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대중매체 모니터링
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| 조선일보, MBC 美코넬대 침술, 임신 촉진 효과? |
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| 글쓴이 : kopsa
날짜 : 02-12-27 16:41
조회 : 5618
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조선일보, MBC 美코넬대 침술, 임신 촉진 효과?
2002년 12월 26일 침술이 임신 촉진 효과가 있다는 기사가 조선일보에 실
리고 또 MBC 저녁 9시 뉴스로도 방송됐습니다. MBC 뉴스는 조선일보 기
사와 정확히 동일합니다. 조선일보 기사를 단서로 뉴스를 만든 것 같습니
다. 그리고 조선일보 기사는 로이터통신 기사를 발췌한 것으로 보이는데
정확성이 결여돼 있습니다.
코넬 대학의 창(Dr. Raymond Chang) 등이 잡지(Fertility and Sterility
2002;78:1149-1153.)에 발표한 논문의 개요를 잡지의 인터넷 사이트에서 발
견했습니다. 논문 전체가 아니지만 국내에 보도된 내용과는 전혀 다른 이
야기라는 것을 알 수 있었습니다. 아래 첨부한 자료와 함께 국내 보도의
잘못이 어디에 있는지 이해하시기 바랍니다.
1. 국내 보도된 내용
MBC 사이트에서 복사한 뉴스 전문은 다음과 같습니다. "미국 코넬 대학의
연구진은 최근 발표한 연구보고서에서 침술은 배란을 관장하는 뇌의 중추
에 영향을 미치며, 스트레스를 완화시킴으로써 임신에 유리한 조건을 만들
어 준다고 밝혔습니다. 연구진은 또 침술이 여성 생식기관의 혈액 순환을
촉진시키며 이를 통해 수정란이 착상해 자라게 되는 자궁내막의 기능이 호
전된다고 말했습니다. 침술의 이 같은 임신촉진 효과에 대해서는 더 많은
연구가 필요하겠지만, 불임치료를 받고 있는 여성은 일반적인 임신 촉진요
법에 침술을 추가해도 좋을 것이라고 연구진은 덧붙였습니다."
조선일보에는 이에 덧붙여 다음 내용이 있습니다. "최근 한 연구보고서에
따르면 시험관 수정(IVF)을 통해 임신을 시도하고 있는 여성 중에서도 침
술 치료를 곁들여 받는 여성이 임신 확률이 높게 나타나고 있다고 창 박사
는 지적했다. 침술 치료만 받고 있는 여성들이 임신 촉진제를 복용하는 여
성들과 임신 확률이 같다는 연구보고서도 발표된 일이 있다."
앞서 말한 대로 이 내용은 로이터통신 기사와 동일합니다. 그러나 "창 등
이 '임신과 불임’ 12월 호에서 침술과 임신에 관한 최근 연구를 요약하였
다"라는 부분이 빠져 있습니다. 실험 연구가 아닌 문헌 리뷰입니다. 그리고
"창은 현재의 증거에도 불구하고 여성 임신에 침술의 혜택을 평가하기 위
해 좀 더 연구가 필요하다고 믿고 있다. 따라서 IVF에 침술의 효과를 알기
위한 임상시험을 계획하고 있다"라고 했는데 임상시험 계획서를 작성하기
위해 정리한 자료를 잡지에 실린 것으로 보입니다.
2. 잡지에서 발견한 내용
"임신과 불임"의 인터넷 사이트의 논문 (Chang, et al, Role of
acupuncture in the treatment of female infertility, Fertility & Sterility,
Vol 78, No 6, December 2002.) 보도문의 제목은 "침술은 여성 불임의 치
료에 유용한 역할을 할지도 모른다. 좀 더 연구해 볼 가치가 있다
"(Acupuncture Could Play A Useful Role In The Treatment Of Female
Infertility, Warrants Further Study) 입니다.
다시 말해서 창 등 코넬 대학 연구진은 불임에 침술의 효과를 검증할 임상
시험을 계획했습니다. 임상 시험을 하기 위해서는 그 시험을 해볼 가치가
있어야 하며 또 그래야만 연구비와 시험 허가를 받을 수 있습니다. 이 목
적으로 시험에 정당성이 있다는 근거를 현재까지 연구된 문헌을 검토하여
정리한 것이 이번에 발표한 리뷰 논문인 것입니다.
