A Case Series of Post-COVID Conditions with Fatigability Treated with Saikokeishito / 日本プライマリ・ケア連合学会誌

Fatigue is a common symptom of long COVID. Fatigue can majorly disrupt daily life and be challenging to treat. Herein, we describe the effect of saikokeishito, a Kampo medicine, on fatigue in patients with long COVID.Between October 2020 and March 2023, we prescribed saikokeishito to 22 patients with long COVID in the general medicine outpatient department of our hospital. Among them, seven patients (age: 15-58 years, two females) had fatigue, a previously confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19, and no concomitant use of other Kampo formulas. We compared their condition at the start of saikokeishito administration to that 3 months later. Five patients had a slight fever, and four had inflammatory findings on blood tests. Within 3 months, all patients had a 20% or greater reduction in fatigue on a visual analogue scale. Six patients had a 20% or greater increase in health-related QOL and were able to return to society. On the other hand, one patient required a transition to an alternative medication, and one patient's follow-up was prematurely discontinued. Fatigue after COVID-19 may be improved by saikokeishito, especially for the treatment of patients with slight fever or inflammatory findings.

Kampo Medicine Maorenshoshakushozuto is Effective for Psoriasis Vulgaris : A Case Report and Literature Review / 日本東洋医学雑誌

Psoriasis vulgaris is a chronic disease in which demarcated erythema and rashes with silvery-white scales occur at various sites, and it is sometimes intractable. We report that Kampo medicines are effective in the treatment of psoriasis vulgaris. An 83-year-old woman suffered from erythema with pruritus and strong redness on the trunk and upper limbs and she visited the dermatology department. She was diagnosed with psoriasis vulgaris and started treatment with betamethasone ointment. However, her symptoms did not improved, and she requested Kampo medicine treatment. After the administration of maorenshoshakushozuto, erythema gradually improved. Maorenshoshakushozuto is effective for the dermatological diseases with pruritus and strong redness like psoriasis vulgaris.

Policy Advisory Committee Report : Kampo Frailty Score / 日本東洋医学雑誌

“The Kampo Future Vision Study Group responsible for health and medical care of people” was established in 2016 with the aim of discussions to resolve various problems related to Kampo, and issued six proposals as important items. Among these proposals, the emphasized themes that are directly linked to clinical practice are “Kampo as a supportive treatment for cancer” and “Kampo as a countermeasure against frailty in the elderly.” The Japan Society of Oriental Medicine decided on a policy to be involved in these themes and established the Proposal-Discussing Committee (later absorbed into the Policy Advisory Committee). At first, the committee asked experts to present the research status of Kampo medicine as supportive care for cancer and as countermeasures against frailty. The committee, then, decided to lead clinical research by itself on frailty treatment with Kampo medicine. In such clinical research, evaluation criteria for judging therapeutic effects are necessary. Therefore, the existing well-defined diagnostic criteria were combined to create a Kampo frailty score. This article explains the Kampo frailty score, citing the supporting literature.

International academic exchange at 6th International Society for Japanese Kampo Medicine (ISJKM) / 全日本鍼灸学会雑誌

The 6th International Society for Japanese Kampo Medicine (ISJKM) Symposium was held in Oxford, UK from September 22nd to 23rd, 2023. The society has developed from a private group, and although it was a very small association with only about 60 participants this time, we participants were able to take advantage of this to hold a very in-depth symposium where we could have direct discussions with each other. Since the society was named after Japanese Kampo, it was noted that a specific number of Japanese attendees were present at each event. However, this time around, half of the participants were Japanese, which was a higher percentage than usual. The conference took place at Christ Church College, Oxford University, and the ambiance of the venue, as well as the gala dinner, provided a substantial added value to attending the conference. 　The content of the presentations was rich in individuality and variety, showing the deep love for Japanese Kampo medicine and acupuncture from each person's perspective, which I thought was another characteristic of the society. I noticed that the audience was paying close attention to each of the presentations. Sessions were organized for each content of presentation, including sessions on education and outreach, sessions on historical perspectives, sessions on pharmacobotany and basic research, and clinical sessions. The ratio of oral presentations and poster presentations was approximately equal. I presented on 14 cases of pediatric acupuncture for children with disabilities conducted by my research group in pediatric acupuncture. In addition, I would like to report on presentations that left an impression on me and other points that left an impression on me.

