• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
• /
• v.23 no.4
• /
• pp.201-211
• /
• 2020

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to comprehensively review Korean domestic studies and investigate the research trends of pharmacopuncture therapy on cervical pain caused by traffic accidents. Methods: Domestic studies between February 1999 and May 2020 from four Korean databases were searched with combinations of keywords 'cervical pain', 'traffic accident', 'whiplash injury', and 'pharmacopuncture'. Results: 17 studies were selected for review, including 7 randomized controlled trials, 5 retrospective observational studies, 3 case reports, and 2 non-randomized controlled trials. Each study was reviewed by published year, study type, types of pharmacopuncture solutions, selected acupuncture points, dosage of pharmacopuncture solutions, frequency of treatment, concurrent treatments, outcome measurements, and the effectiveness of pharmacopuncture therapy. The results are as follows: (1) It showed that the total number of published studies had increased slightly in the last 10 years compared to the previous decade. (2) The pharmacopuncture solutions used in the studies were in the following order: Bee-Venom (蜂毒), Jungsongouhyul (中性瘀血), Hwangryunhaedoktang (黃連解毒湯) and Soyeom (消炎). Frequently used acupuncture points were GB20, GV21, A-shi point, GV16, EX-B2, and SI15 in order. (3) The most commonly used total injection dosage was 1.0 cc at a time, and the frequency of treatment was twice a week. (4) Concurrent treatments such as acupuncture, herbal medication, physical therapy and Chuna manual therapy were performed in all 17 studies. (5) Pharmacopuncture therapy showed positive effects on cervical pain caused by traffic accidents in all 17 studies reviewed. Conclusion: Pharmacopuncture therapy was effective in cervical pain caused by traffic accidents in all 17 studies selected. Further studies will be needed using more larger scales and more objective data to confirm the effectiveness of pharmacopuncture therapy and to generalize its application.

• Archives of Obesity and Metabolism
• /
• v.1 no.2
• /
• pp.74-77
• /
• 2022

Treatment of obesity includes diet therapy, exercise therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, drug therapy, and bariatric surgery. Most obese patients lose weight by combining diet, exercise, cognitive behavioral therapy or medication. But, in some cases, only one of these treatments is preferred. A 56-year-old male patient had a body mass index (BMI) of 33.1 kg/m² and a waist circumference of 108 cm. He had been treated for hypertension; diabetes and dyslipidemia were diagnosed but not treated. However, at the initial visit to treat obesity, he was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus and dyslipidemia again. So he decided to treat these two diseases with drugs first and modify his lifestyle. He started walking more than 20,000 steps every day and then he really walked about 15,000 steps every day during 5 months, although diet calorie or alcohol drinking amount was not significantly decreased. After about 6 months, the patient's weight decreased by 10.1 kg, the BMI decreased by 4.1 kg/m², the waist circumference decreased by 10 cm, the glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) decreased by 4.59%, the visceral fat area decreased by 115 cm², and the subcutaneous fat decreased by 38 cm². As a result of body composition analysis, muscle mass increased by 1.2 kg, and the percentage of body fat decreased by 10.4%. The walking exercise does not have any space restrictions and has high accessibility by using a mobile phone app. Therefore, considering the patient's situation, it would be better to treat obese patients by first recommending walking exercises and increasing the number of steps to lose weight and improve the comorbidities.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
• /
• v.31 no.2
• /
• pp.104-114
• /
• 2021

Objective: To explore the perception of drug utilization review (DUR) system and DUR modernization pilot project among healthcare professionals and patients. Methods: We conducted 8 times of focus group interviews (FGI) between August 1, 2019 to December 31, 2019. The healthcare professionals and patients who participated in the DUR modernization pilot project were included in the present study. Based on the type of project participation or medical institution, the participants were divided into the following four groups: group 1, hospital; group 2, clinic; group 3, pharmacy; and group 4, patient. Within each group, interviews were conducted under a pre-defined agenda to identify the implicit perceptions of the participants; the contents of the interviews were, then, categorized. Results: Healthcare professionals established a consensus on the positive aspects of the DUR system and DUR modernization pilot project. However, substantial concerns remain, such as additional workload associated with monitoring adverse events or acquiring consents from patients. Furthermore, a difference of opinion over the DUR convenience system was observed. Among 3 DUR convenience system, the personal medication history review service was highly utilized, but pop-up hold function and communication system was rarely used. Conclusion: We observed that systematic intervention using the DUR system is effective for both healthcare providers and consumers. Adverse events caused by inappropriate drug use can be prevented by continuous patient monitoring. Therefore, the role of DUR system needs to be expanded to establish a safe drug management system.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
• /
• v.31 no.1
• /
• pp.35-43
• /
• 2021

