• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.1-11
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• 2005

Backgrounds : Gamichungsangboha-tang extract has been known to improve pulmonary functions and quality of life within four weeks of treatment. Cessation of treatment causes recurrence of symptoms and regression of pulmonary function and poorer quality of life. Long-term herbal therapy is difficult to maintain due to economic burden and other reasons. AF-365 is made with reduced dosage of Gamichungsangboha-tang extract. This study was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of AF-365 for maintenance therapy. Materials and Methods : The subjects consisted of 27 patients with asthma who had beed treated with AF-365 for four weeks. First, patients were treated with Gamichungsangboha-tang extract for four weeks. Second patients stopped herbal medicine for four weeks and after that they took AF-365. Pulmonary function test(PFT) was checked before and after four weeks of treatment. Quality of Life Questionnaire for Adult Korean Asthmatics(QLQAKA) was checked every two weeks from the beginning. The effects of AF-365 were analysed throughout the last four weeks. Results : Treatment of AF-365 for four weeks resulted in significant increase in PEFR%, QLQAKA. The QLQAKA of the step3, step4 group classified by Global initiative for asthma(GINA) showed significant improvement, and the QLQAKA of the step2 group showed no significant difference. In step3 group, PEFR% increased significantly. Conclusions : This study supports a role for AF-365 in maintenance of pulmonary function and quality of life, especially in persistent symptomatic asthmatics.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.151-160
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• 2002

Background: Nowadays asthma is considered to be an inflammatory disease characterized by airway hyperresponsiveness and pulmonary eosinophilia. Production of cytokines by bronchial epithelial cells may contribution to the local accumulation of inflammatory cells in patients with bronchial asthma. In many recent studies molecular biological methods have been used to investigate the role of cytokines in pathogenesis and new therapeutic targets of asthma. Objectives: We aimed to identify the clinical effects of Chuongsangboha-tang and the effects of Chuongsangboha-tang on serum cytokines in asthmatic patients. Materials and Methods: The subjects consisted of 36 patients with asthma who had been treated with Chuongsangboha-tang for four weeks. Chuongsangboha-tang is an herbal decoction which has been used of the traditional therapeutic agent of asthma. PFT, Quality of Life Questionnaire for Adult Korean Asthmatics (QLQAKA), blood eosinophil, serum IgE, Serum IL-4, IL-5, IFN- were checked before and 4 weeks after treatments. Results: Treatment with Chuongsangboha-tang for four weeks resulted in significant increase in FEV1.0%, PEFR%, QLQAKA. The blood eosinophil, serum IgE, IL-4 and IL-5 in asthmatic patients increased significantly compared to the normal control group, while the serum IFN-decreased significantly. Conclusions: This study shows that Chuongsangboha-tang has effects on improvement of pulmonary function and quality of life in asthmatic patients. Obviously, further research concerning this is still necessary.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.42 no.5
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• pp.1109-1117
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• 2021

Objectives: This study aimed to describe the effects of traditional Korean medical treatment on a patient with asthma. Methods: The patient (female, 88) was treated with herbal medicine (Sojaganggi-tang), acupuncture, and moxibustion. The effects of these treatments were evaluated using the Modified Borg Scale (MBS) and Quality of Life Questionnaire for Adult Korean Asthmatics (QLQAKA). Results: Following treatment, the MBS score decreased from 7 to 4, and the QLQAKA score increased from 45 to 57. Conclusion: The results suggest that traditional Korean medicine can effectively treat patients with asthma.

• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.123-129
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• 2004

Nowadays Asthma is considered to be an inflamatory disease characterized by airway hyperresponsiveness and pulmonary eosinophilia. Hominis Placenta is the dried placenta of a healthy women. It has correspondence to the meridians of lung and kindey. Hominis Placenta acupuncture therapy has effect on invigoration of vital energy nourishing blood and tonifying the essence. It can be applied to the disease as Asthma, pulmonary tuberculosis, chronic hepatitis, liver cirrhosis, degenerative change and cerebrovascular disease. We treated two patients of Asthma with CVA by Homins Placenta Aqua-Acupuncture. The effect of Homins Placenta Aqua-Acupuncture was assessed by analyzing the pulmonary function test(PFT) and Quality of Life Questionnaire for adult Korean Asthmatics(QLQAKA) in patients before and after treatment. Total score was increased. The patients are satisfied our treatment. But further research concerning this is still necessary.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.575-581
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• 2000

Objective : Asthma is a lung disorder characterized by periodic attacks of wheezing alternating with periods of relatively normal breathing. And quality of life in asthmatic patients shows a tendency to decrease. So we had a clinical study whether if oriental medical treatment could improve their quality of life or not. Methods : The 15 cases were new patients that visited at division of respiratory system, department of internal medicine in Kyunghee medical center from the 1 st of July, 2000 to the 1 st of August. All of them were diagnosed as asthma and treated by western medical therapy. We used a Quality of Life Questionnaire for adult Korean Asthmatics(QLQAKA) and evaluated the results after two times answers, at an interval of two weeks. Results : The mean of the first answer was 2.84 marks and 3.36 ones after two weeks. If there is a difference of over 0.5 points between the two, we can admit significant effect. After the asthmatic patients treated by oriental medical therapy, they gained a difference of 0.52 points, 10.4%. Conclusions : We suggest that oriental medical therapy can improve the quality of life of asthmatic patients arid we can alternate side effects of western medical therapy with oriental one. if they carry out two different treatments at the same time.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.38 no.6
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• pp.955-970
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• 2017

Objectives: The aim of this observational study was to identify and analyze the patterns to compare the characteristics of asthma patients. Methods: The subjects were 40 asthma patients who had satisfied the inclusion and exclusion criteria. They were divided into deficiency syndrome and excess syndrome groups, and cold syndrome and heat syndrome groups. Their quality of life was measured by the quality of life questionnaire for adult Korean asthmatics (QLQAKA) and VAS. Heart rate variability (HRV) was measured, and the degree of obesity was evaluated by body mass index (BMI). Hematological, biochemical, and immunoglobulin (Ig) E laboratory tests were included. Results: Based on pattern identification, the 40 asthma patients could be divided into two categories of groups: 1) the deficiency syndrome (N=18) and the excess syndrome (N=22) groups: 2) the cold syndrome (N=35) and the heat syndrome (N=5) groups. The mean value of HF differed significantly between the deficiency and excess syndrome groups. The mean value of IgE in blood tests of asthmatics was greater than four times the reference value. For BMI, the subjects were classified into three groups: normal weight (N=12), overweight (N=12), and obese (N=16). Conclusions: Development of a more accurate asthma-specific pattern identification tool could play a crucial role in asthma control. In addition, good control of asthma can improve the quality of life. Obesity is one of the factors associated with asthma exacerbation.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.32 no.6
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• pp.361-369
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• 2018

The purpose of this study was to review the herbal medications of asthma through clinical studies in Korea and to be utilized in the treatment of asthma and in other clinical studies. All clinical researches about asthma published up to 13th February 2018 were found in two domestic electric databases, Oriental Medicine Advanced Searching Integrated System(OASIS) and National Discovery for Science Library(NDSL). Twenty-seven articles were selected and of these, there were 14 articles of before and after studies(BAS), 8 of case series(CS), 4 of case reports(CR) and 1 of the randomized controlled trial(RCT). The most frequently used prescription was "Cheongsangboha-tang(淸上補下湯)". There were various TCM patterns, and Tae-Eum-In(太陰人) was the most common Sasang constitution(四象體質). Frequently used evaluations to assess treatment effects were lung function tests such as Forced expiratory volume at one second (FEV1) and Quality of Life Questionnaire for Adult Korean Asthmatics(QLQAKA) questionnaire responses. We have found that herbal medicine treatment can be an effective treatment to improve the symptoms and the quality of life of asthmatic patients. But we consider that large-scale systematically designed clinical researches are needed additionally.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.583-598
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• 2020