The Position of Oriental Medicine in COVID-19 / 全日本鍼灸学会雑誌

The number of patients with novel coronavirus infections (COVID-19) continues to increase with Omicron now the predominant strain, even amidst the three-dense (close-in, dense, and close-out) avoidance and vaccination strategies. In collaboration with the local government, Tohoku University Hospital has provided a large-scale vaccination center, drive-through outpatient PCR testing clinic, outpatient assessment, support for management of residential care facilities for the mildly ill, support for elderly care facilities, and an antibody cocktail center, to minimize deaths due to COVID-19. In residential care facilities for the mildly ill and others in need of medical support, we established an information sharing and house call system. Furthermore, we developed DX in cooperation with a wide-area IT system and have so far continued to achieve zero fatalities in residential care facilities. In addition, the Japanese Society for Oriental Medicine has conducted clinical research using Kampo medicine for the prevention of disease onset, treatment in the acute stage, and treatment of prolonged symptoms, with results suggesting that Kampo medicine has some effect in reducing disease severity in the acute stage. The COVID-19 response is a long-term effort to update the knowledge and techniques in Western, traditional, and Future Medicine. The response and updating of combined knowledge and skills will continue over the longterm. It is also necessary to continue to disseminate and share information among various professions, and give back information in the field and make steady and continuous efforts among multiple professions.

Qualitative research on thematic interviews and factual records of Kampo medicine based on grounded theory / 国际中医中药杂志

Through literature search and screening, with qualitative research methods and the guidance of the three-level coding framework of grounded theory, literature about interview and factual records with Kampo medicine as theme was analyzed to explore concern areas and key points of Kampo medicine. The included literature mainly showed the modern development prospect of Kampo medicine from the fields of the revival background, laws and regulations, clinical work, education and teaching, scientific research, Kampo medicine industry, periodicals and books, representatives, symbolic events, organization and communication of Kampo medicine. Among them, half or more of the literature involved specific aspects such as clinical diagnosis and treatment methods of Kampo medicine, international communication, drug dosage forms and marketing, scientific research institutions and clinical research, and university education. At the same time, the specific aspects of events, legislation, organizations, periodicals, books and representatives mentioned in the literature provided important indexes for the comparative study of traditional medicine between China and Japan. In the future, the above fields and aspects can be set as starting points and main framework to further obtain and research relevant interviews and documentary literature, so as to promote the communication and development of traditional medicine at home and abroad.

An Exploration of the Annotated Features of Discriminate of the Treatise on Febrile Diseases by Nakanishi Shinsai / 浙江中医药大学学报

[Objective]To analyse the exegetical features of Discrimination of the Treatise on Febrile Diseases by Nakanishi Shinsai,a Japanese doctor of the ancient prescription school,as a reference for commentators on the Treatise on Febrile Diseases.[Methods]By means of bibliographic analysis,the articles and commentaries listed in the entire Discrimination of the Treatise on Febrile Diseases are used as the object of study,and other related books are also combined to summarize and conclude the characteristics of their commentaries.[Results]In his commentary on the Treatise on Febrile Diseases,Nakanishi Shinsai compared the differences in the use of medicines in the various prescriptions,attached importance to grammar,pointed out the key points,determined the ancient and modern doses of the prescriptions,gave direct explanations,did not emphasize the testimony,and set out to supplement the remaining meaning with eyebrow comments.This book is a unique commentary on the Treatise on Febrile Diseases,with detailed explanations.[Conclusion]Nakanishi Shinsai has been studying ancient medical prescriptions for more than 30 years,and his Discrimination of the Treatise on Febrile Diseases is well organised and clearly discussed.By discussing its exegetical features,with a view to further study of the Treatise on Febrile Diseases annotations,it provides a more detailed reference to benefit the clinical treatment of today.

