AKOM News (https://www.akomnews.com)
Contributed by Dr. Jewon Lee, Director of BM Korean Internal Medicine Clinic
: Peering into Internal Medicine, 14th
2024. 11. 20.
"My joints ache all over, including my finger joints and the soles of my feet, and I have severe inflammation in my body."
A female patient in her 60s visited us for recurrent joint pain and inflammation throughout her body. During the clinical reasoning process to find the cause, we found suspected signs of an 'arrhythmia,' which the patient was completely unaware of.
'Pulse Diagnosis' to See Inside the Disease
In Korean Medicine (KM), Maekjin (pulse diagnosis) is a critical diagnostic process for understanding a disease. At BM inic, we practice "Internal medicine by Korean Medicine physicians," applying pulse diagnosis in various ways.
- Traditional Manual Pulse Diagnosis (切診): The patient's pulse was observed to be a 'Gyeolmaek' (結脈, knotted pulse), which stops intermittently and irregularly.
- Ultrasound-Assisted Pulse Diagnosis: We used ultrasound Doppler to visualize the blood flow in the radial artery, clearly showing the patient the waveform corresponding to her 'knotted pulse'.
- EKG-Assisted Pulse Diagnosis: A 12-lead EKG confirmed 'Trigeminy premature ventricular contraction (PVC)'.
- Holter Monitor-Assisted Pulse Diagnosis: A 4-day study determined the PVC burden to be approximately 4.26%.
Integrated Diagnosis and Treatment
In addition to pulse diagnosis, an echocardiogram revealed 'Grade I diastolic dysfunction'. Blood tests showed high levels of inflammation (hs-CRP), liver enzymes (γ-GTP), and triglycerides.
From a KM perspective, she was diagnosed with Phlegm-Fluid Retention (痰飲證) and Damp-Heat (濕熱證)28.
The treatment focused on her main complaints—joint pain and inflammation—but also comprehensively considered the incidentally found arrhythmia, heart function, and her constitution, using a modified herbal decoction (Hyeongbangdojeok-san).
The Result: Restored Health
- After 4 weeks: Her γ-GTP, triglyceride, and hs-CRP levels all returned to the normal range.
- After 7 months: Her BMI improved from 28.6 to 24.2, and her main complaint, the joint pain, was "greatly improved".
The patient summarized her results: "I've become much healthier. Thank you for protecting my health."
Medical devices such as pulse-wave analyzers, ultrasound, EKGs, and Holter monitors are tools that extend the Korean Medicine diagnosis of 'Maekjin,' allowing it to be more accurate and gather more information. The Korean Medicine physician's internal medicine clinic utilizes these tools to precisely understand the inner aspects of disease, providing more effective and safer treatment.
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Peering into Internal Medicine⑭ - AKOM News
“I have pain in all my joints, but I didn't know I also had an arrhythmia” Medical devices such as pulse wave analyzers, ultrasound diagnostic imaging devices, electrocardiograms (EKG), and Holter monitors are 'Maekjin' (pulse diagnosis) tools used for Korean Medicine diagnosis and treatment.
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