• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.135-142
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• 2013

Objectives : This study aimed to investigate the general effects of low-frequency electrical stimulation of the ankle joint acupuncture points(BL62 and KI6) on the brain waves of elderly women as a pilot study to figure out the possibility of candidate non-invasive and non-chemical stimulation method for the enhancing the brain function. Methods : A randomized, controlled, double-blinded clinical trial was performed in 31 healthy women(mean age, 54.5 years) within a treatment duration of 12 sessions. In the experimental group, low-frequency electrical stimulation was applied using the maximum range of the individual insensible strength(mean current, $0.04{\mu}A$). The control group received sham stimulation. The background electroencephalographic activity was measured before and after the12 sessions. Results : After 12 sessions of stimulation, the relative power of the alpha wave increased(32 of 32 channels: significant difference in 11 channels, p<0.05); the theta(30 of 32 channels: significant difference in 10 channels, p<0.05), beta(31 of 32 channels), and gamma(30 of 32 channels: significant difference in 7 channels, p<0.05) powers were also decreased compared with the sham group. Conclusions : Electrical stimulation on the ankle joint acupuncture points(BL62 and KI6) seemed to stabilize the elderly women brain by inducing the alpha power and reducing beta, theta, and gamma powers. These results provide insight into the action mechanism of the stimulation and can assist the future developement of a non-invasive and non-chemical treatment technique for stressor related cognitive problems.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.81-87
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• 2013

Objectives : Accumulation point is a useful acupoint for acute pain diseases. Among the eight extra meridians, only four (Yin Heel, Yang Heel, Yin Link, Yang Link vessel) have accumulation point and the others (Governor, Conception, Thoroughfare, Belt Vessel) do not. However, there is no explanation why these four meridians do not have it. So, the authors researched the literature to look for the reasons. Methods : We investigated 10 books and 1 paper about the 'accumulation point of extra meridians' using several search engines and researched reason why the other 4 meridian do not have it. Results : All of the 16 accumulation points are located on the 4 limbs. The four limbs have more Yang energy than the trunk. The governor, conception, thoroughfare, and belt vessels do not flow in the limbs. It seems that there is no acupoint located on deep gap enough to be the accumulation point among the four vessels. When it comes to the functions of these vessels, they are little related with the acute pain that is the main target of the accumulation point. Conclusions : From the results of this study, it seems to be reasonable that the four vessels do not have accumulation point.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.88-96
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• 2013

Objectives : In the acupuncture treatment of Korean Medicine, the Tonifying or Purging depending on how many times the needle is rotated has been used widely. However, there is little evidence about the optimal number of rotation. This study, therefore, was aimed to investigate the optimal number of rotation. Methods : Heart rate variation was measured before and after exercise in 20 healthy adults. Acupuncture was performed at PC6 immediately after exercise according to the protocol of each group without remaining. Pre-exercise and post-exercise measurements were compared and the rotation number that produced statistically significant difference was investigated. Results : Significant differences were found in the heart rate variation and R-R interval Average, between non-rotation group (control) and both of 15 times rotation group of tonifying and 6 times rotation group of purging. Conclusions : Significantly effective number of rotation in the effect of PC6 on the HR and RRAv was 15 times in the tonifying and 6 in the purging respectively.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.31-36
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• 2020

Objectives : The purpose of this study is to review needling depth and location of LU7, BL62 and KI6 by the medical classics' records. Methods : 1. We researched the medical classics describing LU7, KI6 and BL62, and reorganized data about the location and needling depth. 2. We compared the medical classics' records on LU7, KI6 and BL62 with description of WHO standard acupuncture point location. 3. We reviewed different location and needling depth of LU7, BL62, and KI6 recorded in the medical classics with the anatomical structure. Results : 1. The common needling depth of LU7 is about 0.2 chon. But in some medical classics, the depth of LU7 is 0.8 chon. Needling depth of LU7 varied depending on the patient's hand posture. In the 'half-up' position with the thumb upward, it is possible to stimulate acupuncture on LU7 by 0.8 chon because there is a space between the tendons. 2. In WHO standard acupuncture point location, the locations of BL62 and KI6 are just below the lateral and medial malleolus. But in some medical classics, the locations of BL62 and KI6 are between the bones and muscles below the malleolus. In the locations between the bones and muscles below the malleolus, it is possible to stimulate acupuncture on BL62 and KI6 by penetrating acupuncture because there is no bone structure. Conclusions : 1. By the 'half-up' position with the thumb upward, it is possible to stimulate vertically acupuncture on LU7 by 0.8 chon. 2. By the locations of BL62 and KI6 between the bones and muscles below the malleolus, it is possible to stimulate on BL62 and KI6 by penetrating acupuncture.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.14-23
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• 2020

