• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.197-203
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• 1993

Screenings were performed on edible plants to examine their complement-system activating ability (anti-complementary activity) by hemolytic complement assay $(TCH_{50})$. Among 38 kinds of plant extracts, 5 kinds showed relatively strong anti-complementary activity which decreased $TCH_{50}$ more than 60% comparison with control and the order of activity was Zingiber officinale>Colocasia antiquorum>Capsella bursapastoris>Ginkgo biloba>Alium monanthum in $1000{\mu}g/ml$. The anti-complementary activity of ZR-1 prepared from the root of Zingiber officinale which was showed the most potent activity, did not change by pronase treatment, but decreased greatly by periodate oxidation. These results indicate that not protein moiety but carbohydrate moiety in ZR-1 fraction may also contribute to the anti-complementary activity. Also, the anti-complementary activity of ZR-1 was reduced partially in the absence of the $Ca^{2+}$ ion. When crossed immunoelectrophoresis using anti-human C3 serum was carried out after incubation of normal human serum with the ZR-1 in $Ca^{2+}$ free condition, a cleavage of C3 precipitin line was observed. Furthermore this polysaccharide fraction considerably inhibited $ACH_{50}$. These results also indicate that the mode of complement activation by polysaccharide from Zingiber officinale is via not only the classical pathway but also the alternative pathway.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.58-68
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• 2017

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is prevalent in preschoolers and schoolchildren. The utilization of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is increasing in patients with AD as well as the general population. This study is based on the utilization of CAM for children with AD. Subjects were children suffering from AD who participated in the project of 'Seoul Atopy Asthma Free School'. In 6,800, the number of subject available data to final analysis was 4,985 for children with AD. Independent variables were age, monthly income of households, sleep disturbance, and dependent variables were medical treatment (MT), oriental medicine clinic (OMC), home remedy (HR) use experience during the past 12 months. As a result, MT was 76.5%, OMC was 24.6%, and HR was 62.3%, while multiple treatment from OMC and HR was 34.2%, and MT with OMC and HR was 18.8%. And variables influenced on CAM were age, monthly income of households, and sleep disturbance. However, some parents, tended to recognize that home remedy was effective and safe than other treatments. Therefore, it is recommended to counsel with physician about the merits and demerits of CAM.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.7
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• pp.3235-3242
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• 2016

Background: Complementary alternative medicine (CAM) use in children with cancer is widespread. Health-care providers (HCP) need to acknowledge and address this need. This study explored and compared perspectives on CAM of HCP and parents of young patients with cancer in Indonesia. Materials and Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study using semi-structured questionnaires in HCP and parents of childhood cancer patients at an Indonesian academic hospital. Results: A total of 351 respondents participated: 175 HCP (response rate 80%) and 176 parents (response rate 80%). Parents were more likely than HCP to think that chemotherapy can cure cancer (80% compared to 69%, P=0.013). Nearly half of all parents (46%) and HCP (45%) doubted whether CAM can cure cancer. Parents were more likely than HCP to think that CAM can be helpful in childhood cancer treatment (54% compared to 35%, P=0.003). The most recommended CAM by HCP was self-prayer (93%). Reasons for recommending CAM were: hope for improvement of the child's condition (48%), patient wants to stop treatment (42%). Most discouraged CAM by HCP was by old-smart people (70%), the reasons being: lack of evidence for usefulness (77%), lack of CAM knowledge (75%). The proportion thinking that patients were unlikely to raise the CAM topic if they perceived that doctors were skeptical was higher in parents than in HCP (52% versus 1%) (P<0.001). Most HCP (71%) and parents (77%) acknowledged that their knowledge about safety and efficacy of CAM was inadequate (P=ns). The proportion that wanted to learn or read more about CAM was higher among parents than HCP (48% compared to 31%, P=0.002). Conclusions: HCP and parents have different perspectives on CAM use in children with cancer. HCP should enhance their CAM knowledge and encourage open communication about CAM with parents. If doctors' skepticism is perceived, parents are unlikely to raise CAM as a topic.

