• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.1-8
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• 2012

Objectives : The purpose of this study was to compare the skin temperature changes by the rechargeable and programmable electronic moxibustion device(EMD) with the traditional combustible moxibustion device(CMD). Methods : Skin temperature changes in six healthy volunteers induced by CMD and EMD were measured with digital infrared thermal imaging(DITI). Heat stimulation was applied on $LI_4$ and $TE_5$, and skin temperature changes on each point were measured at baseline and per minute for total 7 minutes, 2 minutes of heat stimulation and 5 minutes of observation. Results : There was no significant difference in the skin temperature changes between CMD and EMD. The temperature on $LI_4$ with EMD was $32.3{\pm}1.3^{\circ}C$ at baseline, $34.0{\pm}1.3^{\circ}C$ at 1 minute after heat stimulation start, $34.6{\pm}1.2^{\circ}C$ at 2 minutes after, and from 3 minutes after heat stimulation, it maintained $32.6{\sim}32.8^{\circ}C$. Conclusions : Methods for measuring skin temperature changes induced by heat stimulation of moxibustion were established, and the possibility of effectiveness of the newly developed electronic moxibustion device was raised with this preliminary study. This study can contribute to the development of clinical research methodology for traditional Korean medicine.

• Journal of Magnetics
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.255-260
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• 2014

A portable clip-type pulsimeter equipped with a magnetic sensing Hall device has been developed to raise the accuracy of oriental disease diagnosis and therapy by convergence of magnetism and oriental medicine. To improve accuracy and reliability of conventional pulsimeter due to subjective analysis of the pulse wave and measuring position dependency of the arterial pulse sensor, the fuzzy algorithm was applied to analyze the strong- and weak-pulse wave symptom. Optimal time for electronic acupuncture was calculated using fuzzy rules and interference were drawn from objective data in view of pre-treatment. Moreover, the electrical characteristics of the pain parts that respond to acupuncture point were applied in view of post-treatment to propose the scientific pulse wave algorithm and simulation experiment.

• Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.159-169
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• 2019

Objectives The purpose of this study was to assess the use of Korean Medicine for treating cauda equina syndrome. Methods We searched for studies of the use of Korean Medicine for the treatment of cauda equina syndrome in 8 electronic databases and analyzed these studies. Results We found 297 studies on cauda equina syndrome from 8 electronic databases. We excluded 230 duplicate studies, 53 studies that did not involve the use of Korean Medicine and 1 review article. In addition, 13 case studies (13 patients) were included. Acupuncture, herbal medicine (13 times), moxibustion (9 times), pharmacopuncture (8 times), physical therapy (6 times), cupping therapy (5 times), and the bladder stimulation technique (4 times) were used. ST36 for acupuncture, Bojoongikgi-tang as a herbal medicine, CV4 for moxibustion, bee venom as a pharmacopuncture material and BL23 in pharmacopuncture point were the most frequently used. Conclusions Korean Medcine for cauda equina syndrome was effective. However, we found limited evidence regarding Korean Medicine for cauda equina syndrome. Thus, we think various type of studies including much more case reports, for cauda equina syndrome should be performed in the future.

• Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.97-110
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• 2015

Objectives Plantar fasciitis is one of the most common causes of heel pain. Plantar fasciitis can be managed with acupuncture, but the evidence for its effectiveness is uncertain. The aim of this review was to assess the effectiveness of acupuncture for plantar fasciitis. Methods I searched specific Korean and foreign electronic databases (KCI, RISS, NDSL, OASIS, KTKP, National Assembly Library, KMbase, PubMed, The Cochrane Library and China National Knowledge Infrastructure). The key search terms were 'heel pain', 'plantar fasciitis' and 'acupuncture'. Twenty-seven trials were included; eleven case reports, fourteen randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and two non-randomized controlled trials (NRCTs). Results Twenty-seven studies reported that acupuncture treatment reduced plantar fasciitis pain. However, the evidence provided by the case reports was regarded as weak because the methodological quality was poor, and the placebo effect of acupuncture was not accounted for in the RCTs and NRCTs. Overall, the methodological quality of the RCTs and NRCTs was weak. Conclusions There is some evidence for the effectiveness of acupuncture for plantar fasciitis. However, in order to reinforce the evidence for acupuncture's effectiveness, additional placebo-controlled trials with well-designed methodologies are required.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.78-90
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• 2010

Objective: The aim of this study was to review case reports about adverse events of acupuncture or moxibustion treatments in Korea. Methods: Electronic literature searches were performed for adverse events of acupuncture or moxibustion treatments in Korea up to October 2009. Results: Sixteen case reports or case series were retrieved in total. Among them, 10 were reporting about acupuncture, 5 about pharmaco-acupuncture (3 bee venom acupuncture and 2 others), and 1 was reporting about moxibustion treatment. The incidence of adverse effects couldn't be proven due to the lack of prospective studies. Conclusion: Acupuncture treatment seems to be one of the safer forms of medical interventions, when performed by skilled Korean medical doctors. However, prospective studies are necessary to reach conclusions about safety. In addition, a system for collecting and managing adverse effects of Korean medical interventions as well as a reeducation system for clinicians is needed.

• Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.11-20
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• 2018

Objectives To systematically explore the effects of acupuncture treatment for rotator cuff disorders and review the clinical trials. Methods We searched 9 electronic databases (PubMed, Cochrane central, Embase, China National Knowledge Infrastructure [CNKI], Korea Institute of Science and Technology Information [KISTI], National Digital Science Library [NDSL], Korean studies Information Service System [KISS], Research Information Sharing Service [RISS], Oriental Medicine Advanced Searching Integrated System [OASIS]) to find randomized controlled trials that used acupunture treatment for rotator cuff disorders. We assessed the designs of the randomized controlled trials and the method of acupuncture treatment according to the Standards for Reporting Interventions in Clinical Trials of Acupuncture (STRICTA). The methodological quality of randomized controlled trials were assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias (RoB) tool. Results Total 5 trials were reviewed. 4 out of 5 randomized clinical trials reported meaningful effects of acupuncture treatments compared to control group. However risk of bias seemed high. Conclusions Although the results suggest that acupuncture treatment has favorable effects for rotator cuff disorders, most of the studies included methodologically high risk of bias. Thus, well designed randomized clinical trials which evaluate the effects of acupuncture treatment for rotator cuff disorders should be encouraged.

• Journal of Korean Traditional Oncology
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.45-54
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• 2015

Objectives : Lung cancer is the leading cause of death in cancer patients. Many studies reflect the growing application of integrative korean and western medicine for lung cancer, but its efficacy remains largely unexplored. The purpose of this study is to show that the role of Korean medicine for treatment and manage for lung cancer patients. Methods : In the present study, we searched all the clinical studies of Korean Medical therapies for lung cancer by electronic and manual searching in two databases including MEDLINE, OASIS. Results : Our study showed that acupuncture has strong immunomodulatory effect. Further analysis revealed that acupuncture and herb medicine alleviate the conventional therapy-induced bone marrow supression in lung cancer patients, as well as desease nausea and vomiting. In this study, we showed that acupuncture and herb medicine can improve immediate tumor response, quality of life of lung cancer patients. Conclusions : Korean medicine including that acupuncture and herb medicine is found to be effective in lung cancer treatment and management.

• Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.37-44
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• 2016

Objectives To determine the effectiveness of Chuna manual therapy combined acupuncture for trigeminal neuralgia. Methods We searched 6 electronic databases (Pubmed, CAJ, Oasis, RISS, DBPIA, KoreanTK) and 2 journals up to August 2016. We included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) using Chuna manual therapy combined acupuncture for trigeminal neuralgia. The methodological quality of each RCT was assessed by the Cochrane risk of bias tool. Results 3 RCT studies were eligible in our review. The meta-analysis of 3 studies showed favorable results for the use of Chuna manual therapy combined acupuncture. High risk of bias were observed in all studies. Conclusions Although there are favorable results with meta-analysis, our systematic review are highly dependent on the single source of Chinese electrical database, CAJ. Now limited evidence is available to support Chuna manual therapy combined acupuncture for trigeminal neuralgia and further well-designed RCTs should be encouraged.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.251-255
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• 2019

Background: Low-level laser therapy (LLLT) including laser acupuncture (LA) has been widely used to treat chronic low back pain (CLBP), but there is no critically appraised evidence of the potential benefits. The purpose of this protocol for a systematic review was to enable the evaluation of the effectiveness of LLLT including LA for non-specific CLBP to identify the potential benefits. Methods: The electronic databases MEDLINE (PubMed), Embase (Ovid), the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), Korean medical databases (KoreaMed, KMBASE, KISS, NDSL, KISTI, OASIS), the Chinese database (CNKI), and Japanese databases (CiNII, J-STAGE) are recommended. Results: Randomized controlled trials in LLLT including LA should be included in the searches. All data synthesis and subgroup analyses should be conducted using a Review Manager software. The Cochrane risk of bias tool can be used to evaluate methodological quality of the studies. A risk ratio or mean difference with a 95% confidence interval will show the effects of LLLT including LA. Conclusion: The primary outcome would be pain intensity and functional status/disability due to low back pain. The secondary outcome would be a global measurement of recovery or improvement, quality of life and adverse event.

• Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.13-29
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• 2023

Objectives To evaluate the evidence supporting the effectiveness of acupuncture for facet joint syndrome. Methods We conducted search across 9 electronic databases (PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane CENTRAL (CENTRAL), KoreaMed, Kmbase, Koreanstudies Information Service System (KISS), ScienceOn, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), and Wanfang) to find clinical trials that used acupuncture as treatment for facet joint syndrome. The methodological quality of randomized controlled clinical trials (RCTs) were assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias (RoB) tool, while non-randomized controlled clinical trials (nRCTs) were assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias Assessment tool for Non-randomized Study (RoBANS) tool. Results Nine RCTs and one nRCT met our inclusion criteria. Fire needle was more effective than medial branch block in terms of visual analogue scale (VAS) after 1 month (p=0.02). Also, Fire needle was more effective than Ibuprofen in terms of VAS and oswestry disability index (ODI) (p<0.05). However, in the rest of the study results, the intervention group did not show a statistically significant difference than the control group. Conclusions Although our review found encouraging but limited evidence of acupuncture for facet joint syndrome, most of the studies included in the analysis were evaluated as methodologically high risk of bias. From now on further well-designed RCTs should be encouraged.