• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.69-78
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• 2020

Although there have been studies investigating the clinical effects of warm needling (WN) for specific diseases, a comprehensive review of WN is needed. Four Korean internet databases were used in the review of WN treatment performed in Korea. The search terms used to retrieve articles were "warm needling (in Korean; 온침)," "warm acupuncture," and "warm needle." A total of 29 articles were reviewed. The following aspects of WN were investigated: language and terminology, study design, use of Standards for Reporting Interventions in Clinical Trials of Acupuncture, research ethics, moxibustion types, number of moxa used, moxa combustion time, needle retention time, treatment time and frequency, acupoints, meridians, acupuncture size and depth, disease classification, pattern identification, outcome measures, and adverse effect. More sophisticated and precise studies on WN are required.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.209-223
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• 2020

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of acupuncture treatment for the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease (AD). There were 11 databases searched for randomized controlled trials using acupuncture treatment for AD. The risk-of-bias assessment tool of the Cochrane Library was used to evaluate the quality of each study. Using the Review Manager (RevMan), a meta-analysis was performed using risk ratio, mean difference, 95% confidence interval, and random effect model. There were 32 studies selected, all of which were conducted in China. There were 16 studies where acupuncture was used as the intervention, and 23 studies used Donepezil as the control group. Acupoint GV20 was most frequently selected during the treatment. The Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) was the most frequently used outcome variable. A period of 12 weeks was the most common treatment duration. As a result of meta-analysis (n = 25), acupuncture improved the MMSE and activities of daily living scores. Electroacupuncture improved the Alzheimer Disease Assessment Scale-Cognitive Subscale, and scalp acupuncture improved the MMSE score for AD. Acupuncture alleviates the symptoms of AD. However, further research is necessary to provide a better level of evidence.

• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.37-41
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• 2020

Objectives: Round Acupuncture having blunt end has developed from acupotomy. This case report is to find out that Round Acupuncture is effective in treating patients with recurrent carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), which has not improved by steroid injection or acupotomy. Methods: Round Acupuncture was inserted into the distal fibers of transverse carpal ligament and released toward the proximal fibers. Treatment was performed three times in total. T ingling, numbn ess, night pain and swelling sensation were assessed, and provocative maneuvers were also used. Results: After treat ment, all symptoms completely disappeared and the patient had no recurrence until 3 months after treatment. Conclusion: Round Acupuncture co uld be an effective treatment for recurrent CTS.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.72-79
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• 2019

Background: The aim of this study was to review clinical efficacy of acupuncture treatment of mild cognitive impairment. Methods: Randomized controlled trials that performed acupuncture treatment for mild cognitive impairment were retrieved from 6 online databases (PubMed, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, CNKI, NDSL, OASIS) on September $30^{th}$, 2018. Studies were selected according to inclusion and exclusion criteria, and were reviewed by Risk of Bias assessment. Results: In total, 21 studies were included in this review. All studies were Chinese (19 studies published in Chinese and 2 in English). The sample size, 50 to 100, and the number of treatment times, 20 to 30, were the largest range in all studies. The most treatments performed was 30. The longest treatment period was 56 days, which accounted for 33% of the studies. The most frequently used evaluation index was the Mini Mental State Examination followed by the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, each used 17 times and 15 times, respectively. The most frequently used acupoints were GV20, EX-HN1, GB20, and GV24, which accounted for 47% of total number of acupoints used. In 48% of the studies, needle retention time was 30 minutes. Western medicine treatment was the most common control group. Most studies reported that the intervention group was statistically significantly different to the control group. Conclusion: These results suggest that acupuncture for mild cognitive impairment was effective. However, it is difficult to confirm this conclusion because the quality of most of these studies were of low quality.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.229-236
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• 2015

Objectives : The purpose of this study is to report the clinical effect of Korean medical treatment on a spinal cord tumor. Methods : We treated a patient who was diagnosed with a spinal cord tumor. We used acupuncture, bee venom pharmacopuncture, herbal medicine, moxibustion and physical therapy; the patient was evaluated using the visual analogue scale(VAS) and given an International Standards for Neurological Classification of Spinal Cord Injury(ISNCSCI) score. Results : VAS decreased and ISNCSCI score increased meaningfully. Conclusions : According to these results, this report possibly suggests that Korean medical treatment could be a helpful choice for treating a spinal cord tumor.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.325-330
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• 2021

