Our study purpose was to report the clinical application of five different pharmacopunctures (Sweet BV, Scolopendrae Corpus, Chukyu, Cervi Parvum Cornu, and Hominis Placenta) for trigger finger. A patient was admitted to Ba-reun-mom S Korean Medicine Clinic and diagnosed with trigger finger. Because the effects of each pharmacopuncture have been confirmed in various acute to chronic cases, we treated a patient diagnosed with trigger finger using pharmacopunctures Sweet BV and Scolopendrae Corpus at the acute phase, Chukyu pharmacopuncture at the acute to chronic phase, and pharmacopunctures Cervi Parvum Cornu and Hominis Placenta at the chronic phase. This case was measured and assessed by Quinnell\'s classification of triggering and visual analogue scale (VAS) scores. After treatment, the patient\'s fifth finger pain and function were improved. The VAS score decreased from 5 to 0. The Quinnell\'s classification of triggering score decreased from 2 to 0. This case indicated that a patient with trigger finger could be treated by five pharmacopuncture treatments according to the treatment regimen and disease progress.

The aim of this study was to report on the improvement of shoulder pain resulting from disorders of the rotator cuff such as impingement syndrome and adhesive capsulitis, by manual acupuncture (MA) and pharmacopuncture (PA) following origin/insertion technique (OIT) of applied kinesiology (AK). Two patients were treated with MA and PA after OIT on shoulder muscles. The Numerical Rating Scale and the assessment of the Japanese Orthopedic Association scores were used to assess the pain, and ultrasound images were taken to compare treatment outcome. This study showed that MA and PA following OIT may be an effective treatment for impingement syndrome and adhesive capsulitis.

Hominis placenta pharmacopuncture, a treatment that injects Hominis placenta extract into acupoints, has been suggested in the literature and researches that it could be used for cognitive decline. We experienced a case of mild neurocognitive disorder treated with Hominis placenta pharmacopuncture. Hominis placenta pharmacopuncture could be a possible treatment modality producing substantial clinical result in cognitive function which is assessed with Mini-Mental State Examination-Dementia Screening (MMSE-DS), Korean Version of Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA-K), and Korean-Dementia Rating Scale (K-DRS). A 84-year-old man with mild neurocognitive disorder received Hominis placenta pharmacopuncture on GV20, CV12, and bilateral ST36 for a month. The results of neuropsychological examination showed increase in scores after treatment of Hominis placenta pharmacopuncture. Before treatment, they were 15 points for MoCA-K, and 120 points for K-DRS (7.6%), but after treatment, they elevated by 21 points for MoCA-K and 137 points for K-DRS (100%). MMSE-DS score was 28 points, unchanged before and after treatment. It did not cause any side-effect. Hominis placenta pharmacopuncture could be a safe option for treating mild neurocognitive disorder.

OBJECTIVE: It has been attempted to find out that Homine Placents and Soyeom mixed Pharmacopuncture (HSP) procedure is effective for the removal of melanocytic nevus of considerable size which cannot be applied to general acupuncture.
METHODS: Hominis placenta (0.5ml) and Soyeom (0.5ml) mixed pharmacopuncture (1.0ml) was subcutaneously injected in several places of melanocytic nevus. The treatment was performed about 20 times, once a week. Layer analysis of pigmentation was carried out using ECOSKIN.
RESULTS: One year after the HSP procedure, the pigmentation of the melanocytic nevus was slightly reduced and completely removed after 2 years of procedure.
CONCLUSIONS: The HSP could be effective for removing hyperpigmentation in the melanocytic nevus.

The survival rate of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma and extrahepatic metastases is very poor. Sorafenib, a targeted chemotherapy agent, has been shown effective for patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but it is associated with serious side effects. In addition, although surgery has been regarded as effective for lung metastases from HCC, its use in these patients is limited. Complementary and alternative medicine, including traditional Korean medicine (TKM), is increasingly used in cancer treatment, as it has been found to improve patient quality of life and maintain tumor size. This report describes a 62-year-old Korean woman with lung metastases from HCC. She first underwent surgery (stage IV) and six cycles of adjuvant chemotherapy. She was subsequently treated with sorafenib, but computed tomography showed progressive disease and she experienced the side effects of sorafenib. The patient started treatment with TKM, including pharmacopuncture and herbal medicine, in addition to sorafenib. After 8 weeks of TKM treatment, the size of the metastatic nodules decreased and the sorafenib-associated side effect symptoms improved. These findings suggest that treatment with a combination of TKM and sorafenib may be a promising method for patients with HCC and extrahepatic metastases.

