Introduction of Korea Medicine Management in the Pandemic Era.
by Dongwoo Nam, Department of Acupuncture & Moxibustion, College of Korean Medicine, Kyung Hee University.
Abstract
Background: In Korea and China there have been efforts to relieve symptoms of COVID 19 using traditional medicine treatment methods.
Method: In Korea, a clinical guideline for herbal medicine prescriptions for COVID 19 has been published. Voluntary activities of Korean Medicine Doctors have been reported through various media. And various articles have been published in international and domestic journals.
Results: In the clinical guideline, two kinds of herbal medicines (HM) were recommended for the prevention of COVID 19, two herbal preparations for patients exposed to COVID 19, three herbal prescriptions for mild symptoms related with COVID 19, and two combination prescriptions for the recovery stage. Through voluntary activities, Korean medicine has established telemedicine system in Korea. And through various articles, the effects of Korean Medicine treatment has been reported.
Conclusion: Traditional medicine can also contribute to the control of pandemic situation. Scientific evidence and experiences of applying Korean Medicine to COVID 19 will be very valuable for future pandemic situations.
Keywords: Clinical practice guideline; Herbal medicine; Korean medicine; COVID 19, pandemic, traditional medicine
Long COVID -19 syndrome: Chronic Pain diseases and Mental Health
by Dr. Emmanouela Koutalaki
Pre-existing chronic pain conditions such as fibromyalgia and rheumatoid arthritis may be risk factors for long COVID. Plus, a look at rising musculoskeletal disorders and immune diseases as a result of the pandemic (think FibroCOVID). How clinicians can apply a more tailored approach to diagnosis and management.
The pain is considered a non-specific manifestation of the acute, inflammatory response. Approximately 20% to 30% of patients describe muscle pain during acute COVID infection. In people who have been hospitalized for severe COVID, chronic muscle pain has been associated with muscle atrophy and is likely the consequence of prolonged hospitalization and physical inactivity.
Initially there was concern that COVID-19 may be the cause of newly described systemic, immune diseases. The cytokine storm during acute SARS-CoV-2 infection is associated with massive inflammation and immune dysregulation, evidenced by cytokine release and autoantibodies. This effect may result in lung, cardiac, and central nervous system organ damage. Although there have been isolated reports of systemic inflammation and vasculitis following SARS-CoV-2, there is no evidence that the virus has precipitated a wave of new systemic immune diseases
Chronic, pre-existing pain may be a risk factor for long COVID. In a study of more than 500,000 subjects in the UK Biobank, chronic, widespread pain was associated with COVID-19 hospitalization, and there was a dose-response relationship with the number of pain sites. Those subjects with pain at 4 to 7 sites were between 28% and 74% more likely to have COVID-19 infection compared with those with no pain, with an overall case estimate of 49%. Thirty-eight percent (38%) of patients who were hospitalized with COVID-19 reported myalgias at 7 months following hospital discharge. Those patients who reported muscle pain during their initial hospitalization were more likely to have pre-existing muscle pain.
Acupuncture appears to facilitate long COVID recovery in some case reports. Acupuncture is an attractive potential PCS therapy, considering its holistic approach and that it may be added to a multidisciplinary, guideline-concordant regimen.
However, there has been no evidence that SARS-CoV-2 has caused any other unique, systemic immune disorder or musculoskeletal damage. Rather, the chronic muscle pain and fatigue so prominent in long COVID are similar to that of fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome. The reports noted above suggest that fibromyalgia and chronic, widespread pain may be risk factors for long COVID and have increased as a result of the pandemic.
Acupuncture for Mind-Body-Stress Reduction. Use of the Yamamura System of Acupuncture Vertebral Points.
Experience of the Acupuncture Group of the Federal University of São Paulo UNIFESP Brazil by Dr. M. Yamamura
Abstract
Nowadays stress disorders are the most common mental disturbances specially after Covid 19 Pandemia and have negative impact in patient´s quality of life. In addition to this, can affect daily activities due to disfunction of musculoskeletal conditions, dysautonomia of Nervous Systems as COVID´s sequelae, increase of mental conditions such as anxiety and depression.
Psychosocial dynamics have changed recently, life and work styles as well and the impact in patient´s health have been catastrophic.
Recent studies have shown that acupuncture is an effective therapeutic method for reducing stress symptoms.
Acupuncture has been used to treat various disorders such as pain, neurodegenerative diseases, and also stress symptoms and psychological disorders.
The aim of the lecture is to bring the experience in stress modulation by using Vertebral Points of Yamamura Acupuncture System in Public Health System of Federal University of São Paulo Brazil.
