1. Background and purpose
Four constitutional medicine patterns [Sasang constitutional medicine patterns] refer to Korean medicine patterns that are caused by having different physiological and pathological innate characteristics according to the four constitutions: Large yang [Taeyang] type, Small yang [Soyang] type, Large yin [Taeeum] type and Small yin [Soeum] type.
Four constitutional medicine patterns are evaluated for its high availability, not only for treatment of a wide range of target diseases, but also for diseases preventing and health promotion for healthy people.
In the clinical current status survey of Four constitutional medicine patterns on Korean medicine doctors, 80.5% answered that ‘Four constitutional medicine is being used in clinical practice’, so the availability of it was found to be high. On the disease group for which the diagnosis and treatment of Four constitutional medicine patterns is effective, ‘Diseases of the digestive system, [K00-K93]’ was the highest with 76.7%, followed by Endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases [E00-E90] with 52.7%, Diseases of the circulatory system [I00-I99] with 52.2%, Diseases of the respiratory system (J00-J99) with 47%, Mental and behavioural disorders [F00-F99] with 47%, Diseases of the nervous system [G00-G99] with 34.9%, Diseases of the skin and subcutaneous tissue [L00-L99] with 30.7%, and Diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue [M00-M99] with 30.7%.
In the meantime, there have been continuous efforts to standardize and objectify the clinical practice of Four constitutional medicine patterns, and the was developed under the supervision of the Society of Sasang Constitutional Medicine from 2013 to 2015. However, most of the level of evidence of the guideline was at the level of expert group consensus based on classical text, and many pointed out that it is not easy to apply it in the actual clinical practice. Therefore, it is necessary to develop evidence-based clinical practice guidelines with high clinical availability based on the previously developed .
The scope of this guideline was set to diagnosis, treatment, prevention, and management of Four constitutional medicine patterns except for four constitutional differential diagnosis, and the target population was patients and healthy people who visit korean medical institutions such as korean medicine clinics and korean medicine hospitals for the purpose of treatment and prevention of disease and health promotion. And the users of this clinical practice guideline are clinical Korean medicine doctors who are in charge of clinical practice in korean medical institutions.
This clinical practice guideline was developed to secure the trust in korean medical treatment by helping clinical Korean medicine doctors to make more resonable judgments on Four constitutional medicine patterns in clinical practice, and further to provide basic data for maximizing effectiveness and minimizing risks and costs to promote economic benefits of patients. Accordingly, it is intended to contribute to the improvement of the quality of Korean medical practice through the standardized Korean medical treatment for Four constitutional medicine patterns and the promotion of national health through Korean medical treatment.
2. Overview of disease
In the Korean Standard Classification of Diseases (KCD-8), Four constitutional medicine patterns is classified as Small yin type patterns [Soeum type patterns] [U95.0-U95.4], Small yang type patterns [Soyang type patterns] [U96.0-U96.4], Large yin type patterns [Taeeum type patterns] [U97.0-U97.4], Large yang type patterns [Taeyang type patterns] [U98.0-U98.2]. Constitutional medicine patterns of the four constitutions have different sub-classification systems, resulting in different pathological patterns, and different treatment and prevention methods.
For those who complain of specific diseases or symptoms, or those with risk factors for specific diseases or Constitutional medicine patterns, through the process of diagnosis and evaluation of Four constitutional types and Four constitutional medicine patterns, different herbal medicine treatment, acupuncture treatment, moxibustion treatment, constitutional diet therapy, constitutional exercise therapy, constitutional Seong-Jeong therapy, etc. are performed for each Four constitutional types. In addition, in order to prevent and manage Four constitutional medicine patterns, constitutional diet therapy, constitutional exercise therapy, constitutional Seong-Jeong therapy, etc. are implemented.
