• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
• /
• 제26권1호
• /
• pp.27-40
• /
• 2009

Background : Qigong is an energy-healing intervention used to prevent and cure ailments and to improve health through regular practice. Although qigong-neither itself nor its postulated mechanism of action-are within the paradigm of modern Western medical science, its effects on the human body could be possible. Objectives : This study aims to review the bibliography, biological responses and therapeutic effects of Qigong. In the process, this review will grasp trends in this field of studies and will direct further researches into the right direction. Method : The computerized Korean databases were searched from their respective inceptions up to January 2008. The search terms used were 'qi', 'qigong', 'doin', 'training', 'bioenergy', 'life nurturing' and random or Korean language terms related to qigong. Several specialized journals were also manually searched for relevant articles. Result : Since the 1990s, Qigong papers in the Korean Literature are increased. The articles on Korean traditional medicine had been published more than those on physical education or nursing etc. However, since the majority of the trials determine questionnaire, it was difficult to determine the efficacy of a specific intervention. The methodological quality of the trials was generally low (Jadad score: mean, 1.3; range, 1 to 4), questioning their reliability. Conclusions : More profound studies for Qigong are needed. Further rigorous clinical trials with more objective outcome measures that include sham procedures should be performed. Specifically, we think it should be clinical studies and qualitative research methods for evaluation are needed.

• 대한약침학회지
• /
• 제26권3호
• /
• pp.227-237
• /
• 2023

Objectives: Pharmacopuncture is considered a unique new type of acupuncture in Korean medicine (KM). This study was performed to investigate the research trends regarding pharmacopuncture through a bibliometric analysis using VOSviewer. Methods: The Web of Science Core Collection was searched for this study. The search terms were pharmacopuncture and pharmaco-puncture. The search was conducted on May 23, 2023, and 185 studies retrieved up to this date were included. Software VOSviewer version 1.6.19 was used to perform the bibliometric analysis. After data clearing, keyword co-occurrence and cooperation pattern analyses were performed. Results: The number of studies on pharmacopuncture have gradually increased since the mid-2000s, with the most published in 2020 (46 studies). The quality of the studies has also steadily increased, and recently, several randomized controlled trials of pharmacopuncture have been conducted. Moreover, this treatment has been investigated in the context of KM clinical practice guideline development in Korea. The scope of pharmacopuncture studies to date seems to be limited to musculoskeletal pain and bee venom pharmacopuncture. The researchers from Jaseng Medical Foundation have been the core researchers in the field of pharmacopuncture in Korea. They collaborated with researchers from universities or government-funded research institutes. However, small-scale research teams from KM clinics and university researchers were also identified as independent clusters. Conclusion: Pharmacopuncture research has grown both quantitatively and qualitatively, but the scope needs to be further expanded. There is also a gap between the use of pharmacopuncture by KM doctors in clinical settings and pharmacopuncture research. Based on these findings, some suggestions for future studies in this field are discussed. Furthermore, these findings may be used as data to expand and globalize pharmacopuncture research in the future.

• 대한간호학회지
• /
• 제41권1호
• /
• pp.18-25
• /
• 2011

Purpose: This study was done to examine the effect of an integrated care service which included a combination of oriental and western care on health outcomes in elderly patients with degenerative arthritis. Methods: A prospective comparative design was used. Data were collected from May 1, 2008 to June 30, 2009 from 85 elderly patients with degenerative arthritis in the lower extremities who were followed in a hospital out-patient department for 8 weeks. The integrated care service group (n=36) received a combination of physical therapy, acupuncture, western medicines or herbal medicines, and the western care group (n=49) received physical therapy or western medicines. Functional independence, walking speed, rotation balance, pain intensity, service satisfaction and total medical costs for the two groups were compared at 8 weeks. Results: Functional independence (t=2.14, p=.036) and walking speed (t=2.51, p=.014) improved significantly in the integrated care group while pain intensity improved significantly in the western care group (t=3.35, p=.002). The integrated care group reported higher scores for service satisfaction (t=2.09, p=.041) and higher medical costs than the western care group (t=2.15, p=.035). Conclusion: The results suggest that integrated care services are effective modalities to improve mobility and quality of life for elders with degenerative arthritis.

