• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.177-187
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• 2023

Varicose veins have a substantial burden on individuals' aesthetics and overall quality of life. The current body of research on Korean medical interventions for varicose veins is limited in Korea, and exploration into clinical trends is lacking. This review specifically analyzed fire acupuncture, which is an understudied intervention in Korea that demonstrated efficacy in alleviating pain and paralysis while promoting tissue regeneration. A comprehensive investigation of the China National Knowledge Infrastructure database was conducted, utilizing terms such as "varicose vein," "fire needle," "fire acupuncture," "burning acupuncture," "burning needle," "huǒzhēn," "xiàzhī jìngmài," and "jìngmài qūzhāng." This review included 14 studies investigating the role of fire acupuncture in treating varicose veins. We extracted variables, including age, sex, disease duration, intervention method, treatment frequency, treatment period, acupoints, and outcomes. Fire acupuncture appeared as the primary intervention method, followed by general acupuncture. The protruding part of varicose veins is the main treatment area for fire acupuncture, while the acupoints BL57 and ST36 were most frequently utilized for general acupuncture. Treatment results revealed significant improvement in all studies. However, there are limitations, such as scarce studies, limited side effects studies, and potential bias. Consequently, extensive and well-structured future studies are necessary to demonstrate the role of fire acupuncture in varicose veins.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.329-343
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• 2023

Recently, acupuncture has demonstrated extraordinary clinical results in the treatment of several categories of health conditions worldwide. The mechanisms of action of acupuncture (including immune mechanisms) have been investigated by biomedical studies over the last few decades. The immune mechanisms of representative clinical conditions and their clinical effects were thoroughly assessed, with a comprehensive investigation into the mechanisms of action of acupuncture (including immune responses) in this study. Conditions such as stroke, migraine, depression, chronic fatigue syndrome, lower back pain, hypertension, irritable bowel syndrome, sepsis, and allergic diseases were meticulously examined. This in-depth analysis aims to ensure a foundational understanding of the immune mechanisms involved in acupuncture, thereby serving as an initial step toward integrating the impact of acupuncture on the immune system.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.16-34
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• 2023

Herpes zoster (HZ) results from the reactivation of a varicella-zoster virus infection and is accompanied by moderate-to-severe pain in most patients. The most common treatment is medication; however, there are still limitations. Acupuncture reportedly has meaningful therapeutic effects and is a possible alternative option in HZ. However, no systematic reviews examining the use of acupuncture and electro-acupuncture (EA) alone have been published; in this study, we therefore aimed to systematically review those techniques. We searched for clinical trials of acupuncture and EA treatment for HZ up to October 2022. Trials that used acupuncture were included. Outcomes were visual analog scale (VAS) and effective rate. Secondary outcomes were time to pain relief, time to pain elimination, incrustation, decrustation, lastly incidence of post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN). In total, 22 randomized controlled trials were included in this research. Compared with conventional medication therapy, acupuncture was associated with a significant improvement in VAS, effective rate, and times to pain relief and elimination. Times to new blister cessation, incrustation, and decrustation (days) were significantly improved. Furthermore, the incidence rate of PHN was lower in acupuncture groups. The results suggest that acupuncture could be a reasonable treatment option for patients with HZ who suffer from pain and accompanying symptoms.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.293-307
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• 2023

This study uses bibliometric methods to analyze publications regarding the use of acupuncture in osteoarthritis over the past 20 years and presents an overview of global research trends. Publications related to acupuncture in osteoarthritis from 2003 to 2022 were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection Database. An analysis of the extracted records was conducted according to their publication year, research area, journal title, country, organization, author, and keywords. The VOSviewer program was used to visualize the research trends on acupuncture in osteoarthritis. An analysis of 380 articles indicated a consistent increase in the use of acupuncture for osteoarthritis treatment over the past 20 years. Many articles have been published in research areas such as "integrative complementary medicine" and "general internal medicine." The most prolific journal was Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine. In terms of article publication, the most productive country and research organization were China and the Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, respectively. The most frequently occurring keywords were "acupuncture," "knee osteoarthritis," and "pain." This study used a bibliometric analysis to provide an overview of global research trends on acupuncture in osteoarthritis. These findings may suggest the future direction of research on the treatment of acupuncture in osteoarthritis.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.123-129
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• 2003

Experimental studies were done to research the dinical effects of Juglandis Semen aqua-acupuncture and acupuncture(BL 13) on the anti-allergic response. anaphylaxis provoked by the compound 48/80, delayed type hypersensitivity response to picryl chloride and SASC and inflammation response to egg albumin. The following results have been obtained: Juglandis Semen aqua-acupuncture and acupuncture(BL13) group were increased the survival rate in compound48/80 induced systemic anaphylactic reaction. Picryl chloride induced contact dermatitis and delayed type hypersensitivity in SRBC challenged mouse were significantly decreased in Juglandis Semen aqua-acupuncture and acupuncture (BL13) group. Inflammation response - WBC, CRP and Nitric Oxide in egg albumin induced allergic rat were significantly decreased in Juglandis Semen aqua-acupuncture and acupuncture(BL13) group. According to the above results, Semen aqua-acupuncture and acupuncture(BL13) both depress the allergy reaction.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.30 no.5
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• pp.125-137
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• 2013

