title: A Prospective Open-Label Study of Combined Treatment for Idiopathic Parkinson's Disease Using Acupuncture and Bee Venom Acupuncture as an Adjunctive Treatment.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness and safety of combined treatment using acupuncture and bee venom acupuncture (BVA) as an adjunctive treatment for idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD).
  
  
  METHODS
  Eleven patients (7 men and 4 women) with idiopathic PD who had been receiving a stable dose of anti-parkinsonian medication for at least 4 weeks. Participants received conventional treatment for 12 weeks. Subsequently, they received additional treatment with acupuncture and BVA twice weekly for 12 weeks while still maintaining conventional treatment. All participants were assessed at baseline, 12 weeks, and 24 weeks by using the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS), the Parkinson's Disease Quality of Life Questionnaire (PDQL), the speed and number of steps required to walk 20 m, and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Maximum excursion and directional control, measured by computerized dynamic posturography (Balance Master(®) System, NeuroCom, San Carlos, CA), were used to assess postural stability.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients who underwent 12 weeks of twice-weekly combined treatment with acupuncture and BVA showed significant improvements in gait speed, PDQL score, activities of daily living (UPDRS part II), motor symptoms (UPDRS part III), and combined UPDRS part II+III scores compared with assessments after conventional treatment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Combined treatment with acupuncture and BVA showed promising results as a safe adjunctive therapy for PD.
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Cardiology and Neurology, College of Korean Medicine, Kyung Hee University , Seoul, Republic of Korea.|2 Stroke and Neurological Disorders Center, Kyung Hee University Hospital at Gangdong , Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Kyeong-Hee
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Doo
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Cardiology and Neurology, College of Korean Medicine, Kyung Hee University , Seoul, Republic of Korea.|2 Stroke and Neurological Disorders Center, Kyung Hee University Hospital at Gangdong , Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Ji-Hyun
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Cardiology and Neurology, College of Korean Medicine, Kyung Hee University , Seoul, Republic of Korea.|2 Stroke and Neurological Disorders Center, Kyung Hee University Hospital at Gangdong , Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Seung-Yeon
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Cardiology and Neurology, College of Korean Medicine, Kyung Hee University , Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Woo-Sang
authors.initials: WS
authors.lastname: Jung
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Cardiology and Neurology, College of Korean Medicine, Kyung Hee University , Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Sang-Kwan
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Moon
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Cardiology and Neurology, College of Korean Medicine, Kyung Hee University , Seoul, Republic of Korea.|2 Stroke and Neurological Disorders Center, Kyung Hee University Hospital at Gangdong , Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Jung-Mi
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Cardiology and Neurology, College of Korean Medicine, Kyung Hee University , Seoul, Republic of Korea.|2 Stroke and Neurological Disorders Center, Kyung Hee University Hospital at Gangdong , Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Chang-Nam
authors.initials: CN
authors.lastname: Ko
authors.affiliation: 3 Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Graduate School of Public Health & Institute of Health and Environment, Seoul National University , Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Ho
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: 4 Acupuncture and Meridian Science Research Center, College of Korean Medicine, Kyung Hee University , Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Hi-Joon
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Cardiology and Neurology, College of Korean Medicine, Kyung Hee University , Seoul, Republic of Korea.|2 Stroke and Neurological Disorders Center, Kyung Hee University Hospital at Gangdong , Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Seong-Uk
authors.initials: SU
authors.lastname: Park
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D015670:Acupuncture Therapy; D000368:Aged; D056705:Apitherapy; D001514:Bee Venoms / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005684:Gait; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011788:Quality of Life; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D016138:Walking
chemical_list: D001514:Bee Venoms