Objective: The aims of this study were to analyze deficiency-excess pattern identification and to compare the blood cytokines in patients with asthma. Methods: A total of 112 patients with asthma who met the inclusion and exclusion criteria were divided into deficiency syndrome and excess syndrome groups. Blood was examined for eotaxin, interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-13, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α. The Quality of Life Questionnaire for Adult Korean Asthmatics (QLQAKA), a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), and heart rate variability (HRV) tests were administered to both groups. Results: Pattern identification divided the 112 patients into two categories: a deficiency syndrome group (N=52) and an excess syndrome group (N=60). Analysis of blood cytokines showed higher levels of IL-4, IL-5, and IL-13 in the deficient pattern than in the excess pattern group, but the difference was not statistically significant. Analysis of the HRV revealed a significantly higher mean value for the very-low-frequency (VLF) and high-frequency (HF) bands in the deficiency than in the excess syndrome group. The morbidity duration was longer in the deficiency than in the excess syndrome group, but the difference was not statistically significant. Analysis of the QLQAKA and VAS scores showed a negative correlation, whereas BMI and VAS showed a positive correlation. Conclusions: Levels of blood cytokines, including eotaxin, IL-1β, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-13, and TNF-α, did not differ statistically between the deficiency and excess syndrome groups. The development of a more accurate asthma-specific pattern identification tool would be useful in asthma control.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.582-596
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• 2019

Objective: The aims of this study were to analyze the deficiency-excess pattern identification (虛實辨證) and compare it to the sputum cytokines of asthma patients. Method: 50 asthma patients who met the inclusion and exclusion criteria were included in this study. They were divided into two groups: deficiency and excess syndrome groups. Sputum examinations were performed including $TNF-{\alpha}$, Interleukin (IL)-4, IL-5, IL-10, and IL-13. The Quality of Life Questionnaire for Adult Korean Asthmatics (QLQAKA), the Visual Analog Scale(VAS), and heart rate variability (HRV) were also measured. We also conducted laboratory tests, including the hematological indexes. Results: Based on the pattern identification, 50 asthma patients can be divided into two categories of groups: the deficiency syndrome group (N=24) and the excess syndrome group (N=26). In the analysis of sputum cytokines, although the $TNF-{\alpha}$, IL-4 and IL-13 were at a higher level in the deficient pattern group than in the excess pattern group, it was insignificantly different. There was a negative correlation in the analysis of QLQAKA and VAS. In the analysis of HRV, although the mean value of VLF, LF, and HF in the deficiency syndrome group was higher than in the excess syndrome group, it was insignificantly different. There was no significant difference in the hematological tests between the deficiency and the excess syndrome group. The mean value of the IgE in the blood tests was five times greater than the reference value. Conclusion: The cytokines of sputum including $TNF-{\alpha}$, IL-4, IL-5, IL-10, and IL-13 were indifferent statistically. Reinforcing the healthy and eliminating the pathogenic factors should be considered.

• Journal of Sasang Constitutional Medicine
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.373-383
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• 2013

Objectives The purpose of this clinical trial was evaluate the safety and efficacy of Mahwangjeongcheon-tang (MJT). Methods Twenty six volunteers were recruited as subjects. They were divided into two groups, which were MJT test group and placebo group. The investigated items related to the safety were the weight, the results of renal function and liver function. The investigated items related to the efficacy are the results of the spirometer, the clinical asthma measurement scale in oriental medicine-V (CAMSOM-V) and the quality of life questionnaire for adult Korean asthmatics (QLQAKA). Results There are no difference in the weight, the results of the renal functions and the liver functions between MJT test group and placebo group. There are the some differences in the result of the questionnaires related to the efficacy between MJT test group and placebo group. The significant difference were observed in the CAMSOM-V at the 4th visit. Conclusion MJT is the safe and effective herbal prescription that is useful to the asthma patients.