• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
• /
• v.27 no.5
• /
• pp.672-676
• /
• 2013

The purpose of this study is to report that a patient suffered from Common Peroneal Neuropathy (CPN) caused by ankle sprain was improved by acupuncture plus electro-acupuncture. In this study, the patient was diagnosed with magnetic resonance image(MRI) and electomyography(EMG). We treated at acupoints ST36, ST41, SP9, GB34, GB39 and LR3 by acupuncture plus electro-acupuncture twice a day for 16 days; a total of 30 times. We used evaluation scale including muscle manual testing(MMT) and visual analogue scale (VAS). MMT changed from Grade 0 to Grade 5 and VAS changed from 10 to 2 after treatment for 16days with hospitalization. Though it is a case report, these results suggest that acupuncture and electrical acupuncture might have valid effect on CPN in controlled environment.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
• /
• v.35 no.2
• /
• pp.95-100
• /
• 2018

Background: The aim of this study is to assess the feasibility of acupuncture treatment for the management of subacute and chronic post-thoracotomy pain in patients with traumatic multiple rib fractures. Methods: A total of 30 participants who have undergone thoracotomy after traumatic multiple rib fractures will be recruited. Participants will be invited and equally randomised into acupuncture plus usual care and usual care alone groups. A computer-generated random number sequence will be used and concealed using opaque, sealed, sequentially numbered envelopes. Twelve sessions of manual and electrical acupuncture performed by Korean medicine doctors will be provided over a span of 3 months to participants allocated to the acupuncture group. Participants in the usual care group will continue pain medication, exercise and physical therapy as required. Study feasibility will be measured based on the proportion of patients who complete the measurement of pain at 12 or 24 weeks after baseline. The clinical outcomes will include; the average pain intensity over the recent week at rest, movement and cough, quality of life, patient's global assessment of recovery, respiratory function measured by the pulmonary function test and use of pain medication at 4, 8, 12 and 24 weeks after enrolment. Adverse events will be recorded for all participants. Written informed consent will be obtained from all participants. The local ethics committee has approved the study. This pilot trial will inform further studies investigating the potential role of acupuncture for subacute and chronic post-thoracotomy pain in patients with traumatic multiple rib fractures.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
• /
• v.37 no.2
• /
• pp.79-87
• /
• 2020

The purpose of this review was to evaluate the effectiveness of electroacupuncture treatment for women with "primary obesity." Primary obesity is caused by an imbalance in energy intake and consumption due to abnormal eating and living habits in the absence of specific diseases causing the obesity. A literature review (up to December 2019) of randomized controlled trials (RCT) of electroacupuncture treatment for women with "primary obesity" was performed. Relevant clinical studies were retrieved from several databases, and interventions and results were analyzed. There were 6 RCT that fitted the inclusion criteria for this review. The intervention for the treatment group of the selected 6 RCT was electrical stimulation applied to acupoints. Interventions for the control groups included non-treatment, general acupuncture, and so on. Indicators for assessing treatment effects varied from study to study. Four out of 5 studies used body mass index (BMI) as an assessment tool and showed a significant decrease in BMI following electroacupuncture treatment. There were 4 studies using waist circumference as an indicator of abdominal obesity and these studies showed a significant decrease in waist circumference following electroacupuncture treatment. Electroacupuncture treatment used in primary obese women had a clinically significant effect, however, further RCT are needed.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
• /
• v.35 no.4
• /
• pp.187-202
• /
• 2018

