• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• 제29권6호
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• pp.85-89
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• 2012

Objectives : This study is to evaluate the current situation of Japanese tourists for medical tour of Daejeon University hospital and to draw up a plan for better policies. Methods : 59 Japanese tourists visiting oriental medicines hospital of Daejeon University from January 2012 to September 2012, were analysed in the statistics. And 8 of them answer a questionnaire about reasons for selection of Daejeon University hospital, satisfaction for thread embedding therapy and side effects of thread embedding therapy. Results : A total of 59 foreigners visited oriental medicines hospital of Daejeon University for medical service, consisting of 54 females(92 %), the thirties to fifties 71 % by age. The 87.5 % of patients answered that the reason for choosing this hospital was the subsidization of the medical expenses, and 50 % for appropriate payment, 37.5 % for safety, 12.5 % for recommendation of the people who had good experience at this hospital. The 71% of patients selected thread-embedding therapy for treating wrinkles. The degree of satisfaction was evaluated as quite satisfaction of 87.5 %, full satisfaction of 12.5 % showing that a whole number of the patients treated with thread-embedding therapy showed relative satisfaction. This evaluation is, however, a short term survey which should lead to a further term study. For the evaluation of side effects of thread-embedding therapy, 75 % of patients answered as pain occurred during the therapy, 62.5 % as edema, 50 % as hypodermal bleeding. Conclusion : First of all, there should be more constructive promotion and support for medical tour of oriental medicines, ultimately leading to promoting better clusters of oriental medicines. Secondly, support in terms of a medical law should be established for medical disputes, and the best follow-up service should be considered.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• 제30권3호
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• pp.151-160
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• 2013

Objectives : The purpose of this study is to review the thread embedding treatment studies of obesity in Traditional Chinese Medicine. Methods : We reviewed 59 studies on cat-gut-embedding treatment of obesity which were published from 2005 to 2012. The studies were searched using the data base-CAJ(China Academic Journals; 中國期刊全文數據庫)(2005~2012). Results : Selected 59 studies were divided into 27 case series and 32 control studies. The number of studies has increased since 2005, more rapidly in 2011~2012. Most case series reported were about effectiveness of thread embedding monotherapy treating obesity. Control studies reported were about effectiveness of thread embedding treatment compared with acupuncture, electroacupuncture, and medicine. Most studies on thread embedding treatment of obesity showed that its effectiveness was very good. Conclusions : There have been many reports of thread embedding treatment studies of obesity in Traditional Chinese Medicine. We believed that these studies could be applied to the clinical practice and basic research in Korea.

• 동의신경정신과학회지
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• 제35권1호
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• pp.37-68
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• 2024

Objectives: This study aimed to systematically review thread-embedding treatment studies for depression, anxiety, and dementia and examine the effectiveness and safety of thread-embedding treatment. Methods: Ten domestic and international search databases were used for study selection, including CNKI, PubMed, CENTRAL, EMBASE, CINAHL, AMED, PsycArticles, RISS, OASIS, and KCI. We included studies that presented diagnostic or appropriate criteria for depression, anxiety, and dementia, and randomized control studies using thread-embedding therapy. We searched papers published until October 10, 2023. Results: Twenty-one studies were selected, of which 11 studies were conducted on depression, nine on dementia, and one on anxiety disorders. The most commonly used acupoint for depression was Gansu (BL18), whereas zusanli (ST36) and fenglong (ST40) were used for dementia. The most commonly used type of thread was 1-0 United States pharmacopeia (USP) and 1 cm for depression and 2-0 USP and 1 cm for dementia. The treatment period for most of the studies was once every 2 weeks and for 8 weeks. Among the included studies, 17 showed significant improvements in depression scales, such as Hamilton depression rating scale and Self rating depression scale, activities of daily living scales, and cognitive function scales, such as Hasegawa dementia scale and Mini-mental state examination. Six studies reported adverse events, and no studies reported significant adverse events. Two studies reported follow-ups. Conclusions: This study presents limited evidence for the effectiveness and safety of thread-embedding therapy for depression, anxiety, and dementia. Well-designed studies are needed to review the clinical efficacy and safety of thread-embedding therapy in the future.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
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• 제38권3호
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• pp.122-132
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• 2021