OBJECTIVE: We report the results of three case studies on the clinical effect of ascending kidney water and descending heart fire (AKDH) pharmacopuncture on patients with Hwa-Byung.
METHODS: This study involved three patients, all female, who had been admitted to a hospital of traditional Korean medicine and had been diagnosed as having Hwa-Byung by using the Hwa-Byung Structure Clinical Interview for DSM-IV. AKDH pharmacopuncture is administered by injecting pharmacopuncture at a specific acupoint to change from a state of water-fire disharmony to one of water-fire harmony. For our three patients, Hwangyeonhaedoktang () pharmacopuncture was injected at GB21 and GB20 on both sides; a total of 0.4 cc was injected, with 0.1 cc being injected at each point. Fel ursi, Bezora bovis and moschus (BUM) pharmacopuncture was injected at CV17, CV12, and CV6; a total of 0.15 cc was injected, with 0.05 cc being injected at each point. Treatment was done daily. Progress was evaluated using the Hwa-Byung diagnostic interview (HBDIS), beck depression inventory (BDI), and numeric rating scale (NRS) scores.
RESULTS: For the first patient (case 1), after treatment, the HBDIS score was reduced from 44 to 30 points, the BDI score from 37 to 14, and the NRS score from 10 to 7. For the second patient (case 2), after treatment, the HBDIS score was reduced from 41 to 27 points, the BDI score from 13 to 7, and the NRS score from 10 to 5. For the third patient (case 3), after treatment, the HBDIS score was reduced from 42 to 28 points, the BDI score from 12 to 9, and the NRS score from 10 to 4.
CONCLUSIONS: Ascending kidney water and descending heart fire pharmacopuncture treatment can be effective for improving ascending kidney water and descending heart fire energy and can be used to alleviate Hwa-Byung.

The purpose of this study was to report the effect of a combination of Sa-am five-element acupuncture and eight-principle pharmacopuncture (EPP) for the treatment of an essential tremor (ET). This study reviewed the medical records treated at OO Korean medical hospital for ET by using diverse types of acupuncture without herbal medicine, other types of physical therapy, and western medication related ET or Parkinson\'s disease and was performed after the approval of the institutional review board (IRB). The three cases that were finally selected were then extracted and reviewed. The three cases that were finally selected involved three women in their 70s to 80s. The evaluation of the progress was made by using the numeric rating scale. A combined treatment, the method of liver excess (), from amongSa-am five-element acupuncture, and Hwangyeonhaedoktang ePP at CV23 and CV17, was applied to all cases. In all three cases, the ET was improved, and recurred ETs improved with the same treatment. The results suggest that the combined treatment of Sa-am five-element acupuncture and Hwangyeonhaedoktang ePP may be effective for treating an ET, even though this conclusion is based on only three cases.

OBJECTIVE: This case report is to report the effect of Korean traditional treatment for idiopathic ninth, tenth, and twelfth cranial nerve palsy with ipsilateral headache.
METHODS: The medical history and imaging and laboratory test of a 39-year-old man with cranial palsy were tested to identify the cause of disease. A 0.2-mL dosage of Hwangyeonhaedoktang pharmacopuncture was administered at CV23 and CV17, respectively. Acupuncture was applied at P06, Li05, TE05, and G37 on the right side of the body. Zhuapiandutongbang ( ) was administered at 30 minutes to 1 hour after mealtime three times a day. The symptoms were investigated using Visual Analogue Scale (VAS).
RESULTS: The results of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT), and laboratory tests were normal. The medical history showed no trauma, other illnesses, family history of diseases, medications, smoking, drinking and so on. All symptoms disappeared at the 10th day of treatment.
CONCLUSIONS: Korean traditional treatment such as acupuncture, pharmcopuncture, and herbal medicine for the treatment of ninth, tenth, and twelfth cranial nerve palsy of unknown origin is suggested to be effective even though this conclusion is based on a single.

This report presents a case that shows a significant anticancer effect of Korean medicine therapy (KMT). A 79-year-old man, who was diagnosed as stage IV non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in December 2012, was treated with KMT including intravenous pharmacopunctures and oral herbal medicine from February 22, 2013, until September 2013 without any surgical intervention, chemotherapy or radiotherapy. The intravenous pharmacopunctures were the wild ginseng pharmacopuncture, Cordyceps sinensis pharmacopuncture and Trichosanthes kirilowii pharmacopuncture. The oral herbal medicine used was soramdan, made of cultivated wild ginseng. The effectiveness of this therapy was evaluated with computed tomography and the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance scale. The size of the tumor mass was markedly decreased and the ECOG performance scale was also improved. These results suggest that KMT alone can be an effective method to treat NSCLC.

Acupuncture has been widely used in alternative medicine for pain relief but may have many complications due to lack of appropriate cares. Pharmacopuncture is a sort of acupuncture that injects a herbal ingredient through a thin tube for the purpose of combining the effects of the herb and acupuncture and it has many pitfalls. The agents used in pharmacopuncture are not refined for a desired effect and not produced by sterile standard processes under strict medical surveillance. We report a case of a 44-yr-old male patient who had multiple abscesses in the psoas region with fever, right low back and hip pain that began after the pharmacopuncture treatment. This case shows that although pharmacopuncture has been practiced widely, it is important that the appropriate aseptic technique should be used to prevent severe infections and other complications.