In a essay that was published on 'Science' in December 2014 as a part of the supplement "The Art and Science of Traditional Medicine," the eastern and western medical theories are discussed with reference to the model-dependent realism suggested by Stephen Hawking and Leonard Mlodinow. This paper examines what the model-dependent realism is, and how it affects the future direction of researches in traditional Korean medical theories. The model-dependent realism holds a meaning in that it puts traditional medical theories in a perspective of models, and allows for application of recent studies in scientific philosophy for researches in traditional medical theories. Especially, the model studies by R. Giere et al. will help elaborate the traditional medical theories from a model perspective. From a model perspective, the 'visceral manifestation', 'meridian and collateral', 'qi-blood', 'eight principles' and 'constitution' theories of traditional medicine have the potentials to develop into valid models, and the traditional medical theory's phenomenological and holistic perspective distinguishes it from western medicine, giving it a competitive edge. In addition, the epistemological pluralism of model-dependent realism can serve as an alternative to relativism or rationalism perspective which put eastern and western medicine in opposition until now.

Benign prostatic hyperplasia(BPH) is a common disease among male. However, its cause and treatment are not known and it is easy to relapse to the patients again after some treatment. Chinese has got an active research on BPH of traditional Chinese medicine. We researched the Chinese clinical papers from 2000 to 2014. After translating those papers, we analyzed total 45 papers by classifying those according to frequently used prescriptions, differentiation of symptoms, signs, addition and subtraction of each medicine and the quantity of frequently used medicines. Through this study it was to provide evidence in the diagnosis and treatment of BPH. The prescription of BPH was classified according to its stage. Mainly damp heat patterns(濕熱型) induce dysuria, Qi-stagnation and blood stasis patterns(氣滯血瘀型) induce pain, While Kidney deficiency patterns(腎虛型) induce sexual function disorder. This analysis report would be able to provide the basis of taking a research on BPH. In addition, it could be applied on a stereotype of BPH as well as a variety of symptoms with frequently used prescription and addition and subtraction of each medicine.

There is a growing interest in halitosis and diverse Korean medical studies are being conducted about it. But there are few study about teatment effect of halitosis after Korean medical care, treatment duration, and factor affecting recovery rate. Thus, the purpose of this study is to research clinical characteristic of halitosis patients, factor affecting halitosis, recovery rate of halitosis, treatment duration, factor affecting recovery rate by analyzing halitosis patients retrospectively. People who were over 19 and visited Korean medical clinic in Seoul to want to be treated halitosis in 2014 were analyzed retrospectively. We analyzed general and living characteristics of halitosis patients, halitosis-related symptoms and diseases, level of halitosis and halitosis-related symptoms both before and after treatment, treatment duration of halitosis patients, prescription of halitosis patients, recovery rate of level of halitosis and halitosis-related symptoms by general characteristic and duration of symptoms. Female, thirties, and Nonsmoker had the highest proportion in general characteristic. The average duration of halitosis is 41.6months and treatment duration is 2.55months. The average of sensory evaluation score is 3.40±2.53, subjective evaluation score is 5.02±1.53, lump sensation on throat is 3.52±2.50, postnasal drip is 1.11±1.88, dry mouth is 4.13±2.17, quality of life is 6.07±1.13. Gamichiuitang is used the most among prescriptions. Sensory evaluation, subjective evaluation, lump sensation on throat, postnasal drip, dry mouth, and quality of life had better score compared with pre-treatment. Duration of symptoms is in weak inverse proportion to sensory evaluation, subjective evaluation, dry mouth, quality of life. This study is meaningful in the way to find recovery rate of halitosis after korean medical care, treatment duration, and factor affecting recovery rate not progressed until now. But this study also has limits such as not analyzing objective data using halitosis measuring instrument and lack of methodical scale about quality of life. Therefore, succeeding study such as clinical trials is needed to verify reliability of Korean medical treatment.