The future of acupuncture research: comparative effectiveness trials
by Dr. T. Burgoon MD
Despite impressive basic science discoveries regarding acupuncture and its usefulness in clinical practice there remains controversy regarding the scientific basis of acupuncture practice. This controversy and confusion exists within the acupuncture practice community and the scientific community. An analysis of acupuncture research using placebo controls illustrates the reason for the confusion and also makes clear that clinical effectiveness research is the most appropriate format for acupuncture research. Clinical trials that compare treatments against each other rather than against placebo provide the most clinically relevant and important information for physicians and for patients. The two millennia record of scholarly commentary on acupuncture also deepens our understanding of issues confronted in modern acupuncture research.
Acupuncture and Temporomandibular Disfunction – An Integral Approach-
by Dr. Francisco Lozano, MD, PhD
Abstract
Alterations in the function of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) are very frequent in medical and dental consultations, representing a real therapeutic challenge of daily clinical practice. Its etiology is considered multifactorial being frequent in patients with a history of surgery or orthodontic treatments, secondary to a systemic disease such as osteoporosis and rheumatoid arthritis, as well as associated with poor posture habits, particularly in the cervical region.
In the field of dentistry, acupuncture has proven useful in the treatment of a wide range of conditions, as well as in the Temporomandibular joint disorders (TMD).In 2002, the World Health Organization (WHO) recognized that chronic orofacial pain including pain associated with the temporomandibular joint responds effectively to acupuncture treatment.
Many authors agree that the approach to TMD should be interdisciplinary and integrative, where acupuncture, behavioral therapy, jaw exercises and postural correction can play a very important role.
When the dysfunction of the temporomandibular joint is approached in an integral way, it is observed that it is often associated with a wide variety of conditions such as sleep disorders, mood disorders, migraine, stress, fibromyalgia, among others, so it will be more effective to offer the patient, a more integral and individualized treatment.
In the practice of acupuncture, the integral approach with traditional Chinese medicine is fundamental, where the patient is evaluated holistically and a comprehensive diagnosis is established. It carries out an integral treatment where not only TMD is treated, but simultaneously a therapeutic benefit is exerted in other pathological conditions directly or indirectly related. In the same way, the selection of the technical strategy is made individually and focus on various levels: local, regional, according to the distribution of the acupuncture channels, and sindromatic (systemic).
In addition, it is important to carry out an overall evaluation with modern medicine, to complement each other in the diagnosis and treatment in an Integrative way and guarantee a better therapeutic effect.
Stretching and Dry Needling for Sports Injuries in Elite Athletes
by Dr. G. Lazarou, MD, MSc, PhD, Med. Ac., ITF International Instructor
The Sofa Pandemic, i.e. compulsory quarantine and staying indoors due to the recent Covid19 pandemic, took a huge toll on organized sports, whether on a recreational level or the most elite, professional level. Dry Needling is another name for IMS or Intramuscular Stimulation, which is another name for Biomedical Acupuncture, that is non-TCM, non-Traditional Chinese Acupuncture, based on Meridian Theory. Dry Needling is based on inflicting minute intramuscular lesions with the purpose of initiating tissue healing, mostly within muscle belly, but potentially also in fascia. Wet needling, i.e. injection of minute doses of pharmaceuticals in specific points, will not be dealt with. Elite athletes in their daily training usually flirt with Overtraining Syndrome and frequently experience DOMS, Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness. When examined clinically, they often present with considerable muscle imbalance, i.e. agonist and antagonist muscles are not equally strong and the muscle origin and insertion suffers from this imbalance. Sports Hernia or Athletic Pubalgia is a common example of incapacitating pain, mostly due to the pull of the extremely powerful abdominal muscles not being countered by the equal pull of the Adductor Muscles. Strengthening the latter may obliterate the problem, but even more importantly, effectively prevent it, as implied by its rare occurrence in Martial Arts training. Focusing on warm-up stretching in the beginning of training, recovery stretching in the end of training and maximum stretching only when heavily sweating, will undoubtedly pay off in the form of fewer and less important muscular complaints. The same is true for the group of Hamstrings or knee flexors, the Biceps Femoris laterally, but also the Semitendinosus and Semimembranosus medially, possibly with a little help from the Adductors in a rather hard to define allocation of duties. When the therapeutic properties of stretching are exhausted, Dry Needling may come in handy, not just focusing on pain treatment after the presentation of pain and dysfunction, but ideally, focusing on optimum muscle function, even before the onset of pain, when only a vague sense of discomfort is present or sub-optimal performance is readily identified by the elite athlete, seeking help from the team physician before the fully blown symptoms are revealed.
