• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• 제39권4호
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• pp.62-73
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• 2018

Objectives: This study conducted a retrospective review to compare the effectiveness of herbal medicine, while confirming the effectiveness of Korean medicine (KM) in traffic accidents (TA). Methods: We investigated the medical records of TA patients who were hospitalized at Muuido Korean medicine hospital from January 2016 to June 2018 retrospectively. Medical records included general characteristics (Gender, age), TA & treatment-related information (Collision type, chief complaint, hospitalization period, and herbal medicine prescription), and clinical scales (Five-scale improvement, numerical rating scale (NRS)). Statistical analysis was performed for data distribution and effectiveness comparison. Results: 755 TA patients showed 0.78:1 gender ratio. 20-50s years old, rear collision, pain in the cervical and lumbar spine, and hospitalization period within 14 days were the majority. KM improved 83.18% of 755 TA patients' symptoms and ROM over 'improvement' level, which indicated 30-70% improvement. With common KM treatments including acupuncture, cupping, heat therapy, and manipulation therapy, TA patients received various herbal medicines and herbal medicine for breaking severe blood stasis (Tongdo-san) showed improvement in both five-scale improvement and NRS change at the same time. Conclusions: We could confirm the effectiveness of KM, particularly herbal medicine in TA. It would be necessary to develop new herbal medicines such as Tongdo-san to treat TA-related symptoms.

• Journal of Society of Preventive Korean Medicine
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• 제28권2호
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• pp.99-111
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• 2024

Objectives : Anxiety is an important mental health symptom associated with healthcare utilization. This research aims to identify the demographic, socio-economic, and health-related factors associated with the use of Korean medicine (KM) treatments in adults experiencing anxiety. Methods : We conducted a cross-sectional analysis using the Korea Health Panel Annual Data 2019. Logistic regression models were employed to examine the relationships between KM utilization and various factors such as economic activity, perceived stress levels, and presence of physical discomfort. The study sample included 552 adults experiencing anxiety. Results : Among the subjects, 19.20% were using both conventional treatment and KM treatment. The analysis revealed that individuals engaged in economic activities were more likely to use KM treatments compared to those who were not (odds ratio [OR] = 2.207, 95% confidential interval [CI] = 1.316 to 3.699). Additionally, individuals reporting high levels of pain or discomfort showed a significantly higher likelihood of using both KM and conventional medical services (OR = 2.933, 95% CI = 1.645 to 5.231). Musculoskeletal conditions were the most common reason for KM utilization among the study participants. Conclusion : The findings suggest that economic activity and the severity of physical discomfort significantly influence the use of KM treatments among adults with anxiety. These insights could inform healthcare policy and the integration of KM services into broader health management strategies for anxiety.

• Journal of Korean Medicine for Obesity Research
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• 제21권1호
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• pp.22-31
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• 2021

Objectives: We conducted a retrospective chart review to investigate the effects of Korean Medicine (KM) treatment on weight loss in patients with morbid obesity (body mass index [BMI]≥30 kg/m²) and to compare the effects of KM counseling and non-counseling on weight loss. Methods: We performed a retrospective chart review of patients with morbid obesity who received KM treatment for at least 1 month. We evaluated the effects of KM treatment on body weight, BMI, body fat, fat mass, EuroQol-5D, and the Korean version of the obesity-related quality of life scale (KOQOL). We also assessed the liver and kidney functions, and adverse events. We performed a comparative analysis between the counseling and non-counseling groups. Results: A total of 37 patients who underwent 4 weeks of KM treatment involving Wolbi-tang, electroacupuncture, and KM counseling were included in this study. Twenty-one patients were assigned to the counseling group and sixteen patients to the non-counseling group. There was a significant decrease in weight, BMI, fat mass, and KOQOL (P<0.05) with improvements in total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein, and triglycerides. The counseling group had a greater reduction in body weight, BMI, body fat, and fat mass compared to the non-counseling group, although it was not significant. In the BMI below 35 (n=25), the reduction ratio of body weight, body fat mass, and body fat was higher in the counseling group than in the non-counseling group; additionally, body fat decreased significantly in counseling group (P<0.05). No severe adverse effects were observed. Conclusion: KM treatment could be effective for weight loss, especially in patients with morbid obesity, KM counseling could also be a good tool for weight loss, typically in patients with BMI<35 kg/m².

