College of Korean Medicine, Daejeon University, Daejeon 34520, Republic of Korea.
Jaseng Spine and Joint Research Institute, Jaseng Medical Foundation, Seoul 06110, Republic of Korea.
J Integr Med. 2024 Sep;22(5):570-578. doi: 10.1016/j.joim.2024.07.005. Epub 2024 Jul 31.
This study investigated the clinical details and usage of Sa-am acupuncture in Korean medicine clinics and explored how practicing Korean medicine doctors (KMDs) think about Sa-am acupuncture.
We conducted a questionnaire-based survey of KMDs who utilize Sa-am acupuncture in their practice. The study comprehensively investigated issues related to clinical application of Sa-am acupuncture, needling techniques used during treatment, training methods, and directions for its future improvement.
We analyzed 572 responses. An average of 50% of the patients visiting Korean medicine clinics were receiving Sa-am acupuncture. The most prevalent indication for Sa-am acupuncture use was digestive disorders. The patients' appetite level and digestive function were most frequently used indicators for selecting acupuncture points. Regarding prescription compositions, Jung-Gyuk formulas were more frequently used than Seung-Gyuk formulas. Inserting the needle along the flow of the channel or against the flow of the channel was most popular. The acupuncture style most frequently used in combination with Sa-am acupuncture was Ashi point acupuncture. Strengths of Sa-am acupuncture included its versatility, easy application, and good outcomes. Limitations included the lack of rigorous education and training programs, difficulty in applying the principles for beginners, and insufficient clinical research evidence.
In clinics where Sa-am acupuncture is available, KMDs were providing Sa-am acupuncture to about half of their patients. Practitioners were not using all of the tonification and sedation techniques which may be due to time constraints or simply a lack of necessity. Sa-am acupuncture demonstrated high utility in clinical practice and high satisfaction based on the efficacy and safety. More training programs and high-quality research are needed to help expand the use of Sa-am acupuncture. Please cite this article as: Park JY, Lee YS, Park HJ, Lee SK, Lee JW, Kim SY. A survey on the real-world clinical utilization of a traditional acupuncture in Republic of Korea: Sa-am acupuncture. J Integr Med. 2024; 22(5): 570-578.
本研究调查了韩国医学诊所中 Sa-am 针灸的临床细节和应用情况，并探讨了从事韩国医学的医生（KMDs）如何看待 Sa-am 针灸。
我们对在实践中使用 Sa-am 针灸的 KMDs 进行了基于问卷的调查。该研究全面调查了 Sa-am 针灸临床应用的相关问题、治疗中使用的针刺技术、培训方法以及未来改进方向。
我们分析了 572 份回复。在访问韩国医学诊所的患者中，平均有 50%接受了 Sa-am 针灸。使用 Sa-am 针灸最常见的适应症是消化系统疾病。患者的食欲水平和消化功能是最常用来选择穴位的指标。关于处方组成，Jung-Gyuk 配方比 Seung-Gyuk 配方更常用。沿经或逆经进针最受欢迎。与 Sa-am 针灸结合使用最常见的针灸风格是阿是穴针灸。Sa-am 针灸的优势在于其多功能性、易于应用和良好的效果。局限性包括缺乏严格的教育和培训计划、初学者难以应用原则以及临床研究证据不足。
在提供 Sa-am 针灸的诊所中，KMDs 约有一半的患者接受了 Sa-am 针灸。从业者并未使用所有的补虚泻实技术，这可能是由于时间限制或根本没有必要。Sa-am 针灸在临床实践中具有很高的实用性，并且基于疗效和安全性具有很高的满意度。需要更多的培训计划和高质量的研究来帮助扩大 Sa-am 针灸的应用。
