Yu-Chiang Hung

By Wen-Long Hu, Yu-Chiang Hung and Chih-Hao Chang

Part of the book: Acupuncture

By Wen-Long Hu, Yu-Chiang Hung and I-Ling Hung

Part of the book: Acupuncture in Modern Medicine

By Yu-Chiang Hung, Chun-Ting Liu and Wen-Long Hu

Atherosclerosis-related diseases are the leading cause of morbidity or mortality in the world. They result in serious outcomes such as sudden cardiac death, unstable angina pectoris, acute myocardial infarction, stroke, or intermittent claudication due to vessel obliteration or plaque rupture with subsequent thrombosis. There are some limitations with standard treatments such as antiplatelet drugs, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, beta-blockers, coronary artery bypass surgery, and percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty. Therefore, complementary and alternative medicine is necessary for medication. Traditional Chinese medicine is the main complementary therapy used in the Chinese community. This article aims to explore complementary therapy with traditional Chinese medication for atherosclerosis-related diseases. There is some scientific evidence to support that traditional Chinese medicine could treat atherosclerosis and its associated conditions. Acupuncture through needling on ST36, ST40, PC6, or BL15 could alleviate atherosclerosis-related cardiovascular diseases. Tai chi and meditation have beneficial effects for mental and physical health. In addition, extracts or compounds of single Chinese herbs such as Salvia miltiorrhiza, Panax notoginseng, Ginkgo biloba, Curcuma longa, Crataegus pinnatifida, Paeonia lactiflora, Prunella vulgaris, Polygonum multiflorum, Coptis chinensis, and red yeast rice also could treat atherosclerosis-related diseases through their endothelial protective, antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, inhibiting of smooth muscle cells proliferation, and lipid-lowering effects. In accordance with evidence-based medicine, well-designed and conducted clinical studies such as randomized control clinical trials will be necessary in the future.

Part of the book: Complementary Therapies for the Body, Mind and Soul

By Bei-Yu Wu, Chun-Ting Liu, Yu-Chiang Hung and Wen-Long Hu

Asthma is a heterogeneous disease that is typically characterized by chronic airway inflammation and obstruction of airflow; it frequently presents in early childhood and is the leading chronic disease in children in the western world. This review presents a brief description of the pathophysiology of asthma and summarizes recent research results on the mechanisms of action of anti-asthma Chinese herbal medicine commonly used in clinical practice. Other interventions of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), such as acupuncture, tai chi, and meditation are also briefly discussed. We believe that this contribution is theoretically and practically relevant because the prevalence of asthma is increasing and, in addition to standard treatment, the use of complementary therapy is increasing and there is increasing scientific evidence demonstrating that TCM has potential for the treatment of childhood asthma.

Part of the book: Asthma

By Szu-Ying Wu, Chun-En Kuo, Yu-Chiang Hung and Wen-Long Hu

According to the theory of traditional Chinese medicine, Qi flows through the body along specific paths known as meridians. Any disturbance in Qi evokes a Ying−Yang imbalance in the body, and consequently leads to disease. Pain results from blood stasis and Qi stagnation. Laser acupuncture (LA), first introduced clinically in the 1970s, combines the advantages of traditional acupuncture and modern laser medicine and has been applied for the treatment of various diseases. Here, we investigated studies on the use of LA for pain management according to current evidence. Articles including English keywords related to the use of LA for pain, published between January 2006 and August 2015 were sourced from PubMed, Medline, and Cochrane Library databases. On the basis of these papers, we explored the modern applications, mechanisms, and analgesic effects of LA. LA integrates the positive effects of acupuncture and low-level laser therapy, and is therefore effective in activating blood and in moving Qi. LA relieves pain through both anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects. No adverse effects or complications resulting from LA were reported in the literature. In the hands of an experienced physician, LA can be a useful and safe method for pain management.

