• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.25-33
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• 2012

Objectives: To obtain the features of prevalence of chronic fatigue and chronic fatigue syndrome worldwide. Methods: All research reports for prevalence of chronic fatigue and chronic fatigue syndrome were selected from PubMed, KMbase and KISS database, and the prevalence were analyzed according to the symptoms and countries. Results: A total of 39 articles from 13 other countries and 4 articles from Korea met the criteria of this study. The prevalence of chronic fatigue and chronic fatigue syndrome was about 10% and 1% respectively. The prevalence for Korean was 17.7% and 1.4% respectively, however the data have a limitation due to the lack of well-designed studies. Conclusions: This report can provide essential information to build a strategy for development of therapeutics against chronic fatigue and chronic fatigue syndrome using traditional Korean medicine.

• Journal of muscle and joint health
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.163-176
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• 1997

Chronic fatigue syndrome Is a syndrome of unknown etiology and pathophysiology characterized by severe, chronic, debilitating fatigue as main symptom and numerous additional symptoms such as joint and muscle pain, headache, sleep disturbance. According to recent researches, it was suggested that chronic fatigue syndrome was developed by disturbance of interaction between neuropsychiatric system and immune system due to environmental factors and stress. Many patients experience gradual improvement but complete recovery from disorderd state is rare. There was no research elucidating the exact pathogenetic mechanism of chronic fatigue syndrome, so there was no established treatment. Several controlled studies about treatment was reported, but its results was not effective in all patients with chronic fatigue syndrome. For chronic fatigue syndrome, a comprehensive approach to physical, psychological, and social aspects is needed.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.962-969
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• 2008

Chronic fatigue syndrome is an agonizing illness that impedes the quality of life of people worldwide. Although this syndrome is reported to be increasing in industrialized countries, there are as yet no effective therapies. In the view of Oriental medicine, chronic fatigue syndrome is thought to result from a state of unbalanced inter-organ functions, or a condition of deficiency in the qi or blood characteristics. On the other hand, chronic fatigue-related symptoms are one of the most common complaints of patients using complementary and alternative medicine. This study aimed to theoretically analyze chronic fatigue syndrome from an Oriental medicine point of view, so to help Oriental doctors to design appropriate therapeutic models.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.103-109
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• 2000

The authors identified a treatment-resistant patient with chronic fatigue syndrome, characterized by chronic fatigue, headache, unrefreshing sleep. Some studies reported that chronic fatigue syndrome was associated with affective disorder, especially seasonal affective disorder and many studies reported that bright light therapy was effective in seasonal affective disorder. But efficacy of light therapy for chronic fatigue syndrome was rarely reported. We treated the patient with morning light treatment using 2500lux light box, the clinical symptoms in this case were improved. The authors suggest that the light therapy can be a treatment modality for chronic fatigue syndrome.

• Journal of Korea Association of Health Promotion
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.97-109
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• 2005

Chronic fatigue syndrome(CFS) is a complex, debilitating disorder characterized by at least 6 months of severe persistent of relapsing fatigue and a group of characteristic but nonspecific symptoms. Many researchers have proposed that CFS has a specific cause. However currently no evidence exists that proves either a specific cause of CFS. And there is no diagnostic test for CFS. The diagnosis of chronic fatigue syndrome is based on the patient's history, excluding other illnesses In the absence of consistent biological markers, the diagnosis of CFS arises from operational criteria that do not afford validity. The prognosis is poor and often disability and impairment of daily function and performance are prolonged. A limited understanding of the CFS has complicated the management of this disorder. Therefore, treatment of CFS may be variable and should be tailored to each patient. Therapy should include exercise, diet, good sleep hygiene, antidepressants, and other medications, depending on the patient's presentation. Regular follow-up is key to continue to exclude other medical problems and provide support for patients. Chronic fatigue syndrome is a challenging illness to manage and requires a team approach of caring providers. For the majority of patients this is a chronic illness with the goals of therapy being to improve functional status and to prevent disability. Further understanding of the etiology and pathogenesis of this illness should lead to better specific therapy.

• 대한상한금궤의학회지
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.107-113
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• 2015

Objective : This study aims to explain the effect of Buja-tang on Postherpetic Neuralgia with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome which a Soeum-byeong patient has. Methods : This is a case report on a female patient who has been suffering from Postherpetic Neuralgia with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. According to Diagnostic system based on Shanghanlun provisions, Buja-tang was provided for one month. Results : After a series of Buja-tang treatments, the patient's symptoms and result improved. Conclusions : This case study show an effectiveness of using Buja-tang according to Diagnostic system based on Shanghanlun provisions on Postherpetic Neuralgia with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.791-796
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• 2007