이들은 침술이 불임에 효과를 보이려면 시상하부-뇌하수체-난소 축, 골반
기관, 스트레스와 불안 해소 등 3가지 부분의 영향 내지 작용이 있어야 할
것이라고 추정했습니다. 그래서 문헌을 조사하니, 침술과 엔도르핀의 관련
이 나와 있는데 이 호르몬은 월경 주기에 역할을 하는 호르몬에 영향을 줍
니다. 또한 침술이 배란에 영향을 준다는 연구와 스트레스와 불안에 침술
이 효과가 있다는 연구 등도 발견했습니다.
이들 예비 임상 자료(preliminary clinical data)를 기초로 하여 이들이 구성
해 본 생리적 메커니즘이 앞서 신문 기사에 나온 것들입니다. 다시 말해서
신문에 보도된 것들이 코넬 대학 연구진이 연구하여 밝힌 것이 아닙니다.
그리고 예비 임상 자료라는 것도 그렇고 이러한 생리적 메커니즘이 진정으
로 증명됐다고 과학계의 동의를 받았다고 보기도 어렵습니다. 그 동안 이
곳에 게시된 침술 효과와 특히 뇌졸중에 침술의 효과 글을 참조하시기 바
랍니다.
3. 코넬 대학의 창
코넬 대학의 창(Dr Raymond Chang) 등은 따라서 자신들의 임상 시험 계
획이 가치가 있다는 것을 말하려고 했지만 창에 대해 좀 더 확인해야 할
부분이 있습니다. 그는 홍콩에서 태어나 중국에서 약초와 침술을 배운 다
음에 브라운 대학에서 의학 공부를 했습니다. 그는 뉴욕에서 암과 불임을
한의학 류(약초, 침술, 마사지, 기공)로 치료하는 그룹(Meridian Medical
Group)을 운영하며 코넬 의과대학의 의사로 대체의학을 강의하는 교수로
도 있습니다.
이번 국내에 보도된 것은 불임 치료이지만 그는 본래 전공이 종양학입니
다. 그래서 메모리얼 슬로언-케터링(Memorial Sloan-Kettering)에 있을 때
약초로 치료할 것을 말하여 질책을 당했다고 합니다. 이 병원이 세계적인
암 연구를 하는 곳이라는 것을 안다면 이해가 됩니다. 그 뒤 직접 치료실
을 운영하며 코넬 대학에서 대체의학을 강의하며 이번 침술에 의한 불임
치료 임상 시험 계획을 낸 것 같습니다.
창은 부모가 원해 서양 의학을 공부했지 실제는 내키지 않은 길에 들어섰
다고 할 정도로 한의학 류에 빠져 있는 인물입니다. 그는 서양 의학이 약
리학, 생리학, 생화학 등으로 보아 그럴듯하지만 임상적으로 환자를 대할
때 그것으로 알 수 없는 많은 사례들이 있다고 생각합니다. 그래서 이 서
양의학의 한계를 일부분이나마 한의학 류가 보완해 줄 수 있다고 믿는 것
같습니다.
4. 결론
미국에서 대체의학 신봉 반경의 의사들이 모두 창과 같은 말을 합니다. 우
리의 전세일 교수 등도 마찬가지입니다. 또한 모두가 대체의학이 무분별하
게 상업적 유행이 된다고 염려합니다. 그러나 창도 그렇지만 이들이 대체
의학을 말할 때 엄격한 과학성에 기초할까요? 아닙니다. 과학과는 별개의
신념적 색채를 발견합니다. 이들이야말로 신문, 방송과 합하여 대체의학에
대한 호기심, 병든 환자의 절박함에 편승하여 의심스러운 요법을 광고해
주는 주체라는 생각을 합니다.
이번 조선일보와 MBC 뉴스는 우리 신문, 방송의 수준 내지 실상을 그대
로 보여줍니다. 코넬 대학의 창 등은 침술이 불임에 효과가 있는지, 단지
IVF에 효과를 검증할 임상 시험을 해 볼 가치가 있다고 말했을 뿐인데 마
치 침술이 효과가 있는 것으로 전달한 것입니다. 이렇게 하여 누가 혜택을
받는 것일까요? 과학적으로 검증되지 않은 한의학에 대한 믿음을 높여 주
고 한의학적 불임 치료를 광고하는 병원을 번창하게 할 것입니다.
..................................
