• 대한한방내과학회지
• /
• 제42권3호
• /
• pp.279-292
• /
• 2021

Objectives: Analyze papers on the effect of acupuncture on cancer pain from a macroscopic point of view, suggesting global trends and future research directions to promote acupuncture treatment for cancer pain. Methods: By filtering the papers searched for (acupuncture) AND (cancer pain) in the Web of Science database, 351 papers were selected and analyzed by year, field, journal, institution, author, and keyword. Results: Most papers were published in 2020, and research was active in the field of complementary and alternative medicine. Research on the effects of acupuncture in cancer pain has been active in cancer centers and university hospitals, research has been active in various countries. The most frequently mentioned keywords in the titles and abstracts were acupuncture, pain, and quality of life. The latest top 5 keywords were inhibitor-induced arthralgia, acupuncture therapy, risk factors, opioids, and recovery. Conclusions: Acupuncture treatment has the potential to reduce pain and improve quality of life in cancer patients, and it should be actively studied in the future.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
• /
• 제31권4호
• /
• pp.234-239
• /
• 2014

Objectives : The purpose of this study is to report that acupuncture of Damjeonggyeok(tonifying GB in Sa-Am acupucture) can be effective on chronic insomnia. Methods : The patients were treated with Sa-Am acupucture(Damjeonggyeok) added with HT8 and KI6, once a week. Treatments were performed for 20 minutes. The effectiveness was evaluated using total sleep hours and subjective sleep quality based on the Insomnia Severity Index. Result and Conclusions : In all patients, the sleep quality evaluated with the Insomnia Severity Index has shown amelioration and sleeping time was increased. Also, they quit the insomnia pills. Acupuncture at Damjeonggyeok added with HT8 and KI6 seems to be able to one of useful therapies for the sleep disorder in chronic insomnia.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
• /
• 제28권3호
• /
• pp.55-71
• /
• 2011

Objectives : The purposes of this preliminary study was to examine the feasibility of recruiting women into a clinical trial designed to examine the effects of acupuncture in treating urinary incontinence (UI) in premenopausal women with delivery history and the feasibility of performing the study procedures. We also tried to determine if there was preliminary evidence to suggest that acupuncture may be effective in reducing UI and improving disease-specific quality of life. Methods : This study was a pragmatic randomized clinical trial. Subjects between the ages of 20 and 49 years were randomly assigned to a treatment(n=11) or control group(n=11) and analyzed. Both groups were supposed to do Kegel exercise at home during 4 weeks and acupuncture was applied to the treatment group twice a week(8 sessions) additionally. Subjects performed 1 hour pad test and completed a 3-day urination diary, international consultation on incontinence modular questionnaire(ICIQ), and incontinence - quality of life(I-QOL) at base line and 5 weeks. Results : Both group showed improvement in 1 hour pad test and the reducing amount of UI was significantly larger in treatment group(p=0.0182). The significant improvements in ICIQ and I-QOL were also observed in treatment group and sustained until the follow-up measurement at 16 weeks. Any adverse reaction related to acupuncture did not happen. Conclusions : It was feasible to recruit subjects and perform the study procedures. The positive results of this study support the requirement for additional research investigating the efficacy of acupuncture in the treatment of UI in women.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
• /
• 제37권3호
• /
• pp.145-158
• /
• 2020

Objectives : Mast cells, the multifunctional immune cells which can be activated by various stimulations, have been in the limelight recently at the fields of acupuncture research. This study aimed to investigate the association between the distribution of mast cell and acupoint specificity. We focused on the characteristics of mast cell distribution of acupoints in normal, pathologically sensitized, and acupoint-stimulated state. Methods : Literature searches were performed on PubMed and EMBASE for dates ranging to February 2019, by using terms "acupuncture", "moxibustion", "acupoint", "mast cell". Finally, 18 papers were collected by inclusion and exclusion criteria. To assess the quality of included studies, modified SYRCLE's risk of bias tool for animal studies was used. Results : Overall, the studies showed that the number of the mast cells was higher in acupoints than non-acupoints. After pathological sensitization, increasing tendency towards the mast cell number was reported in acupoints. The increase of mast cells was also observed after acupuncture or moxibustion. However, when the acupoint stimulation was repeated for several days in pathological models, the results did not show consistent tendency. In quality assessments, most of the studies showed unclear risk of bias. Conclusions : The studies showed a consistent trend about the association with mast cell distribution and acupoint specificity. However, we could not certainly affirm the relationship due to insufficient qualities of included studies. Not only the distribution but also the functions should be considered in further researches to identify the relationship between mast cells and acupuncture effect.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
• /
• 제33권2호
• /
• pp.165-171
• /
• 2016

