Integrative treatment modalities for stoke victims in Korea.
OBJECTIVE
To suggest and discuss an integrative medicine model for stroke patients, we introduce our experience in Korea, describe treatment modalities used for stroke in Korean medicine, and present safety data on integrative care.


CONCLUSIONS
For inpatients, integrative management is applied at the request of the primary physician with the consent of patients or their families. In the acute stage, neurologists or neurosurgeons take charge as the primary physicians. Korean medicine doctors cooperate as secondary physicians to the neurologists and neurosurgeons. After the acute stage, responsibilities are exchanged. The rehabilitation program is conducted under the supervision of rehabilitation medicine doctors. The most frequently used complementary and alternative medicine modalities are acupuncture (including manual acupuncture, electroacupuncture and intradermal acupuncture), moxibustion, herbal prescriptions, and acupuncture point injection.


CONCLUSIONS
Based on our field experiences, we believe it is worthwhile to continue efforts to integrate complementary and alternative medicine and Western medicine.
Stroke & Neurological Disorders Center, Kyung Hee University Hospital at Gangdong, Kyung Hee University, 149 Sangil-dong, Gangdong-gu, Seoul 134-727, Republic of Korea; Asian Medicine & Acupuncture Research, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA. Electronic address: seonguk.kr@gmail.com.
Seong-Uk
SU
Park
Stroke & Neurological Disorders Center, Kyung Hee University Hospital at Gangdong, Kyung Hee University, 149 Sangil-dong, Gangdong-gu, Seoul 134-727, Republic of Korea.
Seung-Yeon
SY
Cho
Stroke & Neurological Disorders Center, Kyung Hee University Hospital at Gangdong, Kyung Hee University, 149 Sangil-dong, Gangdong-gu, Seoul 134-727, Republic of Korea.
Jung-Mi
JM
Park
Stroke & Neurological Disorders Center, Kyung Hee University Hospital at Gangdong, Kyung Hee University, 149 Sangil-dong, Gangdong-gu, Seoul 134-727, Republic of Korea.
Chang-Nam
CN
Ko
Department of Meridian and Acupoint, College of Korean Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Hi-Joon
HJ
Park
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
B
B
Lauren Walls
Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Newark, NJ, USA.
Ann C
AC
Cotter
Asian Medicine & Acupuncture Research, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Regional Center for Neurosensory Disorders, UNC School of Dentistry, Chapel Hill, NC, USA. Electronic address: Jongbae_Park@med.unc.edu.
Jongbae J
JJ
Park
D015670:Acupuncture Therapy; D006801:Humans; D055048:Integrative Medicine / Q000379:methods*; D055670:Medicine, Korean Traditional; D008517:Phytotherapy; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D020521:Stroke / Q000628:therapy*
Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM); Integrative care; Korean medicine; Stroke