• Journal of Society of Preventive Korean Medicine
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.36-47
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• 2002

Over thousands of years oriental traditional medicine has developed a theoretical and practical approach to treat and prevent diseases and to promote people's health in China and Korea. In China, the integration of traditional Chinese medicine into the national healthcare system began in the late 1950s. This was in response to national planning needs to provide comprehensive healthcare services. On contrary to China, South Korea established the parallel operation of two independent medical systems in 1952. Hence there has been a political conflict between oriental and modern medicine over issues of fee, the ability to sell and prescribe herbal medicines, and the licensing of practitioners in traditional medicines. Given this background. This study is to compare peoples' attitudes and opinions for oriental traditional medicine by ethnicity (Chinese, Korean-Chinese and Korean). Chinese and Korean-Chinese were more used and satisfied with traditional medicine treatment and traditional practitioners compared with Koreans. The proportion of Koreans who reported the cost of traditional treatments was expensive was higher than those of Chinese and Korean Chinese. Most of Chinese, Korean-Chinese, and Koreans reported that they would use traditional medicine: 1) when they would have some disease to be treated best through traditional medicine; and 2) when traditional practitioner had a reputation and lots of experiences for those diseases. Most Korean people reported that oriental and western practitioners should cooperate each other to improve the quality of care. Therefore, policy framework including integration of traditional and western medicine, regulation, etc. is needed. In addition, research is needed to determine which diseases is treated best through traditional medicine.

• Journal of Society of Preventive Korean Medicine
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.105-115
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• 2014

Objective : Traditional medicine (TM) has been playing its role in national healthcare system and it is taken as complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) from the viewpoint of modern Western medicine. In the UK, not a few practitioners of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) are working as CAM practitioners using herbal medicine and acupuncture therapy. Cases of dispute in the TCM practice are not rare these days because patients who take TCM service are increasing by year. Method : In the UK, dispute cases of the Traditional Medicine of East Asia can be found these days, however, it is hard to find a reported court case. A medical dispute case of TCM will be analysed to see the legal management and the resolving principle in the alternative medicine practice with some cases of Korean Medicine (KM) being discussed. Results : The usual pattern of clinical negligence can be discussed from the points of a duty of care, breach of that duty by negligence, and the harm to the patient from that breach of duty. The judge followed this procedure In this case to discuss the claims. The department of health proposed to introduce regulation to provide the reasonable quality in TCM practice, and the governmental system would be essential to regulate both the TCM practice and practitioners. Conclusion : The dispute case of traditional Chinese herbal medicine (TCHM) practice is important for the clinical negligence in TCHM practice. Judging the negligence of a TCHM practitioner involves the conventional negligence principle in tort law, and the TCHM practitioners are required to keep up with the up-to-date information on the related medical specialty. The reasoning is almost the same as that shown in the court case of Korea. The TCHM practice in the UK needs to be under the regulation by the government. The standard of care we expect of a TCHM practitioner is a further matter to discuss from the healthcare and social viewpoints.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.112-121
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• 2010

Objectives: The aim of this study was to reflect upon the process of the legislation of the National Medical Services Law for traditional Korean medicine practitioners (TKM practitioners), especially at the Assembly plenary session of 1951. Methods: Various primary sources related to the legislation were examined, especially those in National Assembly Records and newspapers. Results: In 1950, the National Assembly wanted to establish the National Medical Services Law (國民醫療法) replacing the colonial medical services law (朝鮮醫療令), but it ended in failure. So in 1951, the National Assembly tried again. First, legislator Han Gukwon (韓國源), with 83 other legislators, introduced a bill for the new national health care system. The Society and Health (社會保健委員會) and the Legislation and Judiciary subcommittees (法制司法委員會) deliberated on this bill, and each proposed an amendment to the National Assembly. In the process of careful deliberation of these three proposals, the Ministry of Health and legislator Kim Ikgi (金翼基) each came up with a further amendment. Ultimately, Kim Ikgi's amendment was accepted by the National Assembly. According to his proposal, TKM practitioners were titled 'Hanuisa (漢醫師)', and the medical office name of TKM practitioners became 'Hanuiwon (漢醫院)'. Conclusions: The National Medical Services Law passed in 1951 was the beginning of the unique dual national medical license system of Korea. It recognized Western medicine and TKM practitioners equally under the national license system.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.17-25
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• 2012