Objectives : The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinical effects of Korean medical treatments combined with Embedding acupuncture on patients with chronic lower back pain. Methods : We reviewed the medical records of 40 patients with chronic lowerback pain hospitalized at Dongshin Korean Medicine Hospital from March, 2015 to February, 2016. They were divided into two groups: the embedding acupuncture group(20 patients) and the non-embedding acupuncture group(20 patients). To evaluate the efficacy of the treatments, the 40 patients were asked to complete a Numerical Rating scale (NRS) and the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) four times during admission. Results : The mean NRS of the embedding acupuncture group decreased more significantly than the non-embedding acupuncture group at days three and ten of admission. The ODI change and ODI rate of change of the embedding acupuncture group were significantly greater than the non-embedding acupuncture at days three and ten of admission. Conclusion : Korean medical treatment combined with embedding acupuncture might be effective in reducing pain and improving the life quality of patients with chronic lower back pain. We hope that further studies will be done to produce more clinical data and ensure effective application of these results.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
• /
• 제35권3호
• /
• pp.145-148
• /
• 2018

The purpose of this case study was to use Korean medicine to treat posterior cruciate ligament avulsion fracture. The patient suffered left knee pain resulting from an avulsion fracture and was hospitalized for 59 days and treated with acupuncture and traditional Korean medicine. The effect of the treatment was evaluated using the Numerical Rate Scale, the Western Ontario and McMaster universities Osteoarthritis Index, and the European Quality of Life Five Dimensions. Following treatment of the pain in the left knee, scores for Numerical Rate Scale, Western Ontario and McMaster universities Osteoarthritis Index, and European Quality of Life Five Dimensions were improved. This study suggested that Korean Medicine could be an effective treatment for posterior cruciate ligament avulsion fractures. Further studies are needed to substantiate this conclusion.

• 대한한방부인과학회지
• /
• 제32권1호
• /
• pp.26-36
• /
• 2019

Objectives: The purpose of this review is to overview the studies of acupuncture treatment for vulvodynia. Methods: In order to investigate the effect of acupuncture treatment for vulvodynia, we searched relevant studies in Pubmed, Cochrane, Oasis, KISS up to October 2018. After searching studies, we analyzed selected studies. Results: Six studies were included in this review. There were 3 randomized controlled studies and 3 before and after studies. The outcome measurement of vulvodynia was divided into pain, sexual function, and quality of life. The acupuncture treatment was effective in relieving vulvar pain, dyspareunia and improving quality of life. Conclusions: This study shows that acupuncture treatment is one of effective treatment methods for vulvodynia. Further large randomized placebo controlled trials will be needed.

• 대한한방내과학회지
• /
• 제42권5호
• /
• pp.976-981
• /
• 2021

Objectives: This study investigated the effectiveness of acupuncture for improving polycythemia-vera-related symptoms and quality of life. Methods: A 56-year-old woman diagnosed with polycythemia vera received acupuncture treatment between February 19, 2021, and August 26, 2021. We observed the changes in subjective symptoms and conducted myeloproliferative neoplasm symptom assessment form total symptom score (MPN-SAF TSS) questionnaire. Results: After 13 acupuncture treatment sessions over six months, symptoms of polycythemia vera, such as fatigue, bone pain, itching, and headache, improved. Conclusion: This study suggests that acupuncture may be a helpful treatment strategy for polycythemia vera patients suffering from significant symptom burdens and reduced quality of life.

• 대한한방부인과학회지
• /
• 제35권3호
• /
• pp.37-55
• /
• 2022

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to investigate the efficacy and safety of acupuncture on postpartum urinary incontinence. Methods: 'postpartum urinary incontinence', 'postnatal urinary incontinence', 'acupuncture' were searched on 4 online databases (Cochrane Library, Pubmed, CNKI, OASIS). Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that used acupuncture on postpartum urinary incontinence were included. The methodological quality of each RCT was assessed by using Cochrane risk of bias tool. Results: 12 RCTs were finally selected. The overall risk of bias was evaluated as uncertain. 11 studies showed that combined treatment group was better than control group in effective rate and/or ICIQ-SF total score, but among those 1 study was not statistically significant in ICIQ-SF total score. In the comparison of alone treatment group and control group, 1 study showed favorable effect in ICIQ-SF total score, but 1 study was not significant in effective rate. Conclusions: Treatment that include acupuncture can effect on postpartum urinary incontinence. but considering quality of studies, inconsistent and insufficient evidence, further well-designed studies are needed to confirm the efficacy and safety of this treatment.

• 대한한방내과학회지
• /
• 제40권3호
• /
• pp.557-565
• /
• 2019

Objectives: This study investigated the effect of local acupuncture point stimulation and the application of a topical herbal mixed heating cream in a chronic cough patient who had not responded to various medications for more than a few months. Methods: An 81 year-old female patient who was suspected to be suffered from Upper Airway Cough Syndrome (UACS) was examined. The patient was treated with local acupuncture point stimulation and the application of a topical herbal mixed heating cream. We used the Leicester Cough Questionnaire, Cough-Specific Quality-of-Life Questionnaire, and Verbal Numerical Rating Scale to assess the patient's respiratory symptoms. Results: Local acupuncture point stimulation and the application of a topical herbal mixed heating cream resulted in the improvement of cough symptoms. The quality of life due to the alleviation of symptoms also significantly improved. Adverse effects were not observed. Conclusions: This study suggests that local acupuncture point stimulation and the application of a topical herbal mixed heating cream may be an effective therapy for the treatment of chronic cough in patients with UACS.