조선일보 입력시간 : 12.26(목) 08:52
美코넬대 "침술, 임신 촉진 효과"
침술이 임신을 촉진시키는 효과가 있다는 연구결과가 나왔다. 미국 코넬대
학의 레이먼드 창 박사는 의학전문지 '임신과 불임’ 최신호 인터넷판에
발표한 연구보고서에서 침술은 배란을 관장하는 뇌의 중추에 영향을 미치
며 또 스트레스를 완화시킴으로써 임신에 유리한 조건을 만들어 준다고 밝
혔다.
창 박사는 스트레스는 여성의 배란을 완전히 차단할 수도 있기 때문에 임
신에 매우 중요한 영향을 미친다고 밝히고 극도의 스트레스 상태에서는 여
성의 생리가 중단될 수도 있다고 지적했다. 부부가 여행을 떠나거나 스트
레스가 덜한 휴일에 임신이 잘 되는 것도 이 때문이라고 창 박사는 설명했
다.
창 박사는 또 침술이 여성 생식기관의 혈액 순환을 촉진시키며 이를 통해
수정란이 착상해 자라게 되는 자궁내막의 기능이 호전된다고 말했다. 침술
의 이같은 임신촉진 효과에 대해서는 더 많은 연구가 필요하겠지만 불임치
료를 받고 있는 여성은 일반적인 임신촉진요법에 침술을 추가해도 좋을 것
이라고 창박사는 말했다.
최근 한 연구보고서에 따르면 시험관 수정(IVF)을 통해 임신을 시도하고
있는 여성 중에서도 침술 치료를 곁들여 받는 여성이 임신 확률이 높게 나
타나고 있다고 창 박사는 지적했다. 침술 치료만 받고 있는 여성들이 임신
촉진제를 복용하는 여성들과 임신 확률이 같다는 연구보고서도 발표된 일
이 있다.
(서울=연합뉴스 한성간 기자)
.....................
Experts: Acupuncture does boost fertility in women
Last Updated: 2002-12-24 13:00:19 -0400 (Reuters Health)
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Women who are trying to conceive
may get a push in the right direction from acupuncture, according to a
new report.
A review of medical literature regarding the benefits of acupuncture to
women's fertility reveals that the ancient technique can help reduce
stress, increase blood flow to the reproductive organs and help
normalize ovulation--all of which can help a woman conceive.
As such, women struggling to get pregnant may want to add
acupuncture to their roster of fertility-boosting treatments, according to
study author Dr. Raymond Chang of Cornell University and Meridian
Medical in New York City, a private clinic that offers acupuncture
treatment.
People trying to conceive will try a number of different techniques,
Chang noted, and acupuncture "is certainly one good alternative that
has been proven."
An ancient therapy that arose in China more than 2,000 years ago,
acupuncture involves inserting fine needles at specific points on the
body. Traditional Chinese medicine theory holds that these points
connect with energy pathways, or meridians, that run through the body,
and acupuncture helps keep this natural energy flow running smoothly.
Many previous studies examined the benefits of acupuncture when
added to other fertility treatments. For example, one report found that
women who incorporate acupuncture into their in-vitro fertilization
(IVF) treatment are more likely to become pregnant than those who
use IVF alone.
IVF involves harvesting a woman's eggs, which are then fertilized with
a man's sperm in the laboratory. The resulting embryos are transferred
into the uterus.
Chang noted in an interview with Reuters Health that one previous
study has also shown that women who used acupuncture without any
other fertility treatments were just as likely to conceive in the same
period of time as women who took a fertility drug. This finding
indicates that acupuncture "can be done as a stand-alone treatment," he
said.
Chang and his team summarize recent studies on acupuncture and
fertility in the December issue of Fertility and Sterility.
In terms of Western explanations for how acupuncture might affect
fertility, investigators have discovered that acupuncture may exert an
influence over the centers in the brain that affect ovulation, and can
also work on the brain to reduce stress.
Stress and the brain play an important role in fertility, Change
explained, because stress can prevent a woman from ovulating entirely,
while a lack of stress often promotes fertility. This trend explains why
women under extreme stress often stop menstruating, and why couples
often conceive while on a cruise or other relaxing holiday.
Researchers have also discovered that acupuncture can boost blood flow
to women's reproductive organs, providing them with better
nourishment. In addition, acupuncture appears to improve the lining of
the uterus, the place where the embryo becomes embedded after
conception. This lining is like "the soil in a garden," Chang
explained--if it is undernourished, the embryo won't attach itself, and
the pregnancy will not continue.
