• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.12-23
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• 2012

Objectives: This study evaluated clinical trials of acupuncture treatment for hypertension and to assess their methodology and results. Methods: Eight Korean databases and four international databases were searched for clinical trials of acupuncture treatment for hypertension up to June 2011. Study quality was assessed using the risk of bias (ROB) tool. Results: Twenty-four trials of acupuncture for hypertension were included. There were 14 randomized and 1 non-randomized controlled trials and 9 before-after studies. The most frequently used acupuncture points were zsnli (ST36), qch (LI11), fngch (GB20), snynjio (SP06), snjin (LI03) and hgu (LI04). In more than half of the studies, needle retention time was 20~30 minutes. Compared to baseline, change of blood pressure after treatment was significant in all studies. However, the results of effect on blood pressure between acupuncture and control were not consistent. Conclusions: There is insufficient evidence to suggest that acupuncture is an effective treatment for hypertension. Further well-designed clinical trials will be required to evaluate the effects and safety of acupuncture treatment for hypertension.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.149-163
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• 2009

Objectives : The purpose of this study is to review RCTs on pharmacopuncture treatment for musculoskeletal diseases and to establish standards of pharmacopuncture treatment model. Methods : We searched articles up to date of March 2009 via computerized databases of Pubmed, The Journal of Korean Acupuncture & Moxibustion, Journal of Korean institute of Herbal Acupuncture, Journal of Oriental Rehabilitation and Journal of Korean Oriental Medicine. Only Randomized Controlled Trials (RCT) concerning the effects of pharmacopuncture on musculoskeletal diseases. The pharmacopuncture treatment methods were assessed based on STRICTA and items considering the feature of pharmacopuncture. And the methodological quality of the trials was assessed by FEAS and modified Jadad score. Results : Eighteen trials of pharmacopuncture on musculoskeletal diseases were analyzed. Except for 4 trials comparing the effect of SBV and BV, positive outcome was reported in ten trials. Among eighteen trials; most of the trials were about Bee Venom acupuncture, and most of the trials used about five acupuncture points, mainly local acupuncture points. But, the amount of injection to each point and total injection were various. And most of trials were lack in the information about method of stimulation. The adjusted FEAS score ranged from 0 to 12, and modified Jadad scoreranged from 1 to 5. Conclusions: To standardize pharmacopuncture treatment, we need more well-designed, high quality clinical trials. And methodological assessment tools designed for pharmacopuncture treatment are also needed.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
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• v.36 no.5
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• pp.191-197
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• 2015

Laser acupuncture is defined as the stimulation of traditional acupuncture points with low-intensity, nonthermal laser irradiation. Possible advantages in using laser acupuncture are the noninvasive, painless and low risks of infection treatment. The purpose of this study is to assess the effect of laser acupuncture on the quality and waveform of arterial pulses. Ten acupuncture points were stimulated repeatedly three times in 30 individuals by laser with emission in the near infrared spectral region (808 nm) using an out power and power density of 45 mW and $143W/cm^2$. The analysis of pulse quality and waveform was performed based on the measurement of arterial pressure of the left and right wrist, using a 3-dimensional blood pressure pulse analyzer. Excess-like pulse quality of subjects before laser acupuncture changed significantly to balanced pulse quality after 10, 20, and 30 minutes of laser acupuncture; coefficient of deficient or excess, $C_{DE}$, decreased significantly from 0.68 before acupuncture to 0.61, 0.55, and 0.55 after 10, 20, 30 minutes of laser acupuncture ($$p{\leq_-}0.006$$), respectively. Other pulse qualities, floating or sinking, slow or rapid, choppy or slippery did not change significantly by laser acupuncture (p > 0.05). Pulse waveform analysis showed that amplitude of main peak (systolic function or aortic compliance, $h_1$) of left and right artery pulse waves decreased significantly after 10, 20, and 30 minutes of laser acupuncture (p < 0.05). Other parameters, duration of one cardiac cycle (T), duration of rapid systolic ejection ($T_1$), duration of the systolic phase ($T_4$), and duration of the diastolic phase ($T_5$) of left and right artery pulses did not change significantly after laser acupuncture (p > 0.05).

