Treatments in Conventional Medicine and Their Limitations
Conventional medicine mainly relies on drug therapies to block coagulation processes or supplement missing factors.
BM Korean Internal Medicine Clinic differentiates emergency situations requiring acute thrombolysis or factor replacement under a Korean Medicine physician's diagnosis but offers alternatives and complements to long-term medication.
- Anticoagulants & Antiplatelets: Using Warfarin, NOACs (e.g., Eliquis), and Aspirin to inhibit clot formation.
- Clotting Factor Replacement: Injecting deficient factors for patients with Hemophilia or vWD.
- Immune Suppression: Using steroids for autoimmune diseases like ITP (Immune Thrombocytopenia).
[Limitations]
Anticoagulants are a double-edged sword, increasing 'bleeding risk.'
Warfarin requires difficult management due to food (Vitamin K) interactions, and Aspirin can cause gastrointestinal bleeding.
Steroids have significant side effects with long-term use, and stopping them often leads to recurrence, failing to provide a fundamental solution.
BM's Integrative Solution: Harmony of Controlling and Activating Blood
BM Korean Internal Medicine Clinic employs a dual strategy: blocking leaks and clearing blockages.
- Gwibi-tang & Bojungikgi-tang: Elevating Qi to hold blood securely within vessels (Controlling Blood). Effective for chronic bruising, menorrhagia, and ITP.
- Seogakjihwang-tang: Cooling heat toxins in the blood (Clearing Heat and Cooling Blood) to calm acute bleeding and purpura.
- Activating Blood and Resolving Stasis (Hwal-hyeol-hwa-eo, 活血化瘀): Using herbs like Peach Kernel, Safflower, and Salvia to dissolve clots and stasis, restoring vessel elasticity. Unlike anticoagulants, it improves circulation without significantly increasing bleeding risk.
- Health Freedom Camp (Life Care): We guide patients on blood-cleansing diets (Omega-3, etc.) and circulation-boosting exercises, and regulate the indiscriminate intake of drugs or supplements that carry bleeding risks.
Evidence-Based Korean Medicine (Scientific Evidence)
Research confirms that Korean Medicine treatments improve refractory thrombocytopenia, prevent thrombosis recurrence, and exert hemostatic effects in bleeding disorders.
- Effect of Herbal Medicine on Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP): A network meta-analysis of 4,032 patients showed that combining 'Jianpi Yiqi (Strengthening Spleen and Replenishing Qi)' herbal medicine with conventional treatment was the best strategy for recovering platelet counts and improving clinical efficacy. This highlights the importance of fundamental treatment that strengthens the Spleen's function to manage blood.
- Chen WT, Tang RM, Huang Y, Pan YP, Wang SW, Wang GY. Different Chinese herbal medicine therapy for idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura. Medicine. 2021;100(13):e25341. doi:10.1097/md.0000000000025341
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- Prevention of Deep Venous Thrombosis (DVT) after Surgery: A meta-analysis of 2,343 patients undergoing orthopedic surgery found that integrative treatment combining 'Blood-activating and Stasis-resolving' herbal medicine with LMWH reduced the risk of DVT by more than 60% compared to LMWH alone. Notably, it improved blood viscosity without increasing bleeding side effects, demonstrating an ideal thromboprophylactic effect.
- Zhu S, Song Y, Chen X, Qian W. Traditional Chinese and western medicine for the prevention of deep venous thrombosis after lower extremity orthopedic surgery: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery and Research. 2018;13(1):79. doi:10.1186/s13018-018-0785-2
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- Hemostatic and Cycle-Regulating Effects on Dysfunctional Uterine Bleeding (DUB): In patients with DUB, herbal medicine treatment showed hemostatic effects equal to or better than hormonal therapy and had a higher rate of normalizing menstrual cycles and ovulation (BBT) without side effects.
- Tu X, Huang G, Tan S. Chinese Herbal Medicine for Dysfunctional Uterine Bleeding: A Meta‐Analysis. Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine. 2007;6(1):99-105. doi:10.1093/ecam/nem063
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