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Traditional medicine (TM) plays a significant role in healthcare either as part of the primary healthcare system or as an adjunct to conventional medicine. This study aimed to map systematic reviews (SRs) of TM modalities across health conditions and identify gaps in the research literature to facilitate priority setting in future TM research.

Although several studies have reported the effectiveness of acupuncture treatment for adhesive capsulitis (AC), research on pharmacopuncture therapy for AC remains limited. We compared the effectiveness and safety of pharmacopuncture and physiotherapy for AC.

Gyejibokryeong-hwan (GBH), a herbal mixture that is widely used for climacteric syndrome, is studied for its efficacy; however, no study evaluated the GBH indication, which is a blood-stasis pattern based on traditional Chinese medicine theory.

Objective In this study, we aimed to analyze cost trends for the outpatient treatment of lumbar intervertebral disc herniation (LDH).Methods We used cross-sectional data obtained from the Korea Health Panel Survey from 2011 to 2015. We compared outpatient medical expenses for conservative treatment of LDH using traditional Korean medicine (TKM) or Western medicine (WM).Results This analysis revealed that the total medical expenses for outpatient treatment of LDH using WM treatment methods increased by 30% from 2011 to 2015, and self-payment expenses increased by 50%. The total medical expenses for outpatient treatment of LDH using TKM methods increased by 8%, and self-payment expenses decreased by 33%. The National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) expenditure for WM increased by 7%, and non-covered costs increased by 83%. The NHIS expenditure for TKM increased by 41%, and non-covered costs decreased by 66%.Conclusions The total medical expenses for WM treatments are increasing in Korea, especially for non-covered treatments. The non-covered costs for TKM treatments are decreasing, suggesting a change in medical cost trends according to whether Korea’s actual medical expense insurance scheme is applied.

Herbal medicine has been used frequently in Korean medicine. We aimed to summarize the relevant regulations for herbal medicine clinical trials and to analyze their current status in the Republic of Korea.