Treatments in Conventional Medicine and Their Limitations
Conventional medicine focuses on stopping the causative drug and suppressing the immune response. BM Korean Internal Medicine Clinic prioritizes immediate discontinuation of the culprit drug and emergency care under a Korean Medicine physician's diagnosis, while providing parallel treatment to mitigate steroid side effects and detoxify the body.
- Drug Discontinuation: Stopping the suspected medication immediately is crucial.
- Symptomatic Therapy: Antihistamines (for itching), hydration, and wound care.
- Immune Suppression: Systemic steroids, IVIg, or cyclosporine are administered for severe reactions.
[Limitations]
Even after stopping the drug, symptoms may persist or worsen for weeks due to the immune response already triggered in the body.
High-dose steroid therapy, in particular, increases infection risk and may trigger viral reactivation (e.g., HHV-6) in DRESS syndrome, potentially worsening organ damage.
Furthermore, the lack of active detoxification processes to eliminate drug toxicity can slow recovery.
BM's Integrative Solution: Clearing Heat and Skin Regeneration
BM Korean Internal Medicine Clinic focuses on expelling residual drug toxins (Detox) and restoring damaged skin and organs.
- Clearing Heat and Detoxifying (清熱解毒): In the acute phase, herbal formulas like Huanglian Jiedu Decoction (Hwangryunhaedok-tang) or Yin Qiao San (Eungyo-san) are used to rapidly expel heat toxins through urine and sweat, calming inflammation.
- Nourishing Blood and Moistening Dryness (養血潤燥): In the recovery phase where skin peels or becomes dry, formulas like Siwu-tang (Samul-tang) modifications are used to replenish damaged blood and fluids, promoting skin regeneration.
- Organ Protection: If liver or kidney damage is present, formulas like Yinchenhao Tang (Injinho-tang) or Wuling San (Oryeong-san) help restore organ function and facilitate toxin excretion.
- Health Freedom Camp (Life Care): We guide patients to limit irritating foods and ensure adequate hydration and rest to accelerate recovery for the skin and immune system sensitized by the drug reaction.
Evidence-Based Korean Medicine (Scientific Evidence)
Research confirms that Korean Medicine treatments are effective in alleviating chemotherapy side effects, reducing steroid usage and dependence, and protecting the liver during severe drug reactions.
- Effect of Herbal Hand-and-Foot Bath on Chemotherapy-Induced Hand-Foot Syndrome (HFS): A randomized controlled trial with 80 patients taking capecitabine showed that the LC09 herbal bath group had a significantly higher effective rate (68.6% vs 34.3%) compared to the placebo group, with marked relief in pain and symptoms. This serves as a safe adjuvant therapy supporting the continuation of chemotherapy.
- Yu R, Wu X, Jia L, Lou Y. Effect of Chinese herbal compound LC09 on patients with Capecitabine-Associated Hand-Foot Syndrome: a randomized, Double-Blind, and Parallel-Controlled trial. Integrative Cancer Therapies. 2020;19:1534735420928466. doi:10.1177/1534735420928466
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- Steroid-Sparing Effect of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Pediatric Atopic Dermatitis: A 1-year follow-up cohort study using the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD) found that pediatric patients receiving concurrent herbal medicine treatment used significantly less topical corticosteroids compared to the non-user group. Xiao-Feng-San (消風散) was the most prescribed formula, suggesting that herbal medicine contributes to reducing steroid dependence and managing long-term disease.
- Chen HY, Lin YH, Wu JC, et al. Use of traditional Chinese medicine reduces exposure to corticosteroid among atopic dermatitis children: A 1-year follow-up cohort study. Journal of Ethnopharmacology. 2014;159:189-196. doi:10.1016/j.jep.2014.11.018
- Antifibrotic and Antioxidant Effects of Glycyrrhizin on the Liver: Regarding liver damage seen in severe drug reactions like DRESS syndrome, glycyrrhizin (a component of licorice) has been identified to inhibit oxidative stress and improve hepatic fibrosis by binding to the AKR7A2 enzyme. This provides a molecular basis for using Korean Medicine for organ protection during systemic drug reactions.
- Wang Q, Lu T, Song P, et al. Glycyrrhizic acid ameliorates hepatic fibrosis by inhibiting oxidative stress via AKR7A2. Phytomedicine. 2024;133:155878. doi:10.1016/j.phymed.2024.155878
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