Dr. Ben Kim's blog

Originally published on September 10, 2007

A few years ago, the New York Times ran a story about a 53-year old Colorado man whose penchant for microwave buttered popcorn may have caused him to develop a serious lung condition called bronchiolitis obliterans, or "popcorn workers' lung." Read more

When looking to overcome a specific health challenge, for most of us, the tendency is to look for a remedy - some pill, cream, or perhaps a liquid that we can drink - that will fix our problem right up. Read more

Originally posted on March 9, 2010

The other day, I found myself feeling unusually uptight. I couldn't quite put a finger on why I felt like busting up some dry wall. I just felt like I was off, like my mind was a pyramid standing upside down trying to balance its point on a right-side-up pyramid.

On my way home, I stopped off at a bank to make a deposit. But I went to a branch that I don't usually go to, and the teller spent what felt like a few minutes scrolling through my history of transactions, trying to size up the possibility that I was attempting to deposit a fraudulent check. Read more

Originally published on September 23, 2006

One of the main goals that I have for this web site is to encourage our readers to learn how to be their own best doctors. Read more

From time to time, I receive letters from readers who have questions about various facets of Korean culture or history. This subject - how South Korea went about developing itself so quickly after the Korean war to become the prosperous nation that it is today - is one that I think some of our readers may find to be interesting. Read more

If you're following sound advice on how to get a good night's rest, and still having trouble sleeping soundly, you may want to try eating a bedtime snack that combines a concentrated dietary source of tryptophan with a healthy carbohydrate-rich food. Read more

I find that people who don't regularly eat salad typically don't have the experience of enjoying one that's rich and varied enough to be a satisfying, stand alone meal.

If this describes you, I hope that the salad making tips found below are helpful in making world-class, nutrient-rich salads a regular part of your day. Read more

This is a quick look at how I whisk up the famous honey mustard salad dressing that I mentioned in a previous post on putting together impromptu healthy salads.

First, it's best to start with a see-through jar that comes with a lid. This will allow you to roughly eyeball ingredient proportions as you bring them together, and store unused finished product in the refrigerator. Read more

In searching for a lawn mower over the past few days, I visited our local big-box stores and compared the latest models. Wanting the most eco-friendly mower available, I was thinking push reel. But I wasn't sure that I could find one that could handle the significant grade along the sides of our home. Read more

Long before the creation of Canada Dry and other sugar-laden soft drink versions of ginger ale, people used to make and drink real ginger ale for its refreshing taste and health benefits.

Real ginger ale is made with...you guessed it, real ginger! And ginger has long been used by Asian cultures to treat and prevent a variety of physical ailments.

Ginger Helps to Ease Digestive Discomfort Read more