title: Bee venom pharmacopuncture: an effective treatment for complex regional pain syndrome.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Treating complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is difficult because it still does not have a recommended therapy. A 29-year-old man was diagnosed with CRPS after surgery on his 4(th) and 5(th) left toes 7 years ago. Though he had undergone diverse pain treatment, the symptoms persisted, so he visited Dunsan Korean Medicine Hospital of Daejeon University. This case report presents results on the effect of bee venom pharmacopuncture in treating patient with CRPS.
  
  
  METHODS
  Bee venom pharmacopuncture (BVP), 0.15 to 0.4 mL dosage, was administered at GB43. The treatment was applied each week for a total 14 times. The symptoms were evaluated using a numeric rating scale (NRS) and the dosage of pain medicine.
  
  
  RESULTS
  On the first visit, he was taking an anticonvulsant, a trycyclic antidepressant, and an analgesic. On the NRS the worst pain in the toes received a score of 8. He also complained of severe pain and hypersensitivity when the 4(th) and the 5(th) toes were touched just slightly. Other complaint included dyspepsia, rash, and depression. After treatment, on the NRS, the score for toe pain was 0, and he no longer needed to take pain medication. During the 4-months follow-up period, he has remained without pain; neither have additional symptoms appeared nor adverse events occurred.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  BVP may have potential benefits for treating patients with CRPS.
authors.affiliation: East West Cancer Center, Dunsan Korean Medicine Hospital of Daejeon University, Daejeon, Korea.
authors.forename: Jong-Min
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: East West Cancer Center, Dunsan Korean Medicine Hospital of Daejeon University, Daejeon, Korea.
authors.forename: Hyung-Joon
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Jeon
authors.affiliation: Department of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Dunsan Korean Medicine Hospital of Daejeon University, Daejeon, Korea.
authors.forename: Hyun-Ji
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: East West Cancer Center, Dunsan Korean Medicine Hospital of Daejeon University, Daejeon, Korea.
authors.forename: Chong-Kwan
authors.initials: CK
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.affiliation: East West Cancer Center, Dunsan Korean Medicine Hospital of Daejeon University, Daejeon, Korea.
authors.forename: Hwa-Seung
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Yoo
keywords: bee venom; complex regional pain syndrome; pharmacopuncture; reflex sympathetic dystrophy