System Construction, Practice, and Explanation of the Answer for the “Common Kampo Test” / 日本東洋医学雑誌

At the 71st Annual Meeting of the Japan Society for Oriental Medicine held in August 2021, we performed a special program focusing on education in Kampo medicine, “Pre-graduation and post-graduation education in Kampo medicine for the next generation.” As a part of this project, we constructed the “Common Kampo test” based on the “Standard lectures on Kampo” as a web-based test using Moodle, and then the test was conducted in the form of a web test with 163 participants. The commentary of the “Common Kampo test” was live-streamed and was viewed by many participants, including students, educators and academics from all over Japan. In this paper, we report on the series covering the construction of the web system, creation of questions, answer results, and commentary on answers. With the recent popularization of tablet devices and smartphones, this web-based test system has the potential to become a scientifically based and optimal learning system not only for students but also for medical professionals such as doctors, pharmacists, and nurses.

Effectiveness of Western and Kampo Medicine in 101 Patients with Palpitation / 日本東洋医学雑誌

Many patients with palpitation consult outpatient cardiology departments. They may present with cardiac tuning abnormality (arrhythmia), which manifests as morbid palpitations. Appropriate diagnosis and treatment of palpitation are crucial to prevent adverse cardiac events. However, palpitations, in addition to anxiety and dyspnea, are often not considered as significant factor for morbidity in Western medicine. Conversely, Kampo (traditional Japanese medicine) can be used to treat the constitution of the patients, including those with or without disease diagnosed by Western medicine. However, there are no reports on the efficacy of Kampo in many examples. In this study, we diagnosed and provided appropriate Western medicine treatment for 101 outpatients with palpitation who consulted our department. We give priority to it if we evaluate the treatment of the disease of Western medicine was required (group W : n = 19). When an appropriate diagnosis could not be made by Western medicine, or when no therapeutic effect was noted with Western medicine, we administered Kampo medicine alone (group K : n = 62) or combination therapy (Kampo and Western medicine ; group KW : n = 20). The treatment efficacy was evaluated in each of the three groups. We observed high efficacy in all 3 groups (group W = 100%, group K = 96%, and group KW = 100%). Therefore, for patient with palpitation, combined treatment with both Kampo and Western medicine could improve their symptoms.

“Standardization of Pre-Graduate Curriculum” in Kampo Medical Education”: Purpose and Background of the Establishment of the Japan Council for Kampo Medical Education / 日本東洋医学雑誌

In 2015, the Japan Council for Kampo Medical Education was established to create a basic curriculum for Kampo medical education that could be implemented in medical schools nationwide. After conducting a needs assessment, we decided on a lecture time of 240 minutes. To set learning objectives, we formed groups for “history,” “examination methods and patterns,” “effects of Kampo medicine,” “clinical cases,” “acupuncture and moxibustion,” and “evaluation.” The teaching contents were incorporated. Then, model slides and lecture guides containing these teaching contents were created, and textbooks based on these contents were published in 2020. In 2021, these overall efforts and contents were made public nationwide, providing an opportunity for the introduction of this curriculum at each university.

Chikujountanto for Cough of COVID-19 ; a Case Series / 日本東洋医学雑誌

Prolonged cough in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is not only uncomfortable for patients, but also prolongs the length of stay in an isolation facility. This results in delays in patients' return to their daily life. Therefore, the prompt treatment of cough is important. In this report, we used Japanese traditional (Kampo) medicine, chikujountanto for the treatment of cases with residual cough, airway secretions, slight fever, anxiety, and insomnia, several days after the onset of coronavirus. From October 2020 to September 2021, we prescribed chikujountanto for thirty-three COVID-19 patients with prolonged cough in an isolation facility. Seven patients (6 women and 1 man with ages ranging 37-70 years) were treated with no other medication. Comorbid symptoms included slight fever, sputum, sore throat, nasal discharge, headache, anxiety/insomnia, and taste/olfactory disorders. The start date of treatment ranged from 9 to 21 days after the onset of COVID-19, and the time until cough and comorbid symptoms improved to values less than NRS 2 or less, was 2 to 6 days after treatment. Three patients had persistent cough and needed to switch to other medication. In COVID-19, chikujountanto may be useful for coughing during the period when the peak of the viral proliferative phase has passed but airway inflammation is still present.