Objectives : This systematic review aims to assess the effectiveness of thread embedding therapy on animal model for rheumatoid arthritis. Methods : Search was conducted in the Cochrane library, MEDLINE (PubMed), EMBASE, the Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wan-Fang Database, Technology Journal Database, the Korean Studies Information Service System, the Oriental Medicine Advanced Searching Integrated System, the Research Information Sharing Service, the National Digital Science Library, the Korean Traditional Knowledge Portal and the Korea Citation Index. Data were extracted concerning animal model, intervention and rheumatoid arthritis indicator by two independent reviewers. Reporting quality was also evaluated by the ARRIVE (Animal Research: Reporting In Vivo Experiments) guidelines 2.0. Results : One thousand thirty six studies were primarily selected. After screening, 10 studies met the inclusion criteria. 1 study was published 2005, 1 study was published 2010, 1 study was published 2012, 1 study was published 2015, 2 studies were published 2016, 3 studies were published 2017, 1 study was published 2018. The most frequently used acupoints were ST36 and BL23, and were used with an average frequency of 11.8 days. All of these thread embedding therapy studies were effective on behavioral, morphological, immunohistological and hematological indicators to treat of rheumatoid arthritis model. Conclusions : These results demonstrated the effectiveness of thread embedding therapy and suggested the putative mechanism. However, considering the small number of included studies, low reporting quality and differences in study design, further studies with rigorous designs and high reporting quality need to be conducted.

• 한방비만학회지
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• 제15권2호
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• pp.137-143
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• 2015

The purpose of this study is to investigate the clinical studies of cupping therapy for obesity in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and to evaluate the effects of it for use in practice. CNKI were searched for controlled studies on cupping therapy for obesity that were published up to September 2015. The review included 9 randomized controlled trials, and we analyzed the objectives, process of interventions, outcome measurements, and main results of the studies. We found that cupping therapy combined with acupuncture, electric acupuncture or thread embedding have more effectively decreased body mass index, waist circumference and lipid profile than acupuncture, electric acupuncture or thread embedding only have done. In the reviewed studies, cupping therapy treated in the region of abdomen, upper and lower limbs, and dorsal part operating on 5 to 25 minutes for one time with total 6 to 45 times of schedule. In this study, we demonstrated that cupping therapy combined with acupuncture, electric acupuncture or thread embedding could have effectively used for treating obesity. Further evaluation and clinical researches are required to establish evidence in practice.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• 제32권4호
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• pp.69-76
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• 2015

Objectives : The aim of this study was to observe the effect of Embedding therapy on complete facial palsy after primary treatment. Methods : 11 patients with complete facial palsy were treated with Embedding therapy. It was performed once a day, every two weeks. 15~20 Embedding threads were used in each Embedding therapy treatment. The total number of Embedding therapy treatments was 4 or 8. Frontalis muscles (including the Yangbaek ($GB_{14}$)), Orbicularis oculi muscle, Levator labii superioris muscle, Zygomatic major muscle, Zygomatic minor muscle (including the Georyo ($ST_3$) and Jichang ($ST_4$)), Masseter muscle, Buccinator muscle (including the Hyeopgeo ($ST_6$)) and Orbicularis Oris muscle were selected. Yanagihara's score and House-Brackmann scale were compared for before and after treatment to evaluate the effect of Embedding therapy. Results : Yanagihara's score increased significantly (p=0.003). House-Brackmann Scale decreased significantly (p=0.005). Three patients were extremely satisfied, six patients were satisfied, and two patients responded neutrally in regards to Embedding therapy. Conclusions : Embedding therapy can be effective in improving symptoms of complete facial palsy.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• 제33권4호
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• pp.39-47
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• 2016

