• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.219-228
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• 2005

Objectives : to evaluate the effects of Jetongdan, the newly developed herbal medicine, on the quality of life in patients with osteoarthritis of knee Methods : Placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial on the 80 patients with osteoarthritis of the knee was fulfilled. After enrollment, they took medication as they enrolled. And they were asked to answer the questionnaires (Korean Health Assessment Questionnaire (KHAQ), Lequesne's functional index (LFI), visual analogue scale (VAS)) and analysed with the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) at baseline, after 4 weeks and 8 weeks of medication. Results : Total KHAQ score, some categories of KHAQ like hygiene, activities were significantly improved after 8 weeks of medication. And the change of the KHAQ score was significantly correlated with the change of VAS. But LFI, VAS, ESR level was not significantly improved, and it was considered because of the short medication period and small size of study population. Conclusion : In conclusion, Jetongdan could improve the health-related quality of life in patients with osteoarthritis of knee. Further study in the large population, in long period were recommended.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.1-12
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• 2007

Objectives : Functional dyspepsia is a prevalent disease. It impedes subjective quality of life. The purpose of this research is to examine the effect of acupuncture treatment for functional dyspepsia. Methods : In this randomized, single blind, placebo-controlled study, we compared active acupuncture with sham acupuncture for the treatment of functional dyspepsia. Volunteers who satisfied the requirements were enrolled in study. Severity of dyspepsia was measured by Nepean Dyspepsia Index(NDI) and Functional Dyspepsia Quality fo Life(FD-QOL) before and after treatments. Results : 68 subjects finished study. There were not difference between two groups on age, sex, weight, height, severity of dyspepsia, subtype, Byeonjeung, surmise of treatment. After treatment total key symptoms score, improve rate of key symptoms were decreased than before treatment in active acupuncture group, but there were no statistical significance compared with sham acupuncture group. After treatment "pressure in upper abdomen" and " cramps in upper abdomen" were more decreased in active acupuncture group compared with sham acupuncture group(p=0.001, p=0.014). After treatment total symptom score and QOL of NDI were decreased than before treatment in active acupuncture group, but there were no statistical significance compared with sham acupuncture group. After treatment eating status of FD-QOL in active acupuncture group was significantly increased than sham acupuncture group(p=0.008). After treatment liveliness status of FD-QOL and total score of FDQOL in active acupuncture group was increased than sham acupuncture group though statistically insignificant(p=0.095, p=0.077). Conclusion : Acupuncture treatment is effective to improve the symptoms and quality of life in patients with functional dyspepsia.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.27 no.6
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• pp.1-10
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• 2010

Objectives : The aim of this systematic review was to assess the efficacy of acupuncture and its relevant modality on post-stroke muscle spasticity Methods : We included 7 randomized controlled trials(RCTs) and 1 crossover study on acupuncture on the post-stroke muscle spasticity. Articles searches were performed in various databases in October 2009. Eight studies from 38 articles met the inclusion criteria and were used to assess the quality of clinical trials by means of Jadad scale, STRICTA, CONSORT statement and cochrane-handbook for systematic reviews of interventions. Results : Electrical stimulation such as electroacupuncture and TENS on acupoints was used in five studies. Repeatition of electroacupuncture showed significant decrease of the post-stroke muscle spasticity and persistence of the effect. Only three studies were assessed high quality as the methodological assessment tool(Jadad scale) and none of the studies matched STRICTA recommendations. Conclusions : This systematic review shows that there is beneficial effects of electroacupuncture on the post-stroke muscle spasticity. Further study of large population with high methodological quality will be needed.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.308-318
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• 2023

To determine the effectiveness of acupuncture in treating restless legs syndrome (RLS), we conducted a literature review of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that utilized acupuncture as an intervention for patients diagnosed with RLS. Relevant clinical studies (n = 158) from seven databases (the Cochrane Library, PubMed, Embase, CNKI, KISS, RISS, and OASIS) were included based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria and analyzed. Moreover, 6 RCTs were selected for review. In all six studies, it was indicated people who underwent acupuncture treatment showed significant improvements in their overall health. An increase in the treatment efficacy rate, sleep quality, and quality of life indicators after the acupuncture treatment was confirmed. The severity of pain as assessed using the visual analog scale (VAS) scores and International RLS Study Group Rating Scale (IRLSRS) scores and the severity of RLS symptoms were significantly reduced. Any significant side effects were not reported. Acupuncture is suggested as an effective and safe treatment method for RLS. However, further large-scale RCT studies are needed to confirm our findings.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.147-161
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• 2015

Objectives : The purpose of this study was to review the effectiveness of acupuncture and moxibustion therapy for the treatment of acute herpes zoster. Methods : Data was collected by two researchers. Clinical trials on PubMed were retrieved using MeSH terms including "herpes zoster" combined with "acupuncture therapy", "moxibustion", "bloodletting", "electroacupuncture", and related keywords. We excluded irrelevant studies and included randomized and non-randomized controlled trials, case series and case reports. Finally, we selected a total of thirteen studies and conducted a literature analysis and an object quality assessment. Results : Twelve of thirteen studies were about acupuncture and moxibustion combined therapy. Only one study suggested that a single acupuncture therapy is expected to be equally as effective as a common western medicine therapy. There was some evidence related to the effectiveness of moxibustion, venesection and electroacupuncture, but it dealt with combining therapy and was insufficient, and with an inclusion of potential risk factors. Only one study was conducted under approval from an institutional review board. No severe treatment-related adverse events were observed. A quality assessment suggested that there was some weakness in the areas of blinding and concealment. Conclusions : There is some evidence that suggests the effectiveness and safety of acupuncture and moxibustion combined therapy as a treatment for acute herpes zoster.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.110-121
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• 2021

