• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.85-89
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• 1998

Psychogenic cough is barky, croupy, and explosive and disappears during sleep, and is not affected by antitussive drugs. Physical and radiological examinations of the respiratory tract and other routine laboratory test are normal. It is helpful to recognize this condition early in its course so that appropriate treatment can be instituted before iatrogenic problems resulting in multiple hospitalizations and chronic steroid use occur. We experienced two child and adolescent cases that showing typical psychogenic cough so reported it with the literatures review.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.11-18
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• 2010

The clinical assessment of a patient with a cerebral lesion is not easy to physicians. Extensive neuropsycho-logical tests often need both skilled experience and some special tools. Some bedside tests equally provide valuable clues to localize cerebral lesion, when a clinician knows functional anatomy of cerebral hemisphere. In this article, several techniques used to evaluate cerebral cortical function will be introduced.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.149-154
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• 2023

Objectives : Far-infrared (FIR) lights have been investigated for sleep quality intervention. We sought to measure the advantageous effects of FIR in sleep using polysomnographic data as the objective outcomes. Methods : The ten healthy volunteers were enrolled in a single-center, prospective, patient-blind, single-arm trial. Individuals slept on a sham mattress and a FIR emitting mattress with polysomnography for one night each. Results : Sleep efficiency showed an increasing trend but was not statistically significant. PSQI-K significantly decreased (p=0.013). The latency to REM of the baseline was shorter than that of the intervention (p=0.008). Though there was no statistical significance, Stage N1 and N2 were shortened, and Stage N3 was prolonged after the intervention compared to the baseline. Conclusions : The FIR-emitting mattresses improved sleep quality on self-reported insomnia. We suggested the candidate for the markers altered by the FIR therapy, such as the normalization of REM latency and increased N3 sleep.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.173-175
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• 2023

Enuresis nocturia is more prevalent in children than in adults. Using polysomnography (PSG), we investigated the causes of adult enuresis nocturia in a 20-year-old female patient with nighttime bedwetting. In spite of normal urological examinations, her detailed medical history disclosed frequent sleep paralysis and urination during dreams. During PSG, two electromyograms were attached to her anus to assess the tone of her bladder's sphincter while she slept. During REM sleep, the EMG tone of the mandible decreased, but the anal and bladder sphincter tones did not. The polysomnogram revealed moderate obstructive sleep apnea. Consequently, she was diagnosed with adult parasomnia (nocturnal enuresis) overlap syndrome with OSA. This study demonstrates the value of PSG with simultaneous anal tone EMG for diagnosing NREM parasomnia and nocturnal enuresis.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.151-152
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• 2017

• Journal of the Korean Society of School Health
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.261-270
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• 2000

Background: Adolescence is the transitional period between childhood and adulthood. We have to pay attention to their psycho-social problems as well as their physical symptoms. In this context, we need to investigate the adolescent depression tendency and its related factors. Method : From May to June in 1008, we chose one elementary school, one middle school and one high school in Seoul and surveyed for all students who were above the 4th grade of elementary school and their parents. We analyzed the data for 3,685 students. Result: From the 6th grade of elementary school to the 1st grade of high school, the girls' DSRS(Depression self-rating scale) score was significantly higher than the boys'. The DSRS score was increased from the 2nd grade of high school for boys and from the 1st grade of high school for girls. The Pearson correlation coefficient between age and DSRS score was 0.16(p<0.01) and that between APGAR and DSRS score was -0.45(p<0.01). The median number of psychosomatic symptoms of the past month was 6, and when students complained for more psychosomatic symptoms, the DSRS scores were higher. Those who drank or smoked ranked significantly higher in DSRS score; and, those who exercised regularly, had leisure activity, and had a faithful person for counselling ranked significantly lower in DSRS score. Conclusion : Adolescents who complained of many psychosomatic symptoms needed to be screened for depression. A primary physician have to intervene about health related behavior such as family function, smoking, exercise and relieving stress.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.42-50
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• 1999

Alexithymia refers to a specific disturbance in psychic functioning characterized by difficulties in the capacity to verbalize affect and to elabolate fantasies. Although it was initially described in the context of psychosomatic illness, alexithymic charateristics may be observed in patients with a wide range of medical and psychiatric disorders. This study was designed to investigate alexithymic characteristics in the patients with alcoholism using Scored Archetypal 9 Test(SAT9) and Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20 Korea version(TAS-20K). Twenty patients with alcoholism and twenty-four normal controls completed these tests. The results were as follows. 1) Patient group with alcoholism were significantly more alexithymic than normal control group in both SAT9 and TAS-20K. 2) No significant difference in the alexithymic measures was found between genders of both group. 3) No significant correlation was found between alexithymic measures and age or education level in both group. 4) Measures between SAT9 and TAS-20K showed significant correlation in the patient group.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.3-9
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• 1994

The psychobiological model of cancer has a long history, with Galen's view on melancholic woman being often quoted. From a historical perspective, the 1950s witnessed a surge of interest in psychosomatic medicine and in researches linking psychological, social, and environmental factors to disease onset and progression. The 1960s witnessed the growth of animal experiements, in the hope of better understanding the effects of psychological and behavioral factors on carcinogenesis while controlling confounding variables. The 1970s saw rapid advances in immunology and neurochemistry. Further researches in the 1980s in psychoneuroimmunology explored relationships between immunological responses and psychosocial variables, and their implications for cancer vulnerability and progression. In this review, the interacting aspects of oncology and psychiatry are presented with selected major findings in the fold of psychooncology researches.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.8-17
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• 2006

Neurofeedback, also known as EEG biofeedback or neurotherapy, is a new therapy differentiated from biofeedback in that brain waves are monitored to study brain itself as well as its functions. Needless to say, it has originated from biofeedback, however it has established itself as an independent and specialized therapy in the field of neurotherapy. In order to have a better understanding of neurofeedback we are going to have a look into its historical and theoretical background first and then we will explain how it can be used clinically. Neurofeedback was clinically introduced for epilepsy for the first time and its effect was proved. Since then it has been used successfully for a number of psychiatric disorders, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder(ADHD), anxiety, anxiety and mood disorder, sleep disorder, substance dependency, etc. Furthermore, it has been used for non-psychiatric or psychosomatic symptoms, such as headache, chronic pains, chronic fatigue symptoms, etc. Recently, it has been also used for non-medical areas, such as improvement of peak performance for sports and art activities, enhancement of cognitive function, etc, making the neurofeedback a very promising field for its potential and effectiveness.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology and Dermatology
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.198-209
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• 2021

Objectives : The purpose of this study is to report 3 cases of Korean medical treatment on adult atopic dermatitis. Methods : Three patients with adult atopic dermatitits were treated with herbal medicine (Soyo-san hap Samul-tang), acupuncture, and moxibustion. Psychosomatic symptoms were considered the main criteria for treatment. The effects of treatment were evaluated through photographs of the lesions, using EASI and DLQI scores. Results : After treatment, EASI and DLQI scores on three atopic dermatitis patients improved significantly. Conclusions : This clinical case study has demonstrated that Korean medicine may be an effective option for treating adult atopic dermatitis. In addition, considering psychosomatic symptoms when treating atopic dermatitis may also lead to effective treatment.