Objectives : This study was conducted to examine the clinical effects of thread embedding acupuncture on lumbar herniated intervertebral disc patients. Methods : This is a retrospective study based on clinical charts. Despite the treatments of acupuncture, pharmacopuncture, herbal medicine, and physical therapy during admission period, 10 lumbar herniated intervertebral disc patients who had shown few improvements in their symptoms were selected as subjects. Thread embedding acupuncture was conducted to reduce patient pain. Patient progress was categorized into three periods based on when the embedding procedure performed. Verbal numeric rating scale (VNRS), Oswestry disability index (ODI), and a 5 step evaluation scale for satisfaction were used to analyze the outcome. Results : Regarding comparison of VNRS improvement rate, both 3 and 6 days after embedding progress showed significant difference compared to before embedding progress. ODI improvement rate showed significant difference only 6 days after embedding progress. Patients' satisfaction with treatment had increased by several degrees. Conclusion : Thread embedding acupuncture for lumbar herniated intervertebral disc patients may be effective in reducing pain and improving their quality of life.

• 대한약침학회지
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• 제24권4호
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• pp.173-181
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• 2021

Objectives: The aim of this review was to appraise Korean studies published between 2010 and 2021 which examined the role of acupuncture in the treatment of obesity. Methods: We performed a search of the NDSL, KISS, RISS, OASIS, PubMed, EMBASE electronic databases for relevant animal researches, case reports, and clinical trials, using the following search terms: 'obesity', 'acupuncture', 'electroacupuncture', and 'pharmacopuncture'. We excluded previous reviews and meta-analyses, studies not related to obesity or acupuncture treatment, as well as studies conducted in countries other than Korea. We also excluded studies where relevant information on acupuncture treatment in obesity could not be obtained. Results: Most studies were conducted in animals, followed by case reports and clinical trials. In animal researches and case reports, pharmacopuncture was the most used intervention. In case studies, electroacupuncture, thread-embedding therapy, manual acupuncture, acupotomy, and auricular acupuncture were also used. In animal researches, pharmacopuncture treatment was associated with improvement in obesity indices. In the case of local obesity, specific acupuncture techniques such as thread-embedding therapy and pharmacopuncture were associated with significant improvements in local obesity, even when diet and exercise were not controlled for. Conclusion: Acupuncture treatment showed significant benefit in the treatment of obesity, with a local effect evident for certain approaches, such thread-embedding therapy and acupotomy.

• 대한약침학회지
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• 제6권3호
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• pp.15-21
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• 2003

Background : This study focuses on the new acupuncture method of embedding method which inserts a substance on the acupuncture points for continuous stimulation. Clinical applications and cautions were examined through literary investigations. Results : Based on the literary consideration of embedding method, the following results were obtained : 1. Embedding method is a combination of traditional and embedding technique to provide longer duration of stimulation on the acupuncture points. 2. To administer the embedding method, one needs to utilize a embedding thread besides acupuncture apparatus. Sheep gut is commonly used in China and the surgical thread is the choice in Korea. 3. Embedding method may vary from the patient to patient, depending on the nature and location of the illness. Piercing, embedding, and tying are some of the possibilities. 4. Embedding method may have different arrangement of threads based on the choice of usage. 5. Embedding method is effective for various chronic illnesses such as aches, functional diseases, and the diseases of internal organs. 6. When using the embedding methods, cautions against infection and side effects due to strong stimulation are mandatory.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
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• 제30권5호
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• pp.227-233
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• 2013

Objectives : The purpose of this study was to report the clinical effects of catgut-embedding acupuncture therapy on plantar fasciitis. Methods : Two patients were treated mainly with catgut-embedding acupuncture therapy and partly with other Korean medicine modalities. Catgut-embedding acupuncture therapy was applied once a week for three weeks, and follow-up observation was conducted by telephone survey two months after the first treatment. Results : In these two cases, the pain numerical rating scale(NRS) gradually decreased from 8 to 1, and the pain relief as well as the improvement in ambulatory function was maintained at two-month follow-up. Conclusions : Catgut-embedding acupuncture therapy could be effective for pain-reduction and functional improvement in plantar fasciitis.