• Science of Emotion and Sensibility
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.29-35
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• 2003

In the oriental medicine, the illness of a human being is treated properly according to the strength and weakness of his/her physical constitution. In other words, the treatment principle of the oriental medicine is to balance the functions of the weak and strong inner parts of the physical constitution which can be classified into five characteristic elements: that is, the wood, fire, earth, mental, and water. An aroma therapy, one of traditional oriental medicine, uses pertinent perfumes to strengthen weak inner parts of the body, too. Although the remedy based on the five elements (in short, five element remedy) has revealed excellent clinical effects so far, it is still believed that the remedy is rather statistical and subjective than scientific. Thus, more systematic research needs to be done to prove it. In this paper, the correlation between perfume and physical constitutions has been formulated by grasping results of EEG through stimulation of lavender oil to both mental-type and fire-type persons. Also, the possibility of application for the five element remedy has been investigated. As a result, we found that the lavender oil helped to make strong gallbladder soften for fire-type individuals and to balance weak liver and strong gallbladder for mental-type persons. This agrees well with the results of the five element remedy practiced in the oriental medicine.

• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.93-100
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• 2010

Background: Auricular acupressure is one of the traditional health care treatments in oriental medicine. Approximately, 30~40% of the cancer patients have said to be suffering from insomnia and half of them having chronic and severe insomnia at the same time. Insomnia caused cancer patients feel more pain, fatigue, depression and anxiety and it sometimes let the power to have the best of cancer pull down. Objective: To investigate how effective the auricular acupressure treatment to cancer patients suffering from insomnia. Methods: We recruited participants from East-West Cancer Center of Daejeon University. Finally, of the people whose age range from 20 to 75, 12 patients who got less than 40 points from the score of Oh's sleeping score (OSS) were recruited. Single-blind, randomized pilot study was performed. The treatment group received auricular acupressure treatment (AAT) on active points and the control group had received sham acupressure treatment (SAT) for five times. Sleep parameters were checked by using OSS and numeric rating scale (NRS). We checked the scale everytime, both before and after treatment. We analyzed the data statistically by using independent T-test, paired T-test and analysis of variance (ANOVA) test. (p<0.05) Results: Twelve cancer patients participated in this pilot study and there was no significant difference between control and treatment group. Only 7 of them had completed the whole treatment process, 4 patients of AAT group and 3 participants of SAT. The OSS of AAT group had increased from $34.0{\pm}4.3$ to $39.5{\pm}3.1$ and that of SAT group had increased from $38.3{\pm}3.5$ to $40.0{\pm}0.0$. There was no significant difference between them. The NRS of AAT group had increased from $6.3{\pm}2.9$, $04.8{\pm}2.1$ and that of SAT group had increased from $7.0{\pm}1.0$ to $5.0{\pm}2.6$. No significant difference was observed between them. Conclusion: Although both groups did not show significant differences, most of the experimental participants showed increasing OSS and NRS after treatments. Significant participants' number will be needed in the next study.

• Journal of Periodontal and Implant Science
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• v.51 no.3
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• pp.147-162
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• 2021

Purpose: This systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to assess the effects of glycine powder air-polishing (GPAP) in patients during supportive periodontal therapy (SPT) compared to hand instrumentation and ultrasonic scaling. Methods: The authors searched for randomized clinical trials in 8 electronic databases for relevant studies through November 15, 2019. The eligibility criteria were as follows: population, patients with chronic periodontitis undergoing SPT; intervention and comparison, patients treated by GPAP with a standard/nozzle type jet or mechanical instrumentation; and outcomes, bleeding on probing (BOP), patient discomfort/pain (assessed by a visual analogue scale [VAS]), probing depth (PD), gingival recession (Rec), plaque index (PI), clinical attachment level (CAL), gingival epithelium score, and subgingival bacteria count. After extracting the data and assessing the risk of bias, the authors performed the meta-analysis. Results: In total, 17 studies were included in this study. The difference of means for BOP in patients who received GPAP was lower (difference of means: -8.02%; 95% confidence interval [CI], -12.10% to -3.95%; P<0.00001; I²=10%) than that in patients treated with hand instrumentation. The results of patient discomfort/pain measured by a VAS (difference of means: -1.48, 95% CI, -1.90 to -1.06; P<0.001; I²=83%) indicated that treatment with GPAP might be less painful than ultrasonic scaling. The results of PD, Rec, PI, and CAL showed that GPAP had no advantage over hand instrumentation or ultrasonic scaling. Conclusions: The findings of this study suggest that GPAP may alleviate gingival inflammation more effectively and be less painful than traditional methods, which makes it a promising alternative for dental clinical use. With regards to PD, Rec, PI, and CAL, there was insufficient evidence to support a difference among GPAP, hand instrumentation, and ultrasonic scaling. Higher-quality studies are still needed to assess the effects of GPAP.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.109-117
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• 2008

