Effects of Gyejibongnyeong-hwan on dysmenorrhea caused by blood stagnation: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Gyejibongnyeong-hwan (GJBNH) is one of the most popular Korean medicine formulas for menstrual pain of dysmenorrhea. The concept of blood stagnation in Korean medicine is considered the main factor of causing abdominal pain, or cramps, during menstrual periods. To treat the symptoms, GJBNH is used to fluidify the stagnated blood and induce the blood flow to be smooth, reducing pain as the result. The purpose of this trial is to identify the efficacy of GJBNH in dysmenorrhea caused by blood stagnation.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>This study is a multi-centre, randomised, double-blind, controlled trial with two parallel arms: the group taking GJBNH and the group taking placebo. 100 patients (women from age 18 to 35) will be enrolled to the trial. Through randomization 50 patients will be in experiment arm, and the other 50 patients will be in control arm. At the second visit (baseline), all participants who were already screened that they fulfil both the inclusion and the exclusion criteria will be randomised into two groups. Each group will take the intervention three times per day during two menstrual cycles. After the treatment for two cycles, each patient will be followed up during their 3^rd, 4^thand 5^thmenstrual cycles. From the screening (Visit 1) through the second follow-up (Visit 6) the entire process will take 25 weeks.</p> <p>Discussion</p> <p>This trial will provide evidence for the effectiveness of GJBNH in treating periodical pain due to dysmenorrhea that is caused by blood stagnation. The primary outcome between the two groups will be measured by changes in the Visual Analogue Score (VAS) of pain. The secondary outcome will be measured by the Blood Stagnation Scale, the Short-form McGill questionnaire and the COX menstrual symptom scale. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) and repeated measured ANOVA will be used to analyze the data analysis.</p> <p>Trial registration</p> <p>Current Controlled Trials: <a href="http://www.controlled-trials.com/ISRCTN30426947">ISRCTN30426947</a></p

Effect of lavender inhalation on the symptoms of primary dysmenorrhea and the amount of menstrual bleeding: A randomized clinical trial

Objective: The purpose of this study was to explore the effect of Lavandula angustifolia (lavender) inhalation on the symptoms of dysmenorrhea and the amount of menstrual bleeding in female students with primary dysmenorrhea. Design: This study is an experimental clinical trial. The subjects were 96 female students residing in dormitory at Tehran University of Medical Sciences in 2011 and suffering from level two or three dysmenorrhea according to the verbal multi-dimensional scoring system. The inclusion criteria were as: being single, suffering from primary dysmenorrhea, having no genital organs disorder, having no systemic disease, having regular menstrual cycles, using no contraceptives, etc. The follow-up time was 4 menstrual cycles. Interventions: The subjects were randomized into two groups: experimental (n = 48) who inhaled lavender based on sesame oil, and placebo (n = 48) who inhaled sesame oil only. Main outcome measures: The severity of dysmenorrhea symptoms was measured through a questionnaire, and the amount of menstrual bleeding was measured by sanitary towel usage. Methods: Ordinal logistic regression and generalized estimating equation (GEE) were used to analyze the data. Results: The symptoms of dysmenorrhea were significantly lowered in the lavender group compared to the placebo group (p < 0.001). The amount of menstrual bleeding in the lavender group was reduced in comparison to the placebo group but the difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.25). No significant difference was observed for blood clot among the students (p = 0.666). Conclusions: This study showed that lavender inhalation was effective in alleviating dysmenorrhea symptoms, suggesting that it could be applied by midwives in a safe manner because of no side effects, simplicity and cost-effectiveness for all patients. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Acupuncture for Spasticity after Stroke: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

The aim of this systematic review was to determine how effective acupuncture or electroacupuncture (acupuncture with electrical stimulation) is in treating poststroke patients with spasticity. We searched publications in Medline, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library in English, 19 accredited journals in Korean, and the China Integrated Knowledge Resources Database in Chinese through to July 30, 2013. We included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with no language restrictions that compared the effects of acupuncture or electroacupuncture with usual care or placebo acupuncture. The two investigators assessed the risk of bias and statistical analyses were performed. Three RCTs in English, 1 in Korean, and 1 in Chinese were included. Assessments were performed primarily with the Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS). Meta-analysis showed that acupuncture or electroacupuncture significantly decreased spasticity after stroke. A subgroup analysis showed that acupuncture significantly decreased wrist, knee, and elbow spasticity in poststroke patients. Heterogeneity could be explained by the differences in control, acupoints, and the duration after stroke occurrence. In conclusion, acupuncture could be effective in decreasing spasticity after stroke, but long-term studies are needed to determine the longevity of treatment effects

A comparison of health technology adoption in four countries (Japan, Korea, the UK, and the US)

