Health Blog
Written by Dr. Heo Ji-young. Each piece takes a single symptom and follows what is actually happening in the body.
Is Bleeding After Menopause a Menopausal Symptom?
Bleeding that occurs more than 12 months after the last menstrual period needs gynecologic assessment first, even when it is light or brown spotting. There are common causes, but an online article cannot tell them apart.
If Your Child Is Urinating Often and Drinking a Lot
When frequent urination and increased thirst appear together in a child, do not first assume they are due to habit or stress. If weight loss or severe fatigue is also present, same-day evaluation for childhood diabetes may be needed.
If Low Back Pain After a Traffic Accident Becomes Leg Numbness or Weakness
New leg tingling, numbness, or weakness after an accident should not be dismissed as ordinary muscle pain. If it is progressing or occurs with changes in urination or bowel control, emergency spinal assessment comes first.
If an Older Adult Suddenly Loses Their Appetite and Weight
Do not dismiss a sudden loss of appetite and weight simply as part of aging. A medical team should first review when it began, how much weight was lost, swallowing, current medicines, and accompanying symptoms.
Medicines and Health Conditions to Mention Before a Gongjin-Dan Consultation
Whether Gongjin-Dan is appropriate cannot be decided from its product name alone. Current prescription and nonprescription medicines, supplements, liver and kidney health, pregnancy possibility, and planned surgery all need to be reviewed.
If Your Period Suddenly Becomes Much Heavier and You Feel Dizzy
When menstrual bleeding suddenly becomes much heavier and occurs with dizziness, shortness of breath, or chest pain, bleeding and anemia need to be assessed first. There are situations where it should not be dismissed as a constitutional issue or wait for a Korean medicine appointment.
Should You Take Gongjin-Dan Just Because You Feel Tired?
Fatigue is a symptom, not a single diagnosis. Before deciding on Gongjin-Dan, it is important to review when the fatigue began, how long it has lasted, sleep, meals, current medicines, and other changes.
Headache and Dizziness After a Car Accident: When Should You Be Rechecked?
Headache and dizziness after an accident may occur with neck pain, but they must first be separated from concussion and signs of a more serious head injury. Delayed or worsening changes should not be missed.
Aging Is Not a Disease, It Is a Matter of Reserve
"Aging is not a disease." Does that mean there is nothing to worry about, or nothing more to look for? Saying it is not a disease is not the same as saying nothing is happening. What lies between the two is reserve. One question changes into another — not where something has gone wrong, but what the reserve you have left is being spent on first. Changes you can date to a particular moment, and a drop in energy or appetite, deserve to be checked before they are chalked up to age.
What Changes When Muscle Shrinks
Your arm has grown thinner, but you say, "It has not caused me any trouble in daily life" — is that all right? Muscle is both an organ of movement and the protein reserve the whole body draws on. Strength falls three times faster than mass does, and once the reserve thins out, even a single cold can leave you unusually run down. If your weight drops more than 5% over six months to a year, if the change is one-sided, or if swallowing trouble and changes in speech come with it, getting it checked comes first.
Frequent Falls Are Not Just a Matter of the Legs
You turn off the light at night and stumble on your way out of the room — you are fine during the day, so why? Your legs are the same legs by day and by night. A standing body is held up by three things — the sensation coming from the feet and legs, the vestibular system in the inner ear, and the eyes — and when one grows unclear, the others take up the slack. If you cannot recall the moment you fell, if weakness on one side or slurred speech comes with it, or if falls have suddenly become more frequent over the past few weeks, finding the cause comes first.
The Same Advice Fits Each Body Differently
"Drink plenty of water" — you hear it everywhere, so why does it never come with how much, from when, or which cases should skip it? Advice carries conditions at the place where it is first made, but as it passes from person to person, the conditions are the first thing to fall away. All you need to do is reattach three things — who the advice was for, how much it meant, and what it was judged against. If jaundice, severe fatigue, or nausea appears after starting several supplements at once, stopping them and seeing a doctor comes first.