• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.1-13
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• 2011

Objectives : The purpose of this research is to examine the effects of Sa-am acupuncture Simpojeongkyeok treatment on Hwa-byung. Methods : The study was performed through a patient-assessor blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial in which the volunteers, data collector and analyst were unaware of individuals which were receiving the treatment. Fifty volunteers were divided into a trial and a control group, each of which consisted of 25 subjects. The trial group was treated with Sa-am acupuncture Simpojeongkyeok, while needle insertion at non-acupoints was given to the control group. The Likert scale for major symptoms of Hwa-byung was measured as the 1st evaluative instrument, and then a comparative analysis was conducted by comparing the results with those measured by of STAXI-K, STAI-K and BDI-K. Results : In the Likert scale comparison of major symptoms, total scores in both groups were decreased after treatment. However, a more significant decrease was found in those of trial group compared to those of the control group from a statistical perspective. The results measured by BDI scores also decreased significantly in the trial group after treatment. In comparison of STAXI and STAI scores, there were no significant differences found between the groups. Conclusions : The results suggest that Sa-am Acupuncture Simpojeongkyeok treatment is effective in the treatment of Hwa-byung.

• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.389-400
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• 2022

Objectives: Depression is a highly prevalent disease, and the market for antidepressant drugs continues to grow at a steady rate. Although current antidepressants are reported to be effective, because of their low remission rate and side effects, new antidepressants are needed. The use of Banhahubak-tang (BHT) to treat the symptoms of depression is supported by experimental evidence. The proposed study will evaluate the efficacy and safety of BHT in treating depression. Methods: A randomized, waitlist-controlled, parallel clinical trial will be conducted to assess the efficacy of BHT in depression. A total of 84 participants with depression will be randomized into the intervention group or waitlist-control group at a 1:1 ratio. Patients in the intervention group will be administered BHT three times a day for four weeks and followed up for four more weeks after therapy completion. Patients in the waitlist-control group will undergo the same intervention and follow-up after a four-week waiting period. The primary outcome is change in the Korean version of the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (K-HDRS) scores for major depressive disorders after four weeks. The secondary outcomes include scores on the K-HDRS, Korean Symptom Check List 95 (KSCL-95), Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-Korean version (STAI-K), State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory-Korean version (STAXI-K), and the Instrument on Pattern Identifications for Depression and EuroQol-5 Dimension (EQ-5D). Conclusions: This trial will provide high-quality clinical evidence of the efficacy and safety of BHT in the management of depression.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.27-41
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• 2000

The meridian system is the most essential and basic connecting structure that maintains the vital activities of viscera and bowels by connecting them with each part of body's surface. Doctors can understand the healthy condition, and the region and deficiency-excessiveness of disease by observing the condition of Qi flowing. Deficiency and excessiveness could be differentiated by various symptoms expressed in meridian system. Especially there could be several clues like pain, heat-cold, protuberance-depression, change of color and shine in the line of channel leads to the judgment of deficiency-excessiveness The diagnosis of deficiency and excessiveness can be generalized by quantification of elastic status in skin surface along the meridian system. By comparing data from measurement of elastic condition with those from traditional deficiency and excessiveness, it could be utilized for the development of oriental medicine. All biological activities in the human body are based on meridian system according to the oriental medicine. Also the meridian system is viewed as basic and essential structure connecting internal viscera and each part of body. The areas of expressed channel phenomena are muscle to bone, muscle to muscle and bone to bone. These areas are called depression where meridian system is present and any changing state on those points can be measured. It could be difficult in diagnosing the reaction of meridian system because doctor can depend on his own judgment. Therefore, it is necessary to quantify and indexate channel reactions. To quantify the channel reactions, specially manufactured instrument was used to quantify the protuberance and depression to differentiate the deficiency and excessiveness. The results follow as below; 1. The elastic index measurement by the equipment proved a pattern of agreement showing the values that ranged within standard deviation 0.05kgf/cm throughout the experiment except few cases' measurement in CV-17. 2. To evaluate the state of deficiency & excessiveness of elastic index measurements in frontal point, elastic index measurements in the front paint were compared to the elastic index measured surrounding the point within 2.5 cm. Such result of indexing procedure was closely matched to the concept of palpitation. 3. If the elastic index values in the surrounding front point closely located to the elastic index values in the front point, the judgement on the state of deficiency and excessiveness was delayed. Otherwise, it was judged as deficiency or excessiveness. 4. Out of total 12 cases of comparing the elastic index values to the elastic index values in the surrounding front point, Three to nine front points were judged as either in the state of deficiency or excessiveness. 5. Among the nine front points judged as either in the state of deficiency or excessiveness, Four cases were matched to the electric index measured by EAV that evaluating the internal organs by five different phases. If more clinical cases are accumulated, it is expected to systematically theorize and improve the concept of deficiency and excessiveness in the internal organs using the front point.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.17-26
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• 2005

