Background
: The primary concern of a family physician is the healthcare of patients and their families, with the patient's disease itself being secondary. Family physicians should make efforts to discuss personal issues with their patients. This study examined how many patients were counseled about their private problems, especially family or sexual issues in the private clinics of Cheonan.

Methods : The subjects were the patients who visited a practice-based network from April to June in 2003. The data were collected through simple questionnaire about sociodemographic features of patients and their family and sexual problems.

Results : Eighty eight patients were studied for a total of 107 cases that consisted of 67 cases of family problems (62%) and 40 cases of sexual matters (38%). The common issues about family problems were `the partners' (23 cases, 21%) and `the patients` children' (29 cases, 27 %). The most frequent sexual problems were 'sexually transmitted diseases' (13 cases, 32.5%), `impotence' (7 cases, 17.5%), 'loss of libido, and unsatisfaction' (6 cases, 15.0%). Most physicians were involved in family and sexual issues with medications, and simple counseling with reassurance. Simple counseling was given for 14 cases (21.0%) for family issues and 18 cases (44.0%) for sexual issues. The patients were treated with medications in 47 cases (70.0%) for sexual and 15 cases (38.0%) for family problems.

Conclusion : The most common issue for family problems was their partners and for sexual problems was 'sexually transmitted diseases'. Most family physicians were involved with both simple counseling and medications.

Background
: Although urinary incontinence is a common problem, its prevalence and severity in community is not well established. The main objects of this study were to define the prevalence in adult men and women who came to a primary care office for health care.

Methods : Men and women aged 20 years and over who came to family physician's offices seeking health care for any reason during an 2-week period were the subjects of a survey by anonymous questionnaire. Ten family practice offices in Cheonan Practice-Based Research Network parti-cipated. We defined "current significant urinary incontinence' as over any degree of annoying incontinence in the past 12 months.

Results : Of the 1,130 responders, 46.3% experienced urinary incontinence. Incontinence was experienced by 26.7% of the men and 50.2% of the women. 'Current significant urinary incontinence' was experienced by 3.7% of the men and 10.12% of the women.

Conclusion : Urinary incontinence as a common problem among those seen in primary care settings, and patients hesitate to seek consultation of their problems with physicians. Therefore, family physicians should deal with the symptoms of incontinence more attentively during history taking.(J Korean Acad Fam Med 1999;20:55~61)

Background
: Hypertension is a chronic disorder that causes various complications. It needs proper pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic treatment. But, other studies show there are many traditional and folk remedies about hypertension in Korean. This study was designed to show behavioral patterns of outcomes and side effects of folk remedies in practice-based network.

Methods : The study subjects were hypertensive patients visited practice-based network from September to December in 1996. Data were collected through questionnaire about sociodemographic features of patients and types, effect, frequency, and side effects of folk remedies.

Results : The responders totalled 160 patients, and those who have tried traditional medicine or folk remedies were 65 patients(27 men and 38 women cases). Information source about remedies were 'family members or friends' in 53.8%, 'TV, magazines, and newspapers' in 13.8%, and 'books that deal with health information' in 3.1%. There were 22 experienced remedies ; the most common remedy was herb medicine. In subjective judgement about anti-hypertensive effect, 6 cases described as 'very effective', 21 as ' somewhat effective', 14 as 'not effective', 17 as 'not sure'. Ten(15.3%) of 65 cases experienced side effects.

Conclusion : 40.6% of total responders used traditional or folk remedies, and 15.3% of them experienced side effects, 9.2% of them told that their remedies were 'very effective'. Physicians need to inform patients of side effects of folk remedies and adequate management of hypertension.

Background
: The screening tests for alcoholics have been made and use, however, there were few tools to assess the psychopathologic condition of alcoholics objectively for treatment. In this situation, as we can say that treatment of alcoholics begins from the recognition of disease by the patient, we tried to evaluate insight of alcoholics objectively and to investigate the associated factors.

Methods : Among the patients admitted to Alcohol Clinic due to problem of drinking between April and September in 1994, 41 patients who were admitted longer than one month diagnosed as alcoholism by DSM-Ⅲ-R, from whom we get information can be related to insight through data sheet inquiring demographic characteristics. A new insight scale, preliminary Insight Scale for Alcoholics(ISA) was made by this study as tools to measure insight of alcoholics based on insight scale which is used to other psychiatric diseases.

Results : Cronbach's alpha coefficient analysed internal consistency of the preliminary Insight Scale for Alcoholics(ISA) was 0.8371 by SPSS and the correlation between each item score and global score was used for another evaluation of reliability, and then correlation coefficient were from 0.3488 to 0.6851 in both scale done twice(P<0.05). This scale was analysed by factor analysis, and then yielded 8 factors, the factors accounted for more than 65% of items in the scale. These results show that this scale approximates to some of the aspects of insight in the definition of this stydy. The insight scale for alcoholics were enforced twice after earlier detoxification treatment and the education for abstinence from alcohol for 4 weeks, there were significatn changes statistically in scores of the insight scale for alcoholics(P<0.001). Although correlation analysis between MAST scores and scores of these insight scales was proportional(r=0.49), if the history of education for abstinence from alcohol was mediated, it was not significant statistically. The history of admission due to drinking was no significantly for those who has the history of education for abstinence from alcohol than those who has not(P<0.01) and for those who had the withdrawal symptoms(P<0.05). There were no significant between duration of drinking, APGAR score, psycho-social stress and scores of the insight scales.

Conclusion : Although it is necessary to refine the insight scale for alcoholics of this article, is was clinically possible to assess the insight and to evaluate the change of the insight. There was no close relation between MAST scores and the scores of the insight scale for alcoholics, and regardless of the times of admission the education for abstinence from alcohol is important factor associated with insight.

Background
: Alcoholics have been increased realistically, but the cause of withdrawal symptoms is not established. The role of magnesium has been claimed, therefore, we intends to see the relation of serum magnesium with alcohol withdrawal symptoms in this study.

Methods : The one hundred fifteen patients were cohsen, who were diagnosed as alcohol dependence in Alcohol clinic department of Dae Jeon Hani I1 Hospital from 1993. 10. 1 to 1994. 9. 30. The symptoms of selected patients were classified by DSM Ⅳ classification of alcohol withdrawal, and then compared with serum magnesium concentration at admission.

Results : The mean serum magnesium concentration of total 115 patients was 1.99±0.39 eEq/L. Among them, 61(53%) patients show sweating, 6(55.7%) tremor, 25(21.7%) delirium tremens, 26(22.6%) hallucination, 64(55.7%) agitation, and 24 patients(20.9%) have no withdrawal symptom. According as existence and/or nonexistence of withdrawal symptom, the difference of serum magnesium concentration was noted. The mean magnesium concentration of withdrawal symptom group is 1.90±0.31mEq/L, on the other hand, nonwithdrawal symptom group is 2.34±0.32eEq/L. As to magnesium concentration of each withdrawal symptom, sweating group is 1.79±0.27mEq/L, tremor group 1.84±0.36mEq/L, delirium tremens group 1.74±022mEq/L, hallucination group 1.83±0.39mEq/L. agitation group 1.89±0.38mEq/L, and so, the significant difference between symptom and nonsymptom group was seen.

Conclusion : The relation of serum magnesium concentration with alcohol withdrawal symptoms was observed, therefore, we guess the role of magnesium for alcohol withdrawal. Our study suggests that the active study and application of magnesium for the treatment of alcohol withdrawal may be required.