• Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.43-50
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• 2018

Objectives Upper lumbar disc herniation (LDH) (L1/2, L2/3) has specific anatomical characteristics and different outcome after conventional treatment compared to lower LDH (L3/4, L4/5, L5/S1). The purpose of this study was to compare the clinical features and effects of korean medical treatment of upper LDH between lower LDH. Methods We retrospectively reviewed the clinical data collected from 121 patients who was had admitted at the Haeundae Jaseng Hospital of Korean Medicine from June 1st, 2014 to August 31th, 2018. The patients who had treated at L1/2, L2/3 level LDH were grouped and compared with those treated at the L3/4, L4/5, L5/S1 level. We reviewed the patient characteristics such as age, the positive rate of Straight Leg Raise Test (SLR test), the presence or absence of previous lumbar surgery. Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) were evaluated at adimission and discharge. Results Mean age was significantly higher at upper LDH group and positive rate of SLR test was higher at lower LDH group. There was no significant difference of gender and previous lumbar surgery between two groups. Each group had a significant improvement of NRS, ODI scores. But between two groups, there was no significant difference of NRS, ODI scores. Conclusions Upper LDH group was older than lower LDH group. SLR test was useful tool to exclude upper LDH. Korean medical treatment was significantly effective to both upper and lower LDH groups. Further well designed prospective comparative studies are needed.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.760-772
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• 2024

Objective: Hiccup is a sudden, involuntary contraction of the diaphragm and intercostal muscles, followed by laryngeal closure. Persistent hiccups can occur in the central nervous system following a cerebral infarction. While medications, for example chlorpromazine, are commonly used for treatment, they often fail to fully resolve the hiccups, showing little to no improvement in symptoms. The aim of this study was to present the treatment response of a patient diagnosed with posterior limb of internal capsule (PLIC) infarction, who was experiencing hiccups and was treated with combined Korean medicine after taking chlorpromazine. Case Presentation: A 71-year-old male diagnosed with left PLIC infarction was experiencing problems in daily life due to hiccups and dysarthria. During the 10-day hospitalization, he received treatment that included herbal medicine (modified Hyeolbuchugeo-tang, Xiěfǔzhúyūtāng), acupuncture (GV20, LI11, ST36, LI4, LR3, and submandibular area acupoint), moxibustion, cupping, and physical therapy. After 10 days of hospitalization, the patient's hiccups disappeared, and he did not have to take any chlorpromazine. The score on the Numerical Rating Scale fell from 7-8 to 1-2. The 5-level EQ-5D version (EQ-5D-5L) fell from 11 to 7, and the EQ Visual Analogue Scale (EQ-VAS) rose from 20 to 80. The frequency (times per minute) of hiccups decreased and almost disappeared. During outpatient treatment, the patient stated that he did not experience hiccups for 7 months, and no significant side effects were observed. Conclusion: This study suggests that a patient with hiccups as a chief complaint can be effectively treated with combined Korean medicine. However, more studies with control groups are needed to confirm these findings.

• The Journal of Korean Obstetrics and Gynecology
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.93-106
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• 2017

Objectives: This study is aimed to figure out Korean medicine doctors' recognition of Korean Medicine clinical practice guidelines (CPG) and clinical fields of treating primary dysmenorrhea before developing CPG for dysmenorrhea. Methods: We conducted a questionnaire survey targeting 515 Korean medicine doctors belonging to the Association of Korean Medicine by e-mail and analyzed the answers. Results: 81.2% of the respondents knew the concepts and contents of CPG, and 98.7% agreed about the necessity of CPG. 94.2% were willing to use CPG for dysmenorrhea in learning and treating. Average number of patients visiting the respondents' clinics for dysmenorrhea was 3.9, the main age group was 20s (63.1%), and the treatments the patients given before were mostly Western treatments such as pain killers and hormonal drugs. The respondents answered that they diagnosed patients with dysmenorrhea mainly with pattern diagnosis (41.6%), and treated them with herbal medicine (39.2%), acupuncture (31.6%) and moxibustion (22.6%) for 2-3 months. They answered that the acupoint they use most was San yin jiao, and the prescription was Gui-zhi-fu-ling-wan, They answered that the field considered to need further study was decoction of herbal medicine most (27.4%), and the field considered to need insurance coverage was also decoction of herbal medicine most (40.2%). Conclusions: We figured out Korean Medicine doctors' recognition of CPG, clinical diagnosis, treatment, cost for treating dysmenorrhea, and fields of clinical research and policy they required.

• Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.131-137
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• 2014

Objectives The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of MSAT (Mostion style acuputure treatment) on piriformis muscle regarding leg radiating pain with HIVD of L-SPINE. Methods Forty patients who received inpatient treatment from Febuarary 1 to March 31, 2014 in the Daejon-Jaseng oriental medicine hospital were divided into 2 groups by blocked randomization : Group A (n=20)=routine treatment on HIVD of L-SPINE with MSAT on piriformis muscle and Group B (n=20)=routine treatment on HIVD of L-SPINE (acupuncture, Shinbaro pharmacopuncture, herb medication, chuna treatment and physiotherapy). The MSAT (Mostion style acuputure treatment) on piriformis muscle was administered each day and both groups were received routine treatment each day. Evaluations were made before treatment, after 3 days and 7 days, and before discharge using the NRS (numeric rating scale) and ODI (oswestry disability index). The statistically significance was evaluated by SPSS 18.0 for windows. Results Compared to before treatment, the NRS (numeric rating scale) and ODI (oswestry disability index) of both A and B groups after 3, 7 days and before discharge of treatment significantly decreased (p<0.05). Regarding group comparison, the NRS (numeric rating scale) and ODI (oswestry disability index) of A group was significantly lower than the B group at 3, 7 days, before dischanre (p<0.05). Regarding improvement of the NRS (numeric rating scale) and ODI (oswestry disability index), A group was significantly lower than the B group at 3 day (NRS), 7day (ODI) (p=0.000) but there was no significant difference between the two groups at 7 days (NRS) and before discharge (p>0.05). Conclusions Compared to just routine treatment, the MSAT (Mostion style acuputure treatment) on piriformis muscle significantly improved the NRS (numeric rating scale) and ODI (oswestry disability index) after 3, 7 days, and before discharge. Because early intervention determines the grade of Leg radiating pain with HIVD of L-SPINE, the MSAT (Mostion style acuputure treatment) on piriformisat the early stage will be clinically helpful to patients.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.140-151
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• 2021

The aim of this study is to report the effectiveness of a traditional Korean medicine treatment for oculomotor nerve palsy induced by traumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage. A 54-year-old male patient with oculomotor nerve palsy induced by traumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage after a traffic accident was treated with Korean medicine, including acupuncture, electroacupuncture, sweet bee venom pharmacoacupuction, moxibustion, and herbal medicine. The effect of treatment on symptoms - ptosis, and eye movement - was evaluated using a ratio of eye opening and eye movement between the paralyzed eye and the normal eye. After 41 days of treatment, the clinical symptoms had improved. The ptosis and eye movement started to show improvement from day 20; at the time of discharge, ptosis had improved by more than 50%, and eye movement showed some improvement as well. This study suggests that Korean medicine may be an effective treatment for oculomotor nerve palsy induced by traumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage.

• Journal of Haehwa Medicine
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.395-415
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• 2001

A general concept of Geun includes the soft organizations such as a muscle, a myofascia, a tendon and a ligament, cartilages and nerves that surround it. The main function of it is a movement of the body such as a flextion and a extension, a connection of the joints, and a construction of the body shape. Lately, we consider Geun important little by little, develop a variety of the therapeutic measures which make use of it, and apply it to the treatment in the oriental medicine, And the therapeutic measures which utilize Geun will be developed from now on. Therefore, this study reviewed and analyzed the direction of the research referred to Geun in the oriental medicine and the tendency to the experiment to grow the study referred to Geun in oriental medicine continuously and developed the new direction. This study collected 44's theses reported in the oriental medical journal and analyzed in accordance with the journal, time, form and topics. The following results were obtained in this study; 1. In the theses referred to Geun, the journal of Korean acupuncture & moxibustion society and of Korean oriental medicine have the most of them(11's theses) and at the next the journal of oriental rehabilitation medicine has 9's theses. 2. By analyzing the form of the theses, these were classified into the theoretical, experimental and clinical studies. The theoretical these occupied 39%, the experimental theses 54%, and the clinical theses 7%. 3. By analyzing the theses referred to Geun, these were classified into the muscular abnormality - such as a powerlessness, a injury, a atrophy, a disorder, and a pain - the theory of muscles along the regular meridians, the muscular organization, the therapeutic measures, the manipulation and so on. 4. The theses of the muscular abnormality occupied 30% of them referred to Geun and the theory of muscles along the regular meridians 20%, the muscular organization 12%, the therapeutic measures 12%, and the manipulation 8%. According to the above results, the study of the new field referred to Geun and the clinical report are indispensable since the field is limited and the tendency is theoretical and experimental.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.13-37
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• 2019