Chang noted that many patients are already adding acupuncture to
other treatments to aid conception. "More and more, I think patients are
doing it because they figure they might as well try everything," he
said.
Despite the current evidence, Chang said he believes additional research
is needed to assess the benefits of acupuncture in fertility for women.
He noted that he and his colleagues are planning a clinical trial to
compare women undergoing IVF plus acupuncture to those using IVF
alone in order to conceive, to determine whether the ancient treatment
helps as an additional technique.
Fertility and Sterility 2002;78:1149-1153.
Copyright 2002 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
.......................
Accupuncture Could Play A Useful Role In The Treatment Of Female
Infertility, Warrants Further Study ***
*** (Chang, et al, Role of acupuncture in the treatment of female
infertility, Fertility & Sterility, Vol 78, No 6, December 2002)
Doctors at the Institute of East-West Medicine and the Center for
Reproductive Medicine and Infertility at Cornell’s Weill Medical
College have investigated the potential usefulness of acupuncture in
enhancing female fertility.
Traditional Chinese medicine would attribute a disease state, such as
infertility, to energy disturbances or imbalances, or organ deficiencies
and excesses. Acupuncture is used in this system as a way to correct
disruptions in the flow of Qi (energy) and bring the body back to good
health. Doctors Chang, Chung, and Rosenwaks examined the current
literature on acupuncture from the perspective of Western medicine
seeking to determine its impact on the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian
axis and the pelvic organs, and its potential for easing stress and
anxiety.
Connections were found between acupuncture and the production of
endorphins, which affect hormones playing a part in the menstrual
cycle. In addition, studies were identified indicating that acupuncture
can have an impact on ovulation.
Stress and anxiety, which too often accompany infertility, and possibly
exacerbate the condition, can be relieved by acupuncture. Studies have
been done, as well, on its use in relieving depression. As the impact of
anxiolytic drugs and anti-depressants on infertility treatment is
unknown, acupuncture presents an alternative for infertility patients.
Based on the preliminary clinical data showing acupuncture’s
neuroendocrine effect on the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis and
peripheral impact on improving uterine blood flow and endometrial
thickness, the authors feel that clinical trials are warranted to
investigate systematically the efficacy of acupuncture in treating various
conditions related to female infertility. As the physiologic mechanisms
underlying acupuncture are becoming better understood, the technique
has been shown in trials to relieve pain, alleviate chemotherapy-induced
nausea, and to treat for substance abuse. If trials show that it has a
positive effect on the physiology affecting fertility, it could become a
useful adjunct to established treatments.
Marian Damewood, MD, President-Elect of ASRM looks forward to
acupuncture’s potential uses in infertility treatment being explored. ”
Patients are very interested in acupuncture and now we can tell them
that it may help some people deal with stress and that there are
preliminary studies showing it can enhance some fertility treatments.
But we need more; we need results from well-designed clinical trials so
that we can tell them either ‘Yes, this works, this is the way it
works and here’s what it’s good for,’ or that we don’t think it
will help them. As a relatively low-cost, non-toxic therapy, it could be
very useful.”
...................................
April 05, 1999 issue of New York Magazine
"The New Healers" (Raymond Chang에 관한 부분)
Dr. Raymond Chang, a Hong Kong-born cancer specialist, personally
visits herb farms in China; he compares his knowledge of medicinal
herbs to that of an oenophile's knowledge of wine. A rumpled
41-year-old who got his Western medical training at Brown University
after years of apprenticeship to Chinese masters of herbal and
acupuncture treatment, Chang operates his Meridian Medical Group on
30th Street off Park Avenue South almost exclusively for the seriously
ill, or what he calls "difficult cases," cancers and infertility. An
oncologist by training, he is an attending physician at Cornell. His clinic
offers his services and also those of an acupuncturist and a
Tibetan-medicine practitioner. His patients come from around the world
-- some of them, he confides, so important the entire clinic is shut
down to the public when they fly in for a consultation.
"There are some things Chinese medicine can help -- fertility, for
example -- but kidney stones will not be helped by acupuncture,"
Chang says. "Some alternative M.D.'s will tell patients not to get
chemotherapy. Our determination is based on whatever is best for the
patient."
Chang says he "reluctantly" got into Western medicine because his
family wanted him to. At first, he was dazzled by Western science: "In
the classroom, you do not realize the limits. In terms of pharmacology,
physiology, biochemistry, it all works out. But in a clinical setting,
when you see patients, you find lots of cases where Western medicine
cannot identify what is wrong."
