• Journal of Acupuncture Research
• /
• v.38 no.2
• /
• pp.110-121
• /
• 2021

The objective of this study was to conduct a systematic review and network meta-analysis to evaluate and compare the effectiveness of various types of acupuncture for menopausal hot flashes (HF). Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were retrieved from 8 electronic databases, and the risk of bias was evaluated for the included studies. Pairwise meta-analysis and network meta-analysis were performed using Review Manager and R software for indirect comparison and ranking, respectively. In total, 23 RCTs (2,302 patients) were eligible for systematic review, of which 10 were included in network meta-analysis. Network meta-analysis showed manual acupuncture (MA) had the highest probability of reducing HF frequency and severity, followed by sham acupuncture (SA), electroacupuncture, usual care, or no treatment; furthermore, warm acupuncture significantly improved menopause-specific quality of life compared with MA or electroacupuncture. Compared with hormone replacement therapy, acupuncture had less efficacy in reducing HF frequency but enhanced menopause-specific quality of life. There was no significant difference between MA and SA in mitigating HF. The existing evidence showed that MA could be used for alleviating menopausal HF. However, it is recommended that more high-quality RCTs should be performed.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
• /
• v.31 no.6
• /
• pp.21-28
• /
• 2010

Objective: This study was undertaken to systematically assess and summarize the effects of acupuncture on cortisol secretion. Materials and methods: We searched articles published up to May 2010 in six electronic databases (PubMed, Cochrane Library, KISS, KISTI, DBPIA, Kyobo Scholar). Randomized clinical trials (RCTs) which met all the inclusion criteria were reviewed. Eight RCTs were finally selected for this systematic review and assessed by three reviewers. The risk of bias was also estimated by using the Cochrane criteria. Results: Six RCTs reported no distinct difference of cortisol levels between control and experimental groups. Two RCTs reported significant differences of cortisol levels between groups; one reported the acupuncture group with markedly higher concentrations of cortisol while the other reported the opposite result. Conclusion: There are some difficulties in clearly identifying the effects of acupuncture on cortisol levels in this systematic review due to inconsistent results. Therefore, more rigorous trials with larger scales need to be conducted to clarify the effects of acupuncture on cortisol levels.

• Integrative Medicine Research
• /
• v.4 no.4
• /
• pp.195-219
• /
• 2015

Acupuncture therapy has been proved to be effective for diverse diseases, symptoms, and conditions in numerous clinical trials. The growing popularity of acupuncture therapy has triggered the development of modern acupuncture-like stimulation devices (ASDs), which are equivalent or superior to manual acupuncture with respect to safety, decreased risk of infection, and facilitation of clinical trials. Here, we aim to summarize the research on modern ASDs, with a focus on featured devices undergoing active research and their effectiveness and target symptoms, along with annual publication rates. We searched the popular electronic databases Medline, PubMed, the Cochrane Library, and Web of Science, and analyzed English-language studies on humans. Thereby, a total of 728 studies were identified, of which 195 studies met our inclusion criteria. Electrical stimulators were found to be the earliest and most widely studied devices (133 articles), followed by laser (44 articles), magnetic (16 articles), and ultrasound (2 articles) stimulators. A total of 114 studies used randomized controlled trials, and 109 studies reported therapeutic benefits. The majority of the studies (32%) focused on analgesia and pain-relief effects, followed by effects on brain activity (16%). All types of the reviewed ASDs were associated with increasing annual publication trends; specifically, the annual growth in publications regarding noninvasive stimulation methods was more rapid than that regarding invasive methods. Based on this observation, we anticipate that the noninvasive or minimally invasive ASDs will become more popular in acupuncture therapy.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
• /
• v.39 no.4
• /
• pp.267-274
• /
• 2022

In order to secure clinical evidence for the treatment of cold accumulation (CA), this study reviewed and analyzed 91 records of literature and related records. To perform a classical literature search, the Oriental Medicine Classic databases and the Uibujeonrok electronic data were searched. Books on Immunopharmacopuncture (IP) were also reviewed. A common etiology for CA was attributed to the abdomen, while the detailed sites of the abdomen differed. In IP, CA had a more comprehensive list of symptoms of physiological and pathological significance. As for the treatment of CA, typically, herbal medicine was used until the end of the Korean Empire period, and moxibustion treatment on CV4, CV6, CV-12, ST36, EX-B4, and conduction exercise therapy were also reported. Since 1965, acupuncture needle-based invasive treatment such as acupuncture for CA, and IP have been described in IP theory. Consequently, the treatment of CA (as described in the IP theory), was considered to be a more advanced method of treatment compared with the existing classical treatment methods.

• Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
• /
• v.33 no.1
• /
• pp.31-45
• /
• 2023

Objectives The aim of this study is to find the future perspective through analyzing the trends of acupuncture treatment for gouty arthritis (GA) by searching the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) and PubMed. Methods We searched clinical studies about acupuncture treatment for GA through the searching the electronic database of CNKI and PubMed. We analyzed the characteristics of selected studies according to research design, sample size, publication year, treatment methods, evaluation criteria and adverse events. Results Twenty-nine studies published from January 1, 2015 to July 1, 2022 were selected. They consisted of 25 randomized controlled trials, 3 non-randomized controlled trials, and 1 case reports. In these studies, several types of acupuncture treatments were performed and the most treatment was conventional acupuncture treatment with fine needles. The most commonly used evaluation outcome was effective rate. Conclusions Through this result, the Chinese literature positively reported the effect of acupuncture on GA. However, high-quality evaluation by rigorous research using well-designed and more objective outcomes is required.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
• /
• v.31 no.2
• /
• pp.145-152
• /
• 2014

