Korean medicine (KM) is used to treat anxiety disorders, but there is limited research on its effects. This study aimed to examine the associations between improved QoL and reduced clinical symptoms and KM in patients with anxiety disorders. The medical records of patients with anxiety who were treated with KM (acupuncture, psychotherapy, Chuna therapy, aromatherapy, or herbal medicine) for at least 4 weeks were retrospectively analyzed. Clinical, QoL, and cost outcomes were measured at baseline and at weeks 4 and 12 (Anxiety: State-Trait Anxiety Inventory [STAI X-1 (state), X-2 (trait)], Beck Anxiety Inventory [BAI]; anger: State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory State [STAXI-S (state), T (trait)], Anger Expression Inventory [AXI-K-I (anger-in), AXI-K-O (anger-out), AXI-K-C (anger-control); depression: Beck Depression Inventory-II [BDI II], QoL: QoL-related instruments Euro Quality of Life 5 Dimensions utility score [EQ-5D], Euro QoL Visual Analog Scale [EQ-VAS]). The total costs for each item were calculated in terms of NHIS-covered costs and patients\' out-of-pocket costs from the perspective of the healthcare system. The medical records of 67 patients were evaluated. The KM treatments were found to be associated with decreased anxiety (STAI X-1; STAI X-2; BAI, p < 0.0001), depression (BDI-II, p < 0.0001), and anger (AKI-K-I; AKI-K-O, p < 0.05) and increased QoL (EQ-5D; EQ-VAS, p < 0.0001). An average of USD 1360 was paid for the KM treatments for 4 weeks. The study findings suggested that KM may improve clinical symptoms and QoL outcomes in patients with anxiety disorders.

UNASSIGNED: This study analyzed the Korea Health Panel Annual Data 2019 to investigate factors related to the use of non-insured Korean medicine (KM) treatment in individuals with chronic diseases. The non-insured KM treatments of interest were herbal decoction (HD) and pharmacopuncture (PA).
UNASSIGNED: Among adults aged 19 or older, 6,159 individuals with chronic diseases who received outpatient KM treatment at least once in 2019 were included. They were divided into three groups according to the KM treatment used (1) basic insured KM non-pharmacological treatment (BT) group (n = 629); (2) HD group (n = 256); (3) PA group (n = 184). Logistic regression analysis was used to explore factors associated with favoring HD or PA use over BT. Potentially relevant candidate factors were classified using the Andersen Behavior Model.
UNASSIGNED: Compared to BT, the 1st to 3rd quartiles of income compared to the 4th quartile (odds ratio 1.50 to 2.06 for HD; 2.03 to 2.83 for PA), health insurance subscribers compared to medical aid (odds ratio 2.51; 13.43), and presence of musculoskeletal diseases (odds ratio 1.66; 1.91) were significantly positively associated with HD and PA use. Moreover, the presence of cardiovascular disease (odds ratio 1.46) and neuropsychiatric disease (odds ratio 1.97) were also significantly positively associated with HD use.
UNASSIGNED: The presence of some chronic diseases, especially musculoskeletal diseases, was significantly positively associated with HD and PA use, while low economic status was significantly negatively associated with HD and PA use, indicating the potential existence of unmet medical needs in this population. Since chronic diseases impose a considerable health burden, the results of this study can be used for reference for future health insurance coverage policies in South Korea.

Warts caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV) are generally treated with cryotherapy, CO2 laser ablation, interferon injections, and bleomycin injections. However, it is sometimes difficult to treat children because the treatment can be painful. In addition, recurrence may occur after treatment. In this study, warts completely disappeared following the administration of herbal medicine in two children, with warts in multiple parts of the hands and around the nails. Two pediatric patients visited the hospital for treatment of warts around their fingers and nails. Both patients received Taeeumjowi-tang (TJT) as a decoction for 60 days. TJT was performed twice per day for the 11-year-old patient and once per day for the 7-year-old patient. Patient progress was observed monthly, and the visual condition of the warts was photographed during the visits. After approximately two months of treatment, the warts disappeared from the fingers and nails of both patients. This case study suggests that the oral administration of TJT may be effective for pediatric patients with warts. Further studies are required to determine the efficacy and safety of these therapies.

