• The Journal of the Institute of Internet, Broadcasting and Communication
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.209-214
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• 2013

If a human is taken with a disease, the electric resistance of the diseased part is higher than the surrounding area. The inherent current of the human body does not flow well in the diseased part due to high electric resistance. In this paper, we simulated the process to calculate the exact time of electronic acupuncture suitable for patient's physical condition using fuzzy logic and inference. Moreover, In this paper, It utilizes fuzzy logic and fuzzy inference rule to estimate the proper treatment duration for each patient. Physical condition, related disease, and age effects are studied for electronic acupuncture.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.109-115
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• 2011

Objectives : This review is to summarize and assess the effects of acupuncture on parasympathetic nervous system(PNS). Methods and Materials : We searched two electronic databases (CNKI, PubMed) for the articles published until Oct. 2010. The randomized clinical trials (RCTs) and uncontrolled clinical trials (UCTs) were considered to be reviewed. We selected four RCTs, seven UCTs and one article which conducted both RCT and UCT, and reviewed them. The quality of RCTs was also assessed with Cochrane criteria. Results : There were four RCTs which reported acupuncture enhanced PNS, and one RCT reported acupuncture reduced PNS. Four UCTs reported acupuncture enhanced PNS, three UCTs reported acupuncture reduced PNS and one UCT reported there was no remarkable change of PNS after acupuncture. Conclusions : Although the majority of reviewed articles showed acupuncture enhance PNS, it is hard to conclude clearly how acupuncture affects PNS due to insufficient quality of trials. Therefore, more trials with strict condition need to be conducted to obviously identify the effects of acupuncture on PNS.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.77-88
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• 2022

The purpose of this review was to identify research trends in acupuncture training systems and models and to analyze acupuncture training using phantom models. Articles on acupuncture training were retrieved from domestic and foreign electronic databases (PubMed, CNKI, CiNii, NDSL, KISS, RISS and KMBase). The search included studies conducted from January 1, 2010 to October 1, 2021. Acupuncture training was analyzed by categorization into acupoint location training and needling training. Acupuncture training was most frequently studied in China, acupoint location training was the most studied in 2012, and needling training was the most studied in 2013 and 2020. Among them, a silicone model with a sensor was used for training in acupoint location, and silicone and agarose gel were frequently used for needling training. Classifications of the phantom models for needling training by topic included phantom development, phantom-based education and evaluation system, phantom-based quantitative measurement, comparison of kinematic characteristics of hand motion between experts and beginners, and phantom models for acupoint location and needling training. Further research on the development of acupuncture practice training systems to improve practical skills is needed.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.33-41
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• 2008

Objectives : The aim of this study was to understand electro-physiological peculiarity in meridian and acupoints, and understand acupuncture therapy mechanism as an electro-physiological viewpoints. Methods : I reviewed the articles on the electro-physiological peculiarity of the meridian and acupoints Results and Conclusions : It has been reported that meridian and acupoints have high-electrical conductivity and row-electrical resistance. On this scientific basis, to understand the mechanism of acupuncture therapy, I made some hypotheses. At first, there is electro-property in meridian and acupoint. The second, energy flowing in meridian is related with electro-property. The third, there is electronic interaction between practitioner of acupuncture therapy and patient receiving acupuncture therapy. The forth, acupuncture effects which may be expressed by the electro-charge capacity is transfered between practitioner and patient via acupuncture. Electro-charge induced via acupuncture in practitioner may be an important factor that initiate the electro-charge changes in meridian and acupoint of patient.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.282-289
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• 2021

Objectives : The purpose of this study is to construct a model of the possible thermal runaway of electronic moxibustion and to implement an appropriate risk management method. Methods : To reproduce the system error situation of the electronic moxibustion circuit equipped with microcontroller unit, temperature sensor and heater, a code was set to disable the signal input to temperature sensor and maintain "high" heating signal to heater. The temperature change of electronic moxibustion was compared between 3 types of heater module; module 1 consisting of a combination of heater+0 ohm+0 ohm resistance, module 2 consisting of a combination of heater+Polymeric Positive Temperature Coefficient (PPTC)+0 ohm resistance, and module 3 consisting of a combination of heater+PPTC+10 ohm resistance. The temperature change was measured using a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) silicone phantom. After maintaining surface temperature of the phantom at 31~32℃ for 20 seconds, electronic moxibustion was applied. After operating electronic moxibustion, the temperature change was measured for 660 seconds on the surface and 900 seconds at 2 mm depth. Results : Regardless of the module type, the time-dependent change in temperature showed a rapid rise followed by a gentle curve, and a sharp drop in temperature after reaching the maximum temperature about 10 minutes after the switching the moxibustion on. Temperature measured at the depth of 2 mm below the surface increased slower and to a lesser extent. Module 1 reached highest peak temperature with largest change of temperature at both depths followed by module 2, and 3. Conclusions : Through the combination of PPTC+resistance with the heater of electronic moxibustion, it is possible to limit the rise in temperature even with the software error. Thus, this setting can be used as an independent safety measure for the electronic moxibustion control unit.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.138-155
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• 2002

