featuring the credential "doctor with 22 years of tonsil surgery experience," this article examines the characteristics of fake medical professional advertisements and… Read more

Should caregivers now refuse the suctioning they have been performing, or must they continue to take on the responsibility out of necessity due to a lack of personnel by the patient's side? This question, which has grown in nursing hospital wards following the Supreme Court ruling, has ceased to be an individual caregiver issue and has become a workforce management challenge intertwined with patient safety, nursing staffing, and caregiving costs. The key does not lie in simply memorizing that "all suctioning by caregivers is illegal." In the Supreme Court case, a certain act... Read more

Smoking alone increases the risk of oral cancer by about six times compared to non-smokers, and if combined with drinking, the risk can rise to 15 to 20 times. Since drinking and smoking affect not only the risk of developing head and neck cancer but also its recurrence after treatment, it is not a problem that can be dismissed with the thought, "The cancer has been treated, so everything is fine now." Head and neck cancer occurs in areas involved in breathing, eating, and speaking, such as the nose, mouth, tongue, oral cavity, pharynx, and larynx. In this article, we will discuss why drinking and smoking increase the risk, what symptoms should not be overlooked, ... Read more

If you experience shortness of breath and swelling in both legs after walking even a short distance, can you simply dismiss it as a result of aging? Valve regurgitation, where heart valves do not close completely and blood leaks backward, can also cause these symptoms. However, you cannot definitively diagnose valve disease based solely on shortness of breath and swelling. In this article, I will explain in order why valve regurgitation leads to shortness of breath and leg swelling, what tests are required, and how treatment varies from mild to severe cases. Shortness of breath and legs… Read more