• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.79-84
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• 2015

The aim of this review is to investigate studies of Korean medical treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome published in Korea and the evidence of it's effects in order to suggest a better research method in the future. Four Korean web databases were searched by using key words such as 'carpal', and checked relevant Korean journals. The papers were classified into the field of study, publish date, diagnostic methods, evaluation methods and analysed the study tendency. There are 9 case studies, 4 controlled studies. The paper was published almost every year more than once. Acupucture, pharmacopuncture, acupotomy, warm needle acupuncture, taping, etc. were used as treatment tools. The two most commonly used diagnostic method for carpal tunnel syndrome are Phalen's test and Tinel's sign. The two most commonly used evaluation method are VAS(Visual Analog Scale) and subjective symptoms. Korean medical treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome was effective in all studies. Korean medical treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome was effective in all studies. So it is possible that Korean medical treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome is useful as therapeutic medicine, but there are not sufficient evidence based papers, so there should be further studies.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology and Dermatology
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.16-44
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• 2014

Objective : To search the trend of studying thread-embedding therapy in Korean medicine academia up to now and to expand the range of using thread-embedding therapy in the future, this study was designed. Methods : Using search portal sites the following; http://oasis.kiom.re.kr, http://www.riss.re.kr, collected 37 articles and devided those three parts and classificated those into four subsection as follows; total analysis, original article, case report. Results : The number of articles are 8 review articles, 14 original articles, 15 case reports. In the year 2013, 14 articles were published and ranked highest(37.8%). The journal of acupuncture & moxibustion medicine society ranked highest(40.5%). 5 persons ranked highest(32.4%) in number of author. Facial beauty care ranked highest(21.6%) in clssification of disease. Remedy item ranked highest(50.0%) in classification of subjects of 8 review articles. No more than 25 persons ranked highest(66.7%) and 6~12months of treatment period ranked highest(33.3%) in 14 original articles. Conclusions : Thread-embedding therapy is considered very useful on various part of Korean medicine clinic. We need to expand application scope of thread-embedding therapy in the future.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology and Dermatology
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.27-40
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• 2010

Background and Objective : Increasing interest in anti-aging and anti-wrinkling agents for the skin has triggered the recent outflow of researches and studies in this field. This study was designed to investigate the effects of bee venom on skin wrinkling and skin aging by testing the skin wrinkling, skin elasticity, trans-epidermal water loss (TEWL), free radical level, anti-oxidative agent level, and skin tissue after infusion of bee venom on hairless mouse. Materials and Methods : Fifteen hairless mice aged between 36~40 weeks were divided randomly into 3 Group; the Bee Venom Syringe Group, the Bee Venom Needle Group, and the control group. The Bee Venom Syringe Group were injected subcutaneously with bee venom (0.1cc in total) using an insulin syringe on three spots in the lumbar spine (one spot on the center and two spots 1~2cm to the side bilaterally). The Bee Venom Needle Group were pricked with bee venom-smeared acupuncture needles on three longitudinal spots in the lumbar spine each 1cm apart, after which the needles were removed 10 minutes later. The Control Group did not receive any form of intervention. All procedures took place thrice a week for four weeks, during which the mice were allowed free access to water and fodder. The mice were measured and compared in the weight, skin wrinkling scale, skin elasticity, and TEWL before and after the experiment. After the experiment, blood samples were taken to measure the free radical and anti-oxidative agent level, and the skin tissue was sliced for examination. Data was analyzed using the SPSS program (ver 12.0). The ANOVA analysis was used to compare and contrast the three groups, and t-test for paired samples was used to evaluate skin-wrinkling before and after experiment. The cut-off p-value of significance was set at p<0.05. Results : 1. Administration of bee venom did not cause serious weight loss or gain. 2. Compared to the control group, the Bee Venom Syringe Group and the Bee Venom Needle Group both showed a decrease in skin wrinkling scale after intervention. Especially, the Bee Venom Syringe Group showed a significant decrease (p<0.05). 3. Compared to the control group, the Bee Venom Syringe Group and the Bee Venom Needle Group both showed an increase in skin elasticity. Especially, the Bee Venom Syringe Group showed a significant increase (p<0.05). 4. No significant change in TEWL was found in the mice in all the three groups before and after experiment. 5. Free radical level was normal in all 15 mice in all the three groups, and anti-oxidative agent was not significantly different across the three groups. 6. The Bee Venom Syringe Group, the Bee Venom Needle Group, and the control group did not show any significant difference in the thickness of epidermis and dermis, infiltration of inflammatory cells, and skin wrinkling. The epidermis layer was relatively better preserved in the Bee Venom Syringe Group as compared to the Bee Venom Needle Group and the control group. Conclusion : Direct injection of bee venom on the hairless mouse using a syringe was found to improve wrinkling of the skin and increase skin elasticity but did not show effectiveness on skin dryness due to water loss. The bee venom appears to have suppressive effects on skin wrinkling, one of the symptoms of skin aging, through a process independent of suppression of free radicals or increase of anti-oxidative agent.