• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.1-9
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• 2022

Lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) associated with storage, voiding, and post-micturition reduce quality of life and cause mental health problems. In traditional medicine, Baliao points have been empirically used to treat urinary system diseases. In this review, randomized controlled trials (RCTs) using sacral acupuncture on Baliao points with sham treatment, other remedies, or other acupoints were retrieved from 8 electronic databases up to June 2021. Sixteen RCTs met the inclusion criteria. The quality of the included studies was assessed using a risk-of-bias (ROB) tool. Most of the evaluation indicators used in the included RCTs showed that sacral acupuncture had a significant therapeutic effect compared with the sham control intervention groups, and other remedies. However, all studies using acupoints (other than the Baliao points) as a control intervention had a "high" ROB and only reported secondary processed information, making it difficult to evaluate the efficacy of sacral acupuncture treatment for LUTS. No serious adverse effects were reported for sacral acupuncture, and only a low number of minor side effects were observed. These results suggest that sacral acupuncture could be considered as an alternative to existing treatments, with the added benefit of low cost. Large-scale, long-term RCTs are required in the future.

• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.433-444
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• 2023

Objectives: This case study aimed to provide evidence of the combined use of Korean Medicine treatments, including electroacupuncture (EA) on scalp acupoints, as a useful intervention for post-stroke delirium. Methods: The patient in this study was diagnosed with Cerebral Infarction in Right Corpus Callosum and post-stroke delirium. The patient received eight sessions of EA on scalp acupoints, rehabilitation medicine treatment, and other Korean Medicine treatments such as acupuncture and herbal medicine. Evaluation of treatment effectiveness was done mainly through the Memorial Delirium Assessment Scale Korean (MDAS-K) and Mini-Mental State Examination Korean (MMSE-K). Results: MDAS-K score dropped from 20 to 9 and MMSE-K score increased from 15 to 21 during hospitalization, showing improvement in symptoms. Conclusions: Combined use of Korean medicine treatments including EA on scalp acupoints may be an effective treatment for post-stroke delirium.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.93-103
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• 2016

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to report Four cases of Failed Back Surgery Syndrome (FBSS) patients after spinal fusion surgery who showed significant improvement in pain and function with Complex Korean medical treatment. Methods: This study was a retrospective observational study. We reviewed medical records of Four patients with lumbar pain or radiating leg pain, who have received spinal fusion surgery in the past. All Four patients took complex treatments of Mokhuri Neck and Back hospital which involes Acupuncture, Pharmaco-acupuncture, Gangchuk herbal medicine, Chuna and Physical therapy during about four-week of admission treatment. Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), Oswestry disability index (ODI), Pain Free Walking Distance (PFWD) scores were assessed before and after treatments. Results: The average of hospitalization period was 28.5 days. Mean VAS scores decreased from 6.5 to 2.3, Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) scores decreased from 56.25 to 38.25 and Pain Free Walking Distance (PFWD) also improved from 10m to 166.6m. Conclusion: This study implies that a combination of Korean medical treatments might be effective in relieving pain, and improving the functional status of FBSS patients. Further studies are needed to fully understand the mechanisms underlying the effects.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.92-101
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• 2011

Purpose: To evaluate the effects on vision care program including traditional Korean treatment for elementary school students. Methods: 172 eyes of eighty-six older elementary students underwent a vision care program, including traditional Korean treatment, for 3 months between March 2010 and June 2010. The vision care program included health education, such as lifestyle modification, vision strengthening exercises and a course of treatment with traditional Korean methods. Traditional Korean treatment covered periocular acupuncture point stimulation, periauricular acupuncture point stimulation and herbal drug therapy. All patients were examined for visual acuity and auto-refraction and filled out a satisfactory questionnaire about ocular discomforts and quality of life before and after treatments. Results: Patients with mild myopia (-0.75~-2.00) were 61 (35.5%), and 46 (26.7%) were emetropia (${\pm}0.50$ or less). After treatment, uncorrected visual acuity in both eyes was $0.77{\pm}0.46$, which was lower than that before treatment ($0.82{\pm}0.51$), but corrected visual acuity was $0.98{\pm}0.21$, which was higher than that before treatment ($0.93{\pm}0.28 $). About the refractive change, the emetropia group showed a slightly myopic shift while the mild myopia group intended to reduce the myopic error. However, this was not statistically significant. The scales of eyeball pain or discomfort decreased significantly from $17.59{\pm}22.5$ before treatment to $10.28{\pm}17.80$ after treatment, and the scales of the quality of life increased from $1.85{\pm}1.25$ before treatment to $2.25{\pm}1.30$ after treatment. Most patients (90.7%) were satisfied with their treatment results. Conclusions: The vision care program including traditional Korean treatment for elementary school students was effective to improve corrected visual acuity in both eyes and delay the progression of school myopia. In addition, it helped to reduce eyeball pain and discomfort and ultimately to enhance quality of life. Long-term follow-up studies will be needed.

