• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.27 no.5
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• pp.69-78
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• 2010

Objectives : To prove the effectiveness of acupuncture treatment targeting the insomnia-complaining patients from the group of hospital inpatients. Methods : Among Wonkwang University Iksan Oriental Medical Hospital impatients, needling Sinmaek($BL_{62}$) and Johae($KI_6$) and Venesection on Eunbaek(SP1) on the 15 insomnia-complaining patients. Then, confirmed the degree of insomnia symptom improvements through Saint's Mary Hospital(SMH) questionnaire, insomnia severity index(ISI), and Korean sleep scale(KSS). Results : 1. Result indicated after the acupuncture treatment, the total hours of sleeping increased in average per hour. 2. When evaluating the degree of improvement using Insomnia Severity Index(ISI) after the treatment, average score was lowered and the statistical data showed the result was significant. 3. When evaluating the degree of improvement using Korean Sleep Scale(KSS), the average score was increased and the statistical data showed the result was significant. Conclusions : Among the insomnia patients from the group of Oriental Medical Hospital inpatients, the total hours of sleeping increased, showed the score improvement by using the tool for evaluating sleeping, and indicated statistically significant treatment effectiveness.

• 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.25 no.4
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• pp.187-204
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• 2008

Objectives : To investigate how Korean Medicine Doctors (KMDs) and pregnant women understand acupuncture treatment during pregnancy with a focus on safety. Methods : A survey was conducted in 163 KMDs and 157 women who were hospitalised in postnatal care clinics after childbirth. KMDs were asked regarding experience in acupuncture treatment for pregnant women and condition/disease for acupuncture treatment, intention to give acupuncture treatment to pregnant women and reason for yes/no, and consideration for acupuncture treatment for pregnant women. Patients were asked regarding their experience in acupuncture treatment before and during pregnancy and willingness to receive acupuncture treatment if necessary during future pregnancy. Results : 78% of KMDs have given acupuncture treatment to pregnant women if necessary, and it was mainly for pain. 63% of KMDs were willing to give acupuncture treatment for pregnant women with consideration of patient’s condition, specific acupuncture points, and stimulation methods. Pregnant women, however, were reluctant to receive acupuncture treatment during pregnancy (58%) in fear of miscarriage or needling itself. KMDs’ clinical experience, patients’ income level and level of education were not associated with greater use of acupuncture treatment during pregnancy (P>0.05). Conclusion : While many KMDs are willing to give acupuncture treatment to pregnant women if necessary, little evidence on its safety and effectiveness prevents patients from seeking acupuncture treatment during pregnancy. Further research on this issue is urgently needed.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.179-187
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• 2014

Objectives : Saam acupuncture initiated by Saamdoin is traditional and originative method, which is characterized by applying the five phases theory and mother-child reinforcement-reduction principle to the selection of acupoints and needling manipulation. Our study was aimed to summarize and assess the use of acupoint SP3(Taebaek) in Saam acupuncture treatment and to further understand Saam acupuncture in an aspect of the combination of acupoints. Methods : We searched the data based on "(Do Hae Kyo Kam) Sa-Ahm's acupuncture method" for SP3 used and acupoint combination including SP3. We performed frequency analysis, network analysis, and cluster analysis for quantitative aspect. To understand clinical implication of SP3 with another acupoint, qualitative and descriptive methods were also carried out. Results and Conclusions : In our study, SP3 was frequently used for tonification of lung, spleen, heart, and kidney meridian and sedation of kidney, heart, and lung meridian. For this, many acupoints such as LU8, LU9, KI3, HT8, KI7, LU10 and LR1 were used with SP3. The combination of SP3 and other acupoints were used to treat stroke, common cold, and pain conditions including headache, low back pain, respiratory disease as well as gastroenteric troubles including stomachache, indigestion, vomiting, and constipation. To further understand Saam acupuncture, an understanding of the five transport points based on five elements characters, pathological changes (deficiency and excess) of viscera and bowels, and concept of source point should be preceded.

• Korean Journal of Oriental Medicine
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.43-50
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• 2010

Background : The varieties of manifestations referred to headache and vertigo have been long complicated physicians in the efficient diagnosis and treatment of these diseases. Objectives : Establish a distinctive and efficient acupuncture method for the treatment of headache and dizziness based in literature research. Method : We reviewed four Korean medical literature, "治腫指南Guide to Swollen Sore Treatment", "東醫寶鑑Treasured Mirror of Eastern Medicine", "鍼灸經驗方Experiential Prescriptions of Acupuncture and Moxibustion", and "舍岩鍼法Essential Rhymes on Acupuncture and Moxibustion by Master Sa-am", and analyzed the therapeutic characteristics in the treatment of headache and vertigo. Result : 1. "治腫指南Guide to Swollen Sore Treatment" inserted needle in GV20百會 and waited until the skin erupts and heat burns, then applied in those regions affected. 2. "東醫寶鑑Treasured Mirror of Eastern Medicine" mostly applied moxibustion on headache, however, needling acupoints such as GV20百會, GV24神庭, GV23上星, GV22顖會 were also considered important. 3. "鍼灸經驗方Experiential Prescriptions of Acupuncture and Moxibustion" used moxa cones on headache in order to disperse heat and direct Gi downward. 4. "校勘 舍岩道人鍼法Essential Rhymes on Acupuncture and Moxibustion by Master Sa-am" defined the cause of dizziness, wood excavates earth and earth kills water. Conclusions : After previous study on eye, oral, glottal, labial, dental diseases and stroke, we could also find various efficient methods according to headache and vertigo, through literature research of Korean medical classics. This study will concurrently result in establishing distinctive therapeutic method characteristic of Korea.