UNASSIGNED: South Korea\'s Ministry of Health and Welfare has developed clinical pathways for Korean Medicine (KM-CPs). As part of this initiative, a panel comprising Korean Medicine doctors (KMD) was assembled. This implementation study aimed to preliminarily explore how KM-CP implementation affects the appropriateness and efficiency of the clinical process and its relation to attitude.
UNASSIGNED: Through random sampling, 311 KMDs were recruited as panelists to participate in two surveys. The surveys included information regarding the KM clinical environment and KM-CP implementation. A panel management program and educational materials were provided to KMDs between the two survey periods. Only 262 KMDs who responded to both surveys were included in the analysis. Three analyses were conducted: 1) descriptive analysis of the study variables, 2) panel analysis using the ordered logit regression model to elucidate the impact of KM-CP on the appropriateness and efficiency of the clinical process, and 3) ordered logit regression analysis of the association between KM-CP implementation and attitude.
UNASSIGNED: More than two-thirds of the KMDs attempted to adopt KM-CP, with mostly positive perception expressed by these doctors. However, expectations and concerns coexist with the standardization of KM-CP. Cases in which KM-CPs were partially and mostly implemented respectively had negative and positive effects on the appropriateness and efficiency of the clinical process compared to those in which KM-CPs were not implemented. Compared to neutral attitude, positive and very positive attitudes tended to be associated with increased implementation of KM-CP. However, statistical significances were not observed.
UNASSIGNED: The impact of KM-CP on the clinical process and its association with attitude were found to be statistically unclear or inconsistent. Considering the study limitations and implications, we suggest a policy and academic strategies aimed at fostering improvement to enhance its utility.

UNASSIGNED: Facial palsy (FP) significantly affects the quality of life of patients and poses a treatment challenge in primary healthcare settings. This study aimed to develop a Korean medicine (KM) core outcome set (COS) for FP, with a focus on evaluating the effectiveness of herbal medicine (HM) treatments in KM primary clinics.
UNASSIGNED: Outcomes and effect modifiers related to FP treatments were initially identified through related review articles. Subsequently, experts in the field took part in three rounds of modified Delphi consensus exercises to refine and prioritize these outcomes and effect modifiers. Additionally, primary KM clinicians were involved in a Delphi consensus round to assess the suitability and feasibility of the proposed COS in real-world clinical settings.
UNASSIGNED: The initial review of related literature identified 44 relevant studies, resulting in an initial selection of 23 outcomes and 10 effect modifiers. The expert consensus process refined these to 8 key outcomes and 6 effect modifiers, which established the foundation of the COS-FP-KM. Subsequently, primary KM clinicians confirmed the practicality and applicability of the COS, endorsing its suitability for use in KM primary clinics.
UNASSIGNED: The COS-FP-KM establishes a standardized approach for assessing HM treatment effectiveness in FP patients in KM primary clinics. The COS-FP-KM encourages consistent outcome reporting and enhances patient care quality. Future work should aim to integrate broader stakeholder perspectives to refine and validate the COS further.

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BACKGROUND: Acute injury to the sacroiliac joint (SIJ) can result from high-energy external forces that cause a combination of axial loading and sudden rotational movements, resulting in severe pain that cannot be relieved by regular nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. The treatment includes injections of steroids and local anesthetics to reduce pain and promote healing. Here, we report the case of a patient with acute sacroiliac pain who did not respond to conventional injection therapy.
METHODS: A 58-year-old male patient who did not exercise regularly experienced pain in his left groin and difficulty walking while kicking on his right leg. He received two injections and manual therapy at a local orthopedic clinic; however, his symptoms did not improve despite taking painkillers.
METHODS: Radiographic images showed no abnormalities. After confirming the cause of onset, pain pattern, physical examination, and tenderness, the patient was diagnosed with an acute SIJ sprain (static blood).
METHODS: At the first visit, a single acupotomy was performed on the seven treatment points identified during the physical examination, and immediate improvement in symptoms was confirmed. From then on, Korean medicine (KM) treatments, such as acupuncture, cupping, chuna, and bee venom pharmacopuncture, were performed.
RESULTS: Immediately after acupotomy, groin pain improved by 80 %, gait immediately normalized, and the patient showed no symptoms at the 9th visit.
CONCLUSIONS: For SIJ-type groin pain that does not respond to existing treatments, immediate relief is achieved after a single acupotomy at the exact treatment point. Therefore, in the future, the importance of identifying a precise treatment point for SIJ pain should be recognized, and the use of Korean medicine treatment techniques, including acupotomy, should be considered.

