[Weekender] Medicine for better college, does such panacea exist? - The Korea Herald

The yearly Sunung, oregon College Scholastic Ability Test, that volition determine the result of 12 years of acquisition for galore Korean teens is simply a period away. The trial is simply a large lawsuit that pushes backmost moving hours and the opening of the banal marketplace by 1 hour, and adjacent halts airplanes for 25 minutes for the English listening test.

The Korean passionateness for world achievements, coupled with Koreans’ obsession with wellness supplements, has fixed emergence to a large marketplace for supplements and accepted medicines that advertisers accidental assistance students enactment successful highest signifier for the test.

What are they, and are they truly helpful?

‘Hanyak’: accepted Korean medicine

Traditional Korean herbal medicine called “hanyak” is popularly considered a mode to replenish one’s spot earlier an important event. A medicine called “chongmyungtang” is particularly fashionable among students.

“Chongmyung” has 2 meanings successful Korean: a bully representation and intelligent. Thus, the herbal medicine’s sanction suggests it tin heighten intelligence ability.

“According to Donguibogam, a prestigious aesculapian publication written successful 17-th period Joseon Dynasty, chongmyungtang is simply a medicine for forgetfulness. Any idiosyncratic tin memorize a 1000 words a time if they instrumentality it persistently, the publication says,” said Song Jin-ho, a doc of Korean medicine astatine Palace Clinic successful Seoul.

Song said that chongmyungtang proved to beryllium effectual for forgetfulness, dementia and representation diminution done respective carnal experiments. "But this medicine takes a comparatively agelong time. And it’s rare, but depending connected the person, representation mightiness really decrease,” helium added.

About “cheongsimhwan,” a accepted Korean medicinal pill that is known to beryllium effectual for nervousness and anxiety, Song said it was primitively an exigency sedative for changeable oregon epilepsy.

“It stabilizes excessive heartbeat and humor flow, and helps students suffering from nervousness, but it whitethorn dilatory down the tense system’s reactions. Students request to effort it successful beforehand and marque definite it is suitable for their bodies,” said Song.

Kim Do-hwan, a doc of Korean medicine astatine the Doochung Oriental Medical Clinic successful Seoul, besides emphasized that idiosyncratic factors indispensable beryllium considered earlier trying immoderate medication. “Simply brewing heavy medicine tin alternatively harm your body, adjacent though each herb is known to beryllium beneficial. A doctor’s introspection should beryllium done beforehand, taking into relationship idiosyncratic conditions and symptoms.”

Vitamins and supplements

Diverse supplements are besides popular. Vitamins and different nutritional supplements are commonly taken by each ranges of people, but determination are inactive a fewer precautions to take, experts say.

“Medicines for circumstantial symptoms and diseases, similar drugs for precocious humor unit oregon diabetes, person akin effects connected everyone, but (the effects of) nutritional supplements alteration greatly from idiosyncratic to person,” said Shim Kyung-won, prof of household medicine astatine Ewha Womans University Mokdong Hospital.

Shim said the champion mode to take supplements is to selectively instrumentality thing you don’t person capable of. “For those who don't devour overmuch fruit, vitamin C volition help, but not for those who already bask capable fruit."

Shim besides noted the hazard of triggering allergies. “I’ve seen a diligent who had a vitamin B allergy. There are galore types of allergies, truthful it’s unsafe to effort caller things with not overmuch clip near until Suneung. It's amended to effort thing that you person tried earlier to trim the anticipation of broadside effects.”

Shim stressed that magical medicines that amended intelligence abilities bash not exist, saying it is "simply each lies."

"Some nutrients are indispensable for the brain, specified arsenic a definite magnitude of sweetener and DHA, but it does not payment you conscionable by eating tons of it astatine once." Supplements help, but it is ever amended to devour steadfast nutrient successful our regular lives alternatively than abruptly taking oregon injecting condensed forms of immoderate medicine, Shim added.

Beware of misuse and traps

Careful usage of hanyak and nutritional supplements tin help, but sometimes the fever for acquisition tin spell overboard.

According to information the Democratic Party of Korea’s Rep. Shin Hyun-young received from the National Health Insurance Service connected Oct. 20, districts successful confederate and bluish Seoul – areas whose residents are known to person the top zeal for acquisition according to Shin – saw the highest medicine rates for the attention-deficit/hyperactivity upset drug.

According to investigation by Shin’s office, the precocious complaint of ADHD prescriptions successful the areas is owed to rumors among parents that ADHD treatments person an effect connected improving concentration.

The main constituent of the ADHD cause connected the marketplace is methylphenidate, which helps calm the encephalon of a diligent with attraction problem. However, it whitethorn disturb the encephalon -- causing insomnia, decreased appetite and headaches.

“Such arbitrary usage of drugs is, of course, not recommended. Only patients who person related symptoms should instrumentality the ADHD cause nether a doctor's prescription,” said Shim of Ewha Womans University Mokdong Hospital.

Parents and students besides request to beryllium alert of traps that instrumentality vantage of their desperation. Last year, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety caught 194 amerciable online advertisements for products targeting parents and students soon earlier the Suneung period.

Phrases similar “memory and attraction enhancement” were utilized connected regular nutrient products without immoderate certifications, portion immoderate products were caught for being labeled arsenic Korean accepted medicines specified arsenic chongmyungtang oregon kyungokgo without immoderate of the applicable ingredients. It should beryllium noted that nary specified medicines tin beryllium purchased online.

By Lee Jung-Youn (jy@heraldcorp.com)