Objectives : The purpose of this study is to investigate the correlation between assessment measurements of knee osteoarthritis and obesity. Methods : Data on assessment measurements of knee osteoarthritis and obesity were obtained from 63 patients suffering from knee osteoarthritis from February to April, 2005. The assessment measurements consisted of BMI (body mass index), WHR (waist-hip ratio), two disease-specific questionnaires (Western Ontario and McMaster Universities (WOMAC) index and Lequesne's Functional Severity Index (LFI)), one generic instrument (Korean Health Assessment Questionnaire (KHAQ)), and VAS (Visual Analogue Scale). Statistical correlations among assessment measurements were evaluated by examining the Pearson's correlation coefficients. Results : 1. The sexual ratio in this study was 1: 5.3 (male: female= 10: 53). The average age of all patients was $59.1{\pm}6.6$ (male: $58.3{\pm}7.1$, female: $59.2{\pm}6.5$), and the group of 60-69 (34 patients, 54%) was biggest in the age distribution. 2. The average BMI of all patients was $25.4{\pm}3.1\;kg/m^2$ (male: female= $23.6{\pm}2.6\;kg/m^2:\;25.8{\pm}3.0\;kg/m^2$), and the group of $20-25\;kg/m^2$ was biggest in the BMI distribution. According to clinical definition of obesity by WHO (1997), 52.4% of all patients was within normal weight, 42.9% was overweight, and 4.8% was obese. 3. The average WHR of all patients was $0.91{\pm}0.06$ (male: female= $0.90{\pm}0.05:\;0.92{\pm}0.06$). According to definition of abdominal obesity, 73.0% of all patients (46 patients were all female) was in the state of abdominal obesity. 4. There were no significant correlations in statistics among assessment measurements except between BMI and WHR. Conclusion : Though there is significant correlation between knee osteoarthritis and obesity according to many clinical and experimental researches, there is no assessment measurement reflecting knee osteoarthritis and obesity simultaneously. For this, further studies on correlation between knee osteoarthritis and obesity and development of assessment measurement or questionnaire on this are needed.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.51 no.1
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• pp.13-34
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• 2007

Traditional Medicine (TM) is called as philosophical medicine in Korea. An unified theory named as Sihnsang-hanron (SSHR) was hypothesized through studies of scientific analyses on various theories of TM. SSHR has extracted seven concepts which are six common ones from the great three books (三大原典) and the Logic of Laotzu & Chuangtzu (老莊思想). Six common concepts are the affecting by cold (傷寒), qi (氣), cold or heat (寒熱), exterior & interior of body (表裏), deficiency or excessiveness (虛實), and yin & yang (陰陽). We have tried to apply these seven concepts to Physics and Life Science. The affecting by cold means anti-sunlight and the origin of all diseases. The difference between TM and modern medical science would be in diagnostic methods as well as their theoretical analyses for various diseases. The modern science follows Haeckel's positive dialectics applied by the biological monism, and oriental one(SSHR) does Yin-Yang monism from the studies of Logic of Laotzu (老子) & Chuangtzu (莊子). SSHR would make the theory of exterior & interior of body (表裏論) and six channels (六經) develope scientifically as a diagnostic technique of disease. This theory is an excellent one that can't be found out in modern medical science, and so it should be developed as a scientific theory by using modern mechanic instrument. Chuangtzu asserted that ai was the basic substance of the universe. It is hypothesized that qi (氣) is like small particles -higgs, with dynamic power in modern Physics. We consider cautiously qi could be calculated by mathematics through higgs' bosons in near future.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.43 no.6
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• pp.1105-1121
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• 2022

