• Journal of Sasang Constitutional Medicine
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.361-371
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• 2016

Objective This case study was about a long-term clinical effects after using Korean medicine treatment and western treatment in three Soyangin patients with Parkinson's disease. In this study, we reported significant improvement of non-motor and motor symptoms of these patients after Sasang constitutional medicine treatments for more than a year. Method The patients were identified as Soyangin and treated with Yangguksanhwa-tang, Hyeongbangdojeok-san and acupuncture. The Hoehn & Yahr scale, Movement Disorder Society-sponsored revision of the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) were used to assess the overall function of the patients. And the Global Assessment Scale (GAS) was used to assess the change of chief complaints after the treatments. Result and Conclusion The non-motor and motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease improved after Sasang constitutional medicine and western medicine treatments for more than a year. Furthermore these patients' chief complaints improved without increasing of amount of western medicine (levodopa). In conclusion, this study showed that Sasang constitutional medicine with western medicine can be effective treatment for long-term clinical care of Parkinson's disease.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.80-87
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• 1998

To evaluate the effects on health by exposure to low dose organic solvents, the author analyzed the air concentration of mixed organic solvents (toluene, xylene, butylacetate) at worker's breathing zone during painting, some laboratory findings of blood (WBC, RBC, Hb, Hct, SGOT, SGPT, TC, TG, HDL-C, LDL-C, IgG, IgM, IgA and IgE) and urine (hippuric acid, urinary protein, urobilinogen), surveyed the subjective symptoms those were obtained from 35 male workers exposed to mixed organic solvents, and 25 male workers not exposed to organic solvents who worked in car repair workshops in Taejon area from December 1, 1995, to February 29, 1996. The results were as follows: 1. The mean concentration of urinary hippuric acid of car painting worker group (organic solvent exposure group) was 0.76$\pm$ 0.21 g/l, which is significantly higher than that of non-exposed group. 2. In hematologic findings, the values of RBC, TC, LDL-C, IgG and IgE in the exposure group were significantly lower than those of the nonexposed group, but SGOT and SGPT in the exposure group were significantly higher than those of the non-exposed group. 3. Urinary hippuric acid levels showed positively correlated with toluene, urobilinogen and HDL-C levels, but those were negatively correlated with RBC, LDL-C, IgM levels. 4. Rates of the subjective symptoms such as "dizziness", "appetite loss", "weight loss", "palpitation", "chest tightness", "sore throat and eye discomfort", "tingling sense and acrodynia", "illusion or hallucination" and "decreaased motor power" were significantly higher in the exposure group than those of the non-exposed group.

• Journal of Sasang Constitutional Medicine
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.442-453
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• 2013

Objectives This case study was about a Taeeumin patient with advanced Parkinson's disease diagnosed as Dry-heat symptomatic pattern. In this study, we reported significant improvement of motor and non-motor symptoms of this patient after Sasang constitutional medicine treatment. Methods The patient was diagnosed with Taeeumin Dry-heat symptomatic pattern and treated with Taeeumin's constitutional medications and acupuncture. The primary outcome measure for this study is Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale(UPDRS) to assess the overall function of patient. Secondary outcome assessments include Global Assessment Scale(GAS), change of patient's sleep, stool and urine. Results and Conclusions The patient treated with Taeeumin's constitutional medications and acupuncture had reduction in UPDRS (specifically Part II, Part III and Part IV) and GAS of motor symptoms. Furthermore, patient's sleep, stool and urine were reported to be normal after treatment. In conclusion, this study shows that Sasang constitutional medicine can be effective treatment for Taeeumin patient with Advanced Parkinson's disease diagnosed as Dry-heat symptomatic pattern.