Objective : This study was conducted to find the relationship between syndrome-differentiation and Sasang-constitution in chronic fatigue patients. Methods : The subjects were 72 adults with chronic fatigue who visited Dunsan Oriental Hospital of Daejeon University between March 2007 and April 2007. Their main complaint was fatigue for longer than 6 months and they did not have any physical or mental problems. We measured their fatigue degree by using Chalder fatigue scale and health habits. To evaluate relationship between syndrome-differentiation with sasang-constitution, The patients were divided into four syndrome-differentiations, such as liver and kidney asthenia of Yin, spleen and kidney deficiency of Yang, deficiency of lung and spleen qi, and deficiency of heart and spleen blood. We also diagnosed Sasang-constitution by using Questionnaire for Sasang Constitution Classification II (QSCCII). Results : Among the 72 patients, 41.4%, 34.5% and 24.1% of belonged in Soyangin, Soeumin and Taeumin respectively. Interestingly, we found a meaningful correlation between syndrome-differentiation and physiological function by Sasang-constitution. Conclusion : The result may help Oriental medicine understanding and treatment of chronic fatigue-related diseases and patients.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.80-85
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• 2009

Objective: This study aimed to build an overview of randomized clinical controlled trials (RCTs) for chronic fatigue-related symptoms to extract the useful data for management of patients and development of therapeutics using Korean traditional medicine in the future. Methods: All RCT-derived papers for chronic fatigue-related symptoms were collected via PubMed Database. We surveyed elementary information of RCTs such as clinical question, study design, and its quality and results. Results: A total of fifty-three RCTs met these review criteria. Most of the RCTs were performed in Western countries, particularly the UK and USA. The major portion of RCTs focused on chronic fatigue syndrome using immune modulators, psychotherapeutic and anti-depressants. Five RCTs using complementary and alternative medicine, including herbal remedies, showed positive results. Conclusions: Fatigue-related symptoms are a main target of Oriental medicine. This study provides helpful information for planning clinical study of chronic fatigue-related symptoms using traditional Korean medicine.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.39 no.3
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• pp.170-181
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• 2022

This review evaluated the efficacy of electroacupuncture (EA) for chronic fatigue syndrome. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) using EA as an intervention for patients with chronic fatigue syndrome were identified in 6 databases (PUBMED, EMBASE, CNKI, J-STAGE, KMBASE, OASIS). Fatigue indicators were used as the primary outcome measures. The quality-of-life index, efficiency rate, and level of pain were used as secondary outcome measures. There were 408 patients from seven RCTs included in this study. Meta-analysis showed that EA was significantly associated with fatigue relief compared with the control group (n = 141 SMD = -1.55, 95% CI; -2.58 - -0.52, p = 0.003, I² = 92%). In addition, EA had a statistically significant improvement in quality of life compared with the control group (n = 176, SMD = -2.29, 95% CI; -3.68 - -0.90, p = 0.001, I² = 96%). One study reported ten cases of bleeding, however, no serious adverse events were reported in any of the included studies. This review determined that EA may have a greater clinical effect than the control group for fatigue relief and improved quality of life. However, there were several risks of bias identified. Not all of the RCTs accurately reported the research method, all studies were conducted in 1 country (China), and the number of studies included were small.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.119-125
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• 2013

Objectives: Medically unexplained fatigue includes chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) and idiopathic chronic fatigue (ICF). These disorders quite impair quality of life while no effective therapies exist. Therefore, patients with CFS or ICF frequently choose treatments based on traditional Korean medicine. The study aimed to analyze characteristic of patients visiting an Oriental clinic with CFS or ICF. Methods: Patients who met criteria for CFS or ICF were enrolled in this study, from March 2011 to Jun 2013. Clinical information focused on symptom differentiation and Sasang constitution was analyzed. Pearson's chi-square test was used to compare the frequency among sub-groups. Results: In total, 77 patients (49 male and 28 female) were diagnosed with CFS (17 male and 13 female) or ICF (32 male and 15 female). The symptom differentiation was 37.7%, 26.0%, 13.0%, and 23.3% for "Qi deficiency of both spleen and lung (脾肺氣虛)", "Yin deficiency of both liver and kidney (肝腎陰虛)", "Blood deficiency of both heart and spleen (心脾血虛)" and "Yang deficiency of both spleen and kidney (脾腎陽虛)", while Sasang constitutional distribution was 59.7%, 22.1% and 18.2% Soeumin, Taeumin and Soyangin, respectively. The fatigue severity was notably different between CFS ($63.7{\pm}12.1$) or ICF ($52.2{\pm}15.3$) according to the Chalder fatigue scale (10-point scale for eleven questions). There was statistical significance regarding symptom differentiation and Sasang constitution (p < 0.05). Conclusions: In the process of traditional Korean medicine-based development of therapeutics for patients with chronic fatigue or related conditions, this report can serve as reference data.