• Journal of Korean Foot and Ankle Society
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.171-176
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• 2021

Purpose: This study sought to compare needle fenestration with a corticosteroid injection for the treatment of chronic plantar fasciitis. We hypothesized that needle fenestration would be as effective as a corticosteroid injection while avoiding the potential adverse effects of the corticosteroid. Materials and Methods: Forty female patients with unilateral chronic plantar fasciitis who did not respond to a minimum of 6 months of various conservative treatments were prospectively randomized to receive either a corticosteroid injection or needle fenestration. Visual analogue scale and American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) ankle-hindfoot score were used for all patients before treatment and at 3-, 6-, and 12-month following treatment. Results: The corticosteroid injection group had a before-treatment average AOFAS Ankle-Hindfoot score of 56.4, which increased to 87.3 at 3 months and 78.2 at 6 months after treatment but decreased to 62.4 at 12 months. The needle fenestration group had a before treatment average AOFAS ankle-hindfoot score of 49.5, which increased to 77.8 at 3 months and 92.1 at 6 months after treatment and remained at a high score of 89.4 at 12 months. There were no complications in either group. Conclusion: In the treatment of chronic plantar fasciitis, needle fenestration is as effective at 3- and 6-month post-treatment as a corticosteroid injection. Also, unlike a corticosteroid, its effect remains until 12 months post-treatment.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.20-31
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• 2021

The objective was to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of acupuncture for patients with rotator cuff diseases. There were 12 electronic databases and 3 trial registries searched up to November 30th, 2019. All randomized trials were eligible, regardless of language, date of publication, or settings. The primary outcomes were pain, shoulder function, and proportion of improved participants assessed within 12 weeks of randomization of the trial. The Cochrane risk of bias for the studies was assessed. Effects sizes were presented as a risk ratio, mean difference, or standardized mean difference with a 95% confidence intervals. Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation approach was adopted to rate certainty of evidence. Of the 3,686 records screened, 28 randomized trials (2,216 participants) were included in this review. The types of acupuncture included manual acupuncture, dry needling, electroacupuncture, acupotomy, warm needle acupuncture, and fire needle acupuncture. All of the studies had an unclear or high risk of bias related to more than 1 domain. Significant benefits of acupuncture in terms of pain and shoulder function were observed in all comparisons, however, the proportion of improved participants was not described in 2 comparisons. There was substantial heterogeneity among meta-analyzed trials. No serious harm was observed. For primary outcomes, the overall certainty of evidence was very low. There was very low certainty of evidence for the benefits of acupuncture for patients with rotator cuff diseases. The safety of acupuncture remains unclear due to the incompleteness of reporting. Future well-designed randomized trials with transparent reporting are required.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.209-221
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• 2021

Objectives : The aim of this study was to compare and analyze studies related to fire acupuncture (FA) published in South and North Korea. Methods : FA studies published in South Korea were searched through domestic and overseas databases (KISS, RISS, OASIS, and EMBASE). For North Korean studies, databases from the Information Center on North Korea and Korea Institute of Science and Technology Information were used. Among the searched literatures, clinical studies using FA as a treatment intervention were selected (i.e., randomized controlled trials, and case reports). Finally, information such as the disease for which FA was used, the characteristics of FA, and details of treatment methods for FA were extracted from the screened literatures and the results of South and North Korean studies were compared and analyzed. Results : This review included 28 South Korean studies and 9 North Korean studies. All studies in South Korea, except for the three articles that used traditional FA treatment, applied "warm needling"-like acupuncture (WA) in the form of heating the handle of the needle after inserting the needle into the skin, and most studies were conducted on diseases of the musculoskeletal system. Whereas in the North Korean studies, FA was applied to various diseases such as trigeminal neuralgia, skin diseases, and gastrointestinal diseases, and standardized FA tools were used. Conclusions : Studies on traditional FA treatment have rarely been reported in South Korea. The amount of information described in the FA studies in North Korea was limited. In this review, the characteristics of FA treatment tools in South and North Korean studies were mainly analyzed. In the future, FA studies from more diverse perspectives are needed.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.317-323
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• 2021

The purpose of this study is to report a case diagnosed with cellulitis and ankle joint synovitis after acupuncture treatment. An 85-years old female suffering from low back pain was managed by acupuncture including BL60. After treatment, unintended ankle pain occurred. The pain was diagnosed with cellulitis and synovitis by MRI. The patient was transferred to the Western medical hospital, and ankle joint arthroscopic synovectomy was performed. It was difficult to find a clear relationship between acupuncture and ankle joint synovitis. But it would be reasonable to assume that cellulitis was associated with acupuncture needling and synovitis was followed. Serious adverse effects, such as septic arthritis, are rare, but need significant attention. For acupuncture treatment on the ankle, especially using BL60, the depth and manipulation should be carefully performed along with sterilization.

• Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.29-35
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• 2022

Objectives The purpose of this systematic review is to analyse randomized controlled trials about acupuncture for patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS) and evaluate it's pain improvement effect. Methods Studies will be searched from ten databases (Medline/PubMed, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, China National Knowledge Infrastructure [CNKI], WanFang Data, Citation Information by NII [CiNII], ScienceON, Koreanstudies Information Service System [KISS], KMBASE, and KoreaMed). Participants will be patients diagnosed with PFPS, regardless of cause, gender, age or race, and interventions will be acupuncture, electroacupuncture, dry needling, fire needle, and acupotomy. Other treatments than interventions will be the control group and the main outcome will be reviewed by visual analogue scale (VAS). Results Data will be extracted and assessed according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis flow chart and Cochrane risk of bias tools. Meta-analysis will be conducted using random effect model within 95% confidence interval. Conclusions We expect this systematic review to provide useful data about the pain improvements of patellofemoral pain using acupuncture and expect to stimulate and systematize acupuncture treatment on PFPS in the future.