Integrative treatment modalities for stoke victims in Korea.

OBJECTIVES: To suggest and discuss an integrative medicine model for stroke patients, we introduce our experience in Korea, describe treatment modalities used for stroke in Korean medicine, and present safety data on integrative care.

SUMMARY: For inpatients, integrative management is applied at the request of the primary physician with the consent of patients or their families. In the acute stage, neurologists or neurosurgeons take charge as the primary physicians. Korean medicine doctors cooperate as secondary physicians to the neurologists and neurosurgeons. After the acute stage, responsibilities are exchanged. The rehabilitation program is conducted under the supervision of rehabilitation medicine doctors. The most frequently used complementary and alternative medicine modalities are acupuncture (including manual acupuncture, electroacupuncture and intradermal acupuncture), moxibustion, herbal prescriptions, and acupuncture point injection.

CONCLUSION: Based on our field experiences, we believe it is worthwhile to continue efforts to integrate complementary and alternative medicine and Western medicine.