• Journal of Society of Preventive Korean Medicine
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.17-30
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• 2012

Objectives : This study was to analyse the reasons for the early termination of our clinical trials that were to know the influences of Tai-chi on non-motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease. Methods : We stopped the primary study of Tai-chi to observe the changes of non-motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease. So we carried out the survey to our participants of clinical trials. We conducted the survey about the patient's characteristics of usual exercise, experience of Tai-chi, appropriate time allocation, difficulties of proceeding the program and patient's opinion for the improvement of education. And the 4 questions about the contributiveness of Tai-chi for the Parkinson's disease, usability of supplied references, difficulties and time allocation of education were using the questionaries form of 5-point scale(Likert scale). Results : The results of survey showed that the benefits of Tai-chi program for the improvement of symptoms was $3.15{\pm}0.89$ and difficulty of lecture was $3.76{\pm}1.09$. 41% of participants answered that the motions of the Tai-chi is difficult to follow and 17% of participants felt the imbalance during the motion of Tai-chi. Conclusions : Participants replied that the Tai-chi is hard for the patients of Parkinson's disease and the time for the education was too short to keep doing exercise. Thus we have plan to educate the patients of Parkinson's disease with Tai-chi program consists of easier motion by developing ourselves or searching previous studies.

• Annals of Clinical Neurophysiology
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.143-146
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• 2001

Background : Backpack palsy was described in military personnel with shoulder girdle and proximal upper extremity symptoms, predominantly motor in nature related to the use of heavy backpack. Currently, backpack were used for sports, transporting school books and child carriers. We evaluated clinical and electrophysiological feature of backpack palsy. Methods : We included 11 patients with brachial plexopathy as a result of wearing a heavy backpack on long distance marches. All patients were done routine blood sampling, chest X-ray, C-spine X-ray and electrophysiological studies. Results : All patients were right handed person and were not as having a thoracic outlet syndrome. Sensory changes were main initial symptoms and major persistent symptoms were motor weakness. 9 patients(81.8%) were damaged the brachial plexus on non-dominant side, 1 patient was dominant and 1 patient was bilateral involvement. 10 patients(90.9%) were damaged to upper trunk of the brachial plexus by EMG findings. The prognosis was good, 10 patients(90.9%) were complete recovery during 8 weeks, 1 patient was developed reflex sympathetic dystrophy confirmed by 3-phase bone scan. Conclusions : Depression of the clavicle and costoclavicular space probably plays a certain role in pathogenic mechanism. The non-dominant side is more frequently affected, probably due to underdevelopment of the musculature in that side.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.42 no.5
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• pp.211-224
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• 2021

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to present a way to alleviate motion sickness(MS) by stimulating acupoint through PEMFs, and to assess the effectiveness of PEMFs against stimulation previously used to stimulate acupoint using biosignal evaluations and surveys. Materials and Methods: Thirteen healthy men participated in the experiment. MS was induced in the participants, and MS relief stimulation was applied for 30 minutes. There were 4 types of MS relief stimulation, and Sham, Reliefband, Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation(TENS), and Pulsed electromagnetic fields stimulation(PEMFs) were used. The biosignals were measured during 30 minutes of applying MS relief stimulation, and the symptoms of MS were evaluated through a questionnaire survey. The measured biosignals are Electrocardiogram(ECG), Electrodermal activity(EDA), Respiration, Skin temperature(SKT), and Electrogastrogram(EGG). A one-way ANOVA test was performed for the rate of change by stimulation for MS relief over time. Results: Participants who were stimulated had a sharp decrease in MS symptoms. Biosignals were analyzed to evaluate autonomic nervous system activity, and the parasympathetic nervous system could be activated through stimulation. Conclusion: TENS and PEMFs were more effective in relieving MS symptoms than Reliefband. It is believed that PEMFs will be effective in consideration of the comfort of participants to be applied to actual vehicles, and studies to further verify the effects of PEMFs on MS should be conducted.

• Journal of Sasang Constitutional Medicine
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.193-204
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• 2016

Objectives This case study is about a Taeeumin patient with advanced Parkinson's disease identified as Dry-heat (Joyeol) pattern. In this study, we report significant improvement of non-motor and motor symptoms after treatment with Cheongsimyeonja-tang.Methods The patient was identified as Taeeumin Dry-heat (Joyeol) pattern and treated with Cheongsimyeonja-tang and acupuncture. The Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) was used to assess the overall functions of the patient. And the global assessment scale (GAS) was used to assess the improvements of dizziness, bradykinesia and tremor after the treatment.Result and Conclusion The UPDRS total score decreased from 138 points to 86 points after 5 weeks treatment. And symptoms of dizziness caused by hypotension, bradykinesia, and tremor showed significant improvement in GAS after the treatment. Furthermore, sleep disturbance and constipation were reported to be improved after the treatment. In conclusion, this study shows that Sasang constitutional medicine can be effective treatment for Taeeumin patient with advanced Parkinson's disease having orthostatic hypotension.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.90-96
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• 2020