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of Korean medicine for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). We analyzed the result of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that applied Korean medicine to NAFLD patients through meta analysis and systematic review. Methods: The key question was to the effects of Korean medicine for NAFLD patients according to the PICO-SD (participants, intervention, comparison, outcome, study design) and we included only RCTs. We searched 10 databases including NDSL, KMBASE, KISS, KISTI, KoreaMed, Koreantk, OASIS, Cochrane, Pubmed, EMBASE without a language restriction. We assessed risk of bias by Cochrane group's Risk of Bias tool. Results: The finally selected 12 RCTs were analyzed. Total number of participants was 1189 (male 719, female 470) as 684 and 505 in the oriental medicine group (i.e. herbal drugs, acupuncture, acupoint embedding therapy) and control group (conventional drugs, placebo), respectively. The meta analysis results of examining 7 RCTs comparing the therapeutic efficacy of herbal medicine with that of Western medicine showed statistically significant (p<0.05) differences in the efficacy evaluation, liver function test results, blood lipids, and TNF-${\alpha}$. Furthermore, the meta analysis results of investigating 3 RCTs comparing the therapeutic efficacy of herbal medicine with that of a placebo showed statistically significant (p<0.05) differences in the liver function test results, blood lipids, and waist circumference. Conclusions: The research showed that Korean medicine for NAFLD can be effective treatment. But more studies are required to enhance the level of evidence and we should report on safety.

• Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.195-201
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• 2020

Spinal epidural lipomatosis is a rare disorder characterized by overgrowth of fat in the extradural space, causing spinal stenosis with compression of the neural elements. This study reports on the effectiveness of Korean medicine treatment on a patient who was diagnosed on lumbar stenosis with lipomatosis. The patient was treated with Korean traditional medicine including pharmacopucture, acupuncture, Chuna manual treatment, and Korean herbal medicine, cupping. Numerical rating scale (NRS), Oswestry disability index (ODI), Euroqol five dimension (EQ-5D) index, lumbar range of motion were used as objective tools for evaluating the patient's progress. Back NRS decreased from 6 to 3. In the case of lower limbl radiation NRS, 5 was reduced to 3 upon discharge. EQ-5D index also increased from 0.751 to 0.766. For ODI, the score dropped from 26.67 to 24.44 on hospitalization. As a result, clinical improvements were found in a patient. In conclusion, this study shows that Korean medicine treatment can be considered as effective conservative care for spinal stenosis with lipomatosis.

• Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.31-44
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• 2023

Objectives The purpose of this study is to check the research trends of pharmacopuncture treatment in nerve entrapment syndrome, identify specific techniques, identify which pharmacopuncture are used, and provide directions for future research. Methods This study was conducted based on the five steps suggested by Arksey and O'Malley. We searched five domestic databases (Research Information Sharing Service, Oriental Medicine Advanced Searching Integrated System, Korean studies Information Service System, Science ON, and KMBASE) and identified studies with key search terms like "nerve entrapment" And "pharmacopuncture" until June 23, 2023. Results Twenty-nine studies were finally selected. among them, 25 papers were non-comparative studies (86.2%). The most common disease was carpal tube syndrome (n=10). All the investigated studies were treated by injecting pharmacopuncture into the pathway of the entraped nerve. The depth of pharmacopuncture injection was mentioned only in 13 studies. As for the pharmacopuncture used, sweet bee venom was 8 studies and bee venom was 6 studies, and about half of the pharmacopuncture manufactured with Bee venom as the main component accounted for. Conclusions This study is a scoping review of the pharmacopuncture treatment for nerve entrapment, which was first conducted in Korea. The treatment is mainly performed on the path way of the entraped nerve. After that, it is necessary to study the standardization of the specific technique method of pharmacopuncture and the uniformity of evaluation criteria.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.44 no.4
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• pp.41-58
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• 2023

Objectives: This retrospective observational study aimed to investigate the efficacy and safety of Cheongpebaedok-tang, a traditional Korean herbal medicine, provided via telemedicine to patients with asymptomatic to mild COVID-19 in Korea. Methods: From February to April 2020, a retrospective analysis investigated COVID-19 patients treated via Korean telemedicine. The study involved asymptomatic to mild cases receiving Cheongpebaedok-tang more than three times, along with continuous Korean medicine care in convalescence. Diagnoses and treatment adhered to the telemedicine guidelines of the Association of Korean Medicine, with varied Cheongpebaedok-tang prescriptions based on symptom severity. Symptom evaluation involved a detailed assessment using a 15-item tool at initial and final sessions. Results: The study included 27 patients, with a mean age of 48.7 ± 2.3 years (mean ± standard error). Patients began self-administering oral Cheongpebaedok-tang for an average of 19.4 ± 1.8 days after the date of COVID-19 diagnosis confirmation and continued the medication for 15.8 ± 1.2 days. The reported side effects of the Cheongpebaedok-tang included palpitations (11.1%), insomnia (7.4%), dizziness (3.7%), and diarrhea (3.7%). All side effects disappeared after adjusting the prescription according to standard treatment guidelines. The occurrence of all COVID-19-related adverse symptoms, except fatigue and myalgia, decreased. Fatigue was the most common chronic symptom persisting after 6 months (51.9%), followed by ocular symptoms (37.0%) and sore throat (22.2%). Conclusions: This study implies Cheongpebaedok-tang may offer a potentially safe, symptom-alleviating approach for managing mild COVID-19 cases via telemedicine, although further comprehensive research is warranted.