Objectives: This study was conducted to explore the contemporary perception of traditional Korean medical doctors (TKMDs) on traditional Korean medicine (TKM) policies and issues. Methods: A questionnaire that included traditional medicine policy- and treatment-related issues was sent to 130 TKM medical centers and 4,300 TKM local clinical offices in Korea, and received responses from total 648 TKMDs in 122 TKM medical centers and 465 TKM local clinical offices. Results: Of the responding TKMDs, 40% believed that unification of Western and traditional medicines would benefit both modes of medical treatment, 67.6% were against allowing Chinese doctor certification to be effective in Korea through the Korea-China FTA (Free Trade Agreement), and 57.8% believed that the number of TKMDs should be reduced. We also found that 46.1% of TKMDs believed that more lectures on Western medicine would be needed in schools of TKM. Moreover, 87.5% of respondents regarded medical knowledge as necessary for treatment, and 49.4% believed National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Traditional Medicine (NCCAOM) would be not necessary. TKMDs regarded governmental efforts as more vital than education in schools or individual efforts for enhancement of the traditional medical care market in Korea. To efficiently provide the advantages of complementary CAM, such as cost and safety, detailed research is required when policy is made. Conclusions: The TKM industry must implement policies how the relationship with Western medicine can be better defined under the current dual medical system. On the issue of human resources, more research will be needed on the current policy, which serves to maintain the status quo by blocking the importation of Chinese practitioners and by reducing the number of new practitioners.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.99-111
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• 2011

Objectives : The aim of this study is to estimate traditional Korean medicine (TKM) practitioners' awareness and attitudes about acupuncture clinical study toward evidence based medicine (EBM). Methods : We conducted two surveys before and after the workshop. First survey, about the awareness and attitudes toward EBM was carried out with questionnaire. Second survey, about their changes in the attitudes toward EBM after the workshop was carried out with on-line questionnaire. Results : 70.0 % of respondents shows interest in the trends of clinical research. In contrast, 26.0 % of respondents used to search papers by themselves. 30.3 % of respondents reported that they apply the result of researches to their practice. 41.0 % of respondents thought that case study is needed for their practice, whereas 29.5 % responded that randomized controlled trial is most important. In the second survey, the attitudes toward EBM were changes positive. fair number of respondents usually get information from data regardless of EBM for their practice, but 23.5 % of respondents refer to the journals. Conclusions : The awareness and needs for education on the attendees toward EBM is quite high, and the effect of education is possibly influential. We expect the improvement on the refresher and the extension of education course for practitioners, and undergraduate curriculum.

• Journal of Society of Preventive Korean Medicine
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.35-46
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• 2015

Objective : This study aims to investigate legal and regulatory status of traditional and complementary medicine (T&CM) focusing on regulation on health practitioners and health practice in 33 countries. Method : 33 countries were selected based on several factors such as interest of Korean medical doctors, strategic importance, and distribution over the world. The questionnaire was distributed to Korean embassies in 33 countries in March 2014 through Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the answers from those countries were collected from April to September. 24 countries that provided sufficient information were included in the analysis. Results : 18 countries have law or regulation on T&CM. Only five countries regulate T&CM practitioners as medical personnel or health practitioner by law, and 12 countries have regulation on license or certificate. Half of 24 countries recognize license of T&CM practitioners issued abroad. There are nine countries that recognize T&CM practice as medical practice, and four of them regulate acupuncture as medical practice by western medical doctors or a few health practitioners recognized by the government. There are six countries that do not recognize T&CM practice as medical practice by law, but regulate it as practice that affect public health, and these countries have law or regulation on T&CM. Conclusion : As T&CM have great impact on public health, many countries have recently legislated law or regulation on T&CM. Rapid change in regulatory status of T&CM affects globalization of Korean medicine. Thus, development of timely strategies will be essential for it.

• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.293-302
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• 2016

The use of folk medicine has been widely embraced in many developed countries under the name of traditional, complementary and alternative medicine (TCAM) and is now becoming the mainstream in the UK and the rest of Europe, as well as in North America and Australia. Diversity, easy accessibility, broad continuity, relatively low cost, base levels of technological inputs, fewer side effects, and growing economic importance are some of the positive features of folk medicine. In this framework, a critical need exists to introduce the practice of folk medicine into public healthcare if the goal of reformed access to healthcare facilities is to be achieved. The amount of information available to public health practitioners about traditional medicine concepts and the utilization of that information are inadequate and pose many problems for the delivery of primary healthcare globally. Different societies have evolved various forms of indigenous perceptions that are captured under the broad concept of folk medicine, e.g., Persian, Chinese, Grecian, and African folk medicines, which explain the lack of universally accepted definitions of terms. Thus, the exchange of information on the diverse forms of folk medicine needs to be facilitated. Various concepts of Wind are found in books on traditional medicine, and many of those go beyond the boundaries established in old manuscripts and are not easily understood. This study intends to provide information, context, and guidance for the collection of all important information on the different concepts of Wind and for their simplification. This new vision for understanding earlier Chinese medicine will benefit public health specialists, traditional and complementary medicine practitioners, and those who are interested in historical medicine by providing a theoretical basis for the traditional medicines and the acupuncture that is used to eliminate Wind in order to treat various diseases.

• Journal of Korean Medical classics
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.317-319
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• 2010

The collateral diagnosis method is unique in Traditional Chinese Medicine diagnosis methods which has important clinical value. In my article, the contents of the "Hwangjenaegyeong(黃帝內經)" related to this method is discussed. According to the site of inspection in the diagnosis process, there are five types as following: inspection of the face and surface, the thenar, the orifices, abdominal collaterals and finally the index finger of children. This method can inspire clinical practitioners.

• Journal of Society of Preventive Korean Medicine
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.141-155
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• 2008

Traditional, complementary, and alternative medicine(CAM) constitutes a major source of health care in developing countries. Its therapies, products and practices are increasing used in industrialized countries, typically by around 50% of the population. However, controls on the provider of CAM services and supply and promotion of complementary medicines are weak in these countries. These trends evoke important public health questions relating to benefits and detriments, safety and quality from medical, financial, and social perspectives. In the western counties, investment in research is increasing, and some guideline is now available for ensuring their quality, efficacy, and safety according to the criteria of evidence-based medicine as legally demanded. National policies and legislation are being developed in many countries and often include partnerships between biomedical and traditional health practitioners. The purposes of the study were to review the policies on CAM, to examine the responses of the government to cope with use of CAM in industrialized countries. Lastly, some implications and recommendation are suggested.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.528-531
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• 2002

In Traditional Oriental Medicine, there has been a growing needs for computerized diagnosis expert system, which can implement pre-diagnosis and correct the errors of practitioners. Therefore, we developed the expert system (KHU-PIPE : Kyung Hee University - Pattern Identification and Prescription Expert) for diagnosis and treatment. It has three characteristics as following. First. this system has the knowledge base which modified the standardized data designed by Chinese government during 1980s. Second, it provides the objective and standardized diagnosis as the results of pattern identification and their appropriate prescriptions for treatment. Third, it is applied to both LAN system and internet. Furthermore, it can be used as an educational methods for the practices of pattern identification and prescription, and provide the objective criteria for clinical studies and promote the Traditional Oriental Medicine as an evidence-based medicine.