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.1-12
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• 2000

Ge-Fu(歌賦) means prose and poetry individually, and they both have a meaning of all the rhythmical poetrical compositions making it ease for people to remember the content. All the Ge-Fus used in oriental medicine are made in Yuan(元), Mine(明)and Qing(靑)dynasty, and they have been largely used in most of all the fields of medicine such as Ben-Cao(本草), Tang-Ye(湯液), Zhen-Jiu(鍼灸), Zhen-Duan(診斷). Zhen-Jiu-Ge-Fu(鍼灸歌賦) has about 90 poetries and 10 proses and they contain the names of meridian; courses of meridian streams; accurate positions of acupuncture points; functions; effects; meanings of the name of acupuncture points; usages and effects of special points; manipulations of reinforcing and reducing method; contraindications of acupuncturing; principles of selections and orders of acupuncture points in therapy; and eight diadgoses. Zhen-Jiu-Ge-Fu is subdivided into Jing-Xue(經穴歌), Zhi-Jiu-Ge(刺灸歌), Shu-Xue-Ge(輸穴歌), Zhi-Liao-Ge(治療歌). And In Zhi-Liao-Ge, the most brief and essential Ge-Fu-Si-Zong-Sue-Ge- contains theraputic designs using far apart acpuncture points from the right painful areas in the body. In this study, the author opinionated the Si-Zong-Sue-Ge can be the prototype of the distant needling; the research on this can open the importance of Ge-Fus. On conclusion, 1. "Upper and lower Abdomen - Zu-San-Li($S_{36}$) (肚腹三里留)" means when there are problems and disorders in upper and lower abdomen, distinctively, such as gastric pain, maldigestion, flatulence, abdominal pain, constipation, diarrhea, vomiting, menstrual disorer, knee pain and tonic functioning, 족삼리 can be a right choice for distant needling point for treating. 2. "Face and Eye-He-Gu($Li_4$) (面目合谷收)" means when there are problems and disorders in facial, eye, ear, nose, throat, mouth regions, distinctively, such as facial edema, toothache, headache, sore throat, rhinorrhea, frontal headache, abdominal pain, dizziness, He-Gu can be a right choice for distant needling point for treating. 3. "Upper and lower back - Wei-Zhong($B_{40}$) (腰背委中求)" means when there are problems and disorders in upper and lower back, distinctively, such as upper back pain, lumbargo, hamstring muscle pain, popliteal region pain, lower extremity compartment syndrom, Inguinal region pain, muscle twitch, vomiting and diarrhea, hemorrhoidal bleeding, skin rash, Wei-Zhong can be a right choice for distant needling point for treating. 4. "Head and neck - Lie-Que($L_7$) (頭項審列缺)" means when there are problems and disorders in capital and nuchal area, distinctively, such as migraine, frontal headache, rhinorrhea, asthmatic dyspnea, aphasia, coughing, neck stiffness, occipital headache, upper extremity pain, Lie-Que can be a right choice for distant needling point for treating.

• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.9 no.3 s.21
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• pp.89-95
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• 2006

Objectives : This study is to research if any acupucture points are more effective, when Mahuang-chuanwu herbal acupucture is applied to the theatment of obesity. Methods : We searched oriental medical literatures and papers. Results : 1. Mahuang-chuanwu Herbal Acupuncture consists of distilled water of Ma-hunag and Chuan-wu, and it has the following effects : channel-warming, cold-dispering and eliminating damp. therefore it is applied to the treatment of obesity. 2. The acupuncture points, which have effects of channel-warming, cold-dispering and eliminating damp, are six : Kwanwon(Cv4), Kihae(CV6), Changmun(Liv13), Chok-samni(St36), Chung-wan(Cv12), Chonchu(St25). And Kwanwon(Cv4), Kihae(CV6), Changmun(Liv13), Chung-wan(Cv12), Chonchu(St25) locate on the abdomen. 3. Morbidly obese people, especially those in which their bellies are very large, are so because often the binding properties of the Taemaek(G26) have weakend. therefore Taemaek(G26) will be more effecive than Changmun(Liv13) that locate on right below the free end of the 11th rib, at the lateral side of the chest. 4. Mahuang-chuanwu Herbal Acupuncture will be most effective on the treatment of obesity with cold and damp as additional treatment, when it is injected into Kwanwon(Cv4), Kihae(CV6), Chonchu(St25), Taemaek(G26).

