• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.257-264
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• 2021

The purpose of this study was to analyze acupuncture treatment methods and acupoint used to treat infertility in the last decade. The data were retrieved from 2010.1 to 2021.8. using national and international electronic databases (PubMed, EMBASE, OASIS, NDSL, and KISS). "Infertility," "sterility," "acupuncture," "electroacupuncture," "bloodletting," "pharmacopuncture," were used as search terms. All studies were mainly concerned with acupuncture treatment of infertility, but the studies which were not related included; (1) infertility or acupuncture treatment; (2) animal studies; (3) review/meta/protocol or clinical study; comparative studies and case reports which were excluded from this review. Only clinical trials for acupuncture treatment of infertility were included in this review (n = 18). For infertility treatment studies using acupuncture, polycystic ovarian syndrome was the main cause of infertility, the most common acupoint used was CV4, CV3, CV6, SP6, BL23, and the treatment effect significantly improved in the group receiving acupuncture treatment compared with the control group, or the group taking Western medicine alone. In some studies, the group using acupuncture treatment did not show side effects. Acupuncture is an effective treatment for infertility.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.177-187
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• 2023

Varicose veins have a substantial burden on individuals' aesthetics and overall quality of life. The current body of research on Korean medical interventions for varicose veins is limited in Korea, and exploration into clinical trends is lacking. This review specifically analyzed fire acupuncture, which is an understudied intervention in Korea that demonstrated efficacy in alleviating pain and paralysis while promoting tissue regeneration. A comprehensive investigation of the China National Knowledge Infrastructure database was conducted, utilizing terms such as "varicose vein," "fire needle," "fire acupuncture," "burning acupuncture," "burning needle," "huǒzhēn," "xiàzhī jìngmài," and "jìngmài qūzhāng." This review included 14 studies investigating the role of fire acupuncture in treating varicose veins. We extracted variables, including age, sex, disease duration, intervention method, treatment frequency, treatment period, acupoints, and outcomes. Fire acupuncture appeared as the primary intervention method, followed by general acupuncture. The protruding part of varicose veins is the main treatment area for fire acupuncture, while the acupoints BL57 and ST36 were most frequently utilized for general acupuncture. Treatment results revealed significant improvement in all studies. However, there are limitations, such as scarce studies, limited side effects studies, and potential bias. Consequently, extensive and well-structured future studies are necessary to demonstrate the role of fire acupuncture in varicose veins.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.329-343
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• 2023

Recently, acupuncture has demonstrated extraordinary clinical results in the treatment of several categories of health conditions worldwide. The mechanisms of action of acupuncture (including immune mechanisms) have been investigated by biomedical studies over the last few decades. The immune mechanisms of representative clinical conditions and their clinical effects were thoroughly assessed, with a comprehensive investigation into the mechanisms of action of acupuncture (including immune responses) in this study. Conditions such as stroke, migraine, depression, chronic fatigue syndrome, lower back pain, hypertension, irritable bowel syndrome, sepsis, and allergic diseases were meticulously examined. This in-depth analysis aims to ensure a foundational understanding of the immune mechanisms involved in acupuncture, thereby serving as an initial step toward integrating the impact of acupuncture on the immune system.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.205-217
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• 2008

Background : One of the characteristics of acupuncture, a popular modality for treating musculoskeletal pain, is a plurality in diagnosis and treatment that can profoundly influence the treatment outcome. This multiplicity in treatment modality has to be considered in any research on the effectiveness of acupuncture. Many practitioners stress the necessity for individualized patient treatment, including acupuncture point selection and manipulation technique. However, the importance of individualization in acupuncture treatment, compared with standardization, has received little attention in clinical trials. The aim of the future study described here is therefore to compare the effectiveness of individualized acupuncture for knee osteoarthritis with standardized acupuncture and no acupuncture in patients with knee osteoarthritis. Methods : A total of 195 patients aged 50 years and over with knee pain, will be randomly divided into three treatment groups: individualized acupuncture, standardized acupuncture, and waiting list. Outcome data will be collected through patient.completed questionnaires before randomization, and at 4, 8 and 12 weeks after randomization. The questionnaires will be investigated demographic details as well as information on pain, movement and function of the affected knee, general health and quality of life. Discussion : This paper presents details on the rationale, design, and methods of the trial.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.293-307
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• 2023

This study uses bibliometric methods to analyze publications regarding the use of acupuncture in osteoarthritis over the past 20 years and presents an overview of global research trends. Publications related to acupuncture in osteoarthritis from 2003 to 2022 were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection Database. An analysis of the extracted records was conducted according to their publication year, research area, journal title, country, organization, author, and keywords. The VOSviewer program was used to visualize the research trends on acupuncture in osteoarthritis. An analysis of 380 articles indicated a consistent increase in the use of acupuncture for osteoarthritis treatment over the past 20 years. Many articles have been published in research areas such as "integrative complementary medicine" and "general internal medicine." The most prolific journal was Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine. In terms of article publication, the most productive country and research organization were China and the Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, respectively. The most frequently occurring keywords were "acupuncture," "knee osteoarthritis," and "pain." This study used a bibliometric analysis to provide an overview of global research trends on acupuncture in osteoarthritis. These findings may suggest the future direction of research on the treatment of acupuncture in osteoarthritis.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.123-129
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• 2003