Part of the book: Pain Management

By Po-Yu Huang, Yu-Chiang Hung and Wen-Long Hu

Stroke has remained the leading cause of morbidity or mortality worldwide over the past decade. Stroke survivors suffer various degrees of disability and also contribute to the large socioeconomic disease burden. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) serves as an important alternative or complementary therapy in many countries. This chapter aims to explore the utility of TCM for ischemic stroke, including a review of recent literature on the mechanisms of herbal medicine and acupuncture therapy on ischemic stroke, a summary of clinical trial results for the safety and efficacy of acupuncture, and finally a discussion of acupuncture as a preventive therapy for ischemic stroke in clinical practice. On the basis of these reports, more and more scientific evidences suggest that TCM use was safe for ischemic stroke at acute and subacute stages. Moreover, TCM has benefit for stroke recovery as well as it reduces the likelihood of hospital readmission for cardiovascular or subsequent stroke events.

Part of the book: Ischemic Stroke

By Yen-Nung Liao, Wen-Long Hu and Yu-Chiang Hung

Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is a common, heterogeneous, complex, endocrinopathic condition that causes menstrual dysfunction and infertility in women. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been widely used for PCOS in Far-East countries for thousands of years. There are significant advantages in treating PCOS with TCM. This chapter aims to investigate the current developments in TCM therapy for PCOS.

Part of the book: Debatable Topics in PCOS Patients

By Ching-Chih Chen, Yu-Chiang Hung and Wen-Long Hu

The number of cases of traumatic brain injury (TBI) is increasing daily, predominantly because of the increasing rate of motor vehicle accidents. TBI has become one of the major causes of mortality and morbidity worldwide among individuals of all ages. TBI-inducing accidents usually occur very suddenly, leading to a heavy burden for both families and society at large. Beside conventional treatments such as surgery, medication, and rehabilitation, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is a promising complementary therapy that is practiced worldwide. This chapter will investigate the advances in TCM therapy for TBI.

Part of the book: Traumatic Brain Injury

By Chun-Ting Lee, Yu-Chiang Hung and Wen-Long Hu

Hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) is one of the most significant causes of morbidity, mortality, and lifelong disability in newborns. The diagnosis of neonatal HIE is based on the dysfunction of neurogenic signs and classification according to the Sarnat staging system, which evaluates conscious level, neuromuscular control, complex reflexes, autonomic function, seizures, electroencephalogram readings, and duration of neurologic sign. There is no standard treatment for neonatal HIE, but it is widely accepted that hypothermia therapy is a safe and effective method for treating neonates with HIE. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has recently been used to treat cases of neonatal HIE, especially herbal medicine prescriptions. Acupuncture is a common method used in TCM and is another promising therapy for neonatal HIE due to its demonstrated effective treatment of the disease in animal models. While there is a lack of direct evidence in clinical practice, we have observed acupuncture to be useful in adult HIE and in animal studies; therefore, we believe a clinical trial designed to evaluate the effectiveness of acupuncture in neonatal HIE treatment is worthwhile. Taken together, TCM is a promising technique that can be integrated into the conventional therapies for neonatal HIE.

Part of the book: Ischemic Stroke of Brain

By Yu-Chen Cheng, Yu-Chiang Hung and Wen-Long Hu

With the increasing lifespan of human, cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and cancer are the main diseases leading to the death in the world. Aging is related to a progressive decline in cardiovascular function and structure. While human body suffer from oxidative stress, reactive oxygen species (ROS) are generated as metabolic by-products, which lead to inactivate proteins, damage nucleic acids, and alter the fatty acids of lipids. The accumulation of this oxidative damage contributes to the development of heart disease, diabetes, chronic inflammatory diseases, and cancer. Polyphenols have been widely studied as an anti-oxidant agent in the world. Danshen, the dried root or rhizome of Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge. is a common Traditional Chinese medicine used in cardiovascular disease and cancer. The main polyphenols in Danshen are phenolic acids (including Salvianolic acids A and B, rosmarinic acid, and their derivatives) and flavonoids. Salvianolic acids have potent anti-oxidative capabilities due to their polyphenolic structure and exhibit cardiovascular protection through mechanisms of ROS scavengers, reduction of leukocyte-endothelial adherence, inhibition of inflammation and indirect regulation of immune function. Salvianolic acids A and B have been reported to owe anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory activities not only through inducing apoptosis, halting cell cycle and adjourning metastasis by targeting multiple deregulated signaling networks of cancer but also sensitizing cancer cells to chemotherapeutic agents.

Part of the book: Phenolic Compounds