Objectives : We investigated the efficacy and safety of miniscalpel acupuncture (MA) treatment combined with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) for chronic neck pain (CNP) in an assessor-blinded randomized controlled pilot trial to establish a basis for larger-scale randomized controlled studies on this subject. Methods : Participants (n=36) were recruited and randomly allocated to the MA group, NSAIDs and combined treatment group. The MA group received MA three times over three weeks. The NSAIDs group was administered orally with zaltoprofen 80mg t.i.d. over three weeks. The combined treatment group received MA and zaltoprofen in the same manner as MA and NSAIDs groups. The primary outcome was pain as assessed by a visual analogue scale (VAS) and the secondary outcomes were assessed using the Neck Disability index (NDI), EuroQol 5-dimension questionnaire (EQ-5D), and Patients' Global Impression of Change scale (PGIC). Assessments were made at week 0 (baseline), 1, 2, 3 (primary end point) during treatment and at week 7 (4 weeks after the end of treatment). Results : 35 participants completed the study. No serious adverse event occurred and blood test results were within normal limits. The improvement of VAS and NDI was significantly greater in combined and MA group than that in NSAIDs group (p<0.017). The combined group showed better outcomes in EQ-5D at visit 2 and 5, in PGIC at visit 4 than the NSAIDs group (p<0.017). No significant differences were found between combined and MA group. Conclusions : Our results suggest that both combined and MA group can be more effective in improving pain control than NSAIDs group. A large-scale clinical study is warranted to further clarify these findings.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.54-62
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• 2020

Objectives : Acute low back pain syndrome causes pain and poor quality of life. There are various studies of SBV (Sweet bee venom) pharmacopuncture, but few have identified the therapeutic effects for patients unable to walk due to acute back pain. This case series report three cases of acute low back pain syndrome treated with SBV pharmacopuncture combined with Korean Medicine (KM) treatments. Methods : Three acute low back pain syndrome patients with no other acute abnormalities in the imaging were treated by KM treatments including SBV pharmacopuncture, acupuncture, cupping, herbal medicine and physical therapy. The improvement of symptoms was evaluated using Numerical rating scale (NRS), Oswestry disability Index (ODI), EuroQol-5 dimension index (EQ-5D) and EuroQol-visual analogue scale (EQ-VAS). Results : Patients who were unable to walk due to acute back pain were able to walk. There were significant improvements of NRS, ODI, EQ-5D and EQ-VAS after treatment. The patients experienced an average 90% decrease in low back pain after inpatient KM treatment for about 8 days. NRS decreased by an average of 78.9%, ODI decreased by an average of 49.4%, and EQ-VAS increased by an average of 92.6%. In the case 1, EQ-5D decreased in all categories, but in the case 2, it decreased in all categories except for pain/discomfort and anxiety/depression, but in the case 3, it decreased in all categories except anxiety/depression. There was no serious side effect after treatment of SBV pharmacopuncture. Conclusions : KM treatments including SBV pharmacopuncture may be effective for acute low back pain syndrome patients. However, randomized controlled trials are needed in the future to confirm the clinical effects of these interventions.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.131-144
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• 2020

Objectives : The aim of this study is to analyze the details of acupuncture treatment methods and the reporting quality of acupuncture on Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS). Methods : Search was conducted in Pubmed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library for acupuncture studies on CTS. The reporting quality of acupuncture treatment was assessed using the following guidelines: Standards for Reporting Interventions in Clinical Trials of Acupuncture (STRICTA) for analyzing the method of acupuncture treatment, Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) for analyzing study design and study process, and Risk of Bias (ROB) for analyzing bias. The number of reported items was calculated and evaluated as a proportion. The reported proportion of each study was classified into three grades: Grade A (% score ≥75), Grade B (50≤ % score <75), and Grade C (% score <50). Results : A total of 9 Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) were included in this study. All trials reported 12 items (66.67%) on average in STRICTA guidelines. Five studies were conducted with manual acupuncture and 3 studies were conducted with electroacupuncture. PC7 (Daereung) was most frequently used to treat CTS. In STRICTA guideline evaluation, 3 studies were classified as Grade A, 5 studies were classified as Grade B, and 1 study was classified as Grade C. In the CONSORT statement assessment, all trials reported an average of 20.56 items. Of the 9 RCTs, 6 studies were classified as Grade B and 3 studies were classified as Grade C. In ROB assessment, most studies showed a low (63.49%) or unclear (26.98%) risk of bias. The selective reporting bias and the incomplete outcome data bias were found to have the lowest risk of bias, and the allocation concealment of selection bias was found to have the most unclear risk of bias. Conclusions : Recent acupuncture studies on CTS showed moderate reporting quality. However, more detailed reports on acupuncture are still needed to establish more solid evidence of acupuncture treatment.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.172-182
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• 2020

