Objectives: This case study reports the effectiveness of Korean medicine treatment in a patient with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and hiatal hernia refractory to the Stretta procedure.Methods: A 58-year-old male with severe GERD and hiatal hernia presented with persistent substernal pain (visual analog scale VAS 89) despite a previous Stretta procedure. He underwent 12 weeks of Korean Medicine treatment, including herbal medicine, acupuncture, and moxibustion. Outcomes were measured using VAS, Frequency Scale for the Symptoms of GERD (FSSG), and GERD Health-Related Quality of Life Questionnaire (GERD-HRQL).Results: After treatment, the VAS scores for substernal pain decreased from 89 to 31. The FSSG score improved from 14 to 8 and the GERD-HRQL score decreased from 45 to 22. These improvements were maintained during the 26-week follow-up period. No adverse events were reported.Conclusion: Complex Korean medicine treatment may be an effective and safe alternative for refractory GERD, particularly by alleviating visceral hypersensitivity and improving gastrointestinal motility in patients with structural and functional obstructions.
Kang et al. (Mon,) studied this question.