Objectives : Non-invasive transcranial electrical stimulation is one of therapeutic interventions to change in neural excitability of the cortex. Transcranial electro-acupuncture (TEA) can modulate brain functions through changes in cortical excitability as a model of non-invasive transcranial electrical stimulation. Some composites of fermented Scutellaria baicalenis (FSB) can activate intercellular signaling pathways for activation of brain-derived neurotrophic factor that is critical for formation of neural plasticity in stroke patients. This study was aimed at evaluation of combinatory treatment of TEA and FSB on behavior recovery and cortical neural excitability in rodent focal stroke model. Methods : Focal ischemic stroke was induced by photothrombotic injury to the motor cortex of adult rats. Application of TEA with 20 Hz and $200{\mu}A$ in combination with daily oral treatment of FBS was given to stroke animals for 3 weeks. Motor recovery was evaluated by rotating bean test and ladder working test. Electrical activity of cortical pyramidal neurons of stroke model was evaluated by using multi-channel extracellular recording technique and thallium autometallography. Results : Compared with control stroke group who did not receive any treatment, Combination of TEA and FSB treatment resulted in more rapid recovery of forelimb movement following focal stroke. This combination treatment also elicited increase in spontaneous firing rate of putative pyramidal neurons. Furthermore expression of metabolic marker for neural excitability was upregulated in peri-infract area under thallium autometallography. Conclusions : These results suggest that combination treatment of TEA and FSB can be a possible remedy for motor recovery in focal stroke.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
• /
• v.7 no.2
• /
• pp.222-230
• /
• 1994

Acupuncture-like transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation(ALTENS) on acupuncture site(dorsal and ventral side of finger) were compared with a placebo site(forearm) by infrared thermal imaging. Six disease-free volunteers underwent, on different days, an ALTENS treatment and a placebo treatment in a cross-over sequences of stimulation control and inhibition control in excess of 50 treatments. ALTENS treatments were given at 30Hz at an intensity just below pain threshold delivered to acupuncture points on fingers. Placebo stimulations were administered in similar manner. After every thirty minutes of ALTENS and placebo treatment with stimulation, inhibition control sequence and vice versa, we examined whole body infrared thermal imaging and checked changed skin temperature on frontal, anterior chest, upper and lower abdomen, dorsal and ventral aspect of hand, thoracic and lumbar area, anterior and posterior aspect of lower leg. There were significant skin temperature elevations with ALTENS treatment, especially finger control gate corresponding organ area. Placebo treatment revealed no skin temperature change. We concluded that ALTENS on finger control gate influence physiologic state as opposed to conventional electric stimulation.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
• /
• v.18 no.1
• /
• pp.220-225
• /
• 2004

We undertook this study to investigate the effects of acupuncture and electroacupuncture on colonic transit time in old age constipation persons. Twenty three volunteers were old age constipation persons(mean age 69.72±2.43 years, mean defecation rate 1.83±0.41/week). Before acupuncture was only to check the radio-opaque markers transit time all the way through gastrointestinal tract. Simple acupuncture was to apply acupuncture therapy for three days. The fourth acupoints(both ST.25, TE.6) were selected and the needle was kept for 15 minutes. Electroacupuncture was same as the simple acupuncture except for applying 2Hz electrical stimulation. After Then we compare with three method Each transit time in the whole colon, right colon, left colon and rectosigmoid colon were checked in the order of before acupuncture, simple acupuncture, and electroacupuncture stimulation. In the before acupuncture stimulation, the transit time in each part of colon was as follows 19.48±1.76 32.74±2.69 25.61±2.13 76.62±7.95 hours. Simple acupuncture stimulation, the transit time was 17.47±1.10 33.10±1.87 24.12±1.65 74.87±3.91 hours. Compared with before acupuncture stimulation, the transit time was significantly shortened(P<0.05), especially in right colon transit time of simple acupuncture stimulation was significantly shortened(P<0.05). Electroacupuncture stimulation, was 16.32±1.97 32.91±2.48 21.53±1.94 71.59±2.82. Compared with the previous two trial, transit time in right colon and rectosigmoid colon were significantly shortened(P<0.05). Acupuncture and electroacupuncture stimulation change on the right colonic transit time in old age constipation persons and rectosigmoid colonic transit time was changed as electroacupuncture stimulation. In other words, old age constipation persons who suffer chronic constipation, acupuncture and electroacupuncture stimulation reduces the total colonic transit time.