Objectives : In this study, we conducted a focus group interview among expatriates living in Korea, to investigate their experiences and perceptions of acupuncture and Korean Medicine in order to improve the usage of Korean Medicine in the medical tourism market. Methods : The inclusion criteria for the focus group interview was: (1) participants between the age of 20 to 75 years old; (2) those who had lived in Korea for more than 90 days, and (3) those who were able to express their thoughts freely in English. The participants were informed that the interviews will be recorded and transcribed. We ended recruitment once saturation of materials was met. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, and the data was analyzed after each interview. Results : The interviews were held between June to December 2016. Twenty-four participants were recruited but four dropped out and a total of twenty participants successfully finished the interviews. Six focus group interviews were conducted. Analysis revealed that Korean Medicine was relatively less known compared to Traditional Chinese Medicine or Complementary and Alternative Medicine. Participants automatically associated acupuncture with the management of pain or stress and replied that these were the areas that they thought acupuncture would be most effective. Positive experiences with acupuncture and with the acupuncture practitioners were factors that promoted the use of acupuncture whereas lack of awareness, accessibility and accreditation were factors that hindered its use. Other factors that hindered the use of acupuncture was needle phobia and the perception that acupuncture lacks scientific evidence. Conclusions : Awareness on Korean Medicine and acupuncture is low. Participants lack awareness on what diseases acupuncture can treat, the scientific evidence behind the mechanism of action, and the rigorous education system that Korean Medicine doctors must go through to get their license. Rigorous marketing should be encouraged, which includes greater exposure in the media, more honest reviews from patients, and promotion of the scientific evidence base.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.140-150
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• 2021

Objectives : The increase of osteoclasts could cause osteoporosis and bone-related diseases. Also, the inhibition of osteoclast differentiation is important in treating bone-related diseases. Traditionally, Psoraleae Semen has been used for geriatric diseases, aging and musculoskeletal diseases. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of Psoraleae Semen ethanol extract (PS) on osteoclast differentiation and its function. Methods : To confirm the effect of PS on osteoclastogenesis and bone resorption activity, various levels of concentrations of PS (5, 10, 20 and 40 ㎍/ml) were tested on RAW 264.7 cells cultured with RANKL. We measured tartarate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP)-positive cells, TRAP activity, pit formation and F-actin ring formation. The expressions of nuclear factor of activated T-cells (NFATc1) and c-Fos were confirmed through western blot and reverse transcription- polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Also, the expression of bone resorption and fusion-related genes in osteoclast was confirmed by RT-PCR. Results : PS decreased the number of TRAP-positive cells and the TRAP activity. In addition, PS significantly inhibited the formation of pit and F-actin ring. Furthermore, PS decreased the expression of osteoclast related genes. Conclusions : PS inhibits osteoclast differentiation and bone resorption ability through inhibition of the expression of osteoclast-related genes. This indicates that PS may be a potential therapeutic agent to osteoporosis by suppressing osteoclastogenesis.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.19 no.11
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• pp.166-181
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• 2018

The aim of this review was to determine the status of acupuncture therapies in reducing obesity in obese patients and to determine the scheme and effectiveness of acupuncture therapies. Existing reports published between January 1, 2003 and December 31, 2017 in Kiss, Riss, National Assembly Library, Pubmed and CINAHL databases were searched electronically with the keywords obesity, acupuncture, auricular acupuncture, and electroacupuncture. After checking the original sources of the articles, 19 articles were included in the review. In a qualitative evaluation of the papers using a checklist from the Scottish Intercollegiate Guideline Network, one study scored 9 out of 10 points, 15 studies scored 7-8 out of 10 points, two studies scored 6 out of 10 points, and one study scored 3 out of 10 points. In the acupuncture therapy schemes, acupoints to reduce obesity included shemen, hunger, LI-11 (Quchi), LI-4 (Hegu), St-25 (Tianshu) and St-44 (Neiting). Acupuncture therapies were conducted for an average of 16.9 total sessions. In the studies that involved 20-day or 72-day duration for acupuncture therapies, the frequency of acupuncture therapies was 1 time/1-2 days. In the studies that involved 4- to 18-week duration for acupuncture therapies, the frequency of acupuncture therapies was 1-3 times/week. This study found acupuncture therapies were effective in reducing obesity, and acupuncture therapies reduced anthropometry, blood glucose and lipids and changed blood hormones. In the future, there is an urgent need for well-planned studies of the effectiveness of acupuncture therapies for reducing obesity in obese patients.