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to explore the effectiveness and safety of frequently used clinical herbal medicines (Yijung-tang [Lizhong-tang, LJT], Pyeongwi-san [Pingwei-san, PWS], and Shihosogan-tang [Chaihu Shugan-tang, SST]) in patients with functional dyspepsia (FD) when administered according to herbal medicine and Korean medicine pattern identification. The results of this study will be used to standardize the diagnostic instrument used in Korean medicine and to investigate biomarkers of Korean medicine pattern identification. Methods: This study will be a randomized, assessor-blind, 3-arm, parallel, open-label, multi-center clinical trial. A total of 300 FD participants will be recruited from 3 Korean medical hospitals and assigned to the LJT (n=100), PWS (n=100), and SST (n=100) groups according to FD pattern identification. The patients will take the medication for 8 weeks, 3 times a day, before or between meals. The primary outcome will be total dyspepsia symptom (TDS) and the secondary outcomes will be adequate relief (AR) for dyspepsia, overall treatment effect (OTE), visual analogue scale (VAS), functional dyspepsia-related quality of life (FD-QoL), gastrointestinal symptom score (GIS), and pattern identification questionnaires. For the exploratory outcomes, we will analyze blood and fecal metabolome profiles, microbiota from fecal and saliva samples, single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), and results of Korean medicine diagnosis device measurements (heart rate variability, and tongue, pulse, and abdominal diagnosis). Conclusions: The results of this study will prove objectivity for Korean medicine pattern identifications, and the effectiveness and safety of herbal medicines for the population with FD.

• Sleep Medicine and Psychophysiology
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.56-67
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• 1996

Objectives : This study was designed to find clinical factors that could be differentiated by the lateralization of lesion and also find clinical factors to predict the lateralization of lesion. Methods : The subjects were 65 cooperative inpatients and outpatients with non-traumatic subcortical cerebrovascular disease without neurologic and psychiatric history from January 1995 to September 1995 ; 48 patients in Kyung Hee University, Oriental Medicine Hospital, 35 patients in Anam Hospital, Korea University were examined as subjects, but authors excluded 20 patients whose data were incomplete or who had uncertain lesions on brain CT or MRI. The 65 patients were divided into three groups-group with left hemispheric lesion, group with right hemispheric lesion, group with both hemispheric lesion-according to the finding of brain imaging study. Their cognitive functions were evaluated by the Benton Neuropsychological Assessment(BNA), their subjective neurobehavioral symptoms by Symptom Check List-90-R(SCL-90-R), their objective neurobehavioral symptoms by Neurobehavioral Rating Scale, and their daily living functions by Geriatric Evaluation by Relative's Rating Instrument(GERRl) and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living Scale(IADLs). Results : The results were as follows : 1) The results of cognitive function test indicated that the group with right hemispheric lesion showed low functions in Tactile Form Perception(left), the group with left hemispheric lesion showed low functions in Finger localization(right), the group with right hemispheric lesion showed low functions in Finger Localization(left). 2) Though, there were little significant differences in subjective neurobehavioral symptoms, the group with right hemispheric lesion showed higher scores in all symptoms except hostility. 3) Though, there were little significant differences in objective neurobehavioral symptoms, the group with both hemispheric lesion showed higher scores in cognition, guilty/disinhibition, the group with left hemispheric lesion showed higher scores in lability of mood, the group with right hemispheric lesion showed highest scores in psychotism, neurotism, agitation-hostility and decreased motivation/emotional withdrawal. 4) There were little significant differences among three groups in Daily Living Functions, but the group with right hemispheric lesion showed the lowest functions in Instrumental Activities of Daily Living. 5) As a result of discriminant analysis on each factor's contribution to the prediction of lesion, Finger Localization(left), Phoneme Discrimination and Tactile Form Perception(right) showed that they had the potentiality to predict lesion. Conclusion : The results suggest that there are little significant differences among the groups of three non-traumatic subcortical cerebrovascular disease in cognitive functions, but the group with right hemispheric lesion showed more serious and various changes in subjective and objective neurobehavioral symptoms, and showed low functions in Instrumental Activities of Daily Living. This results suggest the possibility that the decline of the daily living function in the group with right hemispheric lesion were due to various symptoms, not due to cognitive dysfunction. The confirmation of the possibility should be worked out through the follow-up study of some groups containing cortical lesion. Apart from these findings, Finger Localization, Tactile Form Perception(right) and Phoneme Discrimination suggest that they can be used as clinically valuable cognitive parameters that predict the lateralization of lesion in non-traumatic cerebrovascular disease.