Objectives : This study aimed to assess the effectiveness and safety of Taegeuk acupuncture for patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain. Methods : A retrospective analysis of the electronic medical records of Pusan National University Korean Medicine Hospital from March 2012 to March 2013 was performed. Eligible cases were outpatients who had received at least six sessions of Taegeuk acupuncture for their pain and had agreed to the use of their medical records for research purposes. Pain levels, heart rate variability, and patients' perceptions of the safety of acupuncture were investigated through the medical records and follow-up telephone interviews. Results : Fifteen cases were selected for analysis. All had suffered from musculoskeletal pain for at least one year. After six sessions of Taegeuk acupuncture, the average score on the pain numeric rating scale decreased from $6.7{\pm}2.0$ to $2.9{\pm}2.2$(a 43 % reduction). Follow-up telephone interviews revealed that patients experienced no adverse event after Taegeuk acupuncture. Conclusions : Patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain showed a reduction of more than half of the baseline pain after six sessions of Taegeuk acupuncture. However, the beneficial effects observed in this retrospective analysis should be interpreted with caution due to selection and recall bias. Further randomized controlled trials of Taegeuk acupuncture for chronic musculoskeletal pain are warranted.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
• /
• v.37 no.3
• /
• pp.151-160
• /
• 2020

Background: Blood stasis (BS) is commonly used for pattern identification in traumatic injuries, including traffic accidents (TAs). Various studies have identified the efficacy of Korean medicine treatments for TA patients, but studies focusing on the BS-based herbal medicine (BSHM), including Tongdo-san (TDS), are rare. Methods: This was a single-center, prospective observational study, conducted from August 24^th, 2018 to December 27^th, 2018, which included 40 TA patients. Participants underwent routine Korean medicine treatments including acupuncture, electronic moxibustion, cupping, physical therapy, and herbal medicine. In the herbal medicine treatment, participants took BSHM with more than 3 days including taking TDS. The primary outcome measures were the scores from a 100 mm visual analogue scale (VAS) and numerical rating scale (NRS). Secondary outcome measures included scores from EuroQol-5 dimension (EQ-5D) and EQ-VAS questionnaires, the BS and cold/heat indices, and safety assessments. Results: There were significant improvements in the VAS, NRS, EQ-5D, EQ-VAS scores, and BS index after treatment. In the sub-analysis, VAS, NRS, EQ-5D, and EQ-VAS scores were higher in groups with a higher BS index. The moderate and severe BS index groups showed more improvement than the minor BS index group, and there was a significant difference in the EQ-5D scores. There was no significant differences observed in cold/heat index groups scores. Conclusion: BS is associated with TA-related symptoms. BSHM, including TDS, may significantly reduce BS, pain, and discomfort.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
• /
• v.28 no.1
• /
• pp.45-63
• /
• 2011

Objectives : The aim of this study is to review papers on adverse events in the course of Oriental Medical treatments in the JKAMS and the JCTKAM. Methods : We searched papers up to December 2010 in the JKAMS and The JCTKAM. Electronic and manual literature searches were performed. Results : 92 papers were retrived in total. Out of these, 62 reported the occurrence of adverse events whereas 30 reported none. Adverse events in treatments were generally transient and mild. However, this result had limitations due to the insufficient number of papers reporting adverse events and the inconsistency in the methodology according to each paper. Conclusions : Reports on adverse events are necessary in clinical research. In future research, organized case reports and systemic reviews should be carried out. Furthermore, prospective studies should be done as well.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
• /
• v.41 no.1
• /
• pp.55-83
• /
• 2020

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of pharmacopuncture and bee venom acupuncture for knee osteoarthritis. Methods: We searched for randomized controlled trials that investigated the effects of pharmacopuncture and bee venom acupuncture on knee osteoarthritis through the electronic databases including Pubmed, EMBASE, Cochrane, CiNii, CNKI, KMBASE, KISS, NDSL, and OASIS. Meta-analysis was performed by Review Manager software and the quality of included studies were assessed by the Cochrane risk of bias tool. Results: A total of 20 articles with 1536 participants were identified. 12 trials about phamacopuncture and 8 trials about bee venom acupuncture showed significant improvement than sham treatment, western medicine treatment, and other Korean medicine treatment such as acupuncture in diverse scales. Six trials reported adverse events. Conclusions: These findings showed certain efficacy and safety of pharmacopuncture and bee venom acupuncture. It would be helpful for patients and Korean medicine doctors in the choice of the treatment for knee osteoarthritis. Well-designed studies with long term follow up and more number of participants should be conducted to strengthen the evidence of the use of pharmacopuncture and bee venom acupuncture.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
• /
• v.25 no.1
• /
• pp.221-232
• /
• 2008

Objectives : The study was performed to evaluate the effect of treatment for spondylolisthesis by using electroacupuncture at Hua-Tuo-Jia-Ji-Xue is located about 0.5Cun(寸) at both sides of spinous process of each vertebra. Methods : This clinical study was carried out 5 case with spondylolisthesis, who had bean treated from December, 2006 to November, 2007, in the department of acupuncture and moxibustion, Dongshin University Oriental Medical Hospital. We treated the patient who was diagnosed as spondylolisthesis by simple X-ray or MRI. Results : 1. Degenerative type is 3 cases, and isthmic type is 2 cases. 2. In the distribution of injured level was between 4-5th lumbar vertebra the most(3 cases). 3. The improvement index showed 0.29, 0.56, 0.43 points in degerative type, and 0.39, 0.36 points in isthmic type. 4. Therapeutic efforts above "good" by Kim's criteria was 4 cases. 5. Good improvement was showed in VAS about average 3.4. Conclusions : There was reports about Hua-Tuo-Jia-Ji-Xue electronic acupuncture treatment of patients with spondylolisthesis. It is very effective to improve condition of patients with spondylolisthesis.