Objectives : In order to help establish the scientific research methods to prove the effects of facial cosmetic acupuncture, we investigated the trend of facial cosmetic acupuncture study based on the Korean traditional medicine. Methods : We researched the papers which were associated with the facial cosmetic acupuncture in Korean journals. The research date was 5th August 2013. Results : 27 papers about facial cosmetic acupuncture were found. 17 papers were literature research, and 10 papers were clinical research. Almost half of papers were written the years of 2008 and 2009. Most of papers were written in the Journal of Korean Acupuncture & Moxibustion Society. Conclusions : We need more systematic research in order to prove the effects of facial cosmetic acupuncture and use extensively.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.85-92
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• 2011

Objectives : The purpose of this research was to compare remote and near acupuncture point needling with near acupuncture point needling acupuncture on posterior neck pain treatment. Methods : We divided 36 patients with posterior neck pain patient into two groups and treated Group A with near acupuncture and remote acupuncture point needling and Group B with near acupuncture point needling. The efficacy of treatment was measured by VAS scores and NDI scores of before and after 5 days to start treatment. Results : Both group A and B represented effective improvement in VAS and NDI of neck pain. And group A is more effective than B group statistically. Conclusions : It was suggested that near acupuncture and remote acupuncture point needling might have more effect compared with near acupuncture point needling acupuncture on posterior neck pain treatment.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.1-6
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• 2016

Objectives : The purpose of this report is to inform readers of the important aspects of about acupuncture and the process of Hwangjenaegyeong Yongchu. Methods : We researched the word 'acupuncture' through Hwangjenaegyeong Youngchu. We formed three categories according to the meanings of the key aspects of acupuncture in each sentence. Results : In Hwangjenaegyeong Youngchu, the meanings of the key aspects of acupuncture (刺鍼之要) are follows : 1. The key aspect of acupuncture(刺鍼之要) is to control Gi & Sin(調氣治神). 2. Before administering acupuncture, a doctor must know Meridian, acu-points, contraindication of nature, Bo-sa acupuncture(補瀉), Deug Gi(得氣), the role of the acupuncture needle(官鍼), the number of the needle, Gi & condition of patients, and pulse diagnosis. 3. For acupuncture, there are several things to be aware of : contraindication of acupuncture, deleteriousness of acupuncture, acu-points, and Bo-sa acupuncture(補瀉).

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.275-282
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• 2022

The purpose of this study was to analyze acupuncture treatment methods and acupoints used to treat obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) or obstructive sleep apnea-hypoapnea syndrome (OSAHS). The data were retrieved from January 2010 to May 2022 from the China National Knowledge Infrastructure database. The search terms included "adult," "obstructive sleep apnea," "obstructive sleep apnea hypoapnea syndrome," "acupuncture," and "electro-acupuncture." Clinical trials for acupuncture treatment of OSA or OSAHS were included in this review (4 non-randomized controlled studies, 1 was a case report, and 10 randomized controlled studies). For OSA and OSAHS treatment, the acupoints that were most frequently used included REN23, LU7, ST40, EX9, LI11, and DU20. Compared with the control or Western treatment group, the treatment outcome measures of participants in the acupuncture treatment group significantly improved. In some studies, participants in the acupuncture group did not have side effects and the treatment was cost-effective. The data analyzed in this review suggest that acupuncture is an effective treatment for OSA or OSAHS.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.187-196
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• 2019

This study was performed to review clinical research studies involving acupuncture treatment for primary headache disorders to provide a basic reference for future studies. Clinical studies of primary headache disorders treated with acupuncture were retrieved from 3 Korean electronic databases (NDSL, OASIS, and RISS). The studies were classified by year of publication, type of study, type of acupuncture, outlined acupoints, methods used for filiform needles, pharmacopuncture, auricular acupuncture, and thread-embedding acupuncture. Thirty-eight trials were reviewed, of which 33 used filiform needles, 6 pharmacopuncture, 1 auricular acupuncture, and 1used thread-embedding. Most of the studies reported that acupuncture treatment was effective in treating primary headache disorders. Some studies reported statistically significant effects, but the results overall were inconsistent. Therefore, there is insufficient evidence to support the treatment of acupuncture to resolve headaches. On the basis of these results, further studies should be performed to qualitatively and quantitatively determine the efficacy of acupuncture treatment for primary headache disorders.