• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.66-69
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• 2014

Objectives: Treating complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is difficult because it still does not have a recommended therapy. A 29-year-old man was diagnosed with CRPS after surgery on his $4^{th}$ and $5^{th}$ left toes 7 years ago. Though he had undergone diverse pain treatment, the symptoms persisted, so he visited Dunsan Korean Medicine Hospital of Daejeon University. This case report presents results on the effect of bee venom pharmacopuncture in treating patient with CRPS. Methods: Bee venom pharmacopuncture (BVP), 0.15 to 0.4 mL dosage, was administered at GB43. The treatment was applied each week for a total 14 times. The symptoms were evaluated using a numeric rating scale (NRS) and the dosage of pain medicine. Results: On the first visit, he was taking an anticonvulsant, a trycyclic antidepressant, and an analgesic. On the NRS the worst pain in the toes received a score of 8. He also complained of severe pain and hypersensitivity when the $4^{th}$ and the $5^{th}$ toes were touched just slightly. Other complaint included dyspepsia, rash, and depression. After treatment, on the NRS, the score for toe pain was 0, and he no longer needed to take pain medication. During the 4-months follow-up period, he has remained without pain; neither have additional symptoms appeared nor adverse events occurred. Conclusion: BVP may have potential benefits for treating patients with CRPS.

• Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.109-117
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• 2022

Objectives To compare the therapeutic effect of ultrasound guided soyeom pharmacopuncture therapy and unguided soyeom pharmacopuncture therapy on cervical facet joint of patient who have cervical pain caused by traffic accidents. Methods The study was planned as a retrospective study that analyzes the patient's medical records. We analyzed medical records of 20 patients with acute cervical pain caused by traffic accidents from April 1, 2022 to May 31, 2022. 10 patients (Group A) were treated ultrasound guided soyeom pharmacopuncture therapy on cervical facet joint, 10 patients (Group B) were treated unguided soyeom pharmacopuncture therapy on cervical facet joint. We used visual analogue scale (VAS) and neck disability index (NDI) to evaluate improvements in cervical functions and pain, five point Likert scale to estimate patient's satisfaction. We used the IBM SPSS Statistics version 25 program (IBM Co., Armonk, NY, USA) for statistical analysis. Results Group A showed a significant decrease in the VAS on the 5^th day of the soyeom pharmacopuncture therapy (p=0.001). However, there was no statistically significant difference of VAS between two groups (p=0.142). Group A showed significant decrease in the NDI on the 5^th day of the therapy (p=0.002). Also, there was statistically significant difference on NDI between two groups (p=0.018). Difference of five point Likert scale between two groups was not statistically significant (p=0.407). Conclusions In patients of acute cervical pain caused by traffic accidents, ultrasound guided soyeom pharmacopuncture therapy on cervical facet joint showed significant efficacy on reduction of neck disability compared with unguided therapy.

• Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.145-153
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• 2014

Objectives The purpose of this study is to compare the effects of HWANGRYUNHAEDOKTANG Pharmacopuncture and Essential Bee Venom pharmacopuncture on cervical pain caused by traffic accident. Methods The clincal study was conducted to traffic accident patients who had admitted to Dae-Jeon University Cheonan Oriental Hospital from May 17, 2014 to September 2, 2014. The patients were simple randomization and divided into two groups. In one group, patients were treated with the oriental medicine and HWANGRYUNHAEDOKTANG Pharmacopuncture, While in the other group, patients were treated with the oriental medicine therapy and Essential Bee Venom pharmacopuncture therapy. visual analogue scale (VAS), pain threshold and neck disablity index (NDI) were used To estimate the efficacy of Pharmacopuncture treatment. Results 1) HWANGRYUNHAEDOKTANG Pharmacopuncture Group showed significant decrease of VAS and NDI after 3rd times treatment than before treatment (p<0.001). Essential Bee Venom Pharmacopuncture showed significant decrease of VAS, NDI and improve ment of pain threshold after 3rd times treatment than before treatment (p<0.01, p<0.001). 2) There was no significant difference between HWANGRYUNHAEDOKTANG Pharmacopuncture group and Essential Bee Venom Pharmacopuncture group in VAS, pain threshold and NDI. Conclusions We found out that HWANGRYUNHAEDOKTANG Pharmacopuncture and Essential Bee Venom Pharmacopuncture treatment are considered to be effective and useful in cervical pain caused by traffic accident.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.107-114
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• 2024

