• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.1-11
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• 2021

Objectives: This pilot study aimed to evaluate the agreement between traditional face-to-face Korean medicine (KM) pattern identification and non-face-to-face KM pattern identification using the data from related questionnaires, tongue image, and pulse features in patients with cancer. Methods: From January to June 2020, 16 participants with a cancer diagnosis were recruited at the one Korean medicine hospital. Three experienced Korean medicine doctors independently diagnosed the participants whether they belong to the cold pattern or not, heat pattern or not, deficiency pattern or not, and excess pattern or not. Another researcher collected KM pattern related data using questionnaires including Cold-Heat Pattern Identification (CHPI), tongue image analysis system, and pulse analyzer. Collected KM pattern related data without participants' identifier was provided for the three Korean medicine doctors in random order, and non-face-to-face KM pattern identification was carried out. The kappa value between face-to-face and non-face-to-face pattern identification was calculated. Results: From the face-to-face pattern identification, there were 13/3 cold/non-cold pattern, 4/12 heat/non-heat pattern, 14/2 deficiency/non-deficiency pattern, and 0/16 excess/non-excess pattern participants. In cold/non-cold pattern, kappa value was 0.455 (sensitivity: 0.85, specificity: 0.67, accuracy: 0.81). In heat/non-heat pattern, the kappa value was 0.429 (sensitivity: 0.75, specificity: 0.72, accuracy: 0.75). The kappa value of deficiency/non-deficiency and excess/non-excess pattern was not calculated because of the few participants of non-deficiency, and excess pattern. Conclusions: The agreement between traditional face-to-face pattern identification and non-face-to-face pattern identification seems to be moderate. The non-face-to-face pattern identification using questionnaires, tongue, and pulse features may feasible for the large clinical study.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.359-374
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• 2008

Objective : Hyperhidrosis is a condition characterized by excessive sweating. Some studies suggest that hyperhidrosis is associated with autonomic nervous system dysfunction. Hyperhidrosis is often accompanied by hypersensitivity, tension, irritability, heat flashes, fatigue, etc. This study was designed to evaluate the correlation between Oriental Medicine diagnosis and the autonomic nervous system function in patients with hyperhidrosis using Heart Rate Variability (HRV) analysis. Methods : 23 palmar and plantar hyperhidrosis patients and 10 systemic hyperhidrosis patients were recruited and evaluated by Oriental Medicine diagnostic questionnaire and HRV analysis. The Oriental Medicine diagnostic questionnaire used a three-dimensional diagnosis that classified patients into Cold or Heat Syndrome, Yin or Yang Syndrome, and Deficiency or Excess Syndrome. Measured indices of HRV used the frequency domain analysis(i.e. TP, VLF, LF, HF and LF/HF ratio). Also, measure indices of HRV adjusted for aging effects were evaluated. Results : Cold/Heat Syndrome was not associated with hyperhidrosis prevalence nor the HRV analysis in hyperhidrosis patients. The Yang Syndrome group(78.8%) was more strongly correlated than the Yin Syndrome group(21.2%), and character of Yang was correlated with the adjusted TP and adjusted LF. The LF/HF ratio in the Excess Syndrome group was significantly higher than the LF/HF ratio in the Deficiency Syndrome group. Conclusion : Hyperhidrosis was not associated with the Cold/Heat Syndrome, but was found to be closely associated with the Yang Syndrome. The LF/HF ratio was significantly higher in the Excess Syndrome group than in the Deficiency Syndrome group in hyperhidrosis patients.

• Journal of Sasang Constitutional Medicine
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.54-71
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• 2021

