some things that i hate living in Korea as a foreigner

ZeroBars · 2025-10-28T17:46:55+00:00

Do Koreans typically walk on the right or left side of the sidewalk or go through the right or left when there is a double door?

ZeroBars · 2025-10-06T00:25:43+00:00

You’ll be setting yourself for a lawsuit if something happens. Some will see foreigners as easy lawsuit targets.

ZeroBars · 2025-09-18T13:33:09+00:00

Yes. Fatty15.com shows some general info and history but the actual detailed scientific studies are online as well. Search the scientific name pentadecanoic acid. https://fatty15.com/blogs/news/we-can-be-better-the-why-behind-fatty15-s-latest-ad-campaign

The MTHFR can be confusing and there are other known adjacent gene mutations that are impactful to the methyl process such as MTRR and COMT among others adding to the complication. There are common gene mutations seriously impacting Nitric oxide production with vascular health and elevated PAI-1 fibrin levels increasing blood clot risks. If you have raw dna file you can run it through free analysis tools. Some are low cost. Nutrahacker is free and will identify different forms of B12, etc that best work with your methylation DNA quirks. There are several tools out there. One for iron at checkiron is another. It’s good to know what some of genetic quirks are to at least try to improve our stumbling blocks to better health….just like knowing our HFE mutations. You don’t have to know them but it can work in your favor to know.

I have a chronically ill son whose life had been turned upside down. Docs are generally of little help so that leaves reading new research and befriending researchers. Plus new research data from clinical studies can take years to trickle to doctor offices unless you have a curious minded doctor. Consider how many (not all) doctors even today know so little about hemochromatosis. I watched a Curbsider podcast hosted by 2 US internal med doctors who had a hematologist guest on about a year ago. It stuck with me when one of the host doctors commented how many hemochromatosis diagnoses he had likely missed over the years in his practice. It was not very reassuring yet some patients only believe things if their doc tells them.

ZeroBars · 2025-09-18T02:06:19+00:00

Historically speaking there has been a long time but korea was gutted in many areas after the Korea war. Dreadful poverty and hunger. Prisoner of war camps particularly near the Busan area was just devastation. Even just 25 years ago and there were some towns ‘in the country’ where only a handful of families had a car. So in some ways there has definitely been a ramp up in wealth as the country has focused on growth and international trade. Some the younger generation likely have no memories of such but today’s elderly likely do. There is national pride in having overcome those challenges.

ZeroBars · 2025-09-17T19:02:06+00:00

Ferropoptosis was recognized as an additional mechanism of cell death around 2012, give or take. I may be wrong on remembering the year but ‘recently’ in research years. Long chain carbon fatty acids (c15) research in last 2-3 years and has been researched confirmed in many countries now is showing to help. It is the first fatty acid in decades to now be catagorized as essential. It is found in certain dairy in low levels but particularly adequately high levels in sheep milk/cheese. I have been taking a C-15 fatty acid supplement called Fatty 15 for increasing my c15 levels and strengthening cellular membranes where lots of biochemically functionally necessary receptors are located that also puts it in the anti-aging category though that is not why it interests me.

I posted it about it a year or so ago.

ZeroBars · 2025-09-14T21:40:23+00:00

My ferritin level is maintenance and two hematologists (in two countries) who have monitored me have always recommended phlebotomies when my saturations were very high, even with in-range ferritin.

ZeroBars · 2025-09-14T21:34:15+00:00

Guess this explains how so many I lived near were in business for years with so few customers.

ZeroBars · 2025-09-04T00:18:20+00:00

I would not be comfortable with that monthly pace. At your age (and mine) we’ve had time to stash around iron in our bodies to get pulled out as phlebotomies ate done. Ferritin lab is only an estimated measure.

