• Journal of Korean Traditional Oncology
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.45-53
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• 2023

Objectives: To report the reduction of adverse effects of chemotherapy and improvement in the quality of life in recurrent liver metastasis by Korean medicine treatments. Methods: In 2018, a 75-year-old male patient underwent surgery for primary cancer in the ampulla of Vater. In 2021, he was diagnosed with recurrent liver metastasis. Following the failure of tumor treatment with gemcitabine/cisplatin and the development of severe side effects, he decided to discontinue chemotherapy. Subsequently, with a significantly enlarged liver tumor, he resumed capecitabine/oxaliplatin treatment, alongside moxibustion, acupuncture, and herbal prescriptions from August 2021 to August 2023. The changes of chief complaints, abdominal CT, and laboratory findings were investigated. Results: After combined treatment of Korean traditional medicine and chemotherapy, the mass was decreased. Laboratory findings, and chief complaints of hand-foot syndrome, fatigue, abdominal distension, nausea and anorexia were improved. Conclustions: This case study suggests that Korean traditional medicine is effective in enhancing anticancer effects, suppressing the side effects of chemotherapy, and improving general conditions.

• Journal of Haehwa Medicine
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.1-11
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• 2020

Objectives : The aim of this study was to report the effectiveness of Combined Korean Medicine treatment on a intracerebral hemorrhage patient with hemiplegia and gait disturbance. Methods : A 56-year-old, female patient with hemiplegia and gait disturbance was treated by Korean Medicine including acupuncture, moxibustion and herbal medicine. The effect of the treatment was evaluated by Manual Muscle Test(MMT), Modified Rankin Scale(MRS), Korean version of Modified Barthel Index(K-MBI). The gait of the patient was evaluated by 10m walk test, Timed Up&Go Test(TUG), Functional Ambulatory Category(FAC), GAITRite and Symmetry Criterion(SC). Results : After treatment, MMT, MRS, K-MBI, gait parameters and gait symmetry were improved. Conclusions : This study suggests that Combined Korean Medicine treatment might be effective for a intracerebral hemorrhage patient with hemiplegia and gait disturbance.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.657-666
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• 2017

Paclitaxel, a chemotherapeutic drug, induces severe peripheral neuropathy. Gabapentin (GBT) is a first line agent used to treat neuropathic pain, and its effect is mediated by spinal noradrenergic and muscarinic cholinergic receptors. Electro-acupuncture (EA) is used for treating various types of pain via its action through spinal opioidergic and noradrenergic receptors. Here, we investigated whether combined treatment of these two agents could exert a synergistic effect on paclitaxel-induced cold and mechanical allodynia, which were assessed by the acetone drop test and von Frey filament assay, respectively. Significant signs of allodynia were observed after four paclitaxel injections (a cumulative dose of 8 mg/kg, i.p.). GBT (3, 30, and 100 mg/kg, i.p.) or EA (ST36, Zusanli) alone produced dose-dependent anti-allodynic effects. The medium and highest doses of GBT (30 and 100 mg/kg) provided a strong analgesic effect, but they induced motor dysfunction in Rota-rod tests. On the contrary, the lowest dose of GBT (3 mg/kg) did not induce motor weakness, but it provided a brief analgesic effect. The combination of the lowest dose of GBT and EA resulted in a greater and longer effect, without inducing motor dysfunction. This effect on mechanical allodynia was blocked by spinal opioidergic (naloxone, $20{\mu}g$), or noradrenergic (idazoxan, $10{\mu}g$) receptor antagonist, whereas on cold allodynia, only opioidergic receptor antagonist blocked the effect. In conclusion, the combination of the lowest dose of GBT and EA has a robust and enduring analgesic action against paclitaxel-induced neuropathic pain, and it should be considered as an alternative treatment method.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology and Dermatology
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.1-12
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• 2021

Objectives : This study was to investigate the effectiveness of thread-embedding therapy for the treatment of acute phase of Bell's palsy. Methods : Thread-embedding therapy was performed once a week on 29 patients within 1 weeks after the onset. We investigated the general characters, Yanagihara's score, House-Brackmann scale and FDI were used to evaluate the effectiveness of thread-embedding therapy. Results : Facial muscle recovery began at 13.37th day, that was about 0.36 day earlier than the previous patients who were treated without thread-embedding therapy in 2017 at the same hospital, but there was no statistical significance. In the change of each scale before and after treatment, Yanagihara's score, House-Brackmann scale, physical function and social function of FDI were changed significantly. Compared with the patients treated without thread-embedding therapy in 2017, Yanagihara's score was a little higher and House-Brackmann scale was a little lower. Conclusions : These findings suggested that thread-embedding therapy on acute phase of Bell's palsy was a little more effective than the conventional therapy without thread-embedding therapy.

