• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.75-80
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• 2003

Lumbar spinal stenosis results from the progressive combined narrowing of the central spinal canal, the neurorecesses, and the neuroforaminal canals. In the absence of prior surgery, tumor, or infection, the spinal canal may become narrowed by bulging or protrusion of the intervertebral disc annulus, herniation of the nucleus pulposis posteriorly, thickening of the posterior longitudinal ligament, hypertrophy of the ligamentum flavum, epidural fat deposition, spondylosis of the intervertebral disc margins, or a combination of two or more of the above factors. Patients with spinal stenosis become symptomatic when pain, motor weakness, paresthesia, or other neurologic compromise causes distress. In one case, we administrated oriental medical treatment with acupuncture treatment and herb-medicine. Oriental medical treatment showed desirable effect on lumbar spinal stenosis.

• Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.91-104
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• 2018

Objectives The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of Acupotomy on the pain reduction and functional improvement of patients with Acute low back pain. Methods We studied 60 patients with Acute low back pain with Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) 5 or higher in admission and had admitted to Department of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation of Daejeon University from March 1, 2017 to October 31, 2017. 30 patients had received Acupotomy combined Korean Medicine treatment(such as acupuncture, moxabustion, herbal medicine, etc) and the other 30 had received Korean Medicine treatment only. The analysis was conducted as a retrospective study which analyzes the patient's medical records. Statistical analysis was performed using the IBM SPSS Statistics 24 program. We used NRS to evaluate pain reduction, used Range of Motion (ROM) and Roland Morris Disability Questionnaire (RMDQ) to evaluate function improvement, and used EuroQol-5 Dimension (EQ-5D) and EuroQoL-Visual Analogue Scale (EQ-VAS) to assess quality of life. Finally, a five-point Likert scale was used to assess treatment satisfaction. Results The analysis revealed that patients who were treated with Acupotomy showed statistically significant NRS reduction, improvement of ROM and RMDQ, improvement of EQ-5D and EQ-VAS and satisfaction compared to those who just recevied Korean Medicine treatment. Conclusions In conclusion, we found that the Acupotomy showed a positive effect on pain resolving, functional rehabilitation and quality of life in patients with Acute low back pain.

• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.247-251
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• 2020

Objectives: Ganglion cysts require a sustainable treatment that suppresses their frequent recurrence. This study aimed to explore the clinical effects of Scolopendra pharmacopuncture (SP) and electroacupuncture on ganglion cysts. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the patient records and follow-up reports for 20 patients with wrist ganglion cysts who received SP and electroacupuncture from April 2016 to March 2017. The cyst diameter, recurrence, visual analog scale (VAS) scores for pain, the Korean version of the disabilities of arm, shoulder, and hand (K-DASH) score, and the Korean version of the patient-rated wrist evaluation (K-PRWE) score before and after treatment were noted. Results: After treatment, the cyst diameter decreased significantly from 13.61 ± 6.41 mm to 5.15 ± 6.18 mm (p < 0.001), and VAS score for pain decreased from 1.31 ± 1.77 to 0.41 ± 0.33 (p = 0.021). Further, the K-DASH score decreased significantly from 8.97 ± 12.66 to 2.21 ± 7.39 (p = 0.016), and score for the function subscale of K-PRWE decreased from 11.37 ± 4.48 to 9.1 ± 3.67 (p = 0.046). No recurrences were reported from the followed-up patients. Any complication related to SP or electroacupuncture was not observed, except mild rash, itching, and swelling at the injection site in four patients. Conclusion: Combination of SP and electroacupuncture may be effective in treating ganglion cysts; further prospective studies with large population are needed to clarify the effect of SP and electroacupuncture.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.43 no.5
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• pp.881-890
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• 2022

Objectives: This study investigated the effect of complex Korean medicine treatment on decreased mental status in a progressive supranuclear palsy patient with a cerebrovascular accident. Case presentation: The patient was treated with Korean medicine composed of herbal medicine (modified Guibi-tang), acupuncture, moxibustion, and cupping combined with Western medicine (a dopamine precursor and an anticholinergic) and physical therapy. The Glasgow Coma Scale, Mini-Mental State Examination, and Hoehn and Yahr Scale were used to evaluate the effects of the treatments. After treatment, Glasgow Coma Scores increased from 9-10 to 12-13, and Mini-Mental State Examination for dementia screen scores increased from 1 to 2. The Hoehn and Yahr score remained at 5. There were no side effects of the treatment. Conclusion: This study suggests that complex Korean medicine treatments may be effective for the decreased mental status of a progressive supranuclear palsy patient with a cerebrovascular accident, but further studies are needed.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.466-484
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• 2023

Objective: The purpose of this study was to provide data for the development of Korean medicine (KM) clinical practice guidelines (CPG) for gastric cancer (GC) by identifying the awareness and knowledge needs of KM doctors (KMD) through an online survey. Methods: A survey questionnaire was produced by referring to the previous recognition survey studies for clinical KMDs. The survey questionnaire was composed of questions regarding the current status of clinical care for GC, the knowledge level of clinicians about GC, and other details that clinicians use during practice. The survey was conducted from September 20 to October 22, 2021. An online survey was conducted with 195 KMDs from the Society of Korean Medicine and the Korean Association of Traditional Oncology of KM. Results: A total of 195 respondents participated in the online survey regarding the current status of GC treatment. Of this number, 10.3% of the respondents specialize in GC, but even if they do not currently specialize in GC, they are more likely to treat patients with GC in the future. In terms of the specifics of KM treatment, there was a demand for information on comprehensive KM treatment methods, such as herbal medicine, acupuncture, moxibustion, cupping, and chuna, as well as on analyzing the effectiveness of combined treatment with chemotherapy and radiation. Conclusion: In this study, we were able to understand the clinical KMDs' perception of GC, knowledge level, and requirements in the CPG. The results of this study will provide the basic data for the development of CPG for GC.