The objective of this study was to conduct a systematic review and network meta-analysis to evaluate and compare the effectiveness of various types of acupuncture for menopausal hot flashes (HF). Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were retrieved from 8 electronic databases, and the risk of bias was evaluated for the included studies. Pairwise meta-analysis and network meta-analysis were performed using Review Manager and R software for indirect comparison and ranking, respectively. In total, 23 RCTs (2,302 patients) were eligible for systematic review, of which 10 were included in network meta-analysis. Network meta-analysis showed manual acupuncture (MA) had the highest probability of reducing HF frequency and severity, followed by sham acupuncture (SA), electroacupuncture, usual care, or no treatment; furthermore, warm acupuncture significantly improved menopause-specific quality of life compared with MA or electroacupuncture. Compared with hormone replacement therapy, acupuncture had less efficacy in reducing HF frequency but enhanced menopause-specific quality of life. There was no significant difference between MA and SA in mitigating HF. The existing evidence showed that MA could be used for alleviating menopausal HF. However, it is recommended that more high-quality RCTs should be performed.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.19-35
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• 2019

Objectives : The purpose of this study is to review which acupoints and meridians are selected to treat visceral pain in articles published in international journals and to investigate quality of reporting acupuncture intervention according to the STRICTA guidelines. Methods : Electrical and hand search were conducted in PubMed, EMBASE, MEDLINE, and Cochrane Library for acupuncture studies on visceral pain in human and animals. Reporting quality of intervention was evaluated using the revised STRICTA guidelines. Results : We included 51 articles (7 clinical studies and 44 animal studies) in this study. The most frequently adopted meridians and acupoints were Stomach meridian, Spleen meridian, Conception Vessel meridian, and ST36, CV4, SP6, LI4, PC6, SP9, ST25, ST37 in clinical studies. In animal studies, Stomach meridian, Conception Vessel meridian, Pericardium meridian and ST36, ST37, CV12, PC6 were most frequently used. Animal studies showed significantly lower quality of reporting compared to clinical studies. According to the analysis on the effect of year of publication of articles, announcement of STRICTA guidelines did not improve the quality of reporting for studies on visceral pain. Conclusions : These results suggest that both proximal and distal acupoints based on meridian theory were used to study the underlying mechanisms of visceral pain both in human and animal studies. Guidelines of acupuncture intervention reporting for animal study is necessary to improve the quality of evidence, and it will also allow us the integrative understanding of the mechanisms and clinical effects of acupuncture treatment in human and animal.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.30 no.5
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• pp.247-252
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• 2013

Objectives : The purpose of this study was to observe the clinical effects of acupuncture therapy and Ecklonia cava extract on sleep disturbance in ALS patients. Methods : In this study one patient received acupuncture therapy and took Ecklonia cava extract. The effects of the combined administration of these treatments were evaluated using Numeric Rating Scale and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Results : The NRS score for sleep disturbance decreased from 10 to 1 and the PSQI score decreased from between 12~13 to 8. After treatment, the patient stopped taking sleeping pills and antidepressant. Conclusions : Combined administration of acupuncture therapy and Ecklonia cava extract could be effective in improving sleep disturbances in ALS patient.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.414-423
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• 2020

Background: This study examines the clinical effect on quality of life of herbal medicine and local acupuncture point stimulation administration for a cervicogenic dizziness (CGD) patient. This case report was described in accordance with CARE guidelines. Case Report: A 25 year-old female patient suspected to be suffering from CGD was examined. The patient was treated with herbal medicine and local acupuncture point stimulation. We used the Headache Impact Test-6 (HIT-6), Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), 36-Item Short Form Health Survey Version 2 (SF-36v2), and verbal numerical rating scale (VNRS) to assess the patient's symptoms. As new herbal medicine and local acupuncture point stimulation were applied, dizziness, headache, and neck pain symptoms improved. Quality of life affected by the symptoms significantly improved. Adverse effects were not observed. Conclusions: This study may suggest that herbal medicine and local acupuncture point stimulation may be effective therapy for the treatment of typical symptoms in patients with CGD.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.283-296
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• 2022

In this study, the evidence of thread embedding acupuncture (TEA) in treating cervical radiculopathy in randomized controlled trials was investigated. We searched 16 databases up to August 22, 2022. Of the 2,644 studies retrieved, 22 randomized controlled trials (2,483 participants) were selected. Quality assessments were performed using Cochrane's risk-of-bias tool and RevMan 5.4 software. Outcome measures in the included studies typically showed TEA had a significant therapeutic effect compared with simple acupuncture and other remedies, and TEA was better than sham TEA. Catgut and polydioxanone had no difference in effectiveness, however, catgut was considered to be less safe. TEA was shown to be more therapeutic when inserted deeper into the skin. Ultrasound guided TEA was more effective and safer than conventional TEA, and using a flat blade needle was better than conventional needles for TEA. No serious adverse events were reported from using TEA, and only a few mild side effects were observed. However, the limited number and heterogeneity of the included studies, together with the unclear methodological quality, indicate that higher-quality studies need to be conducted to determine the effectiveness and safety of TEA for cervical radiculopathy.