• Journal of Sasang Constitutional Medicine
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.115-124
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• 2011

1. Objectives : This study aimed to provide practical insights on the development of traditional Korean medical tourism and maximize the satisfaction of foreign patients. The main objectives of this study were also to evaluate Sasang Constitutional Medicine(S.C.M.) diagnosis cost from foreigners' perspectives. 2. Methods : For this study, the data were collected from tourists to Korea between January 3, 2010 to February 20, 2010. The sample used in this study was mainly composed of Japanese, Chines and US/Canada, because they are the major national visitor origin group to Korea. The primary data were collected by questionnaire survey using a standardized instrument with a convenience sampling procedure, and efforts of the interviews involved an on-site, self-administrated questionnaire to those sitting or visiting tourist attractions. The total size of the sample was 276 of which 275 showed no missing value against the factors needed for final analysis and were for analysis as an effective sample. SPSS 13.0 for window was used to analyze the collected data on which descriptive statistics and the Limited Dependent(LIMDEP) 8.0 program was used in estimating the willingness-to-pay(WTP) for traditional Korean medical tourism through the Contingent Valuation Method(CVM). A dichotomous choice question form of a CVM was applied to estimating the value. 3. Results and Conclusion: 1. There was significant statistical relationship between attributes when considering medical tourism destination and socio-demographic profiles such as age group, nationality, educational level and occupation. 2. In the level of recognition on Korean medicine, north Americans showed low level of recognition compared to other nationalities. In addition, in terms of age group, 20's and 30's showed low level of recognition on Korean medicine, 3. In relation to the level of interest on Korean medicine, Japanese respondents had higher interesting level on Korean medicine. Also singles had higher level of interest. 4. Regarding preferred Korean medical treatment program, there found significant statistical relationship between Korean medical treatment program and socio-demographic characteristics. 5. The estimating result of the logit model showed that the variables affecting the WTP for Sasang Constitutional medicine diagnosis were offered price and potential ability of medical tourism destination. 6. In relation to WTP for Sasang Constitutional medicine diagnosis, Japanese respondents showed a WTP of USD 62.69 and Chinese respondents showed USD 57.09. On the other hands, respondents from north America and other countries showed a WTP of USD 65.50. In conclusion, from this study, the results found that the opportunities in tradition Korean medical tourism are immense and the possible rewards are numerous. It is time to continue to promote 'Sasang Constitutional medicine' and make the Korean medical tourism programs considering on nationalities, age group, gender and WTP.

• The Journal of Korean Obstetrics and Gynecology
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.157-174
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• 2021

Objectives: This case report aims to report the clinical effectiveness of the combination treatment of Korean medicine with Guibiondamtang-gamibang on Hwa-byung patients. Methods: Case 1 experienced stress at work and complained of chest discomfort, nausea, dizziness, insomnia. Case 2 experienced huge stress about money, and complained of palpitation, chest discomfort, dizziness and insomnia. They received combination treatment of Korean medicine during hospitalization. The treatment included Guibiondamtang-gamibang, acupuncture, moxibustion, pharmacoacupuncture, and fumigation. The effects were evaluated through Hwa-byung scale, instrument of oriental medical evaluation for Hwa-byung, insomnia severity index (ISI) and heart rate variability (HRV) test. Results: After the treatment, the clinical symptoms such as chest discomfort, palpitation, dizziness, nausea and insomnia were improved. Conclusions: This case report shows that the combination treatment of Korean medicine with Guibiondamtang-gamibang may be effective for treating Hwa-byung patients.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.295-311
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• 2019

Objectives: This research aimed to investigate Chinese clinical studies on the treatment of central post-stroke pain (CPSP) and thalamic syndrome after stroke with traditional herbal medicine (THM). Methods: Randomized controlled trials verifying the effects of herbal medicine on treating CPSP and thalamic syndrome after stroke were included in the study. Electrical and hand search were conducted in the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), National Discovery for Science Leaders (NDSL), Research Information Sharing Service (RISS), Oriental Medicine Advanced Searching Integrated System (Oasis) for CPSP and thalamic syndrome after stroke. A literature search was performed in the Chinese and Korean databases for papers published from January 1, 2010 to October 1, 2018. The selected literature was assessed by Cochrane's risk of bias. Results: Twelve reports on randomized controlled trials met the inclusion criteria from the 227 identified reports. Effective rate, comparison of visual analogy scale, present pain intensity, pain grading index, recurrence rate, follow-up, and a 36-item short form survey instrument were used to evaluate the treatments. The effective rate of the treatment group was significantly higher than that of the control group in all papers. Side effects occurred less frequently in the treatment group than in the western medicine control group. Conclusions: The treatment of CPSP and thalamic syndrome after stroke with THM was shown to be highly effective. Additional well-designed clinical trials are needed. This study can be used as a basis for further research on the treatment of CPSP and thalamic syndrome after stroke.