• Journal of TMJ Balancing Medicine
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• v.5 no.sup
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• pp.11-18
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• 2015

Therapeutic effect of Yinyang Balancing Appliance (YBA) of functional cerebrospinal therapy (FCST) for meridian and neurologic yinyang balance was observed in a trigeminal neuralgia case. One Trigeminal neuralgia case was managed with YBA on temporomandibular joint (TMJ), combined with acupuncture. Clinical outcome measurement was performed by subjective rating and clinical observations. The patient's subjective rating and clinical symptoms showed improvement immediately after the initial treatment and this improvement maintained over the follow-up period. Although it is not clear whether the effect is temporary in its nature, a positive effect was observed and further clinical and biological research on FCST is expected.

• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.76-83
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• 2021

While carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is the most common entrapment neuropathy affecting the wrist, resulting in substantial physical, psychological, and economic effects, there is no gold standard therapy for CTS. In this case series study, we aimed to report CTS patients treated with Carthami Semen Pharmacopuncture (CSP) and electroacupuncture (EA) showing improvements in their symptoms, and the combinatorial effects of CSP and EA. We collected medical records of CTS outpatients who received CSP and EA at Chuku Acupuncture & Moxibustion Korean Medicine Clinic from August 2017 to September 2018. The outcome measures were the visual analog scale (VAS) for pain, paresthesia, the Korean version of the Boston carpal tunnel questionnaire (K-BCTQ) score, and changes in nocturnal pain, Tinel sign, and Phalen's test. We included patient satisfaction at the completion of all treatments. 17 patients were included for this case series study. After treatment, VAS for pain decreased significantly from 50.41 ± 16.19 to 9.59 ± 9.46, VAS for paresthesia also decreased significantly from 63.50 ± 11.49 to 14.75 ± 12.97, and K-BCTQ symptom severity scale decreased from 2.48 ± 0.68 to 1.89 ± 0.70 (all p < 0.001). Nocturnal pain, Tinel signs, and Phalen's test showed improvements after all the treatments. All the patients reported favorable overall satisfaction with the treatments, and 69.23% wanted future pharmacopuncture treatments if CTS recurred. No complications were detected. The combination of CSP and EA could be an effective and safe option in treating CTS.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology and Dermatology
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.200-208
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• 2022

Objectives : The purpose of this study is to report the use of Korean medicine on a chronic urticaria patient. Methods : We treated an adult patient had chronic urticaria with herbal medicine, pharmacopuncture, acupuncture, photodynamic therapy. The effects of the treatment were evaluated through urticaria activity score and photo evaluation. Results : The urticaria activity score started at 6 and ended with 0. After 4 months of follow-up, no recurrence was confirmed. Conclusions : This study has demonstrated that Korean medicine could be effective to treat chronic urticaria with papular form.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.129-137
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• 2023

Objective: This study reports a clinical case of headache accompanied by epilepsy that showed improvement with Korean medicine treatments. Methods: A 67-year-old woman with headache was treated with Korean medicine therapies, including Cheongshimondam-tang, acupuncture, electroacupuncture, and cupping, for 14 days. The response before and after treatment was evaluated using the Numerical Rating Scale, Headache Impact Test-6 (HIT-6), and Quality of Life in Epilepsy-10 (QOLIE-10). Results: After the treatments, the headache was relieved from NRS 8 to NRS 1, and anxiety decreased from NRS 7 to NRS 2. The HIT-6 changed from 66 to 48, and the QOLIE-10 dropped from 44 to 30. Conclusion: This study suggests that combined Korean medicine treatments might be a therapeutic option for relieving headache with epilepsy.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.455-465
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• 2023

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is defined as a chronic inflammatory-mediated disease that causes ulceration and inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract. Among most patients, the course of chronic inflammation repeatedly shows intermittent exacerbations and alternating remissions. However, despite the various therapeutic options to relieve symptoms, such as corticosteroids, TNF-α inhibitors, and antibiotic drugs, there is no known cure for IBD. Nonetheless, previous research has revealed that the autonomic nervous system is involved in the pathophysiology of IBD. In this study, we reviewed clinical trials confirming the therapeutic effect of vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) on IBD in vivo. We searched in vivo and human studies on Pubmed using keywords combined with "vagus nerve stimulation", "VNS", and "inflammatory bowel disease". All studies included in this review reported that direct VNS is effective in relieving symptoms of IBD and has no severe adverse effects. The most frequently stimulated site was the unilateral cervical vagus nerve area, and parameters for stimulation were set as 5-20 Hz. Based on the results, we aim to summarize the evidence for the efficacy of VNS on IBD and suggest the possibility of auricular electroacupuncture treatment as a therapeutic option for IBD.