Medical Studentsʼ Learning Through Academic Presentations Using Problem-Based Learning in Kampo Medicine / 日本東洋医学雑誌

We verified the educational outcomes and effects of the practice of Problem-based learning (PBL) on the theme of Kampo medicine and the continuous academic support. From 2013 to 2021, we conducted Kampo PBL for second-year medical students, and compared the results of Kampo exams in the fourth year between Kampo PBL participants and non-participants. Moreover, the learning obtained through subsequent academic activities was extracted from their free-form text. Kampo PBL was performed for a total of 26 groups. Participants who underwent Kampo PBL (n = 72) scored significantly higher than those who did not (n = 734) (p<0.05). In addition, academic support resulted in 5 academic presentations in an academic conference and 3 articles published in academic journals. The lessons learned included “concretization of understanding of Kampo medicine,” “valuable experience in academic activities,” and “promoting motivation and its impact on the future.” Kampo PBL improved knowledge about Kampo medicine, and academic activities cultivated the research mind.

Report of the 71st Annual Meeting of the Japan Society for Oriental Medicine Special Program 1—“Pre-and Post-Graduate Kampo Medicine Education for the Next Generation”: 3 Active Learning, Team-Based Learning (TBL) in Kampo Medicine / 日本東洋医学雑誌

Team-based learning (TBL) is an educational method developed to cultivate the ability to solve problems by learning and applying knowledge on one's own, as well as the ability to make decisions, take responsibility, and collaborate by working on issues in small groups. TBL in Kampo medicine was held as a special program : active learning at the 71st Annual Meeting of the Japan Society for Oriental Medicine. A total of 57 students participated in the TBL session. The theme of the session was the common cold with the theory of yin and yang. According to the results of a questionnaire survey, the students answered that they were able to understand the flow of diagnosis in Kampo medicine, which was the goal of the course. As a bridge from classroom lectures to clinical practice, TBL in Kampo medicine was considered to be useful in Kampo medical education.

Supporting the Best Performance of All Women / 全日本鍼灸学会雑誌

Dysmenorrhea, premenstrual syndrome (PMS), and premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) are common menstruation-related disorders in women that significantly impair their quality of life. A survey of college female athletes found that 44.3% of students were aware of performance disorders during practice and games. A study found that high school athletes were more conscious of performance problems due to PMS/PMDD compared to dysmenorrhea, suggesting that dysmenorrhea treatment should also take PMS/PMDD into consideration simultaneously. Although dysmenorrhea is widely treated with LEP/OC preparations (contraceptive pills), physicians should consider the risk of thrombosis, a rare but serious complication. In Japan, hormone preparations have low public acceptance, leading to patient hesitancy in undergoing treatment. Contrastingly, Kampo medicine and acupuncture are not contraindicated, are well accepted by patients and serve as promising alternative therapies. In conclusion, treatment of dysmenorrhea, along with PMS/PMDD, is essential to consider not only for athletes but also for all women to achieve their optimal performance.

A Case of Burning Mouth Syndrome in a Depressed Patient with Kidney Deficiency Responding to Goshajinkigan / 日本東洋医学雑誌

We report a case of burning mouth syndrome (BMS) in a woman in her 70s whose pain was relieved by goshajinkigan alone. Five years ago, she became aware of tongue pain when she was under emotional stress. We diagnosed it as BMS. Since she had been taking antidepressants for depression for a long time and was more bothered by symptoms of kidney deficiency, such as back pain and numbness in the lower limbs, than tongue pain, we first prescribed goshajinkigan to improve her general condition. After that, not only her kidney deficiency but her BMS was relieved. The patient is currently under follow-up, but there is no tendency to relapse BMS. We presume that the correction of the patient’s general condition by Kampo medicine would lead to the improvement of her BMS.

