• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.25-33
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• 2002

Substantial evidence suggests that behavioral and reinforcing effects of cocaine can be mediated by the mesolimbic dopaminergic system. Injections of cocaine can produce one of the immediate-early gene, c-fos expression in the brain and behavioral activation. Acupuncture as a therapeutic intervention is widely used for the treatment of many mental disorders such as drugs of abuse. In order to investigate whether acupuncture has an influence on cocaine-induced reinforcing and behavioral effects, we examined the effect of acupuncture on cocaine-induced locomotor activity and c-Fos expression in the nucleus accumbens and the striatum using Fos-like-immunoreactivity(FLI). Male SD rats received acupuncture for 1 min after injection of cocaine hydrochloride(1 mg/kg, i.v.). The employed acupuncture point, Shenmen$(HT_7)$, has been clinically used to treat mental and psychosomatic disorders. Injections of cocaine produced a marked increase in locomotor activity and FLI in the nucleus accumbens and the striatum. Acupuncture at $HT_7$, but not at control points($PC_6,\;TE_4$ or tail), significantly attenuated cocaine-induced increase in locomotor activity and Fos-like immunoreactivity. These results demonstrated that reduction in locomotor activity by acupuncture may be reflected by reduction of postsynaptic neuronal activity in the nucleus accumbens and the striatum. Our results suggest that acupuncture may have a therapeutic effect on cocaine addiction.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.57-65
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• 2010

Objectives : The purpose of this study is to investigate for rhinitis of middle school students and to confirm the effect of oriental medical treatments on rhinitis. We proceeded with this oriental medical treatment programs in collaboration with community health center. Methods : We have given oriental medical treatment, such as herbal medicines(pillet type Gamisinicheongpye-um and ointment) and intradermal acupuncture therapy at Hapgok (LI4), Yeonghyang (LI20), Indang, Bi-ik points, to patients for 9 weeks. Results of this treatment program were evaluated on a 4-point-scale depends on symptoms ; 'severe ()', 'moderate (++)', 'mild (+)' and 'no symptom (-)'. Results : After oriental medical treatments, rhinitis symptoms (sneezing, rhinorrhea, nasal obstruction, nasal itching and dysosmia) were improved significantly compared to before treatments (p<0.05). Conclusions : We confirmed rhinitis treated with oriental medicine should significant improvement and suggest that it is necessary to expand oriental medical treatment programs in collaboration with community health center.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.35-47
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• 2010

Objectives : Chim-Gu-Kyung-Heom-Bang(CGKHB; 鍼灸經驗方) is the needle and moxa specialized document written by the doctor specialized in needle and moxa treatment of Joseon(朝鮮), Heo Im(1570-1647). The document was published in April 1644(22nd year of King Injo). CGKHB contains the needle and moxa treatment techniques accumulated by the Joseon Dynasty as well as the personal experience of Heo Im. The aim of this study is to restore the past treatment method as a method of Needle Insertion Method at CV12(NIM-CV12, needle to penetrate blood vessel technique) in CGKHB.. Methods : Through Dong-Yi-Bao-Gam(DYBG; 東醫寶鑑), the implication of Korean medicine study of the Jungwan(CV12) has been studied. Next is the contemplation of the NIM-CV12 of CGKHB with the Acupuncture Treatment Using Jungwan(中脘鍼法) of Park Tae-won and Acupuncture Treatment for Byeokjeok(癖積鍼法) of "Geup Yubang". Results and Conclusions : 1. CV12 is one of the acupuncture points representing stomach(脾胃), middle energizer(中焦), phlegm-fluid retention(痰飮) and greater yin(太陰). 2. NIM-CV12 of CGKHB is the technique to penetrate the needle into the CV12 strictly relying on tactile sense of a person who give the penetration. This CV12 administration was carried out at intervals of every 7 or 8 day. During the administration period, the patient was not allowed to intake excessive amount of food. 3. The Acupuncture Treatment Using Jungwan(中脘鍼法) of Park Tae-won and Acupuncture Treatment for Byeokjeok(癖積鍼法) of "GeupYubang", existed in the same era of the NIM-CV12 of CGKHB, have similar linkage to the NIM-CV12 of Heo Im.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.91-97
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• 2018

