• 대한의료기공학회지
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• 제23권1호
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• pp.10-29
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• 2024

Objective : The purpose of this study is to determine whether An's breathing meditation qigong therapy (ABMQT) delivers bioenergy to the frontal lobe, prefrontal lobe, the olfactory tract in the mesolimbic pathway, olfactory bulb, CV22, CV21, olfactory area and vocal-related areas in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients to help improve olfactory disorders (anosmia) and vocal functions. Methods : The subjects of this study were 4 patients with idiopathic PD (3 males/1 female, 65.0±NA/68.7±10.2 years old). ABMQT was applied once a week, 120 minutes per session for 12 weeks in a non-invasive and noncontact manner, and the test before and after ABMQT application included olfactory impairment test the Korean version of Sniffin' stick test (KVSS), voice acoustic test, aerodynamic test, vocal handicap index (VHI-30), and auditory perception scale test tools. The results before and after the experiment were analyzed assuming a normal distribution, and a chi-square test was performed using a continuity correction, and the significance level was set to p<0.05. And the medical diagnosis and findings of the examiner (doctor in charge) before and after the experiment were described. Results : KVSS was significant as 0.2±0.5 and 9.0±0.0 before and after the experiment. There was no significant difference between the voice acoustic test FO and Jitter, the vocal aerodynamic test MPT, SP, AE, the vocal disorder index test, and the auditory perception test. However, the medical diagnosis findings of four study subjects showed that olfactory disorders, voice disorders, and laryngeal function were improved before and after the application of ABMQT. Conclusions : The breathing meditation qigong program showed significant effects on improving the olfactory disorders (anosmia) and speech function of each study subject. However, to produce meaningful results, it is thought that experiments involving a larger number of research participants are necessary, and additional blood and FMRI tests are conducted to verify metabolic activities and the olfactory neuron signal transmission system.