Objectives The purpose of this study was to revise Sasang Digestive Function Inventory (SDFI) and improve its validity and reliability using clinical data. Methods The Sasang type and Cold-Heat pattern differentiation by certified clinical specialist and responses to SDFI items were acquired from 419 hospital patients. The revision of SDFI was performed using item analysis and Explorative Factor Analysis (EFA). Furthermore, the validity and reliability of the revised SDFI (rSDFI) were investigated using Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), Internal Consistency and Item Response Theory (IRT). And, clinical significance of the rSDFI was examined for the differentiation of Sasang types and Cold-Heat patterns. Results The number of the SDFI items were modified from 21 to 15. And, the validity and reliability of the rSDFI subscale structure were found to be acceptable. The scores of rSDFI-total and rSDFI-E significantly decreased in the order of Tae-Eum (TE), So-Yang (SY), So-Eum (SE) types, and the rSDFI score of SE type was significantly lower than that of TE and SY types. The rSDFI-total score could differentiate Cold-Heat pattern in both SY and SE types. And the difference of digestive function between Cold and Heat pattern of SE type could be explained with the rSDFI-D score. The rSDFI-total score in Cold pattern significantly decreased in the order of TE, SY, and SE types, and the rSDFI-total score of TE type is significantly higher than that of SE type in Heat pattern. Conclusions Current results demonstrated the reliability, validity and clinical usefulness of the rSDFI in clinical patients. Therefore, rSDFI can be utilized as an objective clinical measure supporting the differential diagnosis of Sasang typology.

• Journal of Korean Medical classics
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.51-55
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• 2017

Objectives : Though regional body temperature palpation is one of well stylized diagnosis methods in Huangdineijing, it has not been thoroughly reconstructed. So I tried to find and reconstruct the methods in Huangdineijing to diagnose regional body temperature as a objective sign. Material and Methods : Huangdineijing(in Zhonghuayidian) was used for text search. "Heat(熱)", "Cold and Heat(寒熱)", "Cold and Warmth(寒溫)", "Root and Terminal(本末)" was used as searching keywords. By classifying and analysing searched sentences I reconstructed the original palpation methods. Results : Two types of regional temperature palpation method was found in Huangdineijing. One is the method palpating the Root(origin) points and Terminal points of the meridians, while the other method is that palpating the skin in anterior side of forearm. It was proved that they had been collaboratively used to diagnose the diseases related to meridians and it's collaterals. Conclusions :In the era of Huangdineijing, there was at least two types of regional temperature palpation method and their clinical usage was in complementary relations.

• Journal of Sasang Constitutional Medicine
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.45-64
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• 2020

Purpose This study was to develop and study 'Diagnostic Index for the Ordinary Symptom of Soyangin'. Methods The main diagnosis and evaluation index symptoms of Soyangin were extracted based on 『Donguisusebowon』 and Clinical Practice Guidelines for Sasang Constitutional Medicine Symptomatology; CPG for soyangin. The selected ordinary symptoms were divided into 4 categories such as Exterior-Cold ordinary symptom (表寒素證), Exterior-Disease unfavorable's ordinary symptom (表病逆證素證), Interior-Heat ordinary symptom (裏熱素證), Interior-Disease unfavorable's ordinary symptom (裏病逆證素證) of Soyangin and translated into Korean. And the inclusion, importance and translation validity of major diagnosis and assessment indicators of Soyangin were surveyed online by a group of Sasang constitutional experts. Results & Conclusions 29 ordinary symptoms and pathological mechanism were selected from references and translated into 51 Korean symptoms. After inclusion yes or no survey by expert group, 45 symptoms were selected. The importance survey showed that 'Have a soft stool' of Exterior-Cold ordinary symptom indication, '(If you're stressed, if you're not in good health) Have a soft stool or diarrhea' of Exterior-Disease unfavorable's ordinary symptom, 'The feces harden easily' of Interior-Heat ordinary symptom and '(If you're stressed, if you're not in good health) Have an upset stomach' of Interior-Disease unfavorable's ordinary symptom were the most important. Finally, [Diagnostic Index for the Ordinary Symptom of Soyangin] was completed after survey of translation validity, reflection of individual opinions by the expert committee, and application of weighted value calculated from the importance survey.

• Journal of Korean Medicine for Obesity Research
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.25-34
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• 2011

Objectives The purpose of this study was to examine the characteristics of diagnostic pattern questionnaire associated with Body Mass Index in premenopausal women. Methods We studied 41 patients visiting Gangdong Kyung Hee University Hospital from 1st April 2011 to 25th May 2011. The subjects were categorized in two groups, overweight & obesity group (n=12) and low weight & normal group (n=29). We studied the difference of diagnostic pattern questionnaire scores between two groups by Independent samples T-test and correlation between diagnostic pattern questionnaire scores of overweight & obesity group by Pearson's correlation coefficient test using SPSS for windows (version 13.0). Results Blood stasis, retention of undigested food, cold pattern scores of overweight & obesity group were non-significantly higher than low weight & normal group. Heat pattern score of overweight & obesity group was significantly higher than low weight & normal group. Cold-heat, phlegm-cold, blood stasis-cold, phlegm-blood stasis, phlegm-retention of undigested food significantly showed positive correlation coefficient in overweight & obesity group. Conclusions The results suggest that obese women tend to show heat pattern. It seems to be that multiple factors such as phlegm, blood stasis, retention of undigested food are causative of obesity.