Background: Migraine is a common neurological disorder that affects the quality of life and causes several health problems. Preventive migraine treatment can reduce migraine frequency, headache severity, and health care costs. This study aimed to estimate the utilization of migraine preventive therapy and associated factors in eligible patients. Methods: We studied 534 patients with migraine who were eligible for migraine preventive therapy using 2017 National Patient Sample (NPS) data from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA). We estimated the migraine days by calculating the monthly average number of defined daily dose (DDD) of migraine-specific acute drug. Patients with a monthly average number of DDD of 4 or more were considered as subjects for preventive treatment. Chi-square test and multiple logistic regression analysis were used to determine the association between the preventive therapy and the influencing variables. Results: Less than half of the eligible patients for prophylaxis (n=234, 43.8%) were prescribed preventive therapy. Multiple logistic regression results show that migraine preventive therapy was influenced by age, the type of migraine, and some comorbidities. Patients over the age of 50 tend to receive less prophylactic treatment than under the age of 40. On the other hand, migraine patients with epilepsy or depression were more likely to receive preventive therapy. Sumatriptan was the most preferred medication for acute treatment, and propranolol was the most commonly prescribed drug for prevention. Conclusions: More than half of the patients who were candidates for migraine prophylaxis were not receiving suitable preventive treatment. Positive factors affecting the use of migraine prevention were the presence of comorbidities such as epilepsy and depression.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
• /
• v.31 no.4
• /
• pp.278-284
• /
• 2021

Background: Osteoporosis is a disease that affects the quality of life and imposes a high socioeconomic burden. Studies have reported that statins, a HMG CoA reductase inhibitor, have a positive or negative effect on osteoporosis. The purpose of this study was to analyze the correlation between statins and osteoporosis risk. Methods: We used the total patient sample data of the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA-NPS-2018). We analyzed the prevalence of osteoporosis in adult patients of Korea who were diagnosed with dyslipidemia and were prescribed statins at the same time. The odds ratio (OR) according to the intensity and type of statin was used to confirming the prevalence. Results: Among the 1,138,899 patients included in the study, 143,895 patients used statins and 27,524 patients (19.13%) were diagnosed with osteoporosis in the statin group. The OR value of statin group was 0.96 (95% CI 0.94-0.98), confirming that the prevalence of osteoporosis decreased, and a significant decrease was seen in all statin intensity. Some of the moderate-intensity statins rather increased the prevalence of osteoporosis, but atorvastatin and rosuvastatin obtained positive results at both medium- and high-intensity doses, and lovastatin, a low-intensity statin, showed the greatest reduction in the prevalence of osteoporosis. Conclusion: We found that the prevalence of osteoporosis was reduced in the statin group, and there was a constant correlation regardless of gender or age. However, a large, prospective, double-blind and randomized study is needed for a long period of time to demonstrate the effectiveness of statins.

• Journal of Convergence for Information Technology
• /
• v.12 no.2
• /
• pp.184-191
• /
• 2022

This study aims to provide basic information necessary to find an efficient management plan for patients using auto insurance. The analysis was conducted on the five-year auto insurance medical expenses review data registered in the health care bigdata Hub from 2016 to 2020. As a result of the analysis, the number one composition ratio of auto insurance inpatient treatment expenses was treatment and surgery fees for Certified tertiary hospitals, hospitalization fees for general hospitals, hospitals and clinics, and treatment and surgery fees for oriental medical institutions and dental hospitals. outpatient treatment expenses was doctor's fee for medical institution, treatment and surgery fees for oriental medical institutions and dental hospitals. The ratio of medication, anesthesia, and special equipment significantly affected the cost of inpatient. And the ratio of physical therapy significantly affected the cost of outpatient.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• v.86 no.3
• /
• pp.158-165
• /
• 2023

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory airway disease that is characterized by variable airflow obstruction. The Korean Asthma Study Group of the Korean Academy of Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases has recently updated the Korean Asthma Guideline. This review summarizes the updated Korean Asthma Guideline. Asthma prevalence is increasing worldwide, and in Korea. Variable airflow obstruction can be confirmed by bronchodilator response or other tests, and should be established prior to the controller medication. A low-dose inhaled corticosteroid-formoterol is used to alleviate symptoms in all treatment step, and it can be used as a controller as well as reliever in steps 3-5. This approach is preferred, because it reduces the risk of severe exacerbations, compared to the use of short-acting β2-agonist as reliever. In severe asthma, phenotype/endotype based on the underlying inflammation should be evaluated. For type 2 severe asthma, the biologics should be considered.

