• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.104-114
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• 2019

Objectives : The purpose of this study is to review the effectiveness of fire needling treatment for knee osteoarthritis in comparison with manual acupuncture treatment. Methods : Through four foreign online databases (PubMed, Cochrane library, EMBASE, and CNKI) and five domestic online databases (NDSL, RISS, KISS, OASIS, and KTKP), we searched for clinical studies that performed fire needling treatment for knee osteoarthritis until May 10, 2019. Only randomized controlled trials were selected and we assessed the risk of bias according to the Cochrane RoB criteria. This review examined the selected studies into first author, publication year, sample size, outcome measurements, results, acupoints, treatment time & period and so on. Results : A total of 7 RCTs were selected in this review and all were conducted in China. Treatment period of more than 4 weeks and treatment visits of 10 to 20 times were the most common. EX-LE4 and ST35 (=EX-LE5) acupoints were most frequently selected in treatment. Among the evaluation indexes, a total efficacy rate was used the most. Most of fire needling groups showed more significant results compared with the manual acupuncture groups statistically. Conclusions : All studies showed that fire needling treatments for knee osteoarthritis were more effective than manual acupuncture treatments statistically. Therefore, the results of this study could be utilized as a preliminary data for another clinical research on fire needling treatment for knee osteoarthritis. However, further well-designed randomized controlled trials will be needed to develop sufficient evidence about the effectiveness and safety of fire needling treatment for knee osteoarthritis in the future.

• The Journal of Korean Obstetrics and Gynecology
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.43-56
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• 2014

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to review the trend of chinese clinical studies of herbal treatment for infertility caused by Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS). Methods: We searched the clinical studies published from 1979 to 2013 through CAJ (Chinese Academic Journal) with keywords of "PCOS and 不孕" or "多囊卵 巢綜合證 and 不孕". We analyzed the intervention type of clinical studies. In addition, We researched randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published from 2009 to 2013, assessed the quality of RCTs using the Jadad Scale and reanalyzed the intervention type of RCTs. Results: One hundred and seventeen clinical studies were finally selected. Clinical studies of herbal treatment for infertility caused by PCOS increased remarkably after the 2000s in China. Combined herbal medicine and western medicine was used the most frequently. RCTs published from 2009 to 2013 were fifty. Average of Jadad score of RCTs was 1.2. Combined herbal medicine and western medicine was also the most frequently used as intervention in RCTs. Conclusions: Clinical studies on effect of combined herbal medicine and western medicine for infertility caused by PCOS were mostly published in China. But Quality of studies was generally low. Further research on effect of herbal treatment for infertility caused by PCOS is needed.

• The Journal of Churna Manual Medicine for Spine and Nerves
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.1-15
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• 2022

Objectives This study aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of manual therapy in patients with failed back surgery syndrome (FBSS). Methods We searched eight electronic databases from October 2022 and only selected randomized controlled trials (RCTs) reporting outcomes for manual therapy in FBSS patients. Included studies were analyzed qualitatively. Results A total of twelve RCTs were included and three studies were meta-analyzed. Manual therapy combined with exercise demonstrated more favorable outcomes in terms of pain reduction compared to exercise therapy only (P<0.01). Some studies reported that manual therapy resulted in low efficacy, while some studies reported that specific manual techniques have a significant effect in pain relief. We, therefore, conclude that several studies have a high risk of bias. Conclusions Findings suggest that manual therapy is a safe and non-invasive, promising option for managing FBSS. However, manual therapy is not the best option in all circumstances; thus, this should be selectively applied by a well-trained practitioner. Further studies such as well-designed, risk-controlled RCTs are required to gain stronger evidence.

• The Journal of Churna Manual Medicine for Spine and Nerves
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.11-21
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• 2018

Objectives: To evaluate the evidence supporting the effectiveness and safety of Chinese medicine, including Chuna manual therapy, for the treatment ofosteoarthritis. Methods: We conducted a search of 8 electronic databases(Pubmed, Web of Science, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, CAJ, KISTI, NDSL, and RISS) to find all randomized controlled clinical trials that discuss Chuna manual therapy forosteoarthritis till May 2018. Results: Our inclusion criteria selected 7eligible RCTs involving 633 participants. The meta-analysis of 6 studies showed positive results for the useof Chinese medicine, including Chuna manual therapy, for treating knee osteoarthritis. There was no evidence of worsening symptoms or any adverse events. Conclusions: Our systematic review found favorable evidence regardingthe effectiveness of Chinese medicine, including Chuna manual therapy, for treating knee osteoarthritis. However, our systematic review had several limitations owingto the low quality of original articles andadditionalclinical trials would be necessary for stronger evidence.

