• Integrative Medicine Research
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.60-66
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• 2014

Background: Medically unexplained symptoms (MUSs) are common in primary care. Atpresent, there are no proven, comprehensive treatments available in primary care forpatients with MUSs. However, MUS has parallels with "subhealth" or Mibyeong from tradi-tional East-Asian medicine, and thus, Mibyeong interventions could be effective in treatingMUS. Unfortunately, studies on Mibyeong and its intervention methods are relatively rare.Methods: We administered a web-based survey to 17,279 Korean medicine (KM) practitionersregistered with the Association of Korean Medicine. The response rate was 4.9% (n = 849).Based on the responses received, we assessed how much they agreed with concepts relatedto Mibyeong on a 7-point scale from "do not agree" to "strongly agree." Respondents werealso asked to indicate how frequently they encountered various subtypes and patterns ofMibyeong, and how frequently they use listed intervention methods.Results: Data from 818 respondents were analyzed after excluding those with no clinicalexperience. On average, respondents were male general practitioners aged between 30 yearsand 49 years, working or living in metropolitan areas such as Seoul, Incheon, and Gyeonggi-do. Responses did not differ by demographics. Respondents generally thought that Mibyeongreferred to subjective or borderline findings without certain disease, and that Mibyeong hasvarious subtypes and patterns. Subtypes included fatigue, pain, and digestion problems; pat-terns were either deficiencies (e.g., qi, blood, and yin deficiency) or stagnations (e.g., liver qidepression and qi stagnation). Decoction was the most frequently used type of interventionfor Mibyeong of all items listed, followed by acupuncture and moxibustion. Patient educa-tion was also recommended, suggesting healthy eating, promoting healthy environment,and exercise.Conclusion: We were able to provide preliminary results on KM practitioners' recognition ofand interventions for Mibyeong, but further research is needed to develop a detailed defi-nition of Mibyeong and its myriad subtypes and patterns, and evaluations of the efficacy ofMibyeong interventions.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Integrative Medicine
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• v.4 no.3
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• pp.101-108
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• 2016

Purpose : The primary objective of this study was to examine the status of continuing education, and to identify the current state and employment status of these physical therapists. Moreover, the study also aimed to provide basic data for establishing improvement measures in various continuing education programs to enhance the quality of physical therapists, thereby providing high quality service to patients and contributing to the increasing productivity of hospitals. Method : The present study analyzed the basic data obtained from KPTA regarding the 671 physical therapists throughout Korea. Questionnaires were sent by mail to from direct visits were used in the final data analysis. The questionnaire consisted of 45 questions in 3 categories: general characteristics, continuing education. Collected data were analyzed using frequencies, percentages, means, and standard deviations. Result : Subjects 88 (87.1%) indicated that they continuing education, showing that most had taken continuing education courses. The importance and necessity of continuing education was much higher for those with doctoral degrees than for those who graduated from college, or who possessed bachelors or master's degrees. Conclusion : A necessary follow-up study using these findings would contribute to providing a high quality medical service and to enhancing the quality of physical therapists. Moreover, systematic management of continuing education is necessary to devise comprehensive and effective measures for the development and acquisition of updated skills by health care professionals.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Integrative Medicine
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.159-166
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• 2021