• BMB Reports
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• 제55권9호
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• pp.417-428
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• 2022

Herbal medicine, a multi-component treatment, has been extensively practiced for treating various symptoms and diseases. However, its molecular mechanism of action on the human body is unknown, which impedes the development and application of herbal medicine. To address this, recent studies are increasingly adopting systems pharmacology, which interprets pharmacological effects of drugs from consequences of the interaction networks that drugs might have. Most conventional network-based approaches collect associations of herb-compound, compound-target, and target-disease from individual databases, respectively, and construct an integrated network of herb-compound-target-disease to study the complex mechanisms underlying herbal treatment. More recently, rapid advances in high-throughput omics technology have led numerous studies to exploring gene expression profiles induced by herbal treatments to elicit information on direct associations between herbs and genes at the genome-wide scale. In this review, we summarize key databases and computational methods utilized in systems pharmacology for studying herbal medicine. We also highlight recent studies that identify modes of action or novel indications of herbal medicine by harnessing drug-induced transcriptome data.

• Journal of Society of Preventive Korean Medicine
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• 제17권1호
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• pp.51-63
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• 2013

Objectives : This study aimed to investigate the current situation of Internet health counseling in Korean Medicine by analyzing the contents and pattern of the questions and answers in NAVER Jisik-iN. Methods : 1,121 questions answered by Korean Medicine doctors in NAVER Jisik-iN from January 2012 to June 2012 were extracted and analyzed. The contents and pattern of the questions and answers were classified. Then statistical analysis was performed and the research findings were compared with other studies. Results : Korean Medicine (KM) accounted for 1.73 percent of health counseling in NAVER Jisik-iN. Analyzing the questions and answers of KM counseling, questions about symptoms and answers providing medical knowledge were most common. The most frequently asked symptom was digestive disorder. Applying to Suchman's "Stage of Illness and Medical Care" model, 'the symptom-experience' stage took the first place. Conclusions : KM counseling in NAVER Jisik-iN has served as guidance for potential Korean Medicine consumers by providing medical knowledge about symptoms. For more effective guidance there should be a systematic Internet counseling system offering reliable information by KM doctors to meet the needs of medical consumers.

• Journal of Society of Preventive Korean Medicine
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• 제19권2호
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• pp.57-66
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• 2015

Objective : This study aims to investigate the priority of education needs of managerial competencies for Korean Medicine doctors. Method : Self-administered questionnaires were sent via on-line survey system to 4,107 Korean Medicine (KM) doctors who were registered in the Association of Korean Medicine and whose business places were in Seoul. The cognition of necessities, present levels, and future importance of managerial competencies were measured. To measure the degree of educational needs on health management, t-test and Borich method were used. Results : The response rate was 1.9%(79 persons) and 68 responses were included in the analysis. The cost-effectiveness studying ability and the public relations ability were the most important competencies. Analyzing the competency groups by t-test and Borich method, the marketing group was the most important competency group. Many KM doctors (53 persons; 68.9%) who answered this questionnaire expressed needs of the business administration course. Conclusion : KM doctors conceded the necessity of business competency to manage their hospitals or clinics. Academic institutions needs to consider the implementation of business administration courses for KM students in accordance with needs of the managerial competencies.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• 제42권3호
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• pp.99-118
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• 2021