• Korean Journal of Oriental Medicine
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.454-484
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• 1996

There are many factors to evoke pain, for example cold, heat, seven emotion, digestion, fatigue, venemous worms, deficiency of blood etc., and its pathogenesis is complicated. Treatments for pain in oriental medicine are as follows. 1. Pharmacotherapy is a method to treat pain by different effects of herbal medicine, for example, regulating vital energy, activating blood circulation, eliminating phlegm, and dispelling the cold evil etc. 2. Acupuncture and moxibustion therapy is a kind of external application, it has a distinct effect in relieving pain. Recently its operation method has been more developed, so new acupuncture therapies are used in clinics. There are electroacupuncture, auricular acupuncture and injection of drugs at an acupuncture points etc. 3. Oriental physiotherapy is a treatment method to stimulate acupuncture points and meridians. (1) Hot pack, Paraffin bath, Microwave, Ultrasound, Short wave, Infra-red etc. are used to treat cold syndrome by dispersing cold by warming the channels. (2) E.S.T., I.C.T., T.E.N.S., S.S.P., cupping treatment etc. are used to treat disorders of vital energy. (3) Health ion, Carbon, T.D.P., etc are used to treat conic and deficiency syndrome.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.87-99
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• 2013

Objectives : The objective of this study is to find out the method and effects of fire needling on frozen shoulder in China. Methods : We searched journals using the China National Knowledge Infrastructure(CNKI) and PubMed. The keywords were a combination of "fire needling", "fire needle", "burning acupuncture", "frozen shoulder", "adhesive capsulitis", "periarthritis". Results : There were 23 studies finally selected, 7 were case control studies and 16 were case series studies. There were 9 out of 14 main meridians and 31 kinds of acupoints. The most frequently adopted meridians were LI, SI and TE. The most frequently used acupoints were $LI_{15}$, $SI_9$ and $TE_{14}$. Adjacent points were used more often than distant points. They usually heated the needle before insertion and needle retention was mostly not done. 7 case control studies showed that fire needling reported better results than the filiform needle or electro-acupuncture treatment. 15 case series studies reported a significant improvement in fire needling on frozen shoulder patients. Conclusions : There have been many studies regarding fire needling on frozen shoulder in China. Further studies should be required and these can be applied to clinical practices in Korea.

• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.233-244
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• 2000

After observing a patient diagnosed with Progressive Muscular Dystropies from the August, 31, 2000 to the January, 2001, the following results are obtained. Method and Result: Under our assumption that the Korean Bee Venom Therapy is a good method to treat Progress Muscular Dystropies. Korean Bee Venom Therapy was applied on the following acupuncture points: BL23(Shinsu:腎兪), BL26(Guanyuanshu:關元兪), ST36(Chok-Samni:足三里), LI4(Hapkok:合谷), LV3(Taechung:太), SP10(Hyolhae:血海), SI9(Sojang-Kyonjong:貞). In addition CFC(Carthami Flos;紅花: and Cervi Pantotrichum Cornu;) Herbal-Acupuncture is also treated on the other acupuncture points. For herbal medication was given to the patient based on the Sasang Constitution, Taeyangin Ogapijangchuk-tang. Following these treatments in this case of Progressive Muscular Dystropies, the skeletal muscle functions made remarkable improvement. Conclusion: Based on the clinical results, traditional Korean Medical treatment is believed to be effective for treating Progressive Muscular Dystropies, and further studies should be conducted to provide more valuable information.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.27 no.1 s.65
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• pp.146-154
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• 2006