Purpose : This study systematically assessed programs self-esteem programs for schizophrenic individuals that have been implemented over the past 10 years in South Korea, with the objective of providing clinical grounds and data for further programs that can be implemented in the Korean environment. Methods : For this study, a data search was conducted from 2012 to 2021, using search terms 'schizophrenia' AND 'self-esteem' among the studies registered in the RISS, KISS, Google Scholar, and National Library of Korea databases. A total of 988 studies were searched, and among them, 40 studies meeting the selection criteria had been taken by reviewing the titles and abstracts. After, 33 studies were excluded according to the exclusion criteria, and finally, the 7 studies were selected. Results : As a result, research into self-esteem programs for schizophrenic individuals has progressed steady, and most studies tend to be non-randomized controlled studies. All studies used the Self-Esteem Scale to evaluate self-esteem. All studies used the Self-Esteem Scale to evaluate self-esteem. The interventions of the selected studies were classified as were social skill programs, cognitive behavioral therapy programs, art therapy programs, and emotional management programs. And among them, the cognitive behavioral therapy programs were the most frequently used (42.8 %). Typically, the majority of the intervention sessions consisted of 11~15 sessions, the frequency of intervention was twice a week, and each session lasted 40~80 minutes were the most (each 57.1 %). In the programs for self-esteem, significant effects were reported for cognitive behavioral and art therapy programs, and there is no significant effect on social skill programs and emotional management programs. Conclusion : Future studies should expand the research scope, both domestically and internationally, and suggest more comprehensive conditions for a literature search by widening the research subject coverage.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Integrative Medicine
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.171-181
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• 2020

Purpose : The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of curl-up and proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) neck flexion exercises on stroke patients' trunk muscle activity, ability to control the trunk, and balance by comparing two exercise methods. Methods : The study involved patients who had been diagnosed with stroke based on the results of computerized tomography or magnetic resonance imaging at O Hospital in Daegu, South Korea, between January and July 2020. In total, 30 subjects were selected and by flipping a coin, randomly assigned to an experimental group (n=15) that performed PNF neck flexion exercises and a control group (n=15) that performed curl-up exercises. Both groups received traditional rehabilitation therapy for 30 minutes a day five times a week for a six-week period. In addition, the experimental group performed PNF neck flexion exercises and the control group curl-up exercises for 15 minutes a day five times a week over the same period. The subjects' muscle activity in the rectus abdominis (RA), external oblique (EO), and internal oblique (IO) were measured before and after the experiment. The subjects' trunk impairment scale (TIS) and Berg balance scale (BBS) scores were also assessed. Paired t test was performed to measure the amount of statistical change before and after intervention in both groups. An independent sample T test was performed to measure the amount of statistical change between the two groups. Results : Both groups experienced statistically significant increases in their RA, IO and EO muscle activity, total TIS scores, and total BBS scores after the intervention. No statistically significant differences in the changes before and after the intervention were found for any of the resulting values between the two groups. Conclusion : A comprehensive review of the study's results suggested that neck flexion exercises using the PNF irradiation concept and curl-up exercise are effective in increasing stroke patients' abdominal muscle activity and improving trunk control ability and balance in chronic stroke patients.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Integrative Medicine
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.277-289
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• 2020

Purpose : This study aims to confirm the clinical usefulness of computerized cognitive therapy program for patients with brain diseases in Korea and to present basic data that can confirm the effectiveness of computerized cognitive therapy program to experts related to rehabilitation in the future. Methods : A systematic review and meta-analysis research method was used to confirm the clinical effectiveness of computerized cognitive therapy applied to patients with brain diseases in Korea. Based on the national institute of health and medical colleges association (NECA) systematic literature manual and preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analysis (PRISMA) guidelines for conducting research through systematic review and meta-analysis methods. Systematic review was PICOST-SD was used to research and select papers. For meta-analysis, the data was input and analyzed separately by literature result using the revman manager 5.3 program and the results were presented visually through tables and forest, funnel plot figure. Results : As a result of comprehensive analysis of the contents of the finally selected literature, it as found that studies on stroke and dementia were mainly conducted. In addition, through the evaluation of the quality of the literature, most of the existing computerized cognitive therapy studies were identified as high-quality studies, but the results were insufficient for randomization and blinding. And through meta-analysis, the clinical effectiveness of computerized cognitive therapy on cognitive function, activities of daily living, and visual perception function of patients with brain disease was found. Conclusion : The research literature that applied computerized cognitive therapy to brain disease subjects was comprehensively analyzed and identified. It is thought that this could be used as basic data on the characteristics of cognitive therapy that should be applied to patients with brain diseases in the future and the usefulness of computerized cognitive therapy program in actual clinical practice.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Integrative Medicine
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.173-181
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• 2021