Objective : The purpose of this study is to work on the problems and on the direction of the study regarding the evidence-based study of Acupuncture. Methods : We reviewed the PubMed electronic database. Eight articles of systematic review without meta-analysis and six articles without meta-analysis were selected. Results : In the study of eight articles of systematic review without meta-analysis, there were two articles on effectiveness of acupuncture and one on non-effectiveness of acupuncture. Four articles were about the changes according to the quality of randomized controlled trials. Also, one article was about the side-effect of acupuncture. In the study of six articles of systematic review with meta-analysis, there were two articles on Odds Ratio, two on Relative Risk, one on number-needed-to-treat, and two on 18 predefined methodological criteria. Conclusion : As the quality of RCTs was high, positive response decreased and as the quality of RCTs was low, positive response increased. For the study of evidence-based acupuncture, it is necessary that we conduct research on well-planned placebo acupuncture, large sample size, statistical method, method of searching and assessing literature and method of meta-analysis.

• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.173-181
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• 2021

Objectives: The aim of this review was to appraise Korean studies published between 2010 and 2021 which examined the role of acupuncture in the treatment of obesity. Methods: We performed a search of the NDSL, KISS, RISS, OASIS, PubMed, EMBASE electronic databases for relevant animal researches, case reports, and clinical trials, using the following search terms: 'obesity', 'acupuncture', 'electroacupuncture', and 'pharmacopuncture'. We excluded previous reviews and meta-analyses, studies not related to obesity or acupuncture treatment, as well as studies conducted in countries other than Korea. We also excluded studies where relevant information on acupuncture treatment in obesity could not be obtained. Results: Most studies were conducted in animals, followed by case reports and clinical trials. In animal researches and case reports, pharmacopuncture was the most used intervention. In case studies, electroacupuncture, thread-embedding therapy, manual acupuncture, acupotomy, and auricular acupuncture were also used. In animal researches, pharmacopuncture treatment was associated with improvement in obesity indices. In the case of local obesity, specific acupuncture techniques such as thread-embedding therapy and pharmacopuncture were associated with significant improvements in local obesity, even when diet and exercise were not controlled for. Conclusion: Acupuncture treatment showed significant benefit in the treatment of obesity, with a local effect evident for certain approaches, such thread-embedding therapy and acupotomy.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.151-159
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• 2013

Objectives : The purpose of this systematic review was to overview and evaluate the current state of the usage of bee venom acupuncture. Methods : We collected 173 articles on bee venom acupuncture(BVA) clinical study from eight electronic databases from January 2002 to June 2013. Results : BVA was used in musculoskeletal diseases for 66 %, and the chosen acupoints were various. The ratio of the reports which had collected below 10 cases was 43 %. The concomitant treatment and evaluation tools showed diversity in each article. Conclusions : Bee venom clinical study shows the lack of unity and consistent regulation, and has low clinical cases. Future studies should correct these limits and promote more varied research to develop the therapy of bee venom acupuncture.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.188-200
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• 2023

Laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR) disease is a condition in which the stomach contents return to the larynx and pharynx via the esophagus, causing mucosal injury. While conventional treatments, such as proton pump inhibitors, have limitations, acupuncture has been shown to reduce LPR symptoms. However, its effectiveness has not been systematically assessed. This study aimed to systematically evaluate the effectiveness of acupuncture in treating LPR. We review 10 electronic databases with a consistent search strategy, and 2 independent reviewers screened the articles based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria. This study selected and analyzed 7 randomized controlled trials after the screening to assess primary outcomes, including reflux symptom index and reflux finding score, and secondary outcomes, including upper and lower esophageal sphincter pressure. The results revealed the statistically significant effectiveness of acupuncture in combination with conventional treatment in reducing LPR symptoms compared with conventional treatment alone. The most commonly used acupuncture points were CV22, ST36, and LR3. However, the meta-analysis demonstrated low reliability, as assessed using the GRADE Tool. Further research is needed to improve the evidence and draw clear conclusions regarding the clinical use of acupuncture for treating LPR.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.129-134
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• 2023

In this review, we searched for clinical and experimental studies related to acupuncture-related therapy (ART) on the microbiome in musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) through the electronic databases of MEDLINE via PubMed, EMBASE, and Oriental Medicine Advanced Searching Integrated System up to May 2023, without language restriction, and after the selection/exclusion process, the study design, target disease, intervention details, treatment period, outcomes, and study results were extracted. A total of 8 articles were selected. Two randomized controlled trials and 6 animal studies evaluated knee osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, spinal cord injury, ankylosing spondylitis, and osteoporosis. ART, including electroacupuncture, thread-embedding acupuncture, and moxibustion, affected microbiome modulation in MSDs. The results reveal that ART could be a potential treatment for regulating the microbiome in MSDs. However, further high-quality studies are needed.