We treat heart, circulatory, and neurological disorders with oriental medicine. The main emphases of our department are research, education, and medical examinations for outpatients and inpatients.
1. Specialized Clinics
1) stroke clinic
What is stroke?
Stroke is one of the leading causes of death. It is a disease which features sudden onset of symptoms such as hemiparesis and aphasia. This is caused by the infarction or hemorrhage of brain blood vessels, leading to brain damage. Once occurred, its residual symptoms can last for the rest of the life, leaving the patient disabled. The onset is sudden but there always are causes which has been accumulated over time. So if the cause is identified, stroke can be prevented.
Stroke occurs when inducer are added to predisposition.
predisposition includes constitutional factors such as fire, deficiency of Ki, damp-phlegm, and underlying conditions such as hypertension, diabetes mellitus, heart disease, hyperlipidemia. Inducer, the factors which promotes predisposition, includes poor health management, stress, overexertion, excessive drinking/ smoking.
Stroke can be prevented
In every disease, prevention is the best treatment. Stroke is especially dangerous once occurred because of the high fatality and residual effects. The onset is always linked with the factors above, so adequately managing them can prevent stroke.
What you can expect when visiting our stroke clinic
Filling out a general inquiry(medical history, basic inquiry, body fat measurement, identification of your KOREAN MEDICINE constitution, KOREAN MEDICINE functional analysis). Assessment of stroke risk factors(Chest X-ray, EKG, blood and urine analysis, MRA, TCD). Overall evaluation(filling out the form and counseling). Decision of treatment and management methods(medication, acupuncture, diet therapy, kinesitherapy, habit correction).
Consult us first, and when the date is set, visit us in a fasting state.
Who is eligible for the stroke prevention clinic?
Those who have family history of stroke, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, heart disease. Those who have chronic adult diseases such as hypertension, diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia, heart disease. Those who recently experienced stroke auras such as numbness or motor paralysis of limbs on one side, severe dizziness or headache. Those who have been healthy but are afraid of stroke due to old age. Those who smoke or drink excessively or have recently gone through a lot of stress.
At the stroke prevention clinic
We identify stroke risk factors in the patient's constitution and deficiency-excessiveness of organ system, and manage them to ultimately prevent stroke. We regularly evaluate those with stroke risk factors and manage them. If stroke occurs, we provide early and adequate treatment.
What is the treatment for stroke prevention?
If the test results show treatment is necessary, we first divide the patients into heat-fire type, damp-phlegm type, deficiency of blood and Ki type, stagnated blood type based on the constitution and current status. Then oriental medicine prescription and acupuncture are administered accordingly to correct the predisposition, and at the same time suitable exercise plan, living and dietary habits are recommended to manage the inducer, thereby preventing stroke.
2) hypertension clinic
Blood pressure is the pressure of blood against the blood vessel wall, and usually refers to arterial blood pressure. It consists of systolic and diastolic blood pressure, the changes in which are the guidelines for the diagnosis of hyper/hypotension. Hypertension, abnormally high blood pressure, is the origin of degenerative changes in the circulatory system. It is impossible to clearly define the border of normality/abnormality, but in the WHO standard it is defined as systolic pressure higher than 160mmHg and diastolic pressure higher than 95mmHg.
In Korea, economic growth led to longer lifespan, and it inevitably resulted in higher prevalence of hypertension. Hypertension can be the source of many complications(cerebral atrophy, arteriosclerosis, cardiomegaly, cardiac failure, myocardial infarction, neuralgia, diabetes mellitus, renal failure, etc), and especially stroke, which is one of the three most prominent causes of death among adult disorders.
Hypertension is generally classified into essential and secondary hypertension. Essential hypertension occurs without particular cause, just by the combination of hereditary factors and environmental factors. Secondary hypertension is hypertension of which the cause has been identified, like renal, endocrine, cardiovascular, neurologic hypertension. Essential hypertension makes up the majority of the cases, and is more of a problem as the cause is unknown.
