Individual Differences in the Association of Lifestyle with Cardiometabolic Risk in Middle-Aged Koreans Based on Traditional Korean Medicine.

Cardiometabolic (CM) risk differs in morbidity and disease progression depending on lifestyle and individual characteristics. This cross-sectional study aimed to analyze the association between CM risk and lifestyle and examine whether this association varies based on Sasang constitution (SC), a Korean medicine classification. Data were analyzed from 1996 individuals participating in the Korean Medicine Daejeon Citizen Cohort study. Individuals with CM risk had two to five CM risk factors. Lifestyle factors included physical activity, sleep duration, and eating index. SC types were Taeeum-in (TE) and non-TE. We estimated the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval for CM risk based on SC and lifestyle factors. Among the participants, 33.9% had a CM risk, and the TE and non-TE groups were 26.2% and 7.7%, respectively. In the TE group, CM risk was associated with low physical activity (OR, 1.63) and moderate eating index (OR, 1.41). In the non-TE group, CM risk was associated with ≥8 h of sleep (OR, 1.87) and marginally associated with ≤6 h of sleep. In the TE group alone, CM risk was significantly associated with lifestyle patterns that combined the three lifestyle factors and was approximately two-fold higher in patterns involving less physical activity. The effects of lifestyle on CM risk differed across SC types. To decrease the burden of cardiovascular diseases in middle-aged adults, we recommend an individualized management strategy of healthy lifestyle interventions for cardiovascular risks.

Machine Learning Applications for the Development of a Questionnaire to Identify Sasang Constitution Typology.

Sasang constitutional medicine emphasizes personalized disease prevention and treatment and has been used in various fields. Nevertheless, more efforts are required to improve the validity and reliability of the Sasang analysis tools. Hence, this study aimed to (1) identify key constructs and measurement items of the Sasang constitution questionnaire that characterize different Sasang constitutions and (2) investigate the similarities and differences in pathophysiological and personality traits between Sasang constitutions. The results of the Sasang constitution questionnaire were analyzed using multiple machine learning-based approaches, including feature selection, hierarchical clustering analysis, and multiple correspondence analysis. The selected 47 key measurement items were clustered into six groups based on the similarity measures. The findings of this study are expected to be beneficial for future research on the development of more robust and reliable Sasang conservation questionnaires, allowing Sasang constitutional medicine to be more widely implemented in various sectors.

Genetic and Environmental Overlaps Among Sasang Constitution Types: A Multivariate Twin Study.

According to the Sasang theory, humans can be categorized into one of the four Sasang constitution (SC) types. The four SC types are Tae-Yang (TY), Tae-Eum (TE), So-Yang (SY), and So-Eum (SE), which are determined mainly on the basis of anthropometric characteristics, personality, and the balance of the physiological functions of the major organ systems. There is a growing recognition in the complementary and alternative medicine area that SC types have the potential to be a useful scientific tool for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases (Cooper, Evidence Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, Vol. 6 (Suppl. 1), 2009, pp. 1-3). The main purposes of the present study are to estimate genetic and environmental influences on SC types, and to explore genetic and environmental correlations that affect phenotypic associations among the SC types. In total, 1,742 (365 monozygotic male, 173 dizygotic male, 675 monozygotic female, 271 dizygotic female, and 258 opposite-sex dizygotic) twins (mean age = 19.1 ± 3.1 year) completed a Sasang questionnaire. Univariate and multivariate model-fitting analyses were performed. Total (additive and non-additive) genetic influences were 71% for males and 81% for females in TE, 70% for males and 71% for females in SE, and 47% for both sexes in SY. Non-additive genetic effects were substantial, and shared environmental influences were negligible in most SC types. Multivariate model-fitting analysis revealed that non-additive genetic and individual-specific environmental correlations between TE and SE were -0.92 (95% CI [-0.89, -0.93]) and -0.62 (95% CI [-0.57, -0.68]), respectively. The corresponding estimates were -0.55 (95% CI [-0.48, -0.61]) and -0.44 (95% CI [-0.37, -0.51]) between TE and SY and 0.19 (95% CI [0.09, 0.29]) and -0.40 (95% CI [-0.32, -0.47]) between SE and SY. These results suggest that the phenotypic associations among SC types may be mediated by pleiotropic mechanism of genes.