• Physical Therapy Korea
• /
• v.11 no.2
• /
• pp.47-63
• /
• 2004

In most tissues, apoptosis plays a pivotal role in normal development and in regulation of cell number. Therefore inappropriate apoptosis is revealed in a variety of diseases. This study was carried out to investigate the effects of acupuncture and needle electrode electrical stimulation on the change of caspase-3, 9 and neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) immunoreactive cells in the sprague dawley rats (SD rat). In immobilized SD rats (n=5), enhanced caspase-3 and caspase-9 expression were detected in the reticular part of substantia nigra, and enhanced nNOS was detected in the dorsolateral periaqueductal gray (DL-PAG) of midbrain and the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) of the hypothalamus using immunohistochemistry. Following the immobilization, acupuncture (n=5) and needle electrode electrical stimulation (n=5, 2 Hz) was applied at H$\acute{e}$g$\breve{u}$ (LI4) acupoint of SD rats, respectively. The stress-induced enhancement in the expression of caspase-3, 9 and nNOS were The present results demonstrate that and needle electrode electrical stimulation are effective in the modulation of expression of caspase-3, 9 and nNOS induced by immobilization.

• Journal of Haehwa Medicine
• /
• v.15 no.1
• /
• pp.41-45
• /
• 2006

Aims: This overview summarizes the existing evidence on acupuncture for cancer-related pain. Methods: Literature searches were conducted in 7 databases. All clinical studies of acupuncture, electroacupuncture, ear acupuncture and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) in cancer patients with the main outcome measure of pain were included. Results: Of the 8 studies included, one high quality randomized clinical trial (RCT) of ear acupuncture showed statistically significant pain relief in comparison with placebo ear acupuncture. All the other studies were either non-blinded (n = 2) or uncontrolled clinical trials (n = 5). Most investigations suffered from methodological flaws such as inadequate study design, poor reporting of results, small sample size and overestimation of the results. Conclusions: The current evidence does not support the use of acupuncture as an adjunctive analgesic method for cancer patients. Only one high quality RCT showed promising results thus warranting further investigation into this under-researched area.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
• /
• v.29 no.4
• /
• pp.25-34
• /
• 2012

Objectives : This study was conducted to investigate the effects of fixed-intensity and varied-intensity electroacupuncture in pain and sensory threshold concerning parameters visual analogue scale(VAS), brief pain inventory(BPI) and quantitative sensory testing(QST), among chronic tension headache patients. Methods : Thirty patients with chronic tension headache were randomly assigned to three groups and received different kinds of electroacupuncture at $ST_{36}$ and $ST_{37}$. Group A received fixed-intensity electroacupuncture(fixed-EA), group B received varied-intensity electroacupuncture (varied-EA), and group C received only acupuncture treatment without electrical stimulation as a control group. The intervention was given three times per week, and continued in two weeks. All the experiments were conducted blindly. Results : Fixed-EA group showed a significant decrease of VAS and BPI compared to the baseline measurement, while both varied-EA and control group did not. Of the parameters of QST, subtraction of heat pain threshold(HPT) and cold pain threshold(CPT) slightly increased in all groups, but this was not significant. Conclusions : These results suggest that fixed-EA reduce pain and improve quality of life in patients with chronic tension headache and that acupuncture may regulate patient's pain sensitivity through changing sensory threshold.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
• /
• v.23 no.1
• /
• pp.63-70
• /
• 2006

Objectives : This study was designed to evaluated the effect of electroacupuncture on Quality of life of patients with urinary incontinence Methods : Subjects were voluntarily recruited by newspapers and internet. Electroacupuncture was performed three times a week for 3 weeks. Acupuncture point for EA group was B32, Electrical stimulation frequency was 2Hz, duration 20 minutes, and intensity was up to pain threshold according to patients. The patients's symptoms were assessed before, after 3 weeks of treatment by QOL item of International Prostate Symptom Score(IPSS), Medical Outcomes Study(MOS) 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey(SF-36). Results : QOL score of IPSS were significantly improved after 3 weeks(p<0.05) compared to the pre-treatment. There were significant changes in Social functioning(SF), role-physical(RP), role emotional(RE), mental health(MH), bodily pain(BP) score of SF-36 after 3 weeks(p<0.05), but there were no significant changes in physical functioning(PF), vitality(VT), general health(GH) score of SF-36. Conclusion : This study suggests that electroacupuncture treatments can be applicable to improve symptoms in patients with urinary incontinence.