In oriental medicine, the classifications are: wind dominant hypertension associated with changes in weather or season; fire dominant hypertension associated with mental stress or tension; Ki dominant hypertension associated with aging, health-caring habits; damp-phlegm dominant hypertension associated with obesity or constitution.
Etiologically there has been many attempts at explanations both in oriental and occidental medicine, but the exact nature of the cause still eludes us. Oriental medicine sorts the causes externally and internally. The external cause is wind, and the internal causes are heart fire, deficiency of Ki, damp-phlegm, etc.
The symptoms of hypertension include disorders associated with the brain(headache, vertigo, neck stiffness, nystagmus, tinnitus, reddening of the face, neuralgia), heart(palpitation, chest discomfort, dyspnea, left ventricular hypertrophy, chest pain), kidneys(urinal disturbances, renal failure, uremia) and musculoskeletal system(numbness, coldness, sensory impairment, weakness of lower limbs). In short, hypertension can be considered as a systemic disorder with such various symptoms.
The symptoms of hypotension appear in the form of general decline of body functions: headache, dizziness, nystagmus, fatigue, palpitation, neuralgia, and symptoms from circulatory disturbances like systemic coldness, weakness of limb, etc. They differ greatly from the symptoms of hypertension.
Here at the hypertension clinic we focus on the active treatment and management of hypertension and the prevention of complications, based on the necessary tests conducted. Treatments can be divided into non-medicinal therapy and medicinal therapy. Non-medicinal treatments include dietotherapy, kinesitherapy, relaxation and meditation therapy, tobacco and alcohol inhibition therapy. Medicinal treatment is applied according to the cause of hypertension, present symptoms, constitution. Administration of herbal medicine can be accompanied by acupuncture or even antihypertensive drugs depending on the case. If the symptoms described above start appearing after the 40s, you should take medical checkups regularly.
3) arrhythmia clinic
What is arrhythmia?
Abnormally fast, slow or irregular heartbeat even when at rest. In oriental medicine, it has been called running pulse, knotted pulse, intermittent pulse, continuous violent palpitation, palpitation with visible throbbing of the heart according to the status of the arrhythmia.
Why does arrhythmia occur?
Abnormalities in the electrical signal pathway of the heart caused by various reasons are responsible for arrhythmia. Slowed emission of signal at the atrioventricular nodule or signals generated outside the normal pathway can cause the heart to pulse one beat earlier than scheduled(premature systole) or tachycardia. In oriental medicine, arrhythmia is attributed to heart and gallbladder deficiency , heart Ki and blood deficiency, retention of phlegm and fluid, stagnated blood. The inducing factors of arrhythmia are fatigue, unstable state of mind, drugs and alcohol, etc.
How do you diagnose arrhythmia?
If arrhythmia occurs frequently it is easy to diagnose, but if it doesn't, diagnosis is often difficult. For accurate diagnosis, tests such as 24 hour electrocardiography, exercise tolerance test, heart radiography might be conducted in addition to routine examination.
What are the symptoms caused by arrhythmia?
premature systole: Sudden palpitation as if the heart just jumped occurs from time to time. In oriental medicine, it corresponds to running pulse, continuous violent palpitaion.
paroxysmal tachycardia: Palpitation, short breath, chest discomfort, dizziness can occur.
ventricular tachycardia: Palpitation, sudden dizziness, syncope, and even severe cardioplegia can occur albeit rarely. It corresponds to palpitation with visible throbbing of the heart according to the status of the arrhythmia.
bradycardia: Dizziness, extreme fatigue, syncope can occur. It corresponds to knotted pulse.
What is the KOREAN MEDICINE treatment for arrhythmia?
In oriental medicine, arrhythmia can be classified based on the accompanying symptoms: heart and gallbladder deficiency, heart-Ki deficiency, heart's blood insufficiency, retention of phlegm and fluid, stagnated blood, flaming-up of fire due to deficiency of Um, deficiency of Um of the liver and kidneys, insufficiency of the heart and spleen. On top of those classifications, individual constitution is taken into account before selectively administering herbal medication, acupuncture, moxibustion, etc.