Objectives : This study was performed to investigate immune regulatory effects of the pharmacopuncture with MOK on hyperthyroid rats. Methods : The experimental hyperthyroidism was prepared by the intraperitoneal injection of L-thyroxine(LT4, 0.5 mg/kg) once daily for 2 weeks in Sprague-Dawley(SD) rats. The pharmacopuncture with MOK extract(MOK pharmacopuncture) at doses of 0.3 or 3 mg/kg was injected on acupuncture points in the thyroid glands of hyperthyroid rats once a day for 2 weeks. Propylthiouracil(PTU, 10 mg/kg) as a reference group was subcutaneously injected into the dorsal neck. We measured the levels of $IFN-{\gamma}$ and IL-4 in the sera of rats using enzyme-linked immunosorbant assay(ELISA) and determined the expression of $IFN-{\gamma}$, IL-4, IL-10, and Foxp3 in spleen tissues by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR). Results : The treatment of MOK pharmacopuncture in hyperthyroid rats significantly decreased the serum levels of Th1 cytokine, $IFN-{\gamma}$(p<0.01 for MOK 0.3 mg/kg, p<0.05 for MOK 3 mg/kg, and p<0.05 for PTU) and significantly increased the levels of Th2 cytokine, IL-4(p<0.05 for MOK 0.3 mg/kg, p<0.001 for MOK 3 mg/kg, and p<0.05 for PTU) compared to control group. Also, the MOK pharmacopuncture significantly increased IL-4 expression(p<0.05 for MOK 3 mg/kg, and p<0.05 for PTU), IL-10(p<0.05 for MOK 3 mg/kg, and p<0.01 for PTU), and Foxp3(p<0.01 for MOK 0.3 mg/kg, p<0.05 for MOK 3 mg/kg and p<0.01 for PTU) in spleen tissues of hyperthyroid rats compared to control group. Conclusions : Our results suggest that MOK pharmacopuncture can help to ameliorate the pathological progression of hyperthyroidism by regulation of the Th1/Th2 imbalance.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.139-149
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• 2019

Objectives : A dermal needle is one of the therapeutic method by stimulating or tapping on the certain points of skin. Recently, roller or stamp-needle have been applied to various diseases in combination with microneedle technology. In this study, we analyzed the trend of roller and stamp-needle in Korean patent. Methods : Electronic search for Korean patent of roller or stamp needle was performed in Korea Intellectual Property Right Information Service database to April, 2019. Results : Sixty seven patents (51, roller-needle; 15, stamp-needle; 1, both types of needle) met the inclusion criteria. According to patent details, 34 of 67 patents were skin stimulation, 14 patents were intended to increase the efficiency of drug delivery through skin stimulation, 16 patents combined skin stimulation with technologies such as electrode or high frequency, and three patents applied both electrode or high frequency stimulation, and drug application as well as physical skin stimulation. Each of these patents aims to increase the efficiency of the needle manufacturing process (n=24), to facilitate the use of tools or to increase the efficiency of the technology (n=61), or to increase the technical skill of the needle itself (n=23). Conclusions : This study confirms that technological advances were being made by combining various types of stimuli to dermal needle and there have been attempts to expand the scope of drug delivery in terms of application of dermal needle. In the future, more research and development is needed in order to apply the dermal needle to modern technology.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.43-61
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• 2021

Objectives : The purpose of this study is to review the acupuncture treatment for cold hypersensitivity of hands and feet. Methods : We searched articles in 7 search engines with keywords related to 'Cold hypersensitivity of hands and feet' and 'Raynaud disease' in March 2021. Clinical studies that used acupuncture for cold hypersensitivity of hands or feet were included. Animal studies and nonclinical data were excluded. Data on acupuncture treatment such as methods, site, duration, frequency, and period were analyzed. Also, network analysis between acupoints was conducted. Results : Of 41 selected articles, there were 32 case reports, 7 randomized controlled trials, and 2 uncontrolled clinical studies. Studies were conducted using manual acupuncture, electroacupuncture, warm needling, pharmacopuncture, fire needling, and auricular acupuncture. Most studies used more than one acupoint (n=40), and there were 111 acupoints selected for acupuncture treatment for cold hypersensitivity of hands and feet. The most commonly used acupoint was LI11 (n=27). In terms of the correlation of acupoints, LI11 had the highest value of degree centrality at 0.6989. The mean treatment time, number of treatments, and duration were 26.8±8.87 minutes, 15.51±15.75 times, and 77.69±132.80 days. Conclusions : The results of this study could be useful in establishing the evidence for performing standardized acupuncture treatment for cold hypersensitivity of hands and feet.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.222-234
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• 2021

