Traditional Korean Medicine Treatment for Patients with Wilting Disorder: A Literature Review of In Vivo Studies.

Sung-Jin Kim,Yeon-Cheol Park,Yong-Hyeon Baek,Byung-Kwan Seo

doi:10.1155/2018/5601846

Abstract

Wilting disorder is an abnormal condition characterized by weakness and paralysis of the upper and lower extremities. Pathogenesis and treatment target of the disorder are unclear; hence, allopathic treatment is generally used to relieve the symptoms. To investigate the treatment mechanism and effect of Traditional Korean Medicine (TKM) in patients with wilting disorder, we reviewed in vivo studies that focused on the effect of TKM on the main symptoms of wilting disorder and treatment of the diseases that can cause these symptoms. We electronically searched the PubMed, Cochrane, and CNKI (China National Knowledge Infrastructure) databases using the following search terms: (weakness OR motor function disorder) (myasthenia gravis OR Guillain-Barre syndrome OR amyotrophic lateral sclerosis OR paralysis OR polymyositis OR muscular dystrophy) AND (herbal medicine OR acupuncture OR bee-venom OR pharmacoacupuncture OR electro-acupuncture OR moxibustion). We selected 11 studies that demonstrated the effect of TKM treatment on the main symptoms of wilting disorder. In these studies, inducted models of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, myasthenia gravis, Duchenne muscular atrophy, polymyositis, and Guillain-Barre syndrome were used. With regard to treatment, herbal medicine was used in five studies, and acupuncture and bee-venom pharmacoacupuncture were used in three studies each. Future research is needed to determine the effectiveness of TKM treatment in patients with diseases that can cause the main symptoms of wilting disorder.

Highlights

Wilting disorder, called “Wei-syndrome” in Traditional Korean Medicine (TKM), is defined as an abnormal condition characterized by weakness and paralysis of the upper and lower extremities in the Korean Standard Classification of Disease and Cause of Death (KCD classification)
Of the 11 studies, four studies used amyotrophic lateral sclerosis model; myasthenia gravis and multiple sclerosis-induced animal models were used in two studies each; and Duchenne muscular atrophy, polymyositis, and Guillain-Barre syndrome-induced models were used in one study each
With regard to the intervention, five studies investigated the effect of herbal medicine, and three studies each focused on acupuncture and bee-venom pharmacoacupuncture as treatment

Summary

Introduction

Called “Wei-syndrome” in Traditional Korean Medicine (TKM), is defined as an abnormal condition characterized by weakness and paralysis of the upper and lower extremities in the Korean Standard Classification of Disease and Cause of Death (KCD classification). In the TKM, the cause of wilting disorder is divided into the factors outside of the body and the factors inside of the body. The external factors include the traumatic events or overwork that can damage bones, joints, and soft tissues, fever causing neurologic dysfunction, and disease which have long morbidity period. The internal factors include energy reduction caused by wrong lifestyle or diseases and malfunctioning of viscera such as liver, heart, spleen, lung, and kidney [1, 2]. There have been arguments between TKM doctors about the TKM treatment of wilting disorder, but the mechanisms and treatment effects of each treatment have remained unclear, despite many modern studies on wilting disorder in TKM [1, 2]

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Conclusion