• Journal of Acupuncture Research
• /
• v.33 no.4
• /
• pp.191-201
• /
• 2016

Objectives : The purpose of this study is to report the clinical effect of Korean and Western medical treatment on a hemiplegic inpatient with central pontine myelinolysis(CPM). Methods : A patient who was diagnosed with central pontine myelinolysis(CPM) was treated with acupuncture, herbal medicine, Korean physical therapy, along with receiving continuous Western medication and rehabilitation treatment. The patient was evaluated through Manual Muscle Testing(MMT), measurement of grip strength, dysarthria, and dysuresia. The Korean and Western medical treatment was conducted for 4 weeks. Results : After the 4 weeks of Korean and Western medical treatment, MMT grade improved from 2 to 4 and grip strength improved from 6 to 13. Dysarthria and dysuresia also improved. Conclusion : According to these results, this report suggests that Korean and Western medical treatment could be effective in the treatment of central pontine myelinolysis(CPM) patients.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
• /
• v.37 no.2
• /
• pp.196-201
• /
• 2016

Objective: This study reports on the effects of HongYi (red ant, or Formica rufa Linne) pharmacopuncture through three cases involving female patients with voiding difficulty.Method: We treated the three patients with HongYi pharmacopuncture and evaluated them using the international prostate symptom score (IPSS), which is used for measuring the severity of voiding difficulty.Result: After treatment, the IPSS showed improvement in each patient. The symptoms of voiding difficulty and other complaints also improved.Conclusion: Based on the three cases, HongYi pharmacopuncture may be a viable option for treating voiding difficulty among women.

• Journal of Sasang Constitutional Medicine
• /
• v.29 no.4
• /
• pp.376-386
• /
• 2017

Objectives This case study is about a Taeeumin patient with Parkinson's disease identified as Dry-heat (Joyeol) pattern. In this study, we report significant improvement of motor and non-motor symptoms of this patient after Sasang constitutional medicine treatment. Methods The patient was identified as Taeeumin Dry-heat pattern and treated with Cheongsimyeonja-tang and acupuncture. The Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale(UPDRS) was used to assess the overall function of the patient. And the Global Assessment Scale (GAS) was used to assess the change of bradykinesia, tremor and dry mouth after the treatment. Results The UPDRS total score decreased from 145 points to 77 points after 5 weeks treatment. And symptoms of bradykinesia, tremor and dry mouth showed significant improvement in GAS after the treatment. Furthermore, constipation, sleep disturbance, dysuresia and anorexia were reported to be improved after treatment. Conclusions This study shows that Sasang constitutional medicine can be effective treatment for motor and non-motor symptoms caused by Parkinson's disease.

• The Korea Journal of Herbology
• /
• v.31 no.5
• /
• pp.71-78
• /
• 2016

Objectives : Diabetic nephropathy is one of the most common chronic complications of diabetes and a leading cause of end-stage renal failure in the world. Mesangial cell proliferation is known as the major pathologic features such as glomerulosclerosis and renal fibrosis. Wiryeongtang (WRT) is a well-known traditional herbal formula as therapeutic agents for chronic edema and dysuresia of renal homeostasis. In the present study, we investigated whether WRT inhibits high glucose (HG)-induced renal dysfunction by TGF-β/Smads signal regulation in cultured mesangial cells.Methods : Inhibitory effect of WRT (10-50 ㎍/ml) on HG-stimulated mesangial cells proliferation and dysfunction were evaluated by [³H]-thymidine incorporation, Western blot, and RT-qPCR.Results : WRT significantly decreased HG-accelerated thymidine incorporation in human renal mesangial cell in a dose-dependent levels. WRT induced down-regulation of cyclins/CDKs and up-regulation of CDK inhibitor, p21waf1/cip1 and p27kip1 expression. In addition, HG enhanced expression of dysfunction biomarker such as collagen IV and CTGF, which was markedly attenuated by WRT. WRT decreased TGF-β1 and Smad-2/Smad-4 expression, whereas increased Smad-7 expression under HG. Furthermore, WRT inhibited HG-induced inflammatory factors level such as ICAM-1 and MCP-1 as well as NF-κB p65 nuclear translocation and intracellular ROS production.Conclusions : These results suggested that WRT may alleviate mesangial proliferation and inflammation possibly involved in renal fibrotic process, further diabetic nephropathy through disturbing TGF-β1/Smad signaling and NF-κB/ROS pathway. Thus, WRT might prove to be effective in the treatment of renal dysfunction leading to diabetic nephropathy.