Phellinus linteus (Sang Hwang mushroom; P. linteusis) has been widely used for a traditional medicine in Japan, Korea and China. In traditional oriental applications, P. linteus and their extracts have been exclusively used to treat various diseases like insomnia, neurasthenia, gastric ulcers, arthritis, nephritis, stress, asthma, bronchitis, neuromuscular disorders, hypertension and also as an immune system stimulator in cancer therapy. In a number of articles, it is indicated how tremendous their therapeutic values are. According to these studies, P. linteus and their extracts show immunomodulatory activities like enhancing immune system function including anti-tumor activity and inhibiting the growth of existing tumors. P. linteus and their extracts have been being studied for use as immunotherapy agents and biological response modifiers (BRMs) for the possible treatment of cancer without side effects. Recently, the cultured mycelium product of P. linteus has been developed and approved as a medicine in Korea. This review shows not only the current status of methods of developmental technology like artificial culture and various biological applications of P. linteus but also recent market trends of functional foods made from P. linteus.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.58 no.2
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• pp.141-149
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• 2014

Background: Oriental lifestyle for treating diseases has been developed and well-accepted for a long time among Koreans. Sasang Constitution theory, originated from Korean traditional medicine, suggests that medication treatment should be differentiated by each patient's body classification (So-yang [SY], So-eum [SE], Tae-yang [TY], and Tae-eum [TE]), in contrary to western medicine's theory that medication should be applied equally by disease indication without such classification. However, the pharmacotherapeutic outcomes of these theories have not been compared to date. In this study, we aimed to compare the two theories by evaluating blood pressure (BP), which is lowered as a therapeutic outcome, among hypertensive patients taking angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) or calcium channel blockers (CCBs), two most commonly used antihypertensive classes in Korea. Methods: From April 2006 to June 2012, we retrospectively collected data on hypertensive patients with Sasang Constitution classification at Kyunghee University Hospital at Gangdong, one of the East-West collaborative medical centers in Korea. We collected information on age, gender, underlying diseases, antihypertensive drugs (ARB, CCB, ARB+CCB), and BP by reviewing the electronic medical records. We excluded patients with missing blood pressure at baseline or follow-up, or those who had a change in their antihypertensive drug class during follow-up. Results: We selected a total of 573 patients (SY: 165, SE: 158, TY: 0, TE: 250). Baseline BPs were on average 139.0/82.0 mmHg for SY, 137.8/78.5 mmHg for SE, and 138.7/79.2 mmHg for TE. In all three groups, CCBs were the most prescribed, followed by combination therapy with ARB+CCB, then ARBs. BP reduction after 1 month of initial medication was significantly different among the drug classes, but not in Sasang constitutional classification (ARB [SY: -12.4/-4.7, SE: -12.3/-2.5, TE: -8.6/-1.8], CCB [SY: -12.3/-5.4, SE: -13.0/-2.3, TE: -10.8/-6.0], ARB+CCB [SY: -15.6/-6.7, SE: -18.4/-8.1, TE: -20.2/-6.7], drug [$P{\leq}0.05$/P>0.05], constitutional type [P>0.05/P>0.05]). Conclusion: We observed significant differences in reduction of blood pressure by classes of drugs (ARB+CCB>CCB>ARB) but not by Sasang constitutional classification. Therefore, current approach of antihypertensive pharmacotherapy assisted by Western medicine is appropriate for treatment of hypertension. However, further larger scale or prospective studies are required in order to confirm these results.

• Journal of Society of Preventive Korean Medicine
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.47-59
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• 2015

Objective : The purpose of this study was to analyze the trend of clinical research on 'mild and sub-clinical depressions' in China. Method : The journal search was performed using China National Knowledge Infrastructure(CNKI). Our inclusion criteria were as follows: TCM clinical trials for mild, sub-clinical, early stage of depression. Exclusion criteria were the following: non-TCM clinical trials, disease-associated depression related clinical trials. Results : We included 16 papers in this study. 1. In this study, we realized there have been several mild and sub-clinical depressions related clinical trials conducted in the field of TCM. 2. The result of 10 Journals used the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale for diagnosis and assessment criteria of mild and sub-clinical depressions. 3. The selected journals categorized by various interventions, such as, herbal medicine(7), acupuncture(4), miscellaneous(5). 4. Also, 7 Journals showed the significant improvements in patients with mild and sub-clinical depressions by TCM interventions, and 5 studies of TCM patent prescription reported that herbal medicine therapy has less side effect than the western medicine. Conclusion : Through this study, we found out that several researchers in China performed clinical trials on mild and sub-clinical depressions constantly. From the result of this study, we need to concern about the necessity of research on the mild and sub-clinical depression in Korea. Therefore, this result could be used as a meaningful reference for the design of future clinical trials.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.32 no.6
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• pp.714-722
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• 2019