Dizziness is one of the most common symptoms in clinical practice. The purpose of this study was to investigate the characteristics of patients with dizziness who visited Korean medicine hospital. This study analyzed 328 patients with dizziness who visited Dunsan Korean Medicine Hospital of Dae-Jeon University from Nov. 1st, 2012 to Oct. 31st, 2014. We gathered the data of the patients based on the medical charts. The patients were divided into 4 gorups ; central dizziness group, peripheral dizziness group, presyncope dizziness group, functional dizziness group, In the distribution according to sex, the number of female patients was higher than the male patients in all the types of dizziness except the presyncope group. The average age of the central group was higher than any other types. The peripheral and central group were most frequently admitted. The average hospitalization period were categorized as follows : central group 37.31, presyncope group 17, functional group 14.21, peripheral group 13.5 days. The following numbers of patients showed the distribution of each syndrome differentiation ; deficiency of qi and blood(氣血兩虛) 58.8%, plegm-dampness syndrome(濕痰中阻) 18.0%, hyperactivity of liver yang(肝陽上亢) 14.3%, deficiency of kidney essence(腎精不足) 8.8%. The distribution of herbal medicine for dizziness were categorized as follows ; Jaeumkeonbi-tang(Ziyinjianpi-tang, 滋陰健脾湯) 50.4%, Banhabaekchulcheonma-tang(Banxiabaishutianma-tang, 半夏白朮天麻湯) 10.2% and Bojungikgi-tang(Buzhongyiqi-tang, 補中益氣湯) 4.1%. The 86.0% of patients with dizziness has improved. The peripheral showed highest rate of improvement(100%). This report would serve as a reference data for further study about patients with dizziness in the clinical field of Korean medicine.

Bian-zheng(辨證) of Korean Medicine(KM) is based on four examinations(四診) of Korean medical doctor. The interrogation or questioning(問診) provides the most information of four examinations. The symptom obtained from the interrogation or questioning is the main basis of the Bian-zheng. KM is understood in the whole state of the body of a specified time without seeing the disease exist. So the observable symptom is disease itself. Symptom in KM is used as an important basis for the diagnosis. But if the interview when memories are not sure of the correct answer does not get much easier to find exactly the symptoms. So when recording original symptom(素證) and daily subjective symptom can be helpful for care. In this paper, we propose daily living symptom record system as a method that can be applied to the health care according to the importance of collecting the symptom in the KM. Daily living symptom record system can record the symptom in the individual to awaken daily. The system stores the symptom in structure and provides an open shared services. So it can be used as a symptom of other systems, such as PHR, EMR, CDSS. In addition, Doctor may be able to help in the treatment determined by reference to shared symptom.

To evaluate the benefits of Hyangsayangyi-tang aqueous extracts (HSYYT) on the propylthiouracil (PTU)-induced Rat hypothyroidism. 6 groups, each consisting 8 Rats were used in the present study - Intact vehicle control, PTU control, LT₄, HSYYT 500, 250 and 125 ㎎/㎏ treated groups. HSYYT was given, once day for 42 days from 2 weeks before start of PTU treatment as an oral dose of 500, 250 and 125 ㎎/㎏(body weight), and for 28 days while the PTU 10 ㎎/㎏ by daily subcutaneous treatment induced hypothyroidism. Compared the results with LT₄ 0.5 ㎎/㎏ intraperitoneally treated rats in this experiment. Results of the PTU treatment included; decreases of body weight, increase in thyroid weight, decrease in liver weight, in serum T₃, and T₄ level decrease with increase of serum TSH levels, in serum HDL increase and in TG content decrease, decrease in liver antioxidants defense system, increase of serum AST levels were observed. However, these PTU induced hypothyroidism and related hepatic damages were dose-dependently inhibited by treatment of HSYYT 500 and 250 ㎎/㎏, and they also effectively regulated the PTU-induced abnormal antioxidant defense system changes in liver. Therefore, in comparison with the PTU control group, it was effective and advantageous changes were not observed in HSYYT 125 ㎎/㎏ treated rats on the PTU induced hypothyroidism and related hepatic damages. In this experiment, HSYYT 500 and 250 ㎎/㎏ dose-dependently inhibited PTU-induced hypothyroidism and related liver damage in rats but not in HSYYT 125 ㎎/㎏.

Traditionally, 5 kinds of fruits with "ja(子)" in their name, including Rubus coreanus, Schisandra chinensis, Lycinum chineuse, Torilidis fructus, and Cuscuta seed, collectively called Oja(五子), are long known to enhance stamina. In the present study, we replaced tosaja with gyeolmyeongja(Cassiae semen ) and examined the effects of extracts from these fruits on andropause. This study investigated the antioxidant effect and testosterone synthesis of Oja water extract on Leydig TM3 cells. To investigate whether hydrogen peroxide induces oxidative stress in Leydig cells, 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide(MTT) assay, nitric oxide assay, and testosterone assay were performed on mouse Leydig TM3 cells. The results were obtained as follows: Leydig TM3 cells viability was assessed by a modified MTT assay, and the protection effect of Oja water extract against hydrogen peroxide-induced cell oxidative stress were examined by mitochondrial activity. Oja water extract could efficiently protect cytotoxicity induced by H₂O₂. Oja water extract promoted testosterone synthesis. These results suggest that Oja water extract has protective roles and promotes steroidogenesis in Leydig cells through its anti-oxidant action.