• Journal of Society of Preventive Korean Medicine
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.15-26
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• 2019

Background and Aim : Health care and cosmetics as well as quality of life is now a matter of concern and many categories of complementary and alternative medicine fall into the territory of the medical practice of Korean medicine. Accordingly, penalties are being taken for unlicensed medical practices of Korean medicine in so called complementary and alternative medicine area. There is a possibility of violating the law for the public part because it is not clearly stipulated in the law as to what is a licensed medical practice. Materials and Method : The significance of the Medical Service Act and the Act on Special Measures for the Control of Public Health Crimes were reviewed, and the related supreme court cases were discussed upon the legal aspect of processing the unlicensed medical practice of Korean medicine. The legal information was provided from the National Law Information Center of the Ministry of Government Legislation, and the information websites of the Supreme Court and the Constitutional Court. Results : The concept of medical practice, which is essential in judging the case of unlicensed medical practice, is 'prevention and treatment of diseases through diagnosis, examination, prescribing, medication, or surgical procedures based on medical expertise', and the 'acts that may result in harm and injury of health unless performed by a medical person'. With respect to the medical practice of Korean medicine, the concept includes 'prevention and treatment of diseases using the principle of traditional Korean Medicine'. Conclusions : The concept of medical practice should be clearly stipulated in the law for the control over the unlicensed medical practices of Korean medicine. And it is important to move from the current concept of medical person-oriented medical practice emerging from the national system of healthcare control, to a concept that can accept the era of health managing-oriented medical environment and the co-governance of the healthcare providers and consumers for the future.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.16-26
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• 2022

Objectives: Traditional Korean medicine (TKM) has been supplied as part of a national health care system in South Korea under a dual medical system, however it has been difficult to mix western medicine and TKM medical practices in existing hospitals. For the objective of innovative integration between them, Comprehensive and Integrative Medicine Hospital were founded in Daegu, South Korea. Here, we discussed the clinical outcomes of cancer patients who received integrative cancer treatment (ICT). Methods: A total of 678 patients previously diagnosed with cancer were retrospectively checked in our institution for 2 years. After applying inclusion/exclusion criteria, 573 patients were eligible for the final analysis. The overall survival (OS) of these patients in the aftercare period were determined. We looked at how clinical factors and treatments including chemotherapy, complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), and TKM affected the OS. Results: At the first visit, 212 subjects had no evidence of disease after tumor resection and 355 ones with advanced cancer, who receiving ICT including chemotherapy, CAM, and TKM showed better OS compared to the CAM including TKM or the best supportive care (median OS = 216, 78, and 46 days, respectively). The median OS was not reached in TKM only, even though the sample size was small (N=12). Even after adjusting for clinical factors associated to liver, renal, and hematologic manifestation, ICT still remained significant. Conclusions: We demonstrated that ICT might be beneficial for advanced cancer regardless of the performance status, liver and renal function, since it positively affected the OS.

• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.114-121
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• 2016

Objectives: Lung cancer remains a deadly disease with unsatisfactory overall survival. Cisplatin, a standard platinum (Pt)-based chemotherapeutic agent, has the potential to inhibit the growth of lung cancer. Its use, however, is occasionally limited by severe organ toxicity. However, until now, no systematic study has been conducted to verify its efficacy with proper experimental support in vivo. Therefore, we examined whether biosynthesized Pt nanoparticles (NPs) inhibited human lung cancer in vitro and in vivo to validate their use in alternative and complementary medicine. Methods: We evaluated the in vitro and the in vivo anticancer efficiencies of biosynthesized Pt NPs in a subcutaneous xenograft model with A549 cells. Severe combined immune deficient mice (SCID) were divided into four groups: group 1 being the vehicle control group and groups 2, 3 and 4 being the experimental groups. Once the tumor volume had reached $70-75mm^3$, the progression profile of the tumor growth kinetics and the body weights of the mice were measured every week for 6 weeks after oral administration of Pt NPs. Doses of Pt NPs of 500, 1,000 and 2,000 mg/kg of body weight were administered to the experimental groups and a dose of honey was administered to the vehicle control group. The efficacy was quantified by using the delay in tumor growth following the administration of Pt NPs of A549 human-lung-cancer xenografts growing in SCID mice. Results: The in vitro cytotoxicity evaluation indicated that Pt NPs, in a dose-dependent manner, inhibited the growth of A549 cells, and the in vivo evaluation showed that Pt NPs at the mid and high doses effectively inhibited and delayed the growth of lung cancer in SCID mice. Conclusion: These findings confirm the antitumor properties of biosynthesized Pt NPs and suggest that they may be a cost-effective alternative for the treatment of patients with lung cancer.

• Journal of the Korea Society of Computer and Information
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• v.18 no.12
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• pp.167-177
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• 2013

Recently, desires for diversification of medical treatment throughout our society have been enhanced. It is thought that such a trend may be directly related to the introduction of 'alternative medicine'. This study is to establish the foundation of legalization of alternative medicine, starting with the movement for legalization of alternative medicine from constitutionality decision of medical law by the legal Information Constitutional Court. It also suggested the direction of discussion with issue of how to introduce alternative medicine beyond the stage of basic discussion, 'why' we must introduce alternative medicine, through profound investigation of preceding studies. In addition, the present study analyzed legal controversies from the appearance of alternative medicine based on the decisions of the Constitutional Court and the precedents of the Supreme Court and drew the prerequisites for the institutionalization of alternative medical treatments. It also reestablished terms of alternative medicine which have been indiscreetly used, presented methods for officialization of alternative medicine and compared and analyzed advantages and disadvantages of the methods.

• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.1-12
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• 1997

As there has recently been growing interest in Alternative Medicine, Oriental Medicals have been trying to incorporate Alternative Medicine into Oriental Medicine evolutionarily. The purpose of this study is to make a comparative study of the historical background and present condition, the view of life, the principle of therapeutics, and the various therapeutics in Alterative Medicine and Oriental Medicine from the viewpoint of Oriental Medicine. The conclusion of this study is; 1. Although Alternative Medicine has become influential mainly in the effort of finding a solution the limit of western medicine, the clinical effect of Alternative Medicine should be verified continuously. 2. Alternative Medicine includes all of the therapeutics such as Traditional Medicine, Naturopathy, Complementary Medicine and Selective Medicine whose characters are different from Western Medicine and Oriental Medicine can be regarded as a sort of Alternative Medicine. 3. The holistic, systematic view of life of Alternative Medicine, from which viewpoint human considered as a harmonious vital existence, is a sort of recurrence to the view of Hipporcrates. 4. From the viewpoint of Alternative Medicine, a disease is not partial but holistic disorder and is treated by utilizing natural products as a medicine based on the principle that pursues harmonious and balanced psychosomatic function. This principle of therapeutic is the same as Oriental Medicine is based on. 5. Alternative Medicine may be classified largely five category, (1) Eastern Therapy, (2) Manipulative Therapy, (3) Natural Therapy, (4) Active Therapy, (5) Therapy Involving External Powers. 6. Besides Alternative Medicine which is used in clinical treatment, Massage, Homeopathy, Bach Flower remedies, Meditation, and other Music Therapy and Color Therapy is relatively accordant with therapeutics in Oriental Medicine and should be more actively accepted in clinics and improved.

• BMB Reports
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.230-236
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• 2003

Hot water-soluble crude polysaccharide (HCAP-0) that was obtained from the fruits of Capsicum annuum showed potent anti-complementary activity. The activity was unchanged by pronase digestion, but decreased by periodate oxidation. The HCAP-0 was fractionated by DEAE ion-exchange chromatography to give two major fractions, HCAP-II and III. These two fractions were finally purified by gel filtration to give HCAP-IIa, HCAP-IIIa1, and IIIa2 fractions that had high anti-complementary activities. The HCAP-IIIa1 and IIIa2 consisted of homogeneous polysaccharides. The anti-complementary activities were unaffected by treatment with polymyxin B, indicating that the modes of complement activation were not due to preexisting lipopolysaccharide. The molecular weight and sugar content of HCAP-IIIa2 had potent anti-complementary activity. The highest yields were 55 kDa and 75.9%, and the molar ratio of galactose (Ara:Gal, 1.0:4.6) was higher than other sugars. The crossed immuno-electrophoresis showed that both classical and alternative pathways were activated by HCAP-IIIa2.

• THE JOURNAL OF KOREAN ORIENTAL ONCOLOGY
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.125-148
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• 2000

At here, we investigated the historical background, current stage, and concrete therapies of alternatives in cancer therapy. We obtained the conclusion below. 1. Alternative medicine(AM) is a unothodoxial medical physiology, medical practice or intervension that overcome the side effects, faults, limits of coventional medicine. 2. Recentely, as emerging New-age movement, collapse of Decarte's mecanical cosmology, and emphasis on patient rights, the interest of AM is increased, and foreign & domestic use rates of AM are risen. 3. After coventional medicine in cancer therapies that depends on operations, radiations, and chemotherapy is bounded, Alternatives in cancer therapy are rapidly developed, and the majority of users are often considered satisfactory. 4. Alternatives in cancer therapy are classified six boundaries; Diet and Nutrition, Mind-body Technique, Integrated System, Pharmacologic and Biologic treatments, Immuno Enhanced Therapy, Natural and herbal medicine. 5. Looking at contents of Alternatives in cancer therapy, we get to know most of them are similar to the treatment of oriental medicine in holistic method, therapy, philosophy. If we synthesize the alternative medicine's treatment mentioned above and investigate it with oriental medical viewpoint, that may help us approach the conquest of cancer and improve the rate of cure. 6. It is certain that foreign AM will be imported reversely, and we must prepare for rebuilding of Korean traditional AM systemically, investing for activity positively, making national policy for medical system.