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Objectives. The most effective way to improve menopausal symptoms is to supplement deficient oestrogen; however, long-term administration of synthetic oestrogen increases the risk for breast and uterine cancers. Here, we report results from a clinical trial of Rubus coreanus Miq. and Astragalus membranaceus Bunge as agents for improving the menopause syndrome. Methods. This study was a single-centre, double-blinded, parallel-group, placebo-controlled study. The efficacy of an extract of R. coreanus Miq. and A. membranaceus Bunge was investigated. Participants were females with postmenopausal syndrome in the menopausal or menopausal transition period. The primary endpoint of validation was improvement in the Kupperman index (KI) score of women. The secondary end point was change in the Menopause Rating Scale (MRS) and lipid profile. The participants were randomly allocated at a 1 : 1 ratio into R. coreanus Miq. and A. membranaceus Bunge extract (RCAM) or placebo groups and were administered 2000 mg of the extract or placebo, respectively, daily for 12 weeks. Outcomes were measured at visits 2 (day 0) and 5 (week 12). Results. The RCAM group demonstrated decreased KI score and MRS compared with the placebo group after 12 weeks. In the safety evaluation, laboratory tests and vital signs demonstrated no clinically significant changes in subjects, and there was no difference in adverse reactions between the groups. The R. coreanus Miq. and A. membranaceus Bunge extract was effective in reducing postmenopausal symptoms in women. Moreover, the extract was found to be safe. Conclusions. For females with menopausal symptoms in the menopausal transitional and postmenopausal periods, ingestion of the R. coreanus Miq. and A. membranaceus Bunge extract for 12 weeks was effective, as demonstrated by a decrease in KI score and MRS relative to that in the placebo group, and significantly improved the menopausal symptoms.

In Korea, Gyejibongnyeong-Hwan (GBH), a herbal decoction used to treat blood stasis (BS), is widely used to treat shoulder pain in clinics. Nevertheless, the therapeutic mechanism of GBH in alleviating shoulder pain has not yet been elucidated.In this study, we applied mass spectrometry-based metabolomics to explore the therapeutic mechanism of GBH in BS-induced shoulder pain.We conducted a two-center, randomized, wait-list controlled pilot trial to explore the therapeutic effect of GBH on shoulder discomfort related to BS.A total of 40 participants with shoulder pain were randomly assigned to either the immediate treatment (GBH-Treat; n = 20) or waiting treatment (Wait-List; n = 20) group. A non-targeted metabolomics approach was then applied to investigate the therapeutic mechanism of GBH.After 8 weeks of treatment, the visual analog scale (VAS) scores for shoulder pain decreased significantly in the GBH-Treat and Wait-List groups compared with baseline VAS scores (p = 0.004 and p = 0.013, respectively). However, the VAS and BS scores were significantly more reduced in the GBH-Treat group than in the Wait-List group. The plasma metabolic pattern between GBH-Treat and Wait-List groups also differed significantly, which was shown by the score plot of a partial least-squared-discriminant analysis (RThese results demonstrated that GBH may be a potential treatment option for shoulder pain, and it acts by regulating metabolic patterns. In particular, our study provides evidence for the use of GBH treatment for patients with should pain caused by BS, and we believe that our findings can provide evidence for precision medicine based on traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) or traditional Korean medicine (TKM). We also verified that metabolomics studies provide comprehensive understanding of herbal decoctions in TCM or TKM.

Introduction Moxibustion therapy has been used in oriental medicine for symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome such as diarrhoea and constipation. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of different doses of moxibustion for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Methods This study was conducted at Semyung Korean Medical Hospital, Chungbuk, Republic of Korea. Twenty-four patients (12 males, 12 females) aged 18–30 years who were diagnosed with IBS using the Rome III criteria were included. trial In this triple blind randomised controlled trial patients were allocated to receive either 3-cone moxibustion or 1-cone moxibustion. Moxa was applied to Guan Yuan (CV4) for 20 min. The Bowel Symptom Severity Scale (BSSS) score was used as the primary outcome measure; the Irritable Bowel Syndrome Severity Scale – Korean Version (IBSSS-K) score, heart rate variability (HRV), visceral sensitivity questionnaire, and a pattern identification questionnaire were secondary outcome measures. Results There was a significant difference in IBSSS-K scores after moxibustion in both the 3CMG (score: before: 217.50 ± 79.95, after: 137.42 ± 68.70, p = 0.021) and 1CMG groups (score: before: 217.67 ± 98.77, after: 112.25 ± 71.11, p = 0.006). There were no significant differences in the BSSS scores, IBSSS-K scores, Qi stagnation questionnaire scores, or cold-heat pattern questionnaire scores, between the two groups. Conclusions Different doses of moxibustion resulted in similar efficacy levels for the treatment of IBS. These preliminary findings suggest that moxibustion therapy may be effective and can be safe in improving the symptoms of IBS.

Introduction This study is designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of treating irritable bowel syndrome patients with a proper dose of moxibustion. Methods and analysis This study will be a 4-week-long, randomised controlled pilot clinical trial. Twenty-four patients will be recruited and randomly allocated to 1 of 2 groups: a 3 moxibustion treatment intervention group and a 1 moxibustion treatment control group. Both groups will receive two moxibustion sessions a week for 4 weeks (8 sessions in total). The primary outcome will be measured using the Bowel Symptom Severity Scale. The inclusion criteria are as follows. The patients will be between 18 and 30 years old and of either gender. The patients will have experienced repeated abdominal pain or discomfort (i.e., an uncomfortable sensation not described as pain) at least 3 times per month in association with two or more of the following over the previous 3 months: (a) improvement with defecation; (b) onset associated with a change in the frequency of defecation; (c) onset associated with a change in the form (appearance) of stool. All included patients will have provided written consent to the clinical ethics committee and have agreed with both the clinical trial plan and follow-up observations. Ethics and dissemination This research protocol has been reviewed and approved by the institutional review board of the trial centre (Semyung Korean Medicine Hospital, IRB No. 2016-06-01). The results will be published in a journal and will be disseminated both electronically and in print.

Introduction Migraine is a common and disabling primary headache disorder. Cupping is a traditional medical treatment used in several societies in East Asia and it is frequently used for controlling pain including migraine. There have been no systematic reviews on the treatment effects of cupping on migraine. Furthermore, related studies have had many limitations, making it unclear whether cupping intervention is beneficial for migraine. We propose to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis to consider the evidence related to the effect of cupping on migraine. Methods We developed a protocol describing the essential reporting items based on the PRISMA for systematic review protocols 2015 (PRISMA-P 2015) (Registration number: CRD42017054979). We will search eight databases and include data from prospective randomized controlled clinical trials or quasi-randomized controlled trials that used cupping interventions for the treatment of migraine. The risk of bias will be assessed with the “Risk of bias” tool from the Cochrane Handbook. Using improved effectiveness and the change in headache pain intensity as graded on the visual analogue scale as the primary outcomes, we will compare these outcomes between the cupping intervention and control groups. Conclusion There have been no systematic reviews of cupping therapy for migraine headaches to date. This systematic review will assess the effectiveness and safety of cupping therapy for migraine. This systematic review will inform and help healthcare practitioners to treat migraine and will be disseminated electronically and in print in a peer-reviewed journal.