IronChoi

by Triton Hospital The liver plays a crucial role in our body, handling detoxification, energy storage, and protein production. So when a blood test shows that your liver enzymes are elevated, it usually means the liver is working harder than it should. Elevated liver enzymes don’t always cause obvious symptoms right away, but if they stay high over time or keep rising, it can be a sign that something isn’t right. 1) What does it actually mean when liver enzymes are high? “Liver enzymes” usually refer to values such as AST (GOT), ALT (GPT), γ-GTP, and ALP in a blood test. When these numbers go beyond the normal range, doctors often suspect liver cell damage, inflammation, or problems with bile flow. Why are there often no symptoms at first? The liver has a strong ability to compensate and keep functioning, even when part of it is damaged. That’s why people often call it “the silent organ.” In the early stages, you may not feel anything unusual even when your enzyme levels a...

We’ve always thought that soaking rice cakes in water for a long time is a basic step when making tteokguk, especially around the New Year. But these days, many people say that modern rice cakes are already in good condition, so you don’t really need to soak them — in fact, using them right away can be even better. Why is soaking rice cakes for too long a problem? In most households, soaking tteokguk rice cakes in cold water for a long time is considered standard. But if you leave them in water too long, several issues can actually arise. The starch on the surface gets washed away. There should be a thin layer of starch on the outside of the rice cakes, but if they’re soaked too long, that starch dissolves into the water. As a result, the soup becomes cloudy and loses clarity. The texture gets ruined. Rice cakes are already steamed once during production. If they absorb too much water and then go into the broth, the outside becomes mushy and soft, and the chewy texture disa...