Experimental studies were done to research the dinical effects of Juglandis Semen aqua-acupuncture and acupuncture(BL 13) on the anti-allergic response. anaphylaxis provoked by the compound 48/80, delayed type hypersensitivity response to picryl chloride and SASC and inflammation response to egg albumin. The following results have been obtained: Juglandis Semen aqua-acupuncture and acupuncture(BL13) group were increased the survival rate in compound48/80 induced systemic anaphylactic reaction. Picryl chloride induced contact dermatitis and delayed type hypersensitivity in SRBC challenged mouse were significantly decreased in Juglandis Semen aqua-acupuncture and acupuncture (BL13) group. Inflammation response - WBC, CRP and Nitric Oxide in egg albumin induced allergic rat were significantly decreased in Juglandis Semen aqua-acupuncture and acupuncture(BL13) group. According to the above results, Semen aqua-acupuncture and acupuncture(BL13) both depress the allergy reaction.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.30 no.5
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• pp.125-137
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• 2013

Objectives : In order to help establish the scientific research methods to prove the effects of facial cosmetic acupuncture, we investigated the trend of facial cosmetic acupuncture study based on the Korean traditional medicine. Methods : We researched the papers which were associated with the facial cosmetic acupuncture in Korean journals. The research date was 5th August 2013. Results : 27 papers about facial cosmetic acupuncture were found. 17 papers were literature research, and 10 papers were clinical research. Almost half of papers were written the years of 2008 and 2009. Most of papers were written in the Journal of Korean Acupuncture & Moxibustion Society. Conclusions : We need more systematic research in order to prove the effects of facial cosmetic acupuncture and use extensively.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.187-196
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• 2019

This study was performed to review clinical research studies involving acupuncture treatment for primary headache disorders to provide a basic reference for future studies. Clinical studies of primary headache disorders treated with acupuncture were retrieved from 3 Korean electronic databases (NDSL, OASIS, and RISS). The studies were classified by year of publication, type of study, type of acupuncture, outlined acupoints, methods used for filiform needles, pharmacopuncture, auricular acupuncture, and thread-embedding acupuncture. Thirty-eight trials were reviewed, of which 33 used filiform needles, 6 pharmacopuncture, 1 auricular acupuncture, and 1used thread-embedding. Most of the studies reported that acupuncture treatment was effective in treating primary headache disorders. Some studies reported statistically significant effects, but the results overall were inconsistent. Therefore, there is insufficient evidence to support the treatment of acupuncture to resolve headaches. On the basis of these results, further studies should be performed to qualitatively and quantitatively determine the efficacy of acupuncture treatment for primary headache disorders.

• Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.85-96
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• 2016

Objectives This study was performed to evaluate the effects of acupuncture, electro-acupuncture and acupuncture with pulsed electromagnetic therapy on upper extremity of healthy people and hemiplegic patients by D.I.T.I.. Methods 20 healthy people and 20 hemiplegic patients caused by stroke were selected. They have been treated three different types of treatment; acupuncture, electro-acupuncture and acupuncture with pulsed electromagnetic therapy. And skin temperature of upper extremity has been measured before and after each treatment by D.I.T.I.. The thermographic data was analyzed by 'Independent T-test' and 'Repeated measures ANOVA test'. Results 1. In healthy group, there was very statistical significant difference (p<0.001) of the amount of thermal change by each treatment, and the amount of change was arranged in descending order; acupuncture with pulsed electromagnetic, acupuncture and electro-acupuncture. 2. In hemiplegic group, the skin temperature of hemiplegic side was $0.97^{\circ}C$ cooler than non-hemiplegic side. 3. Skin temperature of all hemiplegic patients was increased after acupuncture treatment. 4. In hemiplegic group, there was statistical significant difference (p<0.05) of the amount of thermal change by each treatment, and the amount of change was arranged in descending order; acupuncture with pulsed electromagnetic, acupuncture and electro-acupuncture. Conclusions The results indicate that acupuncture, electro-acupuncture and acupuncture with pulsed electromagnetic therapy had good effect on the change of skin temperature by stimulating sympathetic nervous system.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.129-134
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• 2024

Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is a prevalent degenerative joint disease causing significant pain and dysfunction. This case report presents the use of electromagnetic acupuncture utilizing a Whata 153 device generating a magnetic field to enhance acupuncture stimulation for the treatment of KOA. A 69-year-old female diagnosed with KOA experienced a reduction in pain (numerical rating scale score from 7 to 4), improved gait, and decreased stiffness and swelling after daily electromagnetic acupuncture treatments during hospitalization. In addition, the Korean Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index scoreimproved from 20 to 14, and the patient rated her overall improvement as "significantly improved" on the patient's global impression of change scale. Although these findings suggest potential benefits of electromagnetic acupuncture for KOA, the case report design limits its generalizability. More controlled trials are warranted to confirm the efficacy and safety of electromagnetic acupuncture as a treatment of KOA.