Objectives : Siguan points (LI4, LR3) have been most frequently applied for various diseases, especially different digestive disorders such as constipation, abdominal pain or various intestinal inflammatory diseases. The fact that gastrointestina movement is closely connected with physiologic functions or pathologic process of alimentary canal led us to ask the question if Siguan points affects on intestinal motility. Design: To investigate the effect of Siguan acupuncture on the intestinal movement in both physiologic and pathologic conditions, we divided the experimental animals into 12 groups. Six groups were pre-treated with loperamide (0.5 mg/kg, sc) or scoploamine (0.5 mg/kg, sc) to suppress the intestinal movement and another three groups were pretreated with carbachol (0.5 mg/kg, po) to activate it, whereas the rest three groups didn't receive any pretreatment to be kept in the physiological condition. After the administration with charcoal meal, mice were acupunctured bilaterally on sham point or Siguan points as the manner of tap-stimulation, with the exception of no acupuncture groups. Methods : Mice were scarified in twenty minutes after the administration of charcoal to measure the distance of charcoal passage from stomach-duodenal junction. The effect on intestinal movement was presented by calculating the relative distance where charcoal arrived to total length of small intestine. Results : In physiological state, charcoal meal passed around 53%, and there was no significant difference between Siguan points and sham points groups. On the other hand. Siguan points-sitimulation significantly ameliorated loperamide or scoplolamine-induced suppressed travel rate of 17.3 % and 18.6% in sham point into 26% and 26.3% respectively (p<0.05). In carbachol-induced accelerated condition, Siguan points-stimulation didn't affect intestinal motility comparing to sham point group passed about 97.6%. Conclusions : These results postulate that acupuncture at Siguan points have a therapeutic effect by restoring cholinergic activity on pathogenically suppressed intestinal peristalsis, but does not affect the gastrointestinal motility in the normal or accelerated condition.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.371-384
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• 2012

Objectives : The meridian system is a systematic complex of empirical knowledge, which functions as a basis of acupuncture treatment. In this article, we reviewed the visualization methods of meridian and acupuncture points through the investigation of the characteristics of Diagram of Meridians, Mingtang Diagram, Diagram of Meridians and Collaterals, Bronze Statues and Diagram of Bronze Statue. Methods : We investigated the characteristics of Diagram of Meridians, Mingtang Diagram, Diagram of Meridians and Collaterals, and Bronze Statues. We reviewed the visualization methods of meridian and acupuncture points in those classical Diagrams and analyzed their relationships among them. Results : In order to explain the meridian and acupuncture points easily, ancient people usually used drawings which are named Mingtang Diagram, Diagram of Meridians and Collaterals, by their own characteristics. Owing to their limitations of drawings on the 2 dimensional plane, Chinese people designed the Bronze Statue for Acu-moxibustion and its first invention was invented in Tiansheng age of Song dynasty. For several decades and centuries, these models and drawings were inherited, also reflecting variations of meridian system. As the Bronze Statue has a deficiency in the educational use because of its limitations of mass production, Diagram of Bronze Statue drawn on the 2 dimensional plane was invented. At the beginning of Mingtang Diagram, Diagram of Meridians and Collaterals, Diagram of Bronze Statue and Bronze Statue, their own characteristics were significantly differed with other diagrams and statues. We found that both diagrams and statues were gradually combined with description of the relationship between internal organs and the skeletal structure and the meridian system. Conclusions : Our findings suggest that Diagram of Meridians, Mingtang Diagram, Diagram of Meridians and Collaterals, and Bronze Statues are the basic form of data visualization, one of the infographics. We suggest that ancient Chinese people intend to explain the empirical knowledge using the ancient infographics of meridian system, but have limitations on reflecting theorical or abstractional meaning.