• 대한한방내과학회지
• /
• 제43권3호
• /
• pp.375-386
• /
• 2022

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to summarize current clinical study trends and results regarding transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) treatment for xerostomia. Methods: Studies published from 2017 to 2022 were searched on domestic databases and PubMed. The included studies were analyzed according to the year, language, study design, diagnosis xerostomia method, and TENS treatment method. Results: Nine studies were included. There were three randomized controlled trials (RCTs), three case series, one case report, one case-control study, and one cross-sectional study. Conventional TENS was used in seven studies, and acupuncture-like TENS (ALTENS) was used in one study. The most common TENS attachment site was externally on the skin overlying the parotid gland region, and the setting of TENS was 50 Hz-250 μs the most. In all nine studies, TENS was effective for xerostomia as assessed by salivary flow rate or quality of life questionnaire. Additionally, no persistent adverse events were reported after TENS treatment. Conclusions: TENS treatment for xerostomia can be considered effective and safe, so it can be used in clinical practice.

• 대한한방내과학회지
• /
• 제40권4호
• /
• pp.709-722
• /
• 2019

Objective: The purpose of this study was to report the effect of traditional Korean medicine (TKM) in alleviating the side effects of lung cancer patient undergoing immunotherapy. Method: A 43-year-old man, who was diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer, received pembrolizumab treatments. The patient was treated with acupuncture and herbal medicine (Geoeoyangpye-tang) to control various uncomfortable symptoms. The degree of pain was measured by the numeric rating scale (NRS). The European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire, Core 30 (EORTC QLQ-C30) and the EORTC 13-item lung cancer-specific module (EORTC LC-13 questionnaire) were used to assess the change in the quality of life. Results: After the TKM treatment, the flank pain and arthralgia based on the NRS were significantly improved. Various uncomfortable symptoms such as fatigue, dyspnea, insomnia, and loss of appetite were also significantly improved, based on the EORTC QLQ-C30 and EORTC QLQ-LC13. The size of the primary tumor was decreased during treatment. The disease status was stable radiologically after two months from discharge.

• 대한한방내과학회지
• /
• 제37권5호
• /
• pp.776-785
• /
• 2016

The purpose of this study is to report and demonstrate the effect of Korean medical treatment on a wedge resection of a lung patient with mucinous adenocarcinoma. The patient was an 84-year-old female who was diagnosed with mucinous adenocarcinoma and underwent wedge resection. The patient was treated with acupuncture and herbal medicine (Banhahubak-tang and Gamiondam-tang). The EORTC Quality of Life Questionnaire, Core 30 (EORTC QLQ-C30), EORTC Quality of Life Questionnaire, Lung Cancer 13 (EORTC QLQ-LC13), numeric rating scale (NRS), and the Global Assessment (G/A) were used to assess the changes in symptoms, including operation site pain and dyspnea. After treatment, the patient showed improvement in operation site pain and dyspnea, based on the NRS and G/A. However, dyspnea and pain were aggravated based on the EORTC QLQ-C30 and EORTC QLQ-LC13. Therefore, Korean medicine may have a substantial benefit for patients with mucinous adenocarcinoma after wedge resection of the lung.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
• /
• 제40권1호
• /
• pp.1-12
• /
• 2023

Objectives : This study aims to provide information regarding the status and quality of mobile applications (MAs) using self-acupressure by performing a systematic review. Methods : We conducted comprehensive searching on five international databases and two app markets from inception to July 31, 2022 to identify MAs using self-acupressure. We analyzed the characteristics of each MA regarding the name of the MA, registered app markets, target symptoms, developers, the year and country of development, cost, target age, media function, and expertise. We assessed the quality of each MA using Mobile Application Rating Scale (MARS). Results : We identified a total of 30 MAs using self-acupressure (25 MAs from the app market and 6 MAs from clinical studies, with 1 MA in common). 17 out of 24 MAs from the app market provided self-acupressure regimens for various symptoms and the others provided regimens for specific symptoms such as memory, anxiety, depression, asthma, allergy, low back pain, and headache. 14 developers were reported. 23 MAs were developed after 2013. The largest number of MAs were developed in the United States. The target age group of 12 MAs was above the age of 3, and that of 11 MAs was above the age of 12. 14 MAs provided multimedia functions such as videos. 13 MAs provided information of expertise. From clinical studies, only 3 out of 6 MAs were accessible through the app market. 4 MAs were developed by the researchers of the study. In terms of MARS, the score of MAs from the app market was higher than that of MAs from clinical studies in both objective and subjective evaluation areas. Conclusions : This study summarizes the characteristics of MAs using self-acupressure. More MAs using self-acupressure should be developed and further clinical research for MA on each symptom and disease is warranted for the diversification of MA fields using self-acupressure.

