• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.109-121
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• 2017

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate clinical trends of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) on combined treatment of acupuncture and relaxation therapy. Methods: Clinical trials based on acupuncture and relaxation therapy searched and were selected from China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI). In this study we selected clinical research articles using acupuncture and relaxation therapy as intervention. Studies were assessed by Risk of Bias (RoB) tool, and Jadad scale. Results: Eleven randomized controlled trials on combined treatment of acupuncture and relaxation therapy were selected, and these studies were published in China. Most studies have targeted psychiatric disorders such as insomnia and anxiety. Manual Acupuncture (MA) was the most used acupuncture treatment, and in five studies two or more relaxation therapies were used in parallel. Although the treatment result using acupuncture and relaxation therapy was superior, heterogeneity of the control group was high and it was difficult to estimate additional effects of relaxation therapy. Conclusions: Qualitative analysis revealed that the combination of acupuncture and relaxation was more effective than control in most studies. However, quality of most studies was low. Therefore, higher quality clinical research on combined treatment of acupuncture and relaxation therapy is required.

• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.184-191
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• 2019

Objectives: Recently several Korean medical doctors have begun practicing applied kinesiology (AK). Although the efficacy of combining traditional acupuncture (TA) and pharmacopuncture (PP) on lumbar diseases such as lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) and lumbar herniation of intervertebral disk (LHID) has been examined, the possible benefits of combining TA, PP and AK approaches have not been examined. Therefore the aim of this study was to develop effective treatment for lumbar disorders by combining TA, PP, and AK treatments. Methods: Twenty-four patients hospitalized at Samse Korean Traditional Medicine Hospital between March and September 2018 with L5 or S1 root radiculopathy associated with LSS and LHID were included in this study. They were treated for 10 days with TA, PP and AK approaches that included category block, manipulation and strain/counterstrain treatments. The primary outcomes were mainly assessed using Japanese Orthopedic Association lumbar scores (JOALS). JOALS were determined before the start of treatment as well as five and 10 days after treatment started. Results: The treatments improved the lumbar condition of the patients based on JOA pain score. Conclusion: The combined TA, PP and AK treatments were effective in treating spinal diseases of resident patients. Prospective, controlled, and relevant protocols using multimodal strategies to define the role of TA, PP and AK are needed.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.248-251
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• 2018

This retrospective study reports the effects of combined traditional Korean treatment of cervical radiculopathy in patients who underwent ineffective epidural steroid injection treatment. This study analyzed cervical radiculopathy in patients who visited traditional Korean medicine hospital following an ineffective epidural steroid injection. There were 29 cases included in this study. Scores for Visual Analog Scale (VAS) and Neck Disability Index (NDI) were measured before and after combined treatment with acupuncture, herbal medicine, and chuna therapy. The results of this study showed that patient VAS scores for neck and shoulder pain were significantly reduced (p < 0.001) when comparing scores before treatment ($6.03{\pm}2.04$) with after treatment ($2.14{\pm}1.27$). In addition, the VAS score for radiating pain before treatment ($6.67{\pm}1.44$) compared with after treatment ($2.89{\pm}1.83$) showed a significant reduction (p < 0.001). Furthermore, the NDI score before treatment ($25.85{\pm}6.33$) compared with after treatment ($11.33{\pm}7.47$), also showed a significant reduction (p < 0.001). The results in this study showed the positive effects of combined traditional Korean medicine treatment in significantly reducing pain for patients with cervical radiculopathy, who had ineffective anesthesia.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.94-101
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• 2020

Background: Several Korean medical doctors have been practicing applied kinesiology (AK), invented in 1964 by Dr. George J Goodheart, USA. Although the efficacy of traditional acupuncture (TA) and pharmacopucture treatment for lumbar conditions/diseases has been examined, the possible benefits of combining TA and AK have not been reported. Therefore, the aim of this study was to report the effects of combining TA and AK treatment for lumbar disorders using the Japanese Orthopedic Association lumbar score (JOALS) assessment. Methods: There were 21 outpatients treated at Samse Korean Traditional Hospital between March 2018 and September 2018, who presented with L4/L5 or L5/S1 root radiculopathy associated with lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) and lumbar herniation of intervertebral disk (LHID). They were treated 10×(2 sessions per week, for 5 weeks) with TA and AK approaches that included a category block, manipulation or strain/counterstrain treatments. The primary outcome was mainly assessed using the JOALS score which was used before (0 ×), during (5 ×), and after treatment (10 ×). Results: There were 19 patients diagnosed with LSS and 2 were diagnosed with LHID. Using the JOALS assessment, TA and AK combined approaches improved the lumbar conditions of all 21 patients after 5 × treatmentsand continued to improve after 10 × treatments (p < 0.001). Conclusion: Combined TA and AK treatment was effective in treating spinal conditions/diseases. Prospective, relevant, well-controlled protocols for TA and AK therapies for various conditions are needed.