• Journal of Society of Preventive Korean Medicine
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.1-16
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• 2023

Objective : To investigate syndrome identification, herbal prescriptions, acupuncture point and other treatment, this study systematically reviewed case studies on Korean medicine (KM) treatment for urticaria. Method : Literature searches were performed on four Korean database; OASIS, RISS, KTKP and NDSL. Studies published before December 2022 were categorized and analyzed according to the herbal prescriptions. Results : Thirty-three studies including 16 case series and 17 single case reports were included in our review and the total number of patients was 523. Ancient prescriptions (古方) were used in 7 studies and prescriptions of Sasang constitutions were used in 8 studies and 18 studies used prescriptions of posterity (後世方). Wind-Heat (風熱) and syndrome identifications associated with digestive function were used frequently. Nineteen studies used acupuncture combined with herbal medicine and mainly used acupoints were ST36 (足三里), LI4 (合谷), LI11 (曲池), LR3 (太衝), SP6 (三陰交), CV12 (中脘), SP10 (血海). External herbal medicine was used in only 3 studies. Conclusion : To increase the cure rate of KM, various prescriptions should be used according to the symptom and stage of urticaria. Diversification of herbal formulations and the development of new external medicines are also necessary to conduct additional clinical studies with a high level of evidence.

• Journal of Haehwa Medicine
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.79-85
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• 2012

Objective : This study was aimed to report a patient accompanied by alcoholic derogation acute abdominal pain treated with oriental medicine combined with conventional treatment. Methods : A 36 year old female patient complained of acute abdominal pain for one year from Apr. 2009. She had treated at local general hospital. But the symptom was not reduced. Instead, it was aggravated on Jul. 2010. The main symptoms were left flank pain, chest discomfort, nausea and anorexia. The patient was treated by oriental medicine (herbal medicine (Chunggan-plus), acupuncture, moxibustion, etc) combined with conventional medicine from Jul. 10th, 2010 to Jul. 17th, 2010. We observed the patient with evaluation of laboratory test and imaging scan. Results : Most of the symptoms of the patient were improved. Especially, the abdominal pain were disappeared from grade 3 to grade 0. No side effects were noted during treatment. Conclusion : This results suggest that the oriental medicine combined with western medicine may effective to treat alcoholic derogation acute abdominal pain.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.210-220
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• 2019

Objectives : Warm needling is a combined treatment technique of acupuncture and moxibustion. In this study, we aimed to find out the components related with the thermal stimulation of the warm needling and to provide basic data for the guideline of the warm needling technique in the clinic. Methods : In this study, we measured thermal change of 3% agarose phantom embedding K-type thermocouples in depths of 0, 1, 2, 4, 8 and 16 mm. The warm needling was performed with acupuncture needles of various specifications (0.50×30, 0.50×40, 0.30×30, 0.30×40, 0.20×30 and 0.20×40 mm). A linear regression analysis was performed to find out the major component and quantify the effectiveness of the thermal stimulation during warm needling. Results : As a result of the measurement of temperature change, we could observe the thermal change pattern from the surface of the phantom to the 16mm deep part of the phantom. The thermal pattern was similar among the needles of different specifications. The regression analysis pointed the distance between the moxa cautery and the skin surface as the main component for the thermal stimulation of the warm needling. Conclusions : The authors suggest considering the distance between moxa cautery and the skin rather than the diameter of the acupuncture needle in accordance to the result of the study.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.33-46
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• 2006