• The Journal of Pediatrics of Korean Medicine
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.82-95
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• 2021

Objectives The purpose of this study is to analyze clinical studies on the effectiveness of TCM (traditional Chinese medicine) for pompholyx treatment and provide evidence for Korean medicine use. Methods Randomized controlled trials (RCT) which used TCM as a treatment for pompholyx were searched in China National Infrastructure (CNKI) platform. The risk of bias of studies was assessed by using Cochrane risk of bias (RoB) 2.0 tool. Results The selected 10 RCTs showed that the experimental group treated with either TCM alone or with a combination of TCM and Western medicine showed more significant therapeutic effect compared to the control group which Western medicine alone. Conclusions Based on the studies from China, TCM may be an effective treatment for pompholyx. This provides evidence for Korean medicine use, and its possible effectiveness in treating pompholyx

• The Journal of Korean Medicine Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology and Dermatology
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.70-87
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• 2023

Objectives : The purpose of this research is to review the efficacy and safety of taping therapy for facial palsy. Methods : Two foreign databases(Pubmed, CNKI) and one domestic database(OASIS) were used to search, and papers retrieved from the starting point of literature provision in each database until June 19, 2023 were included in the study. All studies in which other treatments were performed as a treatment intervention along with taping therapy were included, but cases where taping therapy was a comparative intervention were excluded. Results : 18 studies were selected. 14 studies were two-arm randomized controlled trials(RCT), and 4 studies were case reports. There was improvement in facial palsy in all 4 case reports, and in all 14 RCTs, the treatment effect in the observation group was significantly higher than in the control group. Conclusions : Taping therapy can be an effective and safe treatment method for facial palsy. However, the risk of bias in the selected studies was high, and there were many cases in which multiple interventions other than taping therapy were applied simultaneously. Therefore, well-designed studies with high quality are needed in the future.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.362-413
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• 2020

Objectives: The purpose of this research is to examine the recent clinical research trends on the efficiency of traditional herb medicine (THM) on gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and to provide clinical evidence of herbal medicine, Banhasasin-tang or Banxiexin decoction by using a systemic review and meta-analysis of randomized trials (RCTs). Methods: In this study, randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were included that verified effects of traditional herbal medicine (THM), including a Banxia-xiexin-tang decoction, as a treatment for GERD. A study of the literature in Chinese and Korean databases was performed for papers published from January 1, 2010, to January 1, 2020. The selected literature was assessed by Cochrane's risk of bias (RoB). Results: A total of 90 RCTs met the inclusion criteria. Except for four RCT studies, all studies identified the effect of a Banxia-xiexin-tang decoction in the treatment of GERD. The effectiveness of treatment was significantly higher in the intervention group than in the control group, as shown through various evaluation indicators, including the reflux disease diagnostic questionnaire (RDQ). Adverse effects were reported in 22 articles (24.44%). Conclusions: Treatment with Banhasasin-tang, or a Banxia-xiexin-tang decoction, was found to be effective in treating GERD. However, due to the low quality of available studies, the significance of this conclusion is somewhat limited. This study could serve as a foundation for further clinical studies on the development of diagnosis and treatment methods for GERD based on Korean medicine.

• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.249-262
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• 2017

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical studies which focus on acupuncture's effect on anxiety disorder. Methods: We selected clinical studies through six databases. We then examined the characteristics of the selected studies and conducted an assessment for Risk of Bias (ROB). Results: Seventeen randomized-controlled trials were selected to determine the effects of acupuncture on anxiety disorders. We found that the risk of bias in most studies was unclear. The intervention of 7 seventeen randomized-controlled trials (RCT) was basic acupuncture, 8 RCT involved electric acupuncture, 2 RCT consisted of acupuncture and Moxibustion. Four of the 7 basic acupuncture RCTs and 5 of the 8 electric acupuncture RCTs had a significant effect on anxiety factors for anxiety disorders. Conclusions: Acupuncture treatment for anxiety disorders was found to be effective compared to the controls, or there was no difference in effectiveness compared to the controls. However, the quality of the included studies was low, and there only were a small number of studies. Therefore, well-designed studies and a greater number of the studies are needed.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.109-134
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• 2016

Objectives: The aim of this study was to help develop a guideline for the common cold. We searched recent clinical studies of the common cold in Western medicine and reviewed their objectives, inclusion and exclusion criteria, primary outcome, secondary outcome, and assessment tools to establish evidenced-based guideline.Methods: We searched electronic databases (Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, EMBASE) to identify eligible randomized controlled trials (RCTs) about the common cold for the last 10 years. We included 29 RCTs and showed their research summary via their objectives, participants, interventions, control, treatment duration, and results. We also analyzed the definition of the common cold presented in the article, inclusion and exclusion criteria, primary and secondary outcomes, and assessment tools.Results: We reported the aforementioned areas in detail. At first, the definition of the common cold was confused across the articles. Second, herbal medication clinical trials for the common cold have been extensively studied recently. Third, the eligibility criteria frequently included the Jackson Symptom score. Fourth, validated assessment tools (i.e., the Wisconsin Upper Respiratory Symptom Survey-21) have only been used in a few recent studies.Conclusions: Our research will be helpful to establish Korean herbal medicine clinical trial guidelines for the common cold.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.433-442
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• 2017

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of acupuncture for the treatment of Raynaud's disease. Methods: This review was conducted using nine electronic databases (CINAHL, CiNii, CNKI, EMBASE, J-STAGE, NDSL, OASIS, PubMed, and WANFANG) and the keywords "Raynaud's disease", "Raynaud disease", "acupuncture", and "needling". Only randomized controlled trials (RCTs) using acupuncture for Raynaud's disease were included, and the methodological quality of the trials was assessed using the Cochrane risk-of-bias tool. Results: After screening, six RCTs were selected among 67, and the total effective rate and peripheral blood flow were used as evaluation methods. In five studies, the total effective rate was significantly higher in the intervention group than in the control group. In three studies, peripheral blood flow was higher in the intervention group than in the control group, with two studies being statistically significant and the remaining study not being statistically significant. Conclusions: Acupuncture could be a suitable treatment without adverse effects for Raynaud's disease because it improves peripheral blood flow. However, further studies, including randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind methods, and clear evaluation criteria are needed.