This research empirically examines and compares the adoption of health technologies through case studies. The health technologies under review are assisted reproductive technologies, cochlear implants, haematopoietic stem cell transplantations, caesarean section deliveries, Gamma knife units and kidney transplants in four countries: Japan, Korea, the UK and the US. The interactions between the micro factors of health technologies and the macro environment in the adoption of health technologies are examined on the basis of a literature review and analysis of data. The micro factors were evaluated in terms of economic, clinical and technical aspects. In assessing the macro factors, payment systems and regulations related to the selected health technologies were taken into account. To examine the micro factors, the results of health technology assessments in earlier studies were reviewed. In order to explore the macro factors, historical changes in the payment systems affecting the selected health technologies and legal regulations, including legislation, directives, guidelines and court orders related to the technologies, were investigated. The adoption level of health technologies was evaluated in time-series and cross-sectional terms, measuring the trend of technology adoption and comparing the experience of the four countries under review. This research suggests clustering health technologies into “welfare oriented technology” and “private benefit oriented technology” by considering the economic incentives of adopters, individual desires of consumers and public concern over the technology. Private benefit oriented technologies are those which adopters expect to increase income from the providers or which meet the personal desires of the consumers. For welfare oriented technology, the decision is dominated by the aims of public welfare. As the model predicted, the adoption of welfare oriented technologies was higher in the health systems under national planning, while that of private benefit oriented technologies was higher in the systems whose health provisions accept market conditions

Traditional Korean medicine in the modernization process: institutional and attitudinal changes

The objective of the research is to contribute to the sociological understanding of East Asian medicine in Korea. Specifically, at the institutional level, this study describes changes in the structure and organization of the traditional East Asian medical system, looks for some major reasons for these changes, examines the system\u27s developmental process as a social system, and inquires about the system\u27s dynamic relationship with Western medicine. At the individual level, this research examines the Korean people\u27s attitudes and behaviors concerning East Asian medicine in relation to Western medicine; the effects of sociodemographic variables and nationalistic sentiment on attitudes and use of East Asian medicine are examined;From May to August of 1988, the data were gathered from 191 randomly selected residents of Bong-Dug 2 Dong in Taegu city, Korea. Observations of medical facilities and library research were also conducted in Korea;Along with general social changes, the East Asian medical system has been substantially modernized in recent years. Health policies have clearly affected the status of the traditional medical system. The influences of professionalization on the status of the traditional medical system are generally upheld. At the individual level, the popularity of East Asian medicine has been maintained among the people, regardless of their age, gender, level of education, rural residence experience, and income. Nationalistic sentiment is significantly related to the attitude scale of East Asian medicine but is not significantly related to the two behavior indexes. Attitudes and behaviors concerning East Asian medicine are significantly correlated, but the relationships are not as strong as was anticipated

Comparative Analysis of Tongue Indices between Patients with and without a Self-Reported Yin Deficiency: A Cross-Sectional Study

We investigated the hypothesis that Yin-deficient patients have a reddened tongue with less coating. We screened 189 participants aged 20 to 49 years, complaining of headache. To classify patients in terms of Yin deficiency, we used two self-reporting Yin-deficiency questionnaires (Yin-Deficiency Questionnaire and Yin-Deficiency Scale) and diagnosis by a doctor. Based on the tests, a total of 33 subjects were assigned to a Yin-deficient group and 33 subjects were assigned to a nondeficient control group. Tongue images were acquired using a computerized tongue diagnostic system, for evaluating tongue indices. The tongue coating percentage and tongue redness were calculated as the mean a⁎ value of both the whole tongue area (WT a⁎) and the tongue body area (TB a⁎). The tongue coating percentage of the Yin-deficient group (34.79 ± 10.76) was lower than that of the nondeficient group (44.13 ± 14.08). The WT a⁎ value of the Yin-deficient group (19.39 ± 1.52) was significantly higher than that of the nondeficient group (18.21 ± 2.06). However, the difference in the TB a⁎ value between the two groups was not significant. In conclusion, we verified that Yin-deficient patients had less tongue coating and tended to have a more reddish tongue than nondeficient patients

Placenta Therapy: Its Biological Role of Anti-Inflammation and Regeneration

Human placental extract has been used to treat fatigue, postmenopausal symptoms, wound healing, and growth retardation in Korea. Combined with acupuncture therapy, placental extract extends its therapeutic limit to pain control. Recently, we have reported acupuncture point injection (API) with placental extract modulated inflammation-involving pain symptoms in chronic pain diseases. In order to rehabilitate patients suffering from chronic pain and restricted joint mobility, placental extract was injected into acupuncture points localized on the joints, surrounding muscles acting in concert with the joints, and paravertebral muscles affecting the innervation of the joints. Here, we describe the pathology of pain syndromes including neck pain, back pain, shoulder pain, knee arthritis, fibromyalgia, and complex regional pain syndrome and propose methodology of APIs with placental extract in treating these pain diseases