• Clinical Pain
• /
• v.18 no.2
• /
• pp.65-69
• /
• 2019

Objective: This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of high-voltage microcurrent therapy in patients with herniated lumbar disc (HLD) presenting radicular or back pain. Method: This is a retrospective study with 33 patients who are complaining pain with HLD findings on magnetic resonance image. Microcurrent therapy was applied to leg or paralumbar area. Treatment was conducted for seven minutes with 250~1000 uA intensity as high as the patients could tolerate via stimulating probe with roller type and the frequency was 60 Hz with a sine wave pulse. The visual analogue scale (VAS) was measured just before and after the treatment. Results: The degree of pain reduction (△VAS) was 1.6 points after treatment on average. The △VAS according to the diagnosis, stenosis, dermatome area, medication, pain site and caudal epidural block was not statistically significant. However, the △VAS according to the number of treatments (< 3, ≥ 3 times) showed a statistically significant difference (p=0.04). Conclusion: High-voltage microcurrent therapy may help reduce lumbar or lumbosacral radiating pain after the procedure. The effect was better when microcurrent was applied three times or more. This result suggests that the microcurrent would have cumulative effect on reducing radicular or back pain in patients with HLD.

• CELLMED
• /
• v.13 no.14
• /
• pp.18.1-18.13
• /
• 2023

Background and objectives: Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is recognized as the most prevalent type of vaginal infection, impacting approximately 19-24% of women in their reproductive years. The recurrence rate of BV is significant, negatively impacting the well-being of affected women. This study aimed to compare the therapeutic effects of a polyherbal Unani formulation and metronidazole in treating bacterial vaginosis. Methodology: In this prospective patient blinded standard controlled trial, a total of 40 individuals with a clinical diagnosis of bacterial vaginosis were randomly assigned to receive either an active control treatment (n = 20) or a test drug (n = 20). In the test drug combination of Acacia catechu, Azadirachta indica and Quercus infectoria in tablet (1g) form in the dose of 2 tablets orally twice daily with water was administered for 3 weeks. In the active control standard drug, metronidazole 400 mg tablet, orally twice daily was given for one week. The primary outcome measure was clinical cure; H. negative Amsel's criteria and a reduction in subjective symptoms, while the secondary outcome measure was an improvement in SF-36 quality of life (QOL). Results and conclusion: Both the experimental treatment and the metronidazole demonstrated a significant clinical cure for bacterial vaginosis as well as an increase in health-related quality of life. Based on these findings, it appears that the test medication is a potent Unani formulation for the treatment of bacterial vaginosis. A well conducted trial with a bigger sample size is required to corroborate these findings.

• Journal of Korean Medical classics
• /
• v.37 no.3
• /
• pp.1-9
• /
• 2024

Objectives : This study aims to clarify the interpretation of the verse "jinyinhuabohetangxia(金銀花薄荷湯下)" in Zhouxuehai(周學海)'s corrective commentary in the Xiaoeryaozhenzhijue(小兒藥證直訣), by examining traditional pediatric texts in relation to the verse. Methods : For each of the three possible interpretations of the instructive phrase for taking herbal formulas-Lonicera flower with peppermint(金銀花+薄荷), gold and silver with peppermint(金銀+薄荷), and gold coin peppermint(金錢薄荷)-applications of these herbs in the various pediatric books were analyzed to determine the most appropriate interpretation. Results & Conclusions : The formulary composition of Liangjingwan(凉驚丸) and Wusewan(五色丸) seems to sufficiently target the pathology of pediatric convulsion(驚癎) and heart malnutrition(心疳). Furthermore, it seems unnecessary to add Lonicera flower(金銀花) to the gastrointestinal fragility(脾胃虛弱) of the malnourished(疳). Some of the herbal formulas in the pediatrics chapter of the Zhengzhizhunsheng(證治准繩) include Lonicera flower(金銀花) to treat only carbuncles(癰腫, 腫毒), while other books do not include it in their formulas. On the other hand, instructions to take water boiled with gold and silver appear in many texts, including the Xiaoeryaozhenzhijue(小兒藥證直訣), and sometimes include gold leaf(金箔) directly in the formula. Descriptions of gold and silver pots with instructions on how to make herbal formulas were found as well, which supports what Zhouxuehai(周學海) commented on the Xiaoeryaozhenzhijue(小兒藥證直訣). Although gold coin peppermint(金錢薄荷) is currently used as Lianqiancao(連錢草) in China, it was difficult to verify its identity as Jinqianbohe(金錢薄荷), which seems to have been recognized as a type of mint in the past. No reported anticonvulsant studies of Lonicera flower(金銀花), gold and silver(金銀), and Lianqiancao(連錢草) were found. Peppermint(薄荷) was ubiquitous in instructions for taking herbal formulas treating pediatric convulsions. Therefore, the instruction to take water boiled with gold and silver, or to take the herbal medicine in water boiled in a gold and silver pot, rather than using Lonicera flower(金銀花), could be considered as an interpretation closer to the original author's intent.