UNASSIGNED: Pulse is a method of Korean medicine diagnosis and is an important clue to detect the organs, nature, and progress of the disease. Pulse examination is included in the basic examination of Korean medicine doctors, but there is no standardized method for diagnosing pulse although the types and methods of the pulse taking are briefly described in the literature, making it difficult to spread the examination method. In this regard, I would like to propose an objective evaluation method.
UNASSIGNED: Although the importance of pulse examination and the method of pulse examination are known in the literature, it is difficult for undergraduate students or inexperienced Korean medicine doctors to access it, so in this paper a method of marking the size of the pulse power in the blank space for objective evaluation was devised and presented.
UNASSIGNED: The size of the pulse power should be indicated using the 1-cell, 3-cell, or 5-cell method according to the left and right wrists and the cun, guan and chi on both sides.
UNASSIGNED: The method of pulse diagnosis is an important diagnostic method as a verification process for making a Korean medical diagnosis. The remaining Korean medicine diagnostic methods, including pulse diagnosis, also need to undergo objectification. It is believed that the objectification of these diagnostic methods will lead to an improvement in the treatment rate of Korean medicine.

UNASSIGNED: The development of clinical practice guidelines in traditional medicine requires evidence that sufficiently reflects the medical field. Cardiac neurosis is a disease that occurs because of problems in the autonomic nervous system and is characterized by symptoms of the circulatory system that are representative of autonomic dysfunction. In traditional medicine, the heart is considered to be involved in mental health problems, and cardiac neurosis is accompanied by a variety of mental symptoms. Furthermore, there is a categorized diagnosis for cardiac neurosis, and active empirical research is being conducted in China.
UNASSIGNED: This study aimed to systematically review and quantitatively synthesize the effects of Korean medicine treatments in patients with cardiac neurosis to develop evidence-based clinical practice guidelines for the treatment of autonomic dysfunction.
UNASSIGNED: Nine databases were searched for articles published before September 13, 2022. The methodological quality of the studies was assessed using the RoB tool. The primary outcomes were somatization, depression, anxiety, and effectiveness rate. The secondary outcome was the rate of adverse effects.
UNASSIGNED: Based on a systematic literature review, 151 randomized controlled trials were selected and analyzed. For patients with cardiac neurosis, herbal medicine, combined treatment of herbal medicine and Western medicine, combined treatment of herbal medicine and acupuncture, acupuncture, and combined treatment of acupuncture and Western medicine showed better overall effects than Western medicine alone. Furthermore, the combined treatment of herbal medicine and psychotherapy and that of herbal medicine, psychotherapy, and Western medicine showed an overall better effect than the combined treatment of Western medicine and psychotherapy.
UNASSIGNED: A meta-analysis of articles revealed the effectiveness of Korean medicine treatments and verified the effectiveness of a Korean medicine treatment alone, Korean medicine combined treatment, and combined treatment of Korean medicine and Western medicine on cardiac neurosis. Limitations included the inability to verify the cause of high heterogeneity between studies and the poor quality of the included studies. Nevertheless, this systematic review and meta-analysis of cardiac neurosis showed that the disease concept of traditional medicine can also be organized based on the latest research. Future research related to traditional diseases such as these should be conducted.
UNASSIGNED: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42022347992, identifier CRD42022347992.

Korean medicine (KM) is pivotal within South Korea\'s healthcare system. This study aimed to investigate the current use and determinants associated with KM among children and adolescents through an analysis of the 2019 Korea Health Panel Annual Data. Subjects were divided into two groups: the integrative medicine (IM) group, utilizing both KM and conventional medicine (CM) (n = 163), and the CM-only group (n = 1843) for the year 2019. Differences in various factors between the IM and CM groups were investigated using the chi-square test or t-tests. Moreover, binomial logistic regression was employed to ascertain factors influencing the choice of KM over exclusive CM utilization. The IM group had a higher mean age (p = 0.011) and annual household income (p < 0.001) compared to the CM group. The regression analysis indicated a significant association between the use of both KM and CM and being an adolescent (p = 0.011), residing in Seoul/Gyeonggi/Incheon (p = 0.017), living in Daejeon/Chungcheong/Sejong (p = 0.001), and belonging to the first income percentile (p = 0.002). Significant differences were observed in the KM usage patterns between the groups of children and adolescents. These insights could contribute to the development of strategies for the optimal allocation of medical resources within South Korea\'s distinctive medical framework.