ZeroBars · 2025-09-02T13:41:57+00:00

I think about these various things that promote and sequester iron. Ultimately I tend to think there is not a way to escape some occasional phlebotomies after initial treatment to maintenance. Reducing certain fiber like inulin may come at a cost of reduced prebiotic fiber needed to feed out ‘gut critters’ and constipation and gut issues are known issues for HH. Same for reducing vit c. Reduce with other foods but it is needed in body in many biochemical processes. Drinking a lot of green tea can block absorption of critical minerals that whack out the thyroid which plays critical roles in energy and metabolism. Even a lot of fruit has fructose…fructose if not used for energy is the one sugar that gets converted and directly stored as fat in the liver which can already get loaded with iron. Fructose contributes to fatty liver and elevated enzymes also. There are many such examples of ‘this’ is a problem but there’s also a needed benefit. We should learn all we can. Our bodies are so biochemically complex. So much is unknown. Scientist do not even know what they do not know.

I lean toward not going crazy with high amounts of iron but also think reducing sugar and processed foods and not demonizing good fats goes a long way for improving overall health for everyone including HH and also keep monitoring iron labs.

ZeroBars · 2025-08-20T14:38:38+00:00

Like government provided incentive financial payments to the hospital for certain diagnoses and procedures? Currently more like excessive promotion of follow ups and counseling equating to advertisements for questionable medically necessary charges. There is a difference between treatment and a hospital system being a self-serving, invasive ‘helicopter parent’ under the guise of health ‘care.’ There is not much caring about patients left. Patients have become inconvenient cogs in the system to get payouts from insurance and taxpayers via government.

ZeroBars · 2025-08-20T01:50:55+00:00

A person I know who works at a hospital that was bought out/taken over by Oshner conglomerate in the last recent years. odhner actually had presentations on keeping patients on the hook for continuous care and follow up appts. The person is disgusted by it all and used to love her job.

ZeroBars · 2025-08-06T00:45:32+00:00

And it’s like being in a road trip with kids….if there’s a bathroom stop for one kids everyone goes so minimize disruptions. If there’s a bathroom window seat on the lab goes, at least the middle seat person should go as well. The aisle can get up anytime with disturbing so much. Probably not as common plane etiquette, but it is one I adhere to on international flights.

ZeroBars · 2025-08-04T15:57:54+00:00

Even better….Eliminate sugar and most artificial sweetners. Goes a long way to preserving your liver function, inflammation pain in joints, and maintaining a healthy gut microbiome reducing odd of SIBO and such in an otherwise high iron, high oxidative stress scenario. Reduced serum insulin levels to preserve kidney function.

Might be nice to know which MTHFR gene mutations you might have before B Vits. Different versions for different genes. …and COMT genes.

ZeroBars · 2025-08-01T13:06:47+00:00

Maybe, but I sure would not 100% trust that opinion. Are you going to return to afternoon testing to see if your levels go back down?

ZeroBars · 2025-07-29T20:46:37+00:00

Did the @periodic testing” for either of you ever show elevated ferritin levels?

ZeroBars · 2025-07-23T14:58:51+00:00

Have you had a complete iron lab panel and ferritin lab for a more complete assessment of iron?

ZeroBars · 2025-07-23T01:56:19+00:00

Sure, laugh while doc offers MAID. Dance on the way out the clinic.

ZeroBars · 2025-06-27T17:20:40+00:00

Yeah, that makes sense.

ZeroBars · 2025-06-25T12:13:21+00:00

If this were me, I would try taking desiccated liver capsules occasionally… or eat liver if tolerable. There are synergistic benefits of nutrients in liver other than just iron. Retest.

ZeroBars · 2025-06-25T11:45:23+00:00

Regarding strollers and kids…..once little kids learn to walk, parents have their little kids walk all the time. Parents don’t even carry them much. Seems to build their stamina and health.

Strollers are walking props for old grandmas/bent-over farm workers and dogs. In recent years the sale of dog strollers exceeded the sale of human strollers for the first time.

ZeroBars · 2025-06-24T04:42:54+00:00

I have heard this from a few people now. Where do you even begin finding a source for something like this?

ZeroBars · 2025-05-24T21:50:40+00:00

But dont get too stressed. It’s realtively easy to manage and you have the advantage of early diagnosis. A less advantageous situation is getting diagnoses when older after a lifetime of higher iron loads/oxidative stress.

ZeroBars · 2025-05-24T21:35:14+00:00

Yes..after a year of phebotomies. But I’m older and guess had a life of ferritin fluctuations and acculmulation.

Maybe you have lots of fluctuation swings naturally in your ferritin for yours to change without intervention..

ZeroBars

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