• Journal of Korean Traditional Oncology
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.1-11
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• 2020

Objectives: The effectiveness of acupuncture on cancer pain is relatively well established, while there have been few clinical studies on pharmacopuncture on that. This research was aimed to investigate a trend of pharmacopuncture treatment for cancer pain and to propose information for further research. Methods: Clinical studies on pharmacopuncture for cancer pain were collected from 5 Korean medical databases. And the studies were analyzed by classifications of cancer, chief complaints, interventions, treating skills, additional treatments, treatment session, outcome measures, results and adverse effects. Results: The literatures were 8 case reports and 1 randomized controlled trial. Interventions were pharmacopunctures of soyeom, mountain ginseng, Harpagophyti Radix, snake venom, Trionycis Carapax, bee venom, Aconitum Ciliare Decaisne. Treatment skills, procedures, and indications of each pharmacopuncture were different. An adverse effects of bruising, bleeding, mild chilling, sore throat and pain were mentioned on snake venom and bee venom treatment. Conclusions: An appropriate interventions and treatment skills should be selected according to the type of cancer pain. And treatment procedures to ensure safety must be developed.

• The Journal of Korean Medical History
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.97-110
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• 2011

Rhinitis, inflammation of the nasal cavity caused by the disease in our country that a recent trend is the rapidly increasing number of patients. It causes multiple complications and interfere with daily life and social life in case of being viewed as a mild cold. The rhinitis treatment for symptomatic therapy in modern medicine is staying because the situation is exposing the limitations. so traditional medicine is trying to find a solution but that is not easy. In modern medicine, rhinitis is defined as a set of histological lesions and clinical symptoms, but traditional medicine has developed in dealing with each symptoms in disease. The treatment that doesn't distinguish any treatment in growing numbers of patients does not seem to validate, because doctors treat without considering the difference of recognition. Looking at the symptoms for each, I found that each symptoms and causes are varied according to doctors and era. In spite of considering all of that in treatment, it was ignored or underestimated in modern medicine. Furthermore, in traditional medicine, they just conjugated certain period theory and only had limited treatment by a lack of integrated awareness about definition and mechanism. In addition, in case of mentioning about the causes of prescription in each medical books, there were not enough explain about pathological states. Therefore, these causes should be made to further the research about the validity, pathogenesis and treatment. We can see that theory could be established and modified by the accumulation of clinical experience, observations through classification by each of the causes, prescription and treatment. In traditional medicine simply does not pay attention only to nasal inflammation, such as the impact of Meridian and organs considered to have focused on the fundamental treatment. This increased immune resistance to the modern rhinitis patients may offer new therapeutic approaches. I hope this paper would be helpful to find the treatment with uncovered theory in modern medicine.

• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.251-263
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• 2019

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to review the clinical research trends in the treatment of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in Korean medicine (KM). Methods: We searched MEDLINE, CENTRAL, EMBASE, Google Scholar and five Korean databases through May 2019, for studies on KM to treat PTSD. Clinical research that conducted KM treatment of PTSD patients were included. Two researchers independently conducted study selection and data extraction process. Results: Totally, eight studies were included in this review. Types of traumatic events that patients experienced included physical violence/threatening, traffic accidents, sexual violence and personal tragic events. KM interventions performed included acupuncture, moxibustion, herbal medicine, physical therapy, and KM-based psychotherapy. Treatment duration varied from two days to more than five months. Follow-up began at least one week to three months after the end of treatments. It was reported that the major psychological and/or somatic symptoms of PTSD, such as anxiety, depression, insomnia, and musculoskeletal pain, subjectively improved, as well as other objective outcomes: Impact Event Scale-Revised Korean version (IES-R-K), Beck's Depression Inventory (BDI), State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Hwabyung Symptoms/characters, Electroencephalography (EEG) change, etc. Statistical studies were conducted in three studies only. Outcomes such as Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), BDI, and IES-R-K showed statistically significant improvement after KM treatments. There was no study reporting adverse events during or after the interventions. Conclusions: According to this review, diverse types of KM treatments have been used among PTSD patients in eight studies. The KM treatments effectively improved psychological and somatic symptoms of PTSD patients. However, the lack of high quality research as well as the lack of standardization of KM treatments for PTSD are limitations. Further methodologically robust clinical trials should be performed, and the standardization of KM treatments for PTSD should be sought.

• Journal of Haehwa Medicine
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.149-156
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• 2014

A 30 year old female patient suffering from metabolic syndrome, who was diagnosed with hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia and diabetes 2 years ago, was treated with Traditional Korean Medicine including acupuncture, herbal medicine and tuina for one month. After the treatments, her fasting blood sugar level was remarkably decreased (from $304mg/d{\ell}$ to $74mg/d{\ell}$). And the levels of blood lipids were decreased as well ; the level of TG was decreased from $330mg/d{\ell}$ to $90mg/d{\ell}$, the level of total cholesterol was decreased from $217mg/d{\ell}$ to $111mg/d{\ell}$, the level of LDL was decreased from $119mg/d{\ell}$ to $53mg/d{\ell}$). The waist circumference was also decreased from 96 cm to 90.5 cm. Korean Medical therapies may bring a new clue for the treatment of metabolic syndrome with diabetes.

• BMB Reports
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.253-257
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• 2005

In our previous study, Soamsan, a traditional Oriental medicine, was shown to enhance the induction of antigen-specific immune responses, and it was speculated that the enhancing activity might be closely associated with glycoproteins contained within the medicine. To elucidate this speculation, protein samples from each component, used in the preparation of Soamsan, were obtained and their immune stimulating activities were tested with mouse splenocytes. All the samples markedly enhanced the lymphocyte proliferation and cytokine secretion by the mouse splenocytes. In particular, the enhancement was significantly higher with the protein sample treatments than with those of the original crude sample. Furthermore, the pronase E- and $NaIO_4$-mediated inhibition of splenocyte-stimulation activity of the protein samples clearly supported that glycoproteins are the main class of active ingredients responsible for the lymphocyte stimulating activity of the samples. Consequently, our findings suggest that glycoproteins might have a pivotal role in Soamsan-mediated immune modulation, although the in vivo effect of the glycoproteins should be further elucidated.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.1576-1580
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• 2007

Aralia cordata Thunb. (Araliaceae, ACT) is an remarkable herbal plant that has been widely used in traditional oriental medicine for the treatment of inflammatory diseases and cardiovascular disorders. In this study, we have established a vascular aging model in rats by orally administrating excessive vitamin $D_2$ (500,000 IU/kg/day) for 4 days followed by feeding high cholesterol diet for 16 weeks and then rats were randomly divided into control group, high cholesterol diet (HCD) group, HCD+ACT (30 mg/kg) and HCD+ACT (60 mg/kg) group. ACT (30, 60) significantly reduced total cholesterol (TC) content compared with HCD, but no significant differences in the serum lipids. Secondly, we measured the serum levels of Oxidized Low-dencity Lipoprotein (OxLDL) and malondialdehyde (MDA) in order to further investigate the anti-vascular aging mechanism of ACT. The results, ACT (30, 60) treatments decreased OxLDL, MDA　content　and increased Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase activity compared with HCD treatments. The results suggested that ACT inhibited OxLDL production rather than serum lipids lowering and that ACT could be used as potential anti-atherosclerotic agent in aged cells.