Just five years ago, he was actually reprimanded for discussing herbal
treatments at Memorial Sloan-Kettering, where he was then an
associate clinical staff member. Now most medical schools offer courses
in complementary medicine; Chang teaches one at Cornell. Yet Chang
isn't entirely happy about the new acceptance. He worries that the
enthusiasm is just a fad auguring rampant commercialism and,
ultimately, a bad name for the kind of medicine he practices. "I am
keeping a low profile," he says. "This overhype will come back to hurt
alternative medicine. The questionable quality of the products will invite
skepticism from doctors. It will turn out it doesn't work for certain
conditions, and patients will be disappointed."
From the April 05, 1999 issue of New York Magazine.
Copyright ⓒ 2002, New York Metro, Llc. All rights reserved.
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Health Facts, July 1998
Cancer treatment: what is the role of eastern medicine?
Neither system is perfect, said Raymond Chang, M.D., of the Meridian
Medical Group in New York City. Asian patients come to see me
because the herbs, acupuncture, etc. did not work, and they want to be
treated with Western medicine. American patients come to me because
they want to be treated with Asian medicine because Western medicine
didnt work. So there are strengths and weaknesses in both systems.
Dr. Chang, a master herbalist and board-certified internist, spoke at a
recent event sponsored by SHARE, a New York City-based self-help
organization for women with breast or ovarian cancers.
Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) almost never cures cancer, he said.
But it can improve the overall odds of cure, enhance recovery, increase
efficacy of chemotherapy and radiation, reduce side effects of treatment,
prolong survival, enhance quality of life, and, possibly, prevent
recurrences. He believes that the best chance for cure lies in the
combination of both Western and Chinese medicine. Its like buying an
extra lottery ticket, he said, I believe in a multi-pronged approach. The
four pillars of TCM are herbs, acupuncture, massage, and Qigong.
Until recently, cancer patients who wanted alternative therapies, defined
as anything beyond chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation, usually
referred themselves to a practitioner and kept the information from their
oncologists (cancer specialists).
Now, interestingly, a few oncologists in New York City have begun to
refer their patients following or during the standard treatments to Dr.
Chang. Before starting the Meridian Medical Group which is dedicated
to the integration of conventional and traditional Asian healing arts, Dr.
Chang spent ten years as an attending physician at Memorial
Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. He currently teaches
a Complementary Medicine course at Cornell Medical College in New
York City.
To his audience of women with breast or ovarian cancer, Dr. Chang
explained that by turning to Asian medicine, be it traditional Chinese,
Tibetan, or Ayurvedic (Indian) medicine, one must take on an entirely
different concept about why we get sick. The view of the human body,
and of physiology, is also very different. For example, practitioners of
TCM believe that chi, or life force, runs through the body along
pathways called meridians.
Illness is the result of poor chi circulation, which can be corrected with
acupuncture or self-healed with regular practice of Qigong (also spelled
Chi Kung). People who practice Qigong have learned to control the flow
of chi through the body using breath, movement, and meditation.
In TCM, a diagnosis is simple and straightforward, Dr. Chang
explained. The doctor takes a history, a pulse, observes the patient
from the moment she or he enters the room, and examines the tongue.
Also, in TCM, there is no clear distinction between drugs and food,
between tonics and soups, said Dr. Chang. Multiple drug prescribing is
considered bad medicine in Western terms, but multiple herb prescribing
is standard in Chinese medicine.
Evidence-Based Approach:
A self-described strong proponent for an evidence-based approach to
alternative cancer treatment, Dr. Chang said, Many studies in China
show that herbs can improve survival of patients undergoing
chemotherapy. And many Chinese herbs show anti-cancer properties.
For example, some contain polysaccharides, which have been shown in
studies to have anti-cancer effects. Acupuncture has been shown in
well-conducted studies to be an effective preventive for the nausea and
vomiting associated with chemotherapy and pregnancy. The side effects
of chemotherapy are highly toxic, whereas, the side effects of herbal
medicine are mild.
Dr. Chang made one more important distinction between Eastern and
Western medicine that was probably obvious to a room full of women
who had undergone treatment for either breast or ovarian cancer: The
cost of Western medicine is much higher.
COPYRIGHT 1998 Center for Medical Consumers, Inc. and The Gale
Group (with permission) Health Facts, July 1998
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