ABSTRACT
[Introduction] Heating of the skin by moxa needle depends on the amount of radiated-light absorbed during combustion. In this paper, the absorption characteristics of radiated-light were revealed in each skin layer. [Method] A moxa ball (1 g, 10 mm-radius) was attached to a needle (50 mm-long, 0.25 mm-diameter), and K-type thermocouples were used to measure the temperatures (top, center, bottom, side) inside the moxa ball and temperature-increase on the cypress board directly below the moxa ball (board-temperature). The smoke-loss time taken for the moxa to stop smoking was also measured. The distances between the moxa ball and the cypress board were 30, 40, and 50 mm. Four types of ignition positions (upper, lower, upper & lower, and left & right) of the moxa ball were employed. Measurement was carried out for five trials. The significance level was 5%.[Results] The maximum values of the board-temperature equivalent to the skin temperature were not significantly different with respect to the ignition positions. The correlation coefficient of 0.82 was the highest for each time when the board-temperature and bottom-temperature were the highest. The amount of radiation calculated from the bottom-temperature was the highest in right & left-ignition, but there was no significant difference in ignition positions. Thirty seconds after smoke-loss, the cumulative radiation-amount was as high as 77% of total radiation-amount in lower-ignition, therefore, the time for smoke-loss became a guide for when to finish the treatment.By the absorption characteristics of water based on human skin, the absorption-amount of radiated-light was calculated. When bottom-temperature increased from 500°C to 700°C, the absorption-amount increased 1.3 times in the dermis and 4.1 times in the subcutaneous tissue. In the deepest part of the skin, it was expected that the higher the bottom-temperature, the higher the heating effect would be. Due to the existence of temperature sensitive nerves in the epidermis, lower thermal sensation was expected in lower-ignition and strong thermal sensation was expected in right & left-ignition based on the absorption characteristics of the skin. The highest thermal-effectiveness was expected in both types of ignition. [Conclusion] Board-temperature had an excellent correlation with bottom-temperature. In the deepest part of the skin, a higher heating effect was expected at higher bottom-temperatures. In lower-ignition, the smoke-loss became a guide to when to finish the treatment, and the thermal sensation was lower, but the highest thermal-effectiveness was expected.
ABSTRACT
In recent years, we have been told that the western medicine has developed the techniques of treatments on cancer, but the truth is that very few practical accomplishments has been made, while death rate from cancer has been steadily increasing. Although acupuncture has been thought to be ineffective in the treatments of cancer, nowadays we find some reports concerning its effectiveness in palliative cares, improvements of quality of life (QOL) and cancer regressions. Thus, this symposium was planned to investigate this theme. There were reports from appointed speakers on the acupuncturists' feelings of swung back and forth between joy and despair when treating patients with cancer, the experiences in treating her parents who died of lung cancer, and the patients who failed or rejected to be treated in western medicine but successfully treated using acupuncture eventually.<BR>A panelist who practices acupuncture treatments in a hospital reported the effectiveness and indications on combined application of acupuncture and standard treatments for the patients in the terminal stage of cancer. He also reported that no correlation had been found between effective rates and duration (frequency) of treatments neither between stages (duration) of disorders and efficacy. Furthermore, if the environment of acupuncture treatment is well organized, he mentioned that acupuncture can produce a good deal of effect even in patients with terminal stage. He also reported that acupuncture will be able to influence on the physiology in autonomic nervous system, leading to the hyperactivity of parasympathetic nerve.<BR>A panelist who practices his acupuncture treatments based on the theory of Professor Abo reported the effectiveness of acupuncture in improving QOL and in prolonging one's life. He showed an actual situation of the patient with scirrhous carcinoma who had prolonged his life for a long period using acupuncture treatment. He also demonstrated that radiotherapy, one of the three major medical treatments for cancer, will deprive the resistance of the patients.<BR>A panelist who advocates salutogenesis demonstrated the possibility of the direct effectiveness of acupuncture treatment on cancer because acupuncture has significant effects in alleviating pains and enhancing the power of restoring human energy in patients with cancer. He mentioned the limitation of the treatments using “a theory of pathogenesis (modern medicine)” and the importance of the treatments using “a theory of salutogenesis (traditional medicine)”, and emphasized the necessity of acupuncture treatments as well as supplemental agents, and the importance of psychological approaches toward the mind of patients.<BR>In this symposium, the efficacy of acupuncture treatments as palliative cares was indicated. Although there are few convincing evidences, the efficacy of acupuncture treatments as one of treatment methods for cancer may be demonstrated. Further integrative researches on the efficacy of acupuncture in patients with cancer are needed.