Euiiyin-tang in the treatment of obesity: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Obesity is a public health concern in many countries due to its increasing prevalence. Euiiyin-tang is an herbal medicine formula often used as a clinical treatment for obesity. It acts to eliminate humidity and purify the blood, the causes of obesity identified by the theoretical framework of Korean medicine. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Euiiyin-tang in treating obesity. METHODS/DESIGN: This study is a randomised, double-blinded and placebo-controlled, multicentre trial. It has two parallel arms: the Euiiyin-tang group and the placebo group. A total of 160 obese adult women will be enrolled in the trial. The participants will be randomly divided at a 1:1 ratio at visit 2 (baseline). The participants will be administered Euiiyin-tang or placebo for 12 weeks. The primary endpoint is the change in weight occurring between baseline and post-treatment. The secondary outcomes include average weight reduction, changes in body fat, waist and hip circumferences, body mass index, and lipid profile, and the results of questionnaires such as the Korean version of Obesity-related Quality of Life, the Korean version of Eating Attitudes Test, the Social Readjustment Rating Scale, and the Stress Reaction Inventory. DISCUSSION: The present study will provide research methodologies for evaluating the efficacy and safety of Euiiyin-tang in patients with obesity. In addition, it will provide evidence of correlation between obesity and Sasang constitutional medicine. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT01724099 . Registered on 2 November 2012.

Can We Determine Sasang Constitutional Body Type Merely by Facial Inspection?

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to assess the inter-observer concordance rate of anthroscopic examination on facial features among experts in Sasang constitutional medicine (SCM) in order to evaluate the presence of statistical differences in facial structural characteristics among different body types of Sasang constitution (SC), and to develop an objective method for facial analysis for diagnosing SC types to prevent SCM experts from misdiagnosis by their perceptional errors about faces. METHODS: This was a double-blinded cross-sectional study conducted on 174 people's faces. Ten SCM experts participated in this study. Frontal and lateral photographs of subjects were standardized and displayed to 10 SCM experts for diagnosing the SC type by anthroscopic examination alone (experiment 1). The subjects' faces were analyzed by photogrammetric method to investigate the presence of any typical structural characteristics of the faces to differentiate SC type (experiment 2). Comparing subjects' SC type with anthroscopic diagnosis by 10 SCM experts, the inter-observer concordance rates were measured (experiment 1). Using photogrammetric facial analysis, a multinomial logistic model was made for analyzing the correlation of SC type and subjects' facial structural configuration (experiment 2). RESULTS: The inter-observer concordance rate of anthroscopic examination was 2.9% in experiment 1. Using a multinomial logistic fitting model, the predicted probability for determining SC type was 52.8-57.6% in experiment 2 (p < 0.05). Prototype composite faces were also created from photographs of subjects who received the same SC type from the SCM experts. CONCLUSIONS: As SC type cannot be precisely diagnosed using anthroscopic examination alone, SCM needs a definitive objective and scientific diagnosing method to be a scientifically verified alternative medicine and be globalized in future.

"Exploration on Correspondence between Food Efficacy and Body Constitution Types under the Guidance of ""Donguibogam""" / 世界科学技术-中医药现代化

Donguibogam was introduced from traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) instead of the local representa-tive work of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). It is also the concrete manifestation of theories of different schools of doctors according to Dr. Xu Jun's medical thoughts. In this paper, from Dr. Xu's advocacy to Taoism and the concept of aftercare spirit, the exploration was made on health cultivation for different body constitu-tions. According to the health cultivation effects of the medicinals and edible food, the focus was made on the sys-tematic collation and induction of more than 1 400 kinds of herbs contained in the soup liquid from papers in three volumes. The medicinals were divided into eight categories, which were benefiting qi, nourishing yin, tonifying yang, clearing heat and promoting dieresis, drying dampness and resolving phlegm, promoting blood circulation for remov-ing blood stasis, dispersing stagnated liver qi, nourishing blood for hemostasis. Donguibogam specified the health cultivation concept from the correspondence between the body constitution and the medicinal performance. It has a certain guiding significance to the current health cultivation.

Bee venom pharmacopuncture responses according to sasang constitution and gender.

OBJECTIVES: The current study was performed to compare the bee venom pharmacopuncture skin test reactions among groups with different sexes and Sasang constitutions. METHODS: Between July 2012 and June 2013, all 76 patients who underwent bee venom pharmacopuncture skin tests and Sasang constitution diagnoses at Oriental Medicine Hospital of Sangji University were included in this study. The skin test was performed on the patient's forearm intracutaneously with 0.05 ml of sweet bee venom (SBV) on their first visit. If the patients showed a positive response, the test was discontinued. On the other hand, if the patient showed a negative response, the test was performed on the opposite forearm intracutaneously with 0.05 ml of bee venom pharmacopuncture 25% on the next day or the next visit. Three groups were made to compare the differences in the bee venom pharmacopuncture skin tests according to sexual difference and Sasang constitution: group A showed a positive response to SBV, group B showed a positive response to bee venom pharmacopuncture 25%, and group C showed a negative response on all bee venom pharmacopuncture skin tests. Fisher's exact test was performed to evaluate the differences statistically. RESULTS: The results of the bee venom pharmacopuncture skin tests showed no significant differences according to Sasang constitution (P = 0.300) or sexual difference (P = 0.163). CONCLUSION: No significant differences on the results of bee venom pharmacopuncture skin tests were observed according to two factors, Sasang constitution and the sexual difference.