Background: Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that is the second most common disorder after Alzheimer's disease. PD includes both "motor" and "non-motor" symptoms, one of which is pain. The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical characteristics of pain in patients with PD. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 250 patients diagnosed with PD, 70% of which had mild to moderate PD (stages 2/3 of Hoehn and Yahr scale). The average age was 67.4 years, and the average duration since PD diagnosis was 7.1 years. Relevant data collected from PD patients were obtained from their personal medical history. Results: The prevalence of pain was found to be high (82%), with most patients (79.2%) relating their pain to PD. Disease duration was correlated with the frequency of intense pain (R: 0.393; P < 0.05). PD pain is most frequently perceived as an electrical current (64%), and two pain varieties were most prevalent (2.60 ± 0.63). Our findings confirm links between pain, its evolution over time, its multi-modal character, the wide variety of symptoms of PD, and the female sex. Conclusions: Our results demonstrated that the pain felt by PD patients is mainly felt as an electrical current, which contrasts with other studies where the pain is described as burning and itching. Our classification is innovative because it is based on anatomy, whereas those of other authors were based on syndromes.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.39 no.3
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• pp.181-189
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• 2022

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a rapidly progressive neurodegenerative condition characterized by loss of motor neurons, resulting in motor weakness of the limbs and/or bulbar muscles. Pain is a prevalent but neglected symptom of ALS, and it has a significant negative impact on the quality of life of patients and their caregivers. This review outlines the epidemiology, clinical characteristics, underlying mechanisms, and management strategies of pain in ALS to improve clinical practice and patient outcomes related to pain. Pain is a prevalent symptom among patients with ALS, with a variable reported prevalence. It may occur at any stage of the disease and can involve any part of the body without a specific pattern. Primary pain includes neuropathic pain and pain from spasticity or cramps, while secondary pain is mainly nociceptive, occurring with the progression of muscle weakness and atrophy, prolonged immobility causing degenerative changes in joints and connective tissue, and long-term home mechanical ventilation. Prior to treatment, the exact patterns and causes of pain must first be identified, and the treatment should be tailored to each patient. Treatment options can be classified into pharmacological treatments, including nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, antiepileptic drugs, drugs for cramps or spasticity, and opioid; and nonpharmacological treatments, including positioning, splints, joint injections, and physical therapy. The development of standardized and specific assessment tools for pain-specific to ALS is required, as are further studies on treatments to reduce pain, diminish suffering, and improve the quality of life of patients with ALS.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.115-122
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• 1995

This study was performed to know the relationship between neurologic soft signs (NSS) and clinical variables such as psychopathology. history of illness, and premorbid social adjustment in patients with schizophrenia. The authors evaluated NSS in 31 patients with schizophrenia using the structured tool for measuring neurologic abnormalities, Neurological Evaluation Scale- Korean Version(NES-K). Relationships between NSS and clinical variables such as duration of illness, intensity of precipitating stressors, duration of outpatient treatment, schooling, peer relationship, total duration of unemployment, total days of psychiatric admission, age, total days of being medicated, age at the first psychiatric admission, frequency of admissions, content of treatment, social adjustment, and severity of symptoms were analyzed. Differences between paranoid and non-paranoid schizophrenics were examined. In addition, Differences between patients with schizophrenia who have predominant positive symptoms and who have predominant negative symptoms were examined too. Total scores of NES-K were correlated with lower schooling (${\gamma}$=0.44, p<0.01). Scores of motor coordination subcategory were correlated with poor peer relationship(${\gamma}$=0.67, p<0.001). Other clinical variables were not correlated with any scores of NES-K. Paranoid and non-paranoid schizophrenics were not different in scores of NES-K. Also positive and negative schizophrenics were not different in scores of NES-K. Most clinical variables except schooling and peer relationship were not related with NSS. This results indicated that the meaning of these signs was not fully be understood. Introduction of the new classification concepts such as deficit or non-deficit syndrome will be helpful to elucidate the meaning of NSS in patients with schizophrenia.