This study compared the heart rate variability tests of healthy college students and chronic fatigue patients for 2 years. Study subjects were idiopathic chronic fatigue patients who carried out the HRV tests and students conducted HRV test when health screening test. Study subjects were 250 people, 104 people and men (41.6%), women were 146 patients (58.4%). In patient group, the autonomic nervous system activity was decreased, the activity of the sympathetic nerve and the parasympathetic nerve were significantly reduced compared to the control group(Patient:84.17±16.27, Control:98.33±17.28). Regardless of gender, patient group's autonomic nervous system activity was decreased, the activity of the sympathetic nerve and the parasympathetic nerve were significantly reduced, compared to the control group(Patient Female:84.17±16.27, Patient Male:84.07±14.96/Control Female:98.33±17.28, Control Male:96.45±16.92). Even though same ages, patient group's autonomic nervous activity was reduced compared to control group(Patient:89.36±12.43, Control:97.39±16.91). Fatigue patients' activity of the sympathetic nerve and the parasympathetic nerve were significantly reduced, regardless of the fact that activity of the sympathetic nerve is increased and the parasympathetic nerve is decreased in stress state like an impassioned injury(七情傷). Therefore HRV test is useful to diagnose Fatigue from this study.

This study was performed to comparative investigate the distribution of primary sensory and motor neurons associated with Daereung(PC7) acupoints by using neural tracing technique. A total 16 SD rats were used in the present study. After anesthesia, the rats received microinjection of 6 ㎕ of cholera toxin B subunit(CTB) into the corresponding sites of the acupoints Daereung(PC7), in the human body for observing the distribution of the related primary sensory neurons in dorsal root ganglia(DRGs) and motor neurons in the spinal cord(C3∼T4) and sympathetic ganglia. Three days after the microinjection, the rats were anesthetized and transcardially perfused saline and 4% paraformaldehyde, followed by routine section of the DRGs, sympathetic chain ganglia(SCGs) and spinal cord. Labeled neurons and nerve fibers were detected by immunohistochemical method and observed by light microscope equipped with a digital camera. The labeled neurons were recorded and counted. From this research, the distribution of primary sensory and motor neurons associated with Daereung(PC7) acupoints were concluded as follows. Muscle meridian related Daereung(PC7) controlled by spinal segments of C5∼T1, C6∼T4, respectively.

This study was conducted to investigate the anti-hyperlipidemic and anti-oxidative activities of Ikgihwaetang-gamibang (IK). We observed the effect of IK on lipid factor, inflammation factor, body weight and organ weight, and liver after administering IK to hyperlipidemia mice triggered by high fat diet. Additionally, we used Raw 264.7 cells to investigate the changes in anti-oxidative activity and the effects of anti-inflammation. Administration of IK resulted in reduction of total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, TG, and glucose in blood serum while a clear increase in HDL cholesterol. The production of IL-1β and IL-6, and ROS and NO also decreased. The results showed that IK has anti-hyperlipidemic and anti-oxidative effects, and suggested its potential use in prevention and treatment of hyperlipidemia and its associated diseases.

The purpose of this review was to survey the Korean Medicine related papers about women with primary dysmenorrhea in order to develop the clinical protocol of the diagnostic medical device. We searched the literature from 2000 through April 2015 using 5 online databases including Oriental Medicine Advanced Searching Integrated Sysptem (OASIS), Research Information Sharing Service (RISS), DataBase Periodical Information Academic (DBpia) and Korean Medical Database (KMBase). We selected papers to meet the following inclusion criteria: the papers involved dysmenorrhea (excluding secondary dysmenorrhea), published papers (excluding textbook, educational materials, conferences, etc.) and the papers matched search keywords or scope, but excluded papers to meet the following exclusion criteria: the duplicative papers, get out of the keywords and scope and not in english or korean language. Finally we found 17 papers and classified the papers according to the three search purposes which were diagnostic tools for evaluating the menstrual pain, dysmenorrhea' pattern identification and menstrual phase. Out of the 16 studies, 4 studies were focused on the diagnostic tools including Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), Measurement of Menstrual Pain (MMP) and etc. Other 5 studies were aimed at menstrual phase, and the other 7 studies were studied for pattern identification. The VAS has been widely used in research and in clinical practice for the detection of the menstrual pain. Treatments for patients with primary dysmenorrhea can be prescribed in consideration of their patterns of sasang constitution or body constitution as following: Qi stagnation-Blood deficiency, cold dampness, Qi deficiency-blood deficiency and liver-kidney deficiency etc. This results of research will be used as a useful material during plan a clinical study of primary dysmenorrhea and acquisition of good clinical data.