Background: Low back pain (LBP) is a common musculoskeletal disorder worldwide, with a lifetime prevalence of up to 80%. Among nonsurgical treatments for chronic LBP, Korean medicine treatments are highly preferred, and pharmacopuncture therapy combining acupuncture and herbal medicine is widely used. However, no evidence-based study has focused on the use of various types of pharmacopuncture. Methods: The pragmatic randomized controlled clinical trial will include 44 participants; recruitment will start in July 2023. All participants will receive integrated Korean medicine treatment including acupuncture, cupping, and infrared therapy, and the intervention group will also receive pharmacopuncture. After 16 treatment sessions, twice a week for 8 weeks, follow-up assessments will be performed at week 9. As a pragmatic randomized controlled clinical protocol, the type, dose, and acupoints of acupuncture and pharmacopuncture are not determined in advance but are selected and recorded according to the clinical judgment of the Korean medicine doctor. Results: The primary outcome will be measured using a visual analog scale score, and the secondary outcomes include the Oswestry disability index, patient global impression of change, no worse than mild pain, and range of motion. Safety will be assessed by examining participants' self-reported adverse events and vital signs and conducting blood tests before and after the test. Conclusion: This study aims to provide clinical evidence of the effectiveness and safety of pharmacopuncture for chronic LBP.

• Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.85-93
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• 2021

Objectives This study aims to compare the effect of an ultrasound on a guided group and an unguided group on Soyeom pharmacopuncture therapy on the facet joint in patients with acute low back pain caused by traffic accidents. Methods 21 patients with acute low back pain caused by traffic accidents from March 1, 2021 to May 31, 2021 were included in this study. The study was conducted as a retrospective study which analyzes the patient's medical records. 11 patients (Group A) received ultrasound guided Soyeom pharmacopuncture therapy and 10 patients (Group B) received unguided Soyeom pharmacopuncture therapy on the facet joint. Visual analogue scale (VAS) and Oswestry disability index (ODI) was used to evaluate improvements in functions and pain, and five point Likert scale to evaluate patient's satisfaction. Results Both groups showed a statistically significant decrease in the VAS and ODI on the 5th day of hospitalization. However, there was no statistically significant difference between the groups. Difference in the Likert scale between the groups was not statistically significant either. Conclusions We found that ultrasound guided Soyeom pharmacopuncture therapy on the facet joint showed similar efficacy compared with unguided Soyeom pharmacopuncture therapy at facet joint on acute low back pain patients caused by traffic accidents.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.54-62
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• 2020

Objectives : Acute low back pain syndrome causes pain and poor quality of life. There are various studies of SBV (Sweet bee venom) pharmacopuncture, but few have identified the therapeutic effects for patients unable to walk due to acute back pain. This case series report three cases of acute low back pain syndrome treated with SBV pharmacopuncture combined with Korean Medicine (KM) treatments. Methods : Three acute low back pain syndrome patients with no other acute abnormalities in the imaging were treated by KM treatments including SBV pharmacopuncture, acupuncture, cupping, herbal medicine and physical therapy. The improvement of symptoms was evaluated using Numerical rating scale (NRS), Oswestry disability Index (ODI), EuroQol-5 dimension index (EQ-5D) and EuroQol-visual analogue scale (EQ-VAS). Results : Patients who were unable to walk due to acute back pain were able to walk. There were significant improvements of NRS, ODI, EQ-5D and EQ-VAS after treatment. The patients experienced an average 90% decrease in low back pain after inpatient KM treatment for about 8 days. NRS decreased by an average of 78.9%, ODI decreased by an average of 49.4%, and EQ-VAS increased by an average of 92.6%. In the case 1, EQ-5D decreased in all categories, but in the case 2, it decreased in all categories except for pain/discomfort and anxiety/depression, but in the case 3, it decreased in all categories except anxiety/depression. There was no serious side effect after treatment of SBV pharmacopuncture. Conclusions : KM treatments including SBV pharmacopuncture may be effective for acute low back pain syndrome patients. However, randomized controlled trials are needed in the future to confirm the clinical effects of these interventions.

• Journal of Pharmacopuncture
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.76-83
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• 2021

While carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is the most common entrapment neuropathy affecting the wrist, resulting in substantial physical, psychological, and economic effects, there is no gold standard therapy for CTS. In this case series study, we aimed to report CTS patients treated with Carthami Semen Pharmacopuncture (CSP) and electroacupuncture (EA) showing improvements in their symptoms, and the combinatorial effects of CSP and EA. We collected medical records of CTS outpatients who received CSP and EA at Chuku Acupuncture & Moxibustion Korean Medicine Clinic from August 2017 to September 2018. The outcome measures were the visual analog scale (VAS) for pain, paresthesia, the Korean version of the Boston carpal tunnel questionnaire (K-BCTQ) score, and changes in nocturnal pain, Tinel sign, and Phalen's test. We included patient satisfaction at the completion of all treatments. 17 patients were included for this case series study. After treatment, VAS for pain decreased significantly from 50.41 ± 16.19 to 9.59 ± 9.46, VAS for paresthesia also decreased significantly from 63.50 ± 11.49 to 14.75 ± 12.97, and K-BCTQ symptom severity scale decreased from 2.48 ± 0.68 to 1.89 ± 0.70 (all p < 0.001). Nocturnal pain, Tinel signs, and Phalen's test showed improvements after all the treatments. All the patients reported favorable overall satisfaction with the treatments, and 69.23% wanted future pharmacopuncture treatments if CTS recurred. No complications were detected. The combination of CSP and EA could be an effective and safe option in treating CTS.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.1-10
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• 2014

Objectives : The aim of this study was to analyze the interrelation of therapeutic effects according to the bee venom pharmacopuncture-induced skin hypersensitivity reaction and the sasang constitution. Methods : Data were collected from 62 patients who had been treated with bee venom pharmacopuncture due to low back pain. The patient's symptoms were evaluated with visual analogue scale(VAS), oswestry disability index(ODI). And we classified the patients according to the manifestation of skin hypersensitivity reaction, sasang constitution by QSCC II. Results : 22 patients had the skin hypersensitivity reaction, 40 patients hadn't. And 12 patients were Soeumin, 30 patients were Soyangin, 17 patients were Taeeumin. After treatment with bee venom pharmacopuncture 6 times(three times per week for 2 weeks), VAS was changed from $6.15{\pm}1.63$ to $4.00{\pm}1.64$. ODI was changed from $19.61{\pm}8.15$ to $14.76{\pm}8.07$. And there were significant associations. By the change of VAS and ODI between skin hypersensitivity reaction group and not, there were no significant associations. By the occurrence of skin hypersensitivity reaction between the sasang constitution, there were no significant associations. By the change of VAS and ODI between the Sasang constitution, there were no significant associations. Conclusion : This study shows that there were no significant associations in the frequency of skin hypersensitivity reaction according to the Sasang constitution. And the therapeutic effects of bee venom pharmacopuncture had no concern with skin hypersensitivity reaction and the Sasang constitution.

• The Journal of Churna Manual Medicine for Spine and Nerves
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.25-32
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• 2016

Objectives : This study was designed to compare the effect of Muscle Relaxation Pharmacopuncture(JS5-MR) and Chuna Manual Therapy on the patients with neck pain caused by traffic accidents. Methods : We investigated 39 cases of patients with neck pain cased by traffic accidents, who had been treated from April 2014 to December 2014. We divided patients into two groups : Group A was treated with Muscle Relaxation Pharmacopuncture and Group B was treated with Chuna Manual Therapy. We measured the effectiveness of treatment using Visual Analog Scale(VAS) and Neck Disability Index(NDI) score. Results : In result each group had significant decrease in VAS and NDI after treatment. Group A showed significant decrease as compared to Group B in NDI change. But there was no significant difference in the VAS change between two groups. Conclusions : According to the result of this study, it was suggested that Chuna Manual Therapy and Muscle Relaxation Pharmacopuncture are effective in reducing neck pain casued by traffic accidents. Muscle Relaxation Pharmacopuncture was more effective in reducing NDI. Further well designed prospective study is needed.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.157-165
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• 2015

Objectives : This study was designed to compare the effect of Shinbaro pharmacopuncture treatment and Jakyakgamcho Decoction pharmacopunture treatment in patients with low back pain caused by traffic accidents. Methods : This study was conducted on 64 cases of patients with low back pain caused by traffic accidents, who were admitted to Bucheon Jaseng Hospital of Korean Medicine from May 3rd, 2015 to October 31th, 2015. The patients were divided into two groups : Shinbaro pharmacopuncture treatment group and Jakyakgamcho Decoction pharmacopunture treatment group. We measured the efficacy of treatment with a numerical rating scale(NRS) and Oswestry disability index(ODI). The NRS which was checked at pre-tretment and after 4th and 8th treatments, and the ODI which was checked at pre-treatment and after 8th treatment were collected and analyzed. Results : In both Shinbaro and Jakyakgamcho Decoction group, NRS and ODI decreased significantly. However there was no statistically significant difference between the groups. At the 4th treatment, However, the Jakyakgamcho Decoction group showed a greater decrease in NRS with a statistically significant difference. Conclusions : In a short period of time, Jakyakgamcho Decoction Pharmacopuncture is more efficient than Shinbaro pharmacopuncture in reducing the pain of patients with low back pain caused by trafficic accidents, but in the end there is no statistically significant difference between the groups.