The contribution of Acupuncture in the Therapeutics of our times
by Dr. M. Tarabe MD, PhD
The fundamental theory of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) implies that when different diseases have the same pathogen, the syndromes of these individual diseases will be the same. “Treating different diseases with the same method” is a TCM principle suggesting that when different diseases have similar pathological changes during different stages of their development, the same method of treatment can be applied.
The TCM syndromes for example Qi deficiency and blood stasis have similar pathogenesis in relation to coronary heart disease (CHD) and stroke.
An attempt will be made to investigate the correlation between the biological markers of CHD of the brain and the metabolic syndrome from a scientific point of view with treatments of Traditional Chinese Medicine and especially acupuncture, treatments with applications in epidemic diseases of our times, whether due to infectious or metabolic factors.
Preventive – Personalised medicine: the only solution for pandemics
by Dr. Konstantina Theodoratou, MD, MSc, Med. Psych
Health -according to the WHO definition- is not just the absence of illness or disability but a state of physical, mental and social well-being, it is a resource that allows people to realize their aspirations, satisfy their needs and cope with the environment in order to live a long, productive, and fruitful life.
A pandemic is defined as “the worldwide spread of a disease, or over a very wide area, crossing international boundaries and usually affecting a large number of people.
According to global data we live in a world suffering and dying from chronic diseases that could not have been created by a change in our lifestyle, from respiratory diseases associated with air pollution also from use of too many antibiotics which also have passed into our food. As a result we are more vulnerable and finally in medicine we try more to cure than to prevent the manifestation of diseases.
Chronic diseases are today’s pandemic.
More than ever today we need to focus on preventing all of the above and mobilizing people to adopt a different way of life if they want to reach and maintain a level of real health and well-being. What can acupuncture do?
We know its anti-inflammatory action even in the preclinical stage, its regulatory central action that can reduce stress levels, regulate the immune response and ultimately bring the person closer to balance and health. The advantages of acupuncture will be presented in full depth.
Synthesis of Evidence Based and Personalised Medicine in Acupuncture Research
by Dr. Henriette Muraközy
Advances in the Treatment of Primary Headaches with Acupuncture
by Dr. Fernando Farias, MD, PhD
Headache is a leading complaint in medical consultations. In most cases, the diagnosis of a primary headache is made. Accordingly, headaches impact on patients’ quality of life and affects absenteeism, disrupting personal, social, and professional life. Conventional treatment of primary headaches involves the use of analgesics, with their side effects and risk of abuse. In the last decades, acupuncture has been shown an effective treatment of primary headaches, with favorable clinical results which are reproducible in systematic reviews and meta-analysis. That has made it regarded as a valid means of treatment for primary headaches in several national health systems. The rational usage of acupuncture and its integration to the conventional treatment of primary headaches is one of the best usages we can make of this ancient technique in a world where headaches are becoming increasingly more frequent.
An attempt of updated intro on med electroacupuncture in effective management of chronic eye deseases
by Dr. G. Bellos MD
It is accepted that Eyes Are the Windows to Good Health.
In traditional Eastern medicine, eyes play a central role in diagnosing the overall health of a person. Many illnesses, like diabetes and cardiovascular disease, are evident in the condition of the eyes, and these are often associated with vision loss, glaucoma and other forms of deteriorating eyesight.
This connection between your eyesight and overall health is where we PRESENT a wholistic assessment of what underlying conditions might be causing loss of vision, and what treatments can be used to improve it according to the new pathway of systems medicine approach. Acupuncture for improved vision can work on the optic nerves THROUGH ANTIINFALMMATORY WAYS , helping to regenerate and reinstate the nerves to their optimal function acupuncture treatment regulated retinal transcriptome and reversed the gene expression induced by injury, and GB20 acupoint treatment increased survival, which will provide novel therapeutic targets for treatment of ocular diseases. GB20 and BL1 are the most common acupoints for ocular disease treatment.
RNA-seq analysis revealed that acupuncture treatment at GB20 reversed the expression of 41 genes and BL1 acupoint treatment, 43 genes were reversed. It is reported that acupuncture treatment also regulated expression of nerve growth factor and brain-derived neurotrophic factor in retina which may regulate retinal gene expression and provide neuroprotection. Also we will present other paradigm shift ways of managing chronic ocular problems by the modern pattern of electro acupuncture and personalized medicine.
Acupuncture and the immune system
by Dr. Chin Chan MD
Acupuncture can have a modulating effect on the immune system and may benefit autoimmune conditions and influence the outcome of infections.