Recent developments in Korean acupuncture

[Guest guest]

Dear Colleagues,

 

If we cannot read / speak Oriental languages [esp Chinese, Japanese

and Korean], we are missing a LOT of material on clinical uses of herbal

medicine and acupuncture!

 

Prof Duck-Hwan KIM [DHK] (Chungnam Vet School, Daejon, S. Korea)

arrived in Ireland for a 1-month visit to a busy 5-person mixed practice

(horses, dogs, cats). I had the pleasure of spending two days with him.

He told me of several advances in Korean acupuncture and herbal

medicine:

 

1. Korean Hand AP - KHA, discussed on several lists in the past 12

months - is alive and well. DHK has used it with great success in

humans, but not in animals.

 

Because the " hands " of animals are so different from those of humans,

and because they are probably the most likely part of the body to be

heavily contaminated with superficial bacteria, it is unlikely that KHA will

be developed for use in animals, except, possibly, in primates.

 

2. OCULO-AP (OA): Have any of you heard of (or do you USE) this

method? If ANY of you have access to Chinese data on OCULO-AP,

could you please translate it into English and post the data to the List?

 

DHK told me that it is a NEW and VERY EFFECTIVE and SIMPLE

method of AP, developed in China. He has studied some Chinese data

on OA and has tried it in humans with great success.

 

OA is a MICROSYSTEM of special acupoints around the orbit. The

points are needled very superficially with very fine needles.

 

I searched Google, but could find only one reference in English to it:

 

NIE ZH, Yu H & ZHONG ZL (2003) Treatment of Acute Cerebral

Infarction by Oculo- Acupuncture: A Clinical Observation of 64 Cases (in

Chinese). XIN ZHONG YI 35(4); 46-47. (New Journal of Traditional

, In Chinese, ISSN: 0256-7415; Monthly, on 5th of

every month; Sponsor: Guangzhou University of TCM

<xzybjb; Tel: 86-20-36585485 (Editorial Office))

Abstract: " Objective: To observe the curative effect of Oculo-

Acupuncture (OA) for acute cerebral infarction (ACI). Methods: 124

cases of ACI were allocated to treatment group (64 cases) treated by

OA, and control group (60 cases) by body acupuncture, 10 times

constituting a treatment course. The curative effects were observed

after 2 courses of treatment. Results: In treatment group, 7 cases were

basically cured, 25 cases markedly improved, 29 cases improved, the

total effective rate being 95.3%, and in control group 3 cases, 15 cases,

24 cases and 70. 1% respectively. The total effective rate between 2

groups showed very significant difference (P < 0. 005). Conclusion: OA

is an ideal therapy for ACI and its effect is better than body acupuncture.

Keywords: acute cerebral infarction, CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM,

CEREBRAL, Cerebral Infarction, clinical observation, control group,

oculo-acupuncture, Randomized Controlled Trial, RCT, Acupuncture

 

Phil's comment: NOTE that OA gave BETTER results than body-AP in

this RCT!! We better find out about this method ASAP!!

 

Vet colleagues: NOTE that DHK reckons that OA could be adapted

easily for use in animals.

 

3. Bee-Venom AP (BV-AP): This is becoming popular in Korea in

humans and animals. BV-AP uses dried purified bee venom, in 1ml

sterile vials. Each vial contains just 1mg dried BV, sufficient to inject 10

acupoints.

 

Before use, 1ml sterile saline is the added to the 1ml dried BV vial and

agitated to dissolve the BV.

 

The 1ml of diluted BV is withdrawn and is mixed with 1 ml of a standard

a local anaesthetic, such as lignocaine, xylocaine, etc.

 

The total volume (2ml of diluted BV + 1ml local anaesthetic) is sufficient

to inject 10 acupoints with 0.2ml each.

 

Each injection is given s/c with a very fine (23-25 guage) needle.

 

There are three minor problems:

 

(a) COST: 1mg of BV costs about 10 euros

 

(b) Some people (and possibly animals) may be hypersensitive to BV,

which can cause acute (possibly fatal) anaphylaxis in highly sensitive

subjects.

 

Therefore, if a patient has a history of hypersensitivity to bee-stings, or

of ANY allergy (including hay-fever), it is safer NOT to use BV.

Alternatively, one might consider giving a full prophylactic dose of

antihistamine before injecting the BV.

 

To be absolutely safe, one might give a tiny dose (0.05ml) of the final

mix intradermally and wait a few minutes to see if there is a local

hypersensitive reaction.

 

© If BV is injected WITHOUT addition of local anaesthetic, there

usually is a strong local pain reaction for a few minutes afterwards.

 

DHK has had excellent success with BV injection in SEVERAL elderly

colleagues who were impotent. He injects CV03 and CV01 (ouch!!).

Word of mouth has spread rapidly through Daejon and old men often

turn up at the VET SCHOOL for discreet treatment for their failing, ailing

phallus!!

 

Apparently the results are dramatic, often coming within days of the first

injections, even in men impotent for years. The word is out that if Viagra

(or other medical approaches) don't rev the engine, see a discreet vet!