Analysis of Sasang constitutional types using facial features with compensation for photographic distance.

BACKGROUND: Facial features are regarded as representative and reliable characteristics for diagnosing a person's Sasang Constitution (SC). However, the description of these features tends to depend on the interpretation and the opinion of the doctor that follows the SC approach. In this paper, we performed a facial feature analysis of SC types in an objective and quantitative manner. Here, site-to-site variability can be an obstacle to properly analyzing facial features when images are taken from various sites, which may have different experimental environments. A compensation technique to reduce the site-to-site variability was proposed before performing the feature analysis. METHODS: The frontal and profile images of 1464 patients recruited from various oriental medical clinics (19 sites) were used. Candidate feature variables were created, which were inspired by the facial characteristics of the SC types described in the Sasang constitutional medicine literature. To resolve the problems involved in processing data collected from various sites with heterogeneous experimental environments, a compensation technique was proposed. Statistical analysis techniques were employed to observe the differences among the SC types and to demonstrate how effectively the site-to-site variability was reduced. RESULTS: The facial features that were significant for diagnosing the SC types were identified by a statistical analysis, and it was verified that the compensation technique reduced the site-to-site variability produced by the differences in photographic distance. CONCLUSION: It is noted that the significant facial features represent common characteristics of each SC type in the sense that we collected extensive opinions from many Sasang constitutional medicine doctors with various points of view. Additionally, a compensation method for the photographic distance is needed to find the significant facial features. We expect these findings and the related compensation technique to contribute to establishing a scientific basis for the precise diagnosis of SC types in clinical practice.

Traditional medicine and genomics.

'Omics' developments in the form of genomics, proteomics and metabolomics have increased the impetus of traditional medicine research. Studies exploring the genomic, proteomic and metabolomic basis of human constitutional types based on Ayurveda and other systems of oriental medicine are becoming popular. Such studies remain important to developing better understanding of human variations and individual differences. Countries like India, Korea, China and Japan are investing in research on evidence-based traditional medicines and scientific validation of fundamental principles. This review provides an account of studies addressing relationships between traditional medicine and genomics.

Perspective of the human body in sasang constitutional medicine.

The Sasang constitutional medicine (SCM), a medical tradition originating from Korea, is distinguished from the traditional Chinese medicine in its philosophical background, theoretical development and especially, the fundamental rationale that analyzes the structure and function of the human body within a quadrifocal scheme. In SCM, the structure of the body is comprehended within the Sasang quadrifocal scheme, and the function of the body is understood within the context of the energy-fluid metabolism and the water-food metabolism controlled by the four main organs (lung, spleen, liver and kidney). Also, the concept of Seong-Jeong is used to explain the structural and functional variations between different constitutional types that arise from the constitutional variations in organ system scheme, which are in turn caused by deviations in the constitutional Seong-Jeong. Therefore, understanding the SCM perspective of the human body is essential in order to fully appreciate the advantages of the constitutional typological system (which focuses on individual idiosyncrasies) found in SCM.

Perception and Ways of Coping with Stress of Sasangin / 성인간호학회지

PURPOSE: This study was founded to identify perception and ways of coping with stress according to classification of Sasangin(4 constitutions). METHOD: The subjects were 258 regular students who majored in oriental medicine in Jechon and Seoul. Data was collected by 3 types of questionnaires for 3 months; Perceived stess, ways of coping, Questionnaires of Sasang Constitution Classification (QSCC II). Data analysis was conducted by SPSS version 10. RESULT: 1) Difference of perceived stress in Sasangin: Perceived stress by the Sasangin indicated that Soeumin perceived more stress than Soyangin and Taeumin(P=0.013). 2) Different method in coping with stress of Sasangin: It was found that Soeumin didn't make use of emotional coping way according to the analysis(P=0.040). 3) Relationship between ways of coping for stress and perceived stress in Sasangin: It was shown that as Soeumin perceived stress so higher than Soyangin and Taeumin, they tended to use the solving problem-method therefore it was shown to have a negative correlation(P=0.044). CONCLUSION: In conclusion, it was found that there were differences of Sasangin in perceived stress and ways to cope with it. The dose relationship between the perception and coping method of stress was found.