• 대한한방내과학회지
• /
• 제43권3호
• /
• pp.396-412
• /
• 2022

Objective: The aim of this study was to identify the clinical features of post-acute COVID-19 syndrome and the efficacy and safety of Korean medicine treatment. Methods: This study was conducted on 15 patients with post-acute COVID-19 syndrome who visited the outpatient Allergy, Immune, and Respiratory System Department at Kyung Hee University Korean Medicine Hospital from January 10, 2021 to April 10, 2022. We retrospectively analyzed the charts of 15 patients and collected clinical characteristics, Korean medicine treatments, outcome variables (Numeral Rating Scale (NRS), modified Medical Research Council scale (mMRC), Leicester Cough Questionnaire (LCQ), Quality of Life Visual Analog Scale (QOL-VAS), The Post-COVID-19 Functional Status (PCFS)), adverse events, etc. Results: Of the 15 patients, seven (46.7%) were men, and the average age of all patients was 49.7±13 years. The most common symptom was cough (n=9, 60%), and it was followed by dyspnea or increased respiratory effort, fatigue, insomnia, anosmia, etc. The herbal medicine was prescribed for all 15 patients, and Saengmaek-san (n=8, 53.5%) was the most prescribed. Additionally, acupuncture and cupping were performed in four patients (26.7%) each, and electroacupuncture was applied to one patient (6.7%). As a result of Korean medicine treatment, NRS, mMRC, LCQ, QOL-VAS, and PCFS showed improvement, and adverse events were mild. Conclusions: This study presented the clinical features of post-acute COVID-19 syndrome and suggested that Korean medicine treatment may be effective in alleviating related symptoms and enhancing quality of life.

• 동의신경정신과학회지
• /
• 제34권3호
• /
• pp.259-274
• /
• 2023

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to provide clinical evidence to support the use of auricular blood-letting therapy (ABT) for headaches. Methods: Studies were identified by a comprehensive search of five databases. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that investigated the effects of the ABT for headaches were included. Two authors independently extracted the data and assessed the methodological quality of the included studies using Cochrane's risk-of-bias tool. If two or more studies reported the same outcome, a meta-analysis was performed. Meta-analysis results for dichotomous variables are expressed as risk ratios (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results: A total of eight RCTs were included in this review. The total effective rate (TER) was the most commonly used outcome measurement. Among the eight RCTs, five were included in the metaanalysis. The TER was not statistically significantly different in the ABT group compared to the medication group (two studies, n=55, RR=1.24, 95% CI: 0.78 to 1.96, p=0.36, I² =86%). However, the TER of the combined ABT and medication group was significantly different compared to the medication alone group (four studies, n=159, RR=1.23, 95% CI: 1.12 to 1.35, p<0.0001, I² = 0%). Pain and mental health-related outcomes in the combined ABT and medication group were significantly different from the control groups. The methodological quality of the included RCTs was generally low. Conclusions: ABT combined with medication may be effective for treating headaches. However, the number of studies included was small, so the results were insufficient, and statistically significant effects were not confirmed for a single implementation of ABT. Thus, well-designed further studies based on the findings of this study are recommended.

• 대한약침학회지
• /
• 제27권1호
• /
• pp.14-20
• /
• 2024

Objectives: Frozen shoulder (FS) is one of the most challenging shoulder disorders for patients and clinicians. Its symptoms mainly include any combination of stiffness, nocturnal pain, and limitation of active and passive glenohumeral joint movement. Conventional treatment options for FS are physical therapy, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, injection therapy, and arthroscopic capsular release, but adverse and limited effects continue to present problems. As a result, pharmacoacupuncture (PA) is getting attention as an alternative therapy for patients with FS. PA is a new form of acupuncture treatment in traditional Korean medicine (TKM) that is mainly used for musculoskeletal diseases. It has similarity and specificity compared to corticosteroid injection and hydrodilatation, making it a potential alternative injection therapy for FS. However, no systematic reviews investigating the utilization of PA for FS have been published. Therefore, this review aims to standardize the clinical use of PA for FS and validate its therapeutic effect. Methods: The protocol was registered in Prospero (CRD42023445708) on 18 July 2023. Until Aug. 31, 2023, seven electronic databases will be searched for randomized controlled trials of PA for FS. Authors will be contacted, and manual searches will also be performed. Two reviewers will independently screen and collect data from retrieved articles according to predefined criteria. The primary outcome will be pain intensity, and secondary outcomes will be effective rate, Constant-Murley Score, Shoulder Pain and Disability Index, range of motion, quality of life, and adverse events. Bias and quality of the included trials will be assessed using the Cochrane handbook's risk-of-bias tool for randomized trials. Meta analyses will be conducted using Review Manager V.5.3 software. GRADE will be used to evaluate the level of evidence for each outcome. Results: This systematic review and meta-analysis will be conducted following PRISMA statement. The results will be published in a peer-reviewed journal. Conclusion: This review will provide scientific evidence to support health insurance policy as well as the standardization of PA in clinical practice.