Purpose : The purpose of this study was to identify the clinical effect, assessment, method, and recent trend of the programs by systematically reviewed community-based programs for the elderly's quality of life conducted in the last ten years, and to present comprehensive basic data for occupational therapists who want to apply community-based programs improving quality of life. Methods : This study identified 811 studies from among those registered in the RISS, KISS, DBpia, NDSL, and KCI databases from January to September 2020, using "elderly," "community elderly," "65 aged," "quality of life," "occupational therapy," "occupational therapy program," "intervention," and "intervention program" as keywords. From these results, 11 documents were selected. Results : It was found that studies of occupational therapy programs for the quality of life of the elderly have been continuously conducted since 2010, and most of them were non-random control studies. The quality of life evaluation tool used most frequently was SF-36, and WHOQOL-BREF and SF-8 were also used. The selected programs were classified as were exercise programs and complex programs. For most of the exercise programs, interventions were carried out for 12 weeks, three times a week for 30~60 minutes. In the case of the complex programs, the duration of interventions was nine weeks, and the frequency and time per session varied. All of the exercise programs showed significant effects. Among the complex programs, two studies showed significant effects, but the remaining one study did not. Conclusion : Through this study, the types and effects of occupational therapy programs for the quality of life of the elderly were examined. Hereafter, studies of the development and to verify the effects of these programs should be actively carried out.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Integrative Medicine
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.185-194
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• 2023

Purpose : This study aimed to investigate the relationship between the characteristics of hemodialysis patients and the occurrence of sarcopenia through a comprehensive literature review. Methods : A systematic literature search was conducted to identify eligible studies in the Cochrane library, PubMed and Embase. In this review, we included all papers published since the initiative's inception and summarized results as of december 2022. Studies that investigated association between sarcopenia diagnosis and hemodialysis patients (aged≥18 years) were included. Ultimately, 16 studies met our selection criteria. The risk of bias was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale. Results : Fourteen of the sixteen studies (88 %) reported that significant association between sarcopenia diagnosis and hemodialysis patients. However, two studies reported no association between sarcopenia diagnosis and hemodialysis patients. As a factor statistically related to sarcopenia in hemodialysis patients, Mortality (6 studies, 38 %), age (5 studies, 31 %), body composition (4 studies, 25 %), physical activity (2 studies, 13 %), diabetes (2 studies, 13 %), cardiovascular abnormalities (1 studies, 6 %), nutritional status (3 studies, 19 %), and gender (3 studies, 19 %). Conclusion : Our findings highlight the necessity of developing a physical therapy program that accurately reflects the health status of hemodialysis patients. To further investigate the association between the diagnosis of sarcopenia and hemodialysis patients, it is recommended to conduct large-scale longitudinal studies using standardized diagnostic criteria and evaluation methods, as well as analyze potential risk factors. Consequently, this study emphasizes the importance and potential of developing physical therapy programs that effectively address the health consequences associated with hemodialysis. The significance of this research lies in its ability to provide valuable insights and lay the foundation for future studies focused on developing preventive and therapeutic interventions targeting muscle wasting syndrome resulting from hemodialysis.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Integrative Medicine
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.1-15
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• 2023