• The Journal of the Society of Korean Medicine Diagnostics
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.74-83
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• 2008

Background and purpose : Health is characterized by variability, and the loss of variability is associated with aging and disease. Normal healthy respiratory patterns are characterized by breath to breath variability. Cold-Heat scores are quantified indices in Korean Medicine. The aim of this study is to analyze relations between 9 respiratory indices (including breath to breath variability) and HRV(heart rate variability). Method : Respiratory data were measured during a period of 15 minutes and transferred to text file. We calculated 9 respiratory parameters using MATLAB 7.1. Afterwards we did correlation analysis of the 9 respiratory indices and HRV. Results and conclusion : Respiratory variability showed significant correlation with HRV.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.22-27
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• 2004

Seop-Gye divided up the constitution's strength and weakness, and so he cured disease by the 'cold and heat'. 'deficiency and excessiveness' means on the basis of the YINㆍYANG of constitution. He classified constitution with pathogenesis grounding in body formal distinction, flesh hardness and softness, face color and form, skin color. Therefore he grasped the rule of constitution connected with physiological function and pathological distinction, applied the rule of constitution in the diagnosis and cure of the chronic & epidemic febrile disease.

• The Journal of Korean Obstetrics and Gynecology
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.46-56
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• 2015

Objectives : Cold hypersensitivity has been regarded to be associated with Autonomic Nervous System (ANS). This study aims to investigate the indicator of cold hypersensitivity of hands and evaluate the correlation between indicator of coldness of hands and Heart Rate Variability (HRV). Methods : We studied 55 patients with cold hypersensitivity of hands who visited in SeMyung University Hospital from 17 August 2015 to 21 August 2015. Thermometer and VAS scale were used for the diagnosis of cold hypersensitivity. After careful examination to rule out other disease which may affect thermometer and HRV data, patients were taken thermometer, those with thermal difference between upper arm (L4) and palm(P8), also asked to answer a VAS scale of cold hypersensitivity of hands, VAS more than 4 were enrolled for evaluation. Results : There was significant correlation between L4-P8 temperature difference and VAS score of cold hypersensitivity. In HRV data, normalized high frequency (HF normal) was significantly correlated with L4-P8 temperature difference, which was objective indicator of cold hypersensitivity of hands. Conclusions : L4-P8 temperature difference using thermometer is objective indicator of cold hypersensitivity, based on VAS scale. Cold hypersensitivity is highly related with ANS, regulating body heat and temperature. HRV is considered to be widely used in cold hypersensitivity in hands for evaluation of ANS.

• The Journal of the Society of Korean Medicine Diagnostics
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.141-149
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• 2015

Objectives Recently the fuzzy logic is widely used in the decision making, identification, pattern recognition, optimization in various fields. In this study, we propose the fuzzy logic as the objective method of distinguishing hot and cold, the basis of diagnosis in Korean medicine. Methods We developed fuzzy inference system to distinguish whether the subjects had hot or cold. The cold and hot questionnaire of Korean traditional university textbook, the pulse rate and the DITI value of face used in the system. These three kinds of information were defined as 'fuzzy sets,' and 54 fuzzy rules were established on the basis of clinical practitioners' knowledge. The fuzzy inference was performed by using the Mamdani's method. To evaluate the usefulness of the fuzzy inference system, 200 cases of data measured in the Woosuk university hospital of oriental medicine were used to compare the determining hot, normal, cold results obtained from the experts and from the proposed system. Results As a result, 100 cases of "cold", 54 cases of "normal", and 34 cases of "hot" were matched between the experts and the proposed system. This fuzzy system showed the conformity degree of 94%(${\kappa}=0.853$). Conclusions In this study, we could express the process of distinguishing hot-cold using the fuzzy logic for objectification and quantification of hot-cold identification. This is the first study that introduce a fuzzy logic for distinguish pattern identification. The degree of the heat characteristic of the patients inferred by this system could provide a more objective basis for diagnosing the hot-cold of patients.