 

DHK and his team are planning to test BV-AP in several animal models.

He is convinced that it has great clinical applications, and gives results

better that standard AP.

 

4. KETAMINE injection at acupoints!: DHK told me that standard use of

ketamine injection is effective for only +/- 20 minutes in dogs. However,

if the same dose of ketamine is injected at acupoints TIANPING

(midline, at thoraco-lumbar junction) and ANIMAL BAIHUI (midline, at

lumbo-sacral junction) the ketamine effect lasts circa 90 minoues, i.e for

circa 70 minutes linger than normal.

 

This reminds me of research with hormone or herbal injection at

acupoints in animals. Brazilian colleagues found that microdoses

injected at the relevant acupoints gave powerful responses.

 

See: Investigation into the Use of Micro-Dose of Somatotrophin Injected

at Acupoint GV01 in Milk Production of Nelore Cows. Lopes CT

<tadeulop, EMBRAPA, CENARGEN, Brasilia

DF, Brazil, Luna SPL <stelio, FMVZ, Unesp, Botucatu,

SP, Brazil

http://users.med.auth.gr/~karanik/english/articles/brazvet.html#1

 

and

 

Injection of Pulsatilla Nigricans in Acupoint GV01 to Reduce the

Puerperium Period in Cattle. Lopes CT

<tadeulop Rumpf R

<rodolfo EMBRAPA, CENARGEN, Brasilia DF,

Brazil http://users.med.auth.gr/~karanik/english/articles/brazvet.html#3

 

and

 

The Role of Acupoint Baihui for Induction of Luteolysis in Mares [using

PGF2a (dinoprost)]

http://users.med.auth.gr/~karanik/english/articles/brazvet.html#5

 

Sagiv ben Yakir also uses some similar methods, including

homeopathic injections, in his Bio-Zoo-AP [ http://tinyurl.com/73hxh ].

 

DHK confirmed that herbal extracts injected at relevant acupoints gave

excellent results in Korean clinical work. For example, when injected at

GV01 in animals, herbal extract, or Bee Venom, has powerful

antidiarrhoeal effect.

 

See also:

 

Lai X. Li Y. Fan Z. Zhang J. Liu B. An analysis of therapeutic effect of

drug acupoint application in 209 cases of allergic asthma. Institution

Guanzhou University of Traditional and Pharmacy,

Guangdong Province 510407 Journal of Traditional .

Jun 2001, 21(2):122-6, Both therapies of traditional crude herb

moxibustion and drug acupoint application were used in 209 cases of

allergic asthma to compare their long-term and short-term therapeutic

effects and to analyze the relationship between clinic therapeutic effects

of both therapies and differential types of the disease. The results

showed that the short-term total effective rate in the group of drug

acupoint application was higher than that in the group of traditional

crude herb moxibustion, the therapeutic effects of drug acupoint

application being closely related to differential types. Analysis also

shows the best short-term therapeutic effect was in LU Heat while the

poorest effect in KI Yang Xu.

 

Hu DZ Detoxic action of acupoint-injection in chemotherapy of malignant

tumor (in Chinese). ZHONG GUO ZHEN JIU [Chinese Acupuncture &

Moxibustion] 2003, 23 (10); 587-588]. Qianjiang City Jianghan Oil Field

Central Hospital, Hubei 433124, China. [iSSN: 0255-2930; Monthly, on

12th of every month; Sponsor: China Association of Acupuncture and

Moxibustion; Institute of Acupuncture & Moxibustion, China Academy of

TCM; E-mail: webmaster ; Tel: 86-10-64014411

branch 2946 (Editorial Office)] Abstract: " Objective: To search for a

method for prevention and treatment of side-effects in chemotherapy of

malignant tumor. Methods: The treatment group ( n=71) were treated by

injection of Huangqi injection and Danggui injection into Zusanli (ST36),

Xuehai (SP10) and Shenshu (BL23) in chemotherapy, and the control

group (n = 52) were treated by administration of batyl alcohol tablets 50

mg, leucogen 20 mg, vitamin B6 20 mg, thrice each day. Results: The

treatment group in toxicity for the digestive tract and bone- mw-arresting

toxicity was significantly lower than the control group (P<0.01).

Conclusion: Acupoint-injection of Huangqi injectio and Danggui injectio

can effectively prevent and cure toxic reactions in chemotherapy.

 

Keywords: acupoint injection, BL23, cancer, Chemotherapy, Hydro-

acupuncture, injection, NEOPLASMS, oncology, oncology, Hematology,

Randomized Controlled Trial, RCT, SIDE EFFECTS, SP10, ST36,

toxicity, Tumor, Xuehai, ZUSANLI, Acupuncture, DRUG

 

Yours sincerely,

 

 

Best regards,

 

 

Tel: (H): +353-(0) or (M): +353-(0)

 

 

 

 

Ireland.

Tel: (W): +353-(0) or (M): +353-(0)

 

 

 

" Man who says it can't be done should not interrupt man doing it " -

Chinese Proverb