• Journal of Korean Medicine for Obesity Research
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.137-143
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• 2015

The purpose of this study is to investigate the clinical studies of cupping therapy for obesity in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and to evaluate the effects of it for use in practice. CNKI were searched for controlled studies on cupping therapy for obesity that were published up to September 2015. The review included 9 randomized controlled trials, and we analyzed the objectives, process of interventions, outcome measurements, and main results of the studies. We found that cupping therapy combined with acupuncture, electric acupuncture or thread embedding have more effectively decreased body mass index, waist circumference and lipid profile than acupuncture, electric acupuncture or thread embedding only have done. In the reviewed studies, cupping therapy treated in the region of abdomen, upper and lower limbs, and dorsal part operating on 5 to 25 minutes for one time with total 6 to 45 times of schedule. In this study, we demonstrated that cupping therapy combined with acupuncture, electric acupuncture or thread embedding could have effectively used for treating obesity. Further evaluation and clinical researches are required to establish evidence in practice.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.39 no.3
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• pp.222-228
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• 2022

The effect of combined Korean medicine treatment including facial chuna manual therapy was retrospectively investigated in patients with Bell's palsy. There were 16 patients (14 males) who received 2 months outpatient treatment following > 14 days of hospitalization. The Yanagihara score and House-Brackmann grade were used to measure the severity of symptoms and recovery. The patients (mean age 58.5 ± 24.74 years) were categorized based on their medical history of hypertension (n = 10), diabetes millitus (n = 10), or oral intake of steroids early in the diagnosis of Bell's palsy (n = 10). There was no difference between patients who had or did not have a previous history of diabetes mellitus or oral steroid. Both the Yanagihara-score and House-Brackmann grade improved significantly in the total patient sample after treatment (p < 0.001). Combined Korean medicine including facial chuna manual therapy may have a beneficial effect on patient symptoms and recovery.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.325-330
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• 2021

In this Case Report, a patient with Buerger's disease who had a leg amputation below his lower right knee and a vascular bypass of right leg, developed a wound caused by his prosthetic leg and subjective discomfort. The patient received skin flap surgery but the wound did not heal properly. He was admitted to the Korean Medicine Hospital where his wound, right leg coldness, and phantom pain were treated with combined Korean medicine. The patient was hospitalized again where he underwent micro-drilling surgery. The patient was re-admitted to the Korean Medicine Hospital where he received combined Korean medicine treatment (CKMT) and carbon arc light treatment (CALT) for his wound, leg coldness, stiffness, and hypoplasia. The temperature of his right leg increased, the numeric rating scale score for assessing pain fell from 5 to 1.5, and subjective discomfort was reduced (< 20%) suggesting this may be an effective treatment.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.165-169
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• 2021

A burst fracture refers to the fracture of the anterior and middle vertebral columns which are moving into the spinal canal causing neurological impairments, generally requiring surgical treatment. We herein report a rare case of burst fracture with kissing spine in a 90-year-old man who had severe lower back pain that worsened during back extension. Considering the surgical treatment risk, he was hospitalized at a Korean medicine hospital for 85 days and underwent combined Korean medicine treatments including pharmacopuncture, herbal medicine, chuna, deep-fascia meridian therapy, walking practice, and abdominal breathing. Based on patient-reported scales, his pain was alleviated, and his physical function improved. Furthermore, his range of motion and walking time increased. This case report suggests that combined Korean medicine treatments could be an effective alternative for patients with burst fracture who have surgery risks.

• Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.37-44
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• 2016

Objectives To determine the effectiveness of Chuna manual therapy combined acupuncture for trigeminal neuralgia. Methods We searched 6 electronic databases (Pubmed, CAJ, Oasis, RISS, DBPIA, KoreanTK) and 2 journals up to August 2016. We included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) using Chuna manual therapy combined acupuncture for trigeminal neuralgia. The methodological quality of each RCT was assessed by the Cochrane risk of bias tool. Results 3 RCT studies were eligible in our review. The meta-analysis of 3 studies showed favorable results for the use of Chuna manual therapy combined acupuncture. High risk of bias were observed in all studies. Conclusions Although there are favorable results with meta-analysis, our systematic review are highly dependent on the single source of Chinese electrical database, CAJ. Now limited evidence is available to support Chuna manual therapy combined acupuncture for trigeminal neuralgia and further well-designed RCTs should be encouraged.

• The Journal of Korean Medical History
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.33-40
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• 2014

Traditional medicine in Asian countries show similarity according to geography, building up their own medical tradition upon indigenous cultural background. Mongolian medicine, in particular, displays district fusion of several medical systems accepted from neighboring countries adding to their traditional system. Those are Mongol Dhom medicine, acupuncture and moxibustion medicine, medicine of "Four Medical Tantras (四部醫典)", and combined system of Mongolian and biomedicine. Compared to East asian medicine, this is a different kind of diversity or hybridity resulting from idiosyncrasy of nomadic culture. Each current of Mongolian medical tradition has its own origin of historical backdrop. Mongol Dhom originated from ancient nomadic life, and medicine of "Four Medical Tantras (四部醫典)" was formed along with transmission of Tibetan Buddhism. Acupuncture and moxibustion is directly related to Chinese medical tradition, however, moxibustion is also referred to be regional origination. Lastly, biomedicine was transplanted during the modernization era, encouraging scientific approach toward Mongolian traditional medicine and producing combined medical practice. It is effective to derive each particular aspects of Mongolian medicine and analyze its specificity, in order to properly understand current Mongolian medical system. This paper aims at discovering socio-cultural meanings of each current and their nomadic feature beneath the diversity.