Objectives : The purpose of this study is to examine the efficacy of fire needling and warm needling for De Quervain Syndrome by reviewing clinical studies for recent 10 years. Methods : Randomized controlled trials, non-randomized controlled trials, and case series containing more than 20 cases about fire needling and warm needling for De Quervain Syndrome published since 2011 were searched through four foreign online databases (CNKI, Pubmed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library) and five Korean online databases (OASIS, Science ON, DBPIA, KISS, RISS). The number and characteristics of participants, treatment points and main treatment methods involving other combination treatments, treatment cycle or total periods of treatments, evaluation indices, efficacy, and adverse events were analyzed. Risk of bias of included randomized clinical trials was assessed using a revised tool for assessing risk of bias in randomized trials (RoB 2). Results : A total of 6 randomized clinical trials and 2 case series involving 471 participants were included. Tender point or 'Ashi point' was the most commonly used treatment point, followed by LU4. Treatment frequency ranged from once a day to once a week. One to three outcome measures were used to evaluate the results of the studies, with the efficacy rate the most frequently used, followed by visual analogue scale. Overall risk of bias of all included randomized clinical trials was judged to have some concerns. Conclusions : All selected studies showed that fire needling and warm needling treatments for De Quervain syndrome were more effective than other clinical methods or acupuncture treatments. However, as the number of clinical studies is still too small and the risk of bias of the studies is not low, it is believed that more systematic and objective studies should be conducted.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.126-131
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• 2022

Objectives : Electroacupuncture (EA) is a procedure in which pulses of weak electrical current are sent through acupuncture needles into acupuncture points in the skin, and Joksamli (ST36) is one of the most used acupoints. This study was designed to analyze the trend of research articles on ST36 EA published in Korea. Methods : Articles on EA at ST36 in Korean journals were searched in Korean databases and analyzed focusing on the number of publications by year, research subject, research topics, institutes, and journals. Results : Total 66 articles were included in this study, which were 51 basic researches, 12 clinical researches, and 3 reviews. Since 2000, the number of articles has gradually increased, reaching the highest level in 2007, and rapidly decreased since 2012. Kyung Hee University is the organization that published the most articles, and the journal that published the most articles is Journal of Acupuncture Research, followed by Korean Journal of Acupuncture. Conclusions : A lot of ST36 EA studies in Korean journals are basic experimental researches using rats, and the research topics are closely related to the diseases of patients visiting Korean medicine clinics. The number of papers by institution is related to the number of professors, and researchers tend to prefer publishing in acupuncture journals.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.66-78
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• 2014

Objectives : The specificity of acupuncture point has been a highly controversial subject. Existing researches said that ion-distribution differences are observed on the acupuncture point. This study was conducted under the assumption that multiple ionic changes induced by muscle fatigue would be different between the acupuncture point with non-acupuncture point. Methods : To induce the identical fatigue, twenty subjects performed the knee extension/flexion exercise using the Biodex System 3. ST32 and ST33 as well as adjacent non-acupuncture points were selected. We measured blood lactate and analyzed the median frequency(MF) and peak torque. To obtain the information on the extracellular fluid(ECW), intracellular fluid(ICW) and cell membrane indirectly, we used the multi-frequency bioelectrical impedance analysis(MF-BIA) method. Results : MF, peak torque and blood lactate level of all measurement sites were gradually returned to normal. Re resistance of ST32 had a stronger response, but a non-acupuncture point adjacent to ST33 had a larger response up to 20 minutes post exercise. Ri resistances were similar for both acupoints and non-acupoints. The $C_m$ capacitance of ST32 had a stronger response after inducing fatigue, but ST33 had a smaller response than a non-acupuncture point adjacent to it. Conclusions : In comparison with before and after inducing fatigue, the specificity of acupuncture points was not clearly observed. Hence, we concluded that the body composition factors extraction method had the limitation as a method of finding the specificity of acupuncture points by inducing fatigue.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.85-97
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• 2008

Objectives : Moxibustion therapy is one of the most popular oriental treatments in Korea. In this study, we operate the in-depth interview for use of moxibustion therapy in Korea. Methods : Survey questions were developed based on consensus of acupuncture professors. The list of the Korean medical doctors with experiences more than 10 years is provided by the Association of the Korean Oriental Medicine. The in-depth interview was conducted in 30 Korean medical doctors who answered in the previous telephone survey that they use moxibustion therapy for more than 30 % of patients everyday. Interview survey with them were conducted by the well-trained interviewers of Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine in medical researcher from 22th May to 28th June 2007. Results : Korean medical doctors prefer to use the moxibustion with moxa stick (83.9%). The most common treatment disease was musculo-skeletal disorder (28.9%), gynecology (14.1%), digestive disorder (28.6%). The most common treatment area was the abdomen (35.3%), back (22.5%), lower extremity (15.8%) and upper extremity (16.9%). Indirect moxibustion’s was as frequent as 73.5% of moxibustion method. The most common instrument for treating was mini-moxa of manufactured goods (39.3%). Most Korean medical doctors (48.8%) took up the position that bring symptom relief following good treatment area. 'High preferences of patients' (32.7%) was one of moxibustion strong points but 'Lots of smell and smoke' (54.7%)' was a weak points. The most common side effects was the 'slight burn' (34.9%), 'skin rash' (22.5%), 'skin pruritus' (23.8%) Conclusions : This survey provides unique insight into the perception of the Korea medical doctor at moxibustion therapy. Future research needs to provide more in-depth insight into doctor views of the experience.