Oxidative DNA damage negatively affects humans and the research is currently ongoing to find ways to reduce oxidative stress. Oxidative stress has been identified as a key factor in triggering various diseases. Thus, its alleviation is important for human health. Broussonetia kazinoki (B. kazinoki) has been used in traditional Korean medicine as a dermatological therapy to treat burns, pruritus, and acne. B. kazinoki is generally segregated into peeled root (PR), root bark (RB), peeled stem (PS), and stem bark (SB). To assess these components for their antioxidant activity and protection against DNA damage, their ethyl acetate fractions were examined by 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl hydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2'-Azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) diammonium salt (ABTS) radical scavenging assay. As a result of confirming the expression of factors involved in attenuating DNA damage, the protective effect of SB on oxidative stress suppressed the expression of p-p53 and γ-H2AX. Additionally, the levels of p53 and H2AX mRNA were significantly downregulated. In conclusion, these results indicated that the SB component of B. kazinoki had the potential to be used as an effective natural antioxidant compared to the other parts of the plant.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology and Dermatology
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.28-38
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• 2008

In traditional oriental medicine, Gentianae Radix has been used clinically for clearing away 'heat', removing dampness and purging fire in the liver and gall bladder. However, there has been a lack of studies regarding the effects of Gentianae Radix on the immunological activities. The present study was conducted to evaluate the effect of Gentianae Radix on the regulatory effects of cytokines and nitric oxide(NO) for the immunological activities in Raw 264.7 cells. After the treatment of Gentianae Radix MeOH extract, cell viability was measured by MTT assay, and NO production was monitored by measuring the nitrite content in culture medium. The expression of COX-2 and iNOS was determined by immunoblot analysis, and the content of levels of cytokines in media was analyzed by ELISA kit. Results provided evidence that Gentianae Radix inhibited the production of nitrite and nitrate (NO), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), $interleukin-l{\beta}$ $(IL-l{\beta})$ and IL-6, and the activation of phospholylation of inhibitor ${\kappa}B{\alpha}$ ($p-I {\kappa}B{\alpha}$) in Raw 264.7 cells activated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). These findings suggest that Gentianae Radix can make anti-inflammatory effect, which may playa role in adjunctive therapy.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.10-25
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• 2011

Objectives : Asthma is considered an inflammation disease characterized by airway hyperresponsiveness and pulmonary eosinophilia. Chungsang boha-tang is a herbal medication which has been frequently used in traditional therapeutic agents for asthma. We aimed to observe the clinical effects of Chungsangboha-tang on blood eosinophil, serum IgE, AST, ALT and pulmonary function in asthmatic outpatients. Methods : The subjects consisted of 66 asthmatic patients who had been treated with Chungsangboha-tang among all the asthmatic patients who visited the 5th Internal Medicine of the Oriental Medicine Hospital of Kyung Hee University from November,2004 to November,2009. We observed blood eosinophil, serum IgE, AST, ALT levels and pulmonary function test results as well as medical records of patients to evaluate the effects. Results : Pulmonary function significantly improved after 8 weeks of treatment, and blood eosinophil and serum IgE level significantly decreased after 8 weeks of treatment. AST, ALT levels changed in normal ranges. Chungsangboha-tang was significantly effective on the male patients who had a smoking history and worse initial lab findings. We also observed a significant improvement of pulmonary function and decrease of eosinophil and serum IgE levels in the patient group who had a single treatment of Chungsangboha-tang without steroid therapy. Conclusions : This study shows that Chungsangboha-tang has effects on the improvement of pulmonary function and decrease of eosinophil and serum IgE levels as well as improvement of symptoms. And, 8 weeks of long-term treatment showed no negative effects such as significant increase of AST, ALT levels.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.57-61
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• 2006

Objectives : With an assumption of traditional oriental medical theory, to evaluate the effect of tonification/sedation manipulative acupuncture on blood pressure in male normotensives. Methods : This study was a randomized cross-over trial. We enrolled healthy male normotensive subjects, and assigned them randomly to group A or group B. Group A received acupuncture therapy on Shen-Men (He-7) and Nei-Kuan (EH-6) with tonification-manipulation, while group B received it with sedation-manipulation. Blood pressure was assessed every ten minutes for 2 hours. After 3 days of washout period, the subjects were crossed over to the other manipulation, and the same procedures were performed. Results : We observed that blood pressure stimulated by the sedation-manipulation had a tendency to decrease compared to that by the tonification-manipulation. Conclusions : We suggest the sedation manipulation has more synergic effect with the inhibitory effects of Shen-Men and Nei-Kuan on the sympathetic nervous system than the tonification-manipulation.