ABSTRACT
[Purpose]Ginger-partitioned moxibustion is indirect moxibustion of putting sliced ginger between the skin and the moxa. It can give mild stimulation with damp heat. The characteristic of the temperature by the thickness of the ginger was investigated with a temperature sensor without changing the weight of the moxa. Moreover, the relation between the result of a questionnaire on thermal sense and maximum temperature was investigated by applying different thicknesses of ginger-partitioned moxibustion to participants.<BR>[Method]A thermometer was fixed on a wood board 3mm thick. Ginger was cut in a 2 cm square, in three kinds of thickness; 3mm, 5mm, and 7 mm. The temperature change was measured every 30 seconds when the cone-shaped moxa (weight: 200 mg, diameter: 2cm, height: 2cm) was burnt on the ginger for each thickness. Next, the thermal sense of the human body was investigated for ginger-partitioned moxibustion. The maximum temperature of ginger-partitioned moxibustion to the forearm of participants was measured by the thermometer set between the sliced ginger and skin. After moxibustion, we did a questionnaire survey about thermal sense and comfort sense.<BR>[Result]As a result of measuring the temperature on the wood board, the maximum temperature decreased and the time to reach the maximum temperature took a long time according to ginger thickness. Ginger-partitioned moxibustion applied to the human body resulted in a correlation between thermal sense and the maximum temperature. The thinner sliced ginger had the stronger thermal sense. Participants who answered little comfort, comfortable or very comfortable were 5/10 people in the 3mm thickness sliced ginger, 9/12 people in the 5 mm ginger group, and 5/9 persons in the7 mm ginger group.<BR>[Discussion and Conclusion]The thickness of ginger can be an important factor that influences the quantity of stimulus of ginger-partitioned moxibustion. In investigating the comfort sense, the stimulation of ginger-partitioned moxibustion was expected to give the comfort. But four of ten participants who received ginger-partitioned moxibustion with a 3mm thickness felt uncomfortable. If we apply ginger-partitioned moxibustion of 200 mg to patients without discomfort, it is undesirable that the ginger thickness be 5 mm or less.
ABSTRACT
[Objective]To evaluate the effectiveness of moxibustion treatment for patients with nocturia in a randomized controlled trial.<BR>[Methods]Subjects were 36 patients with refractory nocturia, randomly allocated to a moxibustion group (n = 20) and a sham moxibustion group (n = 16). Moxibustion treatment to Chung-Chi (CV3) was performed three times/day for one week by the patients themselves. The average number of nocturia in the week before and the week during moxibustion treatment were compared between groups.<BR>[Results]The average number of nocturia during moxibustion was significantly decreased in the moxibustion group compared to that before treatment. No significant change was seen in the sham moxibustion group.<BR>[Conclusion]Moxibustion treatment appears to reduce the average number of nocturia. Moxibustion to Chung-Chi seems to represent an effective therapeutic option for nocturia.
ABSTRACT
[Purpose] People have various mental images of moxibustion treatment. The purpose of this study was to investigate relationships between weight of moxa and perceptions of moxibustion treatment.<br>[Methods] We administered a questionnaire survey on moxibustion to 75 new students and visitors to this college. Furthermore, we instructed subjects to make a moxa as they imagined it would be used in moxibustion treatment, then measured these moxa.<br>[Result] The questionnaire survey had many replies indicating that moxibustion is associated with images of “hot”, “scar remains”, and “effective”.<br>Comparing the weights of moxa made by people with moxibustion experience to those made by people with no moxibustion experience, moxa was lighter for the experienced group than for the inexperienced group.<br>Furthermore, when weight of moxa was compared based on images of moxibustion, only moxa of the group with positive images of moxibustion tended to be light.<br>[Conclusion] Image size of the moxa appears to be connected with impressions and experiences of moxibustion treatment.