Objectives: The aim of this study is to review and analyze the trends in prospective clinical research (PCR), project, clinical study protocol of Korean medicine (KM) for dementia. Methods: We searched PCRs of KM on dementia in six electronical databases, up to January 28, 2021. Moreover, the clinical research protocol and projects of KM for dementia were searched. Results: Total eight PCRs, nine projects, and three clinical study protocols were included. In the PCRs, there were one randomized controlled trial, five before and after study, and two comparative group before-after studies. Four of them used herbal medicine, two used acupuncture, one study used both herbal medicine and acupuncture, and the other one used moxibustion. Jowiseungchung-tang was the most frequently used herbal medicine. BL62, KI6 were used in electro-acupuncture, auricular-Shenmen in auricular acupuncture, and GV20 in moxibustion. The most frequent outcome was Korean-Dementia Rating Scale (K-DRS). One reported significant increase in K-DRS score, one reported 60% improvement, and the other studies mostly reported no significant difference. In the projects including 20 clinical studies of dementia, herbal medicine, integrative medicine and acupuncture were mainly used. In the protocols, herbal medicine, complex KM intervention, and integrative medicine were used. Conclusions: Currently, the number of PCRs of KM for dementia is very scarce. Therefore, the researcher's interest in this field and national research support should be made more, and the quality of clinical research in the future can be further improved by supplementing the limitations of previously published clinical research.

• Journal of Korean Traditional Oncology
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• 제21권1호
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• pp.27-33
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• 2016

Background : This case is to report a gallbladder cancer patient treated with Korean Medicine who could not receive conventional cancer therapies such as operation and chemotherapy due to her underlying diseases, old age and poor performance. Method and Results : An eighty-year-old female patient was diagnosed with stage IV gallbladder cancer on Feb. 2014 and she already had hypertension, diabetes and Parkinsonism. Comprehensive Korean Medicine (KM) treatments instead of operation and chemotherapy were administrated due to her poor condition and old age. KM treatments were done focused on improving symptoms and quality of life combined with best supportive care. During KM treatments her abdominal pain was generally managed and she survived for 22 months. Conclusion : Further studies should be performed in the future to clarify the survival benefit and symptom management of comprehensive KM treatments.

• Journal of Society of Preventive Korean Medicine
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• 제17권2호
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• pp.179-187
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• 2013

Objectives : In many cases, patient's symptoms have been recorded on EMR in natural language instead of medical terminologies. It is possible to build a database by analyzing the symptoms of Korean Medicine(KM) that indicates patient's symptoms in natural language. Using the database, when doctors record patient's symptoms on EMR in natural language, conversely it'll be also possible to extract the symptoms of KM from those natural language. The database will enhance the value of EMR as a medical data. Methods : In this study, we aimed to make data structure of the terminologies that represent the symptoms of KM. The data structure is combinations of smallest unit in natural language. We made the database by analyzing morpheme of the natural language to express the symptoms of KM. Results & Conclusions : By classifying the natural language in 15 features, we made the structure of concept and the data available for morphological analysis.

• The Journal of Korean Obstetrics and Gynecology
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• 제19권4호
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• pp.287-297
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• 2006

Purpose : Chronic pelvic pain(CPP) is a common gynecologic symptoms. Recent research has been directed towards understanding the pathology of CPP, but many questions have existed. And the study for treating CPP has been tried by various manners. A Korean medicine(KM) also try to treat a various methods for treatment of CPP. It is often that a pelvic pain is continue a post-hysterectomy or a operating of gynecology. We have a case of CPP treatment by KM that is a patient continue pain after post-ovarian cystectomy with laparoscopy. So we report a case on pelvic pain and complication of post-ovarian cystectomy with laparoscopy. Methods : A 44 years old woman, who suffered from chronic pelvic pain, dizziness, nausea, dyspepsia, general weakness, insomnia after ovarian cystectomy, was enrolled in this study. She received KM therapies such as herbal medicine, moxibustion, acupuncture for 4 weeks. Results : CPP and symptoms after ovarian cystectomy were reduced by KM therapies. Conclusion : 'The present study suggests that KM therapies have a significant effect on CPP and complications of post-ovarian cystectomy with laparoscopy.