In this Case Report, a patient with Buerger's disease who had a leg amputation below his lower right knee and a vascular bypass of right leg, developed a wound caused by his prosthetic leg and subjective discomfort. The patient received skin flap surgery but the wound did not heal properly. He was admitted to the Korean Medicine Hospital where his wound, right leg coldness, and phantom pain were treated with combined Korean medicine. The patient was hospitalized again where he underwent micro-drilling surgery. The patient was re-admitted to the Korean Medicine Hospital where he received combined Korean medicine treatment (CKMT) and carbon arc light treatment (CALT) for his wound, leg coldness, stiffness, and hypoplasia. The temperature of his right leg increased, the numeric rating scale score for assessing pain fell from 5 to 1.5, and subjective discomfort was reduced (< 20%) suggesting this may be an effective treatment.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.165-169
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• 2021

A burst fracture refers to the fracture of the anterior and middle vertebral columns which are moving into the spinal canal causing neurological impairments, generally requiring surgical treatment. We herein report a rare case of burst fracture with kissing spine in a 90-year-old man who had severe lower back pain that worsened during back extension. Considering the surgical treatment risk, he was hospitalized at a Korean medicine hospital for 85 days and underwent combined Korean medicine treatments including pharmacopuncture, herbal medicine, chuna, deep-fascia meridian therapy, walking practice, and abdominal breathing. Based on patient-reported scales, his pain was alleviated, and his physical function improved. Furthermore, his range of motion and walking time increased. This case report suggests that combined Korean medicine treatments could be an effective alternative for patients with burst fracture who have surgery risks.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.197-204
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• 2012

Objectives : The purpose on this study is to show the clinical effects of oriental medical treatments for labral tear. Methods : The patients were treated using acupuncture, pharmacopuncture, herbal medication, moxibustion, physical treatment and cupping treatment. And the effects for labrum tear have measured in VAS, ROM of shoulder joint. Results : VAS of shoulder pain went down to 2 in case 1, 4 in case 2. ROM of shoulder joint was improved. Conclusions : From the above results, It is demonstrated that oriental medical treatments is effective on labral tear.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.45-49
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• 2019

The purpose of this study was to describe the treatment of the clinical symptoms of syringomyelia using Korean medicine. A patient with syringomyelia complained of back and shoulder pain, numbness of the upper right limb, headaches and dyspnea. He was treated with herbal medicine, acupuncture, moxibustion, and physical therapy. The Visual analog scale (VAS) was used to score sensory symptoms (pain, numbness) and Modified Borg scale (mBorg) was used to score dyspnea. After the treatment, his symptoms were relieved. The patient's chief complaint was back and shoulder pain which was reduced greatly from a VAS score of 6 between 1-2. The results in this study may contribute to the development of the Korean medicine field of syringomyelia in the future.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.121-132
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• 2009

Objectives : To evaluate the current status of East-West combination treatment in joint disorders. Methods : The medical records of patients who visited the Joints & Rheumatism Center at the Kyung Hee East-West Neo Medical Center from April 2006 to June 2009 were evaluated. The general characteristics of patients who underwent combination treatment, trend in number of cross-system referrals, and disorders and involved body regions of patients referred to the Eastern medical hospital from the Western medical hospital were initially assessed. 6 major disorders were found from the initial scanning. The trend in number of cross-hospital referrals, number of visits to the Eastern medical hospital, current status of combination treatment, treatment modality, and reason for cross-system referral was evaluated. Results : 1. 1510 patients were referred from the Eastern medical hospital to the Western medical hospital, and 1065 patients were referred from the Western medical hospital to the Eastern medical hospital. First visit patients reached a peak at the second quarter of 2007 and fourth quarter of 2006 respectively, and have steadily decreased from then on. Referrals of female patients were twice as common as male patient referrals. Patients in their sixth or seventh decade of life were most commonly referred, and more outpatients were referred compared to inpatients. 2. Patients with knee joint disorders were most commonly referred from the Western medical hospital to the Eastern medical hospital, followed by hip, shoulder, ankle, wrist, and elbow joint disorders. The most common disorders for each of the above regions in referred patients were knee osteoarthritis, avascular necrosis of the hip, adhesive capsulitis, and ankle strain and sprain. The generalized disorders rheumatoid arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis followed. 3. Patients referred to the Eastern hospital received approximately 3 to 10 Eastern medical treatment sessions. 45 percent remained on constant combination treatment, and 98 percent of referred patients received acupuncture treatment. Conclusions : In regard to the number of patients and duration of combination treatment, combination treatment was successfully performed for knee osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and ankylosing spondylitis, while it was not so for avascular necrosis of the hip, adhesive capsulitis, and ankle strain and sprain. Further research on this subject is required.