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most prevalent form of neurodegenerative disease associated with aging in the human population. This disease is characterized by the extracellular deposition of beta-amyloid peptide $(A{\beta})$ in cerebral plaques. $A{\beta}$ is derived from the ${\beta}-amyloid$ precursor protein (APP) by the enzymes, ${\beta}-$ and ${\eta}o-secretase$. Compounds that ${\beta}-$ or ${\eta}o-secretase$ inhibit activity, can reduce the production of $A{\beta}$ peptides, and thus have therapeutic potential in the treatment of AD. Increasing body of evidence has been demonstrated that Bee Venom(BV) Acupuncture could compete with complex protein involving in multiple step of $NF-{\kappa}B$ activation and exert the anti-inflammatory potential of combined inhibition of the prostanoid and nitric oxide synthesis systems by inhibition of IKK and $NF-{\kappa}B$. In this study, I investigated possible effects of BV on memory dysfunction caused by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and $A{\beta}$ through inhibition of secretases activities and $A{\beta}$ aggregation. I examined the improving effect of BV on the LPS (2.5 mg/Kg, i.p.)-induced memory dysfunction using passive avoidance response and water maze tests in the mice. BV (0.84, $1.67\;{\mu}g/ml$) reversed the LPS-induced memorial dysfunction in dose dependent manner. BV also dose-dependently attenuated LPS-induced ${\beta}$ and ${\eta}o-secretase$ activities in cerebral cortex and hippocampus of the mice brain. This study therefore suggests that BV acupuncture method may be useful for prevention of development or progression of AD.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.149-158
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• 2014

Objectives : The aim of this study is to investigate the influence of anxiety and depression on motor recovery of acute Bell's palsy to estimate how much psychological factors affect the clinical prognosis. Methods : A total of 20 inpatients with acute unilateral Bell's palsy within 1 week of onset participated in this study. The severity of participants' facial palsy was measured by Yanagihara(Y-system) score, FDI and House-Brackmann scale at the time of 1 week and 3 weeks from the onset. The motor recovery of acute Bell's palsy is defined as ${\Delta}Y$-system during 2 weeks. Beck anxiety scale(BAI) and the center for epidermiologic studies depression scale(CES-D) were adopted to assess anxiety and depression, respectively. Correlation analysis and linear regression analysis were conducted between ${\Delta}Y$-system and prognostic factors including anxiety and depression. Results : Significant associations were found between ${\Delta}Y$-system and depression(CES-D) but no significant associations were found between ${\Delta}Y$-system and other prognostic factors, hypertension, diabetes, postauricular pain, disgeusia, age, degree of initial palsy and anxiety(BAI). And a regression equation with 0.295 for coefficient of determination was obtained. Through this analysis, the ${\Delta}Y$-system can be predicted using regression equation which cover 29.5 % of depression index(CES-D). Conclusion : Depression is a significant clinical prognostic factor on motor recovery of acute Bell's palsy. So, Bell's palsy treatment should be combined with psychological care and support.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.371-384
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• 2012

Objectives : The meridian system is a systematic complex of empirical knowledge, which functions as a basis of acupuncture treatment. In this article, we reviewed the visualization methods of meridian and acupuncture points through the investigation of the characteristics of Diagram of Meridians, Mingtang Diagram, Diagram of Meridians and Collaterals, Bronze Statues and Diagram of Bronze Statue. Methods : We investigated the characteristics of Diagram of Meridians, Mingtang Diagram, Diagram of Meridians and Collaterals, and Bronze Statues. We reviewed the visualization methods of meridian and acupuncture points in those classical Diagrams and analyzed their relationships among them. Results : In order to explain the meridian and acupuncture points easily, ancient people usually used drawings which are named Mingtang Diagram, Diagram of Meridians and Collaterals, by their own characteristics. Owing to their limitations of drawings on the 2 dimensional plane, Chinese people designed the Bronze Statue for Acu-moxibustion and its first invention was invented in Tiansheng age of Song dynasty. For several decades and centuries, these models and drawings were inherited, also reflecting variations of meridian system. As the Bronze Statue has a deficiency in the educational use because of its limitations of mass production, Diagram of Bronze Statue drawn on the 2 dimensional plane was invented. At the beginning of Mingtang Diagram, Diagram of Meridians and Collaterals, Diagram of Bronze Statue and Bronze Statue, their own characteristics were significantly differed with other diagrams and statues. We found that both diagrams and statues were gradually combined with description of the relationship between internal organs and the skeletal structure and the meridian system. Conclusions : Our findings suggest that Diagram of Meridians, Mingtang Diagram, Diagram of Meridians and Collaterals, and Bronze Statues are the basic form of data visualization, one of the infographics. We suggest that ancient Chinese people intend to explain the empirical knowledge using the ancient infographics of meridian system, but have limitations on reflecting theorical or abstractional meaning.