*Editor’s note: K-VIBE invites experts from various K-culture sectors to share their extraordinary discovery about the Korean culture.
Doc. Earm’s ‘K-Health’: Health Should Be Studied Like Academics (Part 1)
By Yung E. Earm (Professor Emeritus, Department of Physiology, College of Medicine, Seoul National University; Research Fellow, Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford )
I do not claim to be an expert in health simply because I am in good shape. In fact, I have struggled with health issues multiple times.
One such instance occurred when I went to the University of Oxford in the UK as a postdoctoral researcher after graduating from medical school. I suffered from an unknown digestive disorder that caused continuous weight loss, leading to my hospitalization at Oxford’s affiliated hospital for a thorough examination in early 1980.
The diagnosis revealed intestinal tuberculosis, and I was hospitalized for a month to receive treatment. I had already contracted tuberculosis in Korea, but the condition worsened after moving to the UK.
Currently, my weight is around 70 kg, but at that time, it had dropped to 46 kg—I was reduced to skin and bones. Although I received a month of inpatient treatment, tuberculosis is not a disease that can be completely cured in such a short time. Thus, I had to continue treatment for another year.
At the time, the UK’s economic situation was better than it is now, allowing international students to receive free hospital treatment, including hospitalization costs (now, only taxpayers receive free medical care).
Thanks to this policy, I was able to rest well for a month in the hospital without spending a single penny until my discharge.
As many of you know, tuberculosis is a contagious disease. Because I needed to be isolated, I was placed in a private room, where I spent a month experiencing the British healthcare system firsthand as a patient.
Looking back, it still feels surreal to have spent that time alone in a foreign hospital room. Most of my days were spent reading books brought by my British friends.
In the UK, nurses and nursing students handle all aspects of patient care, and family members are only allowed to visit. There is no such thing as a paid caregiver.
Nurses were responsible for all medical tests and patient support, allowing me to spend the month without any difficulties. They truly embodied the legacy of Florence Nightingale. This was vastly different from Korea’s medical system, where caregivers or family members often play a significant role in looking after patients.
After making a full recovery, I lived in relatively good health until 2015, when I had to undergo prostate cancer surgery at Seoul National University Hospital. My junior colleagues assured me they would take good care of me, but complications arose, leading to peritonitis. As a result, I had to undergo major surgery, completely opening my abdomen, and was hospitalized again for another month.
Ultimately, I have been hospitalized twice in my life, each time for one month, leaving me with painful memories. Clearly, I am not discussing health because I consider myself particularly strong or immune to illness.
After retiring from my university position and beginning to write books, I noticed that while many people are highly interested in health, they often lack a clear understanding of what is truly important. That realization led me to speak on health awareness like a missionary whenever I give lectures.
My parents had always hoped that I would become a doctor who cared for suffering patients, especially those in financial hardship.
My father, for instance, contracted pulmonary tuberculosis in the 1930s while studying in Japan under difficult circumstances. At the time, there were no tuberculosis medications, and the only available treatment was air therapy—a method where respiratory patients, particularly those with tuberculosis, were exposed to fresh air at set intervals to aid in their recovery.
What surprised me most was that my father received long-term free treatment at a private hospital in Okayama Prefecture, simply because he was a struggling student.
One day, a great flood struck, forcing doctors and nurses to evacuate. However, the patients, unable to move, were relocated to the hospital’s second floor and remained there. Once the floodwaters receded, the medical staff returned, and treatment continued as before.
My father often shared stories about the doctors he met during that time. He always hoped I would become a doctor who never turned away patients in difficult situations—a doctor who would never give up on them.
While I believed that being a compassionate physician was important, I also thought that advancing medical research was just as crucial. Wanting to dedicate myself to research, I chose to specialize in basic medical science and sought my parents’ understanding. They initially opposed my decision but soon came to support and encourage me.
For the next 40 years, I devoted myself to basic medical research with no regrets. I made some research achievements and trained many talented students. However, looking back, I began to wonder—what contributions had I made to the general public? This realization sparked a desire to give back to society, leading me to start giving lectures on health.
Moreover, I wanted to bridge the gap between science and the humanities by addressing the misconceptions of those who dismiss humanities as speculative and assume that medical knowledge and scientific laws never change.
I am not a clinical doctor who directly treats patients. Instead, I have spent my life as a medical scientist, researching the fundamental causes of diseases. My field of expertise is physiology, specifically cardiovascular physiology—the study of the heart and blood vessels. Throughout my career, I have conducted research, guided students, and sought to understand the principles of life itself.
Now, using my research experience, I want to offer practical help to people. After much thought, I have decided to launch this column. Rather than focusing on how to treat diseases, I want to explore how to live in a way that prevents illness in the first place.
Many factors threaten our health. Some are systemic issues, such as government policies and healthcare structures, while others are environmental problems beyond an individual’s control.
At times, however, we ourselves are the cause of our declining health. Unhealthy habits and negative mindsets often play a significant role.
We tend to think in binary terms, always searching for a single "correct answer." We categorize everything as body vs. mind, good vs. evil, or health vs. illness.
But is life really that simple? Health and disease are not mutually exclusive.
There is no clear boundary between them. Rather, most of us exist in a state known as "Mibyung" (未病)—a condition where we have no apparent illness yet are not truly healthy either.
Since we are all in this Mibyung state, we must actively strive to move toward genuine health.
To begin, we need to understand what health, disease, and Mibyung really mean and examine our medical system in relation to these concepts. I have spent years teaching and researching, and I may have some harsh criticisms to share about the issues I have observed.
Next, we must explore how to eat and live healthily. In simple terms, we should consume good foods while avoiding harmful ones, eating in moderate amounts and in the right way.
Diet is a highly personal matter. Since each of you can choose what to eat and avoid what is bad, I feel less burdened discussing this topic.
However, other issues—such as chemical pollutants and fine dust—cannot be solved at an individual level. Addressing these problems requires collective action, which is why discussions on this subject may feel somewhat disheartening.
To truly tackle these environmental threats, everyone must make an effort, but the government plays the most crucial role. If policymakers establish effective regulations, conditions will improve. If they fail to act, the situation will only deteriorate.
Therefore, citizens must continuously demand change from the government.
Finally, I want to discuss unhealthy lifestyle habits that threaten our well-being. Factors such as sleep patterns, posture, exercise, and personal hygiene may seem trivial, but they play a significant role in modern health issues.
I hope we can reflect on the efforts needed to maintain good health.
Ultimately, I want this column to provide essential health knowledge that empowers you to take charge of your well-being. My goal is to encourage readers to reflect on food, environment, and lifestyle choices—not just to avoid illness, but to actively pursue a healthier, more fulfilling life.
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