Purpose : This study investigates the effectiveness of digital therapy for stroke patients in Korea. Methods : A comprehensive database search was performed using KCI, Science on, e-article, RISS, KISS and Korea OpenMed databases for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that studied the effects of digital therapy on patients who had a stroke. This study includes RCTs published from January 2000 to July 15, 2022, which fulfilled the inclusion and exclusion criteria. A total 697 studies were screened and 30 studies were included in the final analysis. Methodological quality was assessed with the Cochrane's RoB (risk of bias) tool. Meta-analysis was performed using CMA 4.0 software. Results : A total of 56 effect sizes were calculated from the 30 selected studies. As a result of the analysis, the overall effect size of digital therapy was .59 (95 % CI=.43-.74). When classified according to type of intervention, VR (virtual reality) (g=.58, 95 % CI=.40-.75), and CACR (computer assisted cognitive rehabilitation) (g=.62, 95 % CI=.30-.95) were statistically significant. VR showed medium to large effect sizes in cognitive function (g=.78, 95 % CI=.20-1.37), psychosocial function (g=.63, 95 % CI=.20-1.07), and physical function (g=.61, 95 % CI=.38-.83). In the CACR, there was a large effect size in cognitive function (g=.84, 95 % CI=.52-1.15), but there was no significant difference in psychosocial function. Also, there was no significant difference between the two interventions in activities of daily living and no significant difference in the effect size of both interventions according to the intervention session. Furthermore, medium to large effect sizes were found for subacute and chronic stroke patients according to the duration of disease. Conclusion : This study presents evidence that digital therapy has a positive effect on various functions of stroke patients in Korea. The researchers expect to actively accept the new paradigm of digital therapy and continue to apply digital therapy in clinical practice.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Integrative Medicine
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.177-188
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• 2023

Purpose : To identify trends in studies on the intersection of neurofeedback (NF) training and rehabilitation interventions for patients with stroke, as conducted over the past decade. Methods : This review included studies published from 2012 to 2022. A comprehensive database search was conducted using keywords such as "stroke", "electroencephalogram (EEG)", "brain wave", "nerve feedback", and "upper extremity function". Results : A total of 703 studies were initially retrieved. Of these, literature predating 2012, duplicate literature, non-experimental studies, and studies that did not target patients with stroke were excluded. After this screening, we retrieved the full texts of 15 articles and re-checked whether each study met the inclusion criteria of this study. The advisory members who participated in this study consisted of people with doctoral degrees and more than 5 years of clinical experience related to the rehabilitation of patients with stroke. Disagreements were resolved through discussions. Ultimately, 8 papers met the inclusion criteria and were included in the final analysis. Despite differences in the type and duration of NF training, the combination of NF training and rehabilitation intervention was found to be effective in promoting the functional recovery of the upper extremities, eliciting positive EEG changes, and inducing neurological changes in the brain. Conclusion : A meta-analysis involving a wider search range is needed in future studies. In addition, efforts are required to generalize the clinical application of these interventions. This can be achieved by supplementing the research methodologies through extensive review studies that encompass a diverse array of study designs.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Integrative Medicine
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.183-190
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• 2024

Purpose : This study aims to conduct a comprehensive comparison and analysis of intervention strategies utilized for school-aged children facing difficulties in writing, focusing on evaluating the effectiveness of various intervention approaches both domestically and internationally. The primary focus is on assessing the efficacy of each intervention approach and identifying gaps in the existing literature. Methods : Data for this study were gathered from the domestic database RISS from January 2013 to March 2020, and international databases Pubmed and Google Scholar were utilized. The keywords for domestic literature search included 'occupational therapy', 'handwriting', and 'school-aged', while for international literature search, the keywords were 'occupational therapy', 'handwriting', and 'children'. A total of 4 international and 2 domestic articles were selected for review based on predetermined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Results : The study findings present a thorough comparative analysis of intervention strategies, categorizing them into task-oriented intervention, sensory-motor intervention, and integrated intervention. All intervention methods demonstrated notable improvements in the legibility of handwriting. Comparison between domestic and international literature revealed a predominant use of task-oriented intervention in domestic studies, while international studies showcased a diverse range of intervention methods. Conclusion : Interventions were categorized into computer-based, task-oriented, sensory-motor, and integrated interventions. Task-oriented interventions were the most common in both domestic and international studies, while integrated interventions were the most effective. Based on these findings, it is necessary to increase awareness of the need for handwriting intervention research among occupational therapists in Korea. Additionally, there is a need for well-supported handwriting intervention research with larger sample sizes in both domestic and international occupational therapy. Finally, future research should actively investigate the application of tailored integrated interventions for school-aged children with handwriting difficulties.