Three Cases of Chest Pain Accompanying a Cough or Deep Breaths Successfully Treated with Saikanto / 日本東洋医学雑誌

Although saikanto has often been an effective Kampo medicine for chest pain accompanied by coughing or deep breathing, there are few reports on its usefulness in recent years. Here we report 3 cases of outpatients who visited the respiratory department of our hospital with the symptom of chest pain accompanied by coughing or deep breathing. They were successfully treated with saikanto. Case 1 was a 17-year-old woman who was diagnosed with pleuritis. Case 2 was a 57-year-old man who was suspiciously diagnosed with pleuritis. Case 3 was a 45-year-old woman who was diagnosed with upper respiratory tract inflammation. In Kampo medical examination before the treatment with saikanto, 3 patients had kyokyokuman (fullness and discomfort in chest and hypochondrium) and 2 patients had shinkahiko (epigastric stuffiness and resistance). All of the patients recovered from the chest pain early without analgesic drugs. This suggests that Kampo medicine of saikanto is effective for the early recovery without using analgesic drugs from chest pain caused by pleuritis or a severe cough, and that kyokyokuman and shinkahiko are useful indications for its effectiveness.

Acupuncture Alone and Combination Therapy with Acupuncture and Kampo Formulas are Effective for the Management of Leg Edema / 日本東洋医学雑誌

Twenty patients with bilateral localized lower leg edema were treated with acupuncture alone followed by combination therapy with acupuncture and Kampo formulas. The effects of treatment were examined after the first acupuncture session. Lower limb circumference significantly decreased from 29.1 ± 6.8 cm to 28.1 ± 7.0 cm (mean ± SD) (p < 0.01). In addition, the area of ankle edema decreased from 22.6 ± 10.6 cm2 to 14.2 ± 7.2 cm2 (p < 0.05). Subcutaneous tissue thickness, as measured via ultrasound, significantly decreased at the lower limbs and ankles from 10.4 ± 3.8 mm to 7.8 ± 3.4 mm and 10.1 ± 2.9 mm to 8.2 ± 3.0 mm, respectively (p < 0.05). In contrast, there was no change in subcutaneous echogenicity observed in the lower limbs. Following acupuncture, patients underwent combination therapy with acupuncture and Kampo formulas. As a result, area of ankle edema significantly decreased from 24.1 ± 2.5 cm2 to 3.0 ± 2.1 cm2 (p < 0.01). Moreover, symptoms resolved with respect to edema and coldness (p < 0.05). However, no change was observed in laboratory parameters. This study highlights the efficacy of acupuncture in improving lower leg edema. In addition, combination therapy with acupuncture and Kampo formulas seemed to be effective in the treatment of leg edema.

Taking the development of Kampo medicine as a mirror, analyze the status quo of protection of Traditional Chinese Medicine knowledge / 国际中医中药杂志

In China and abroad, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) have been applied and developed. That is depended on doctors and scholars of the past dynasties to inseparable from the inheritance, protection, development, and innovation of Traditional Knowledge of Chinese Medicine. With the progress of modern society and people's awareness of traditional culture protection, people are also improving the understanding of TCM. Through the analysis of the situation and significance of the protection of Traditional Knowledge of Chinese Medicine and the development of Japanese Kampo medicines, recognized that the development of Kampo medicines ignored the source. Their original intention and purpose of protection the Traditional Knowledge of Medicine are completely different from China. The protection of Traditional Knowledge of Chinese Medicine should be in accordance with the basic national conditions, and the system of the protection of Traditional Knowledge of Chinese Medicine should be formulated and perfected to ensure the sustainable development of TCM.

Kampo Medicine Treatment for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) / 日本東洋医学雑誌

The Japan Society for Oriental Medicine (JSOM) has made various efforts against coronavirus disease (COVID-19) to build evidence. JSOM has launched an academic society-led clinical research project on COVID-19 based on the concept and characteristics of Kampo medicine, including (1) prevention of disease by activating the immune system to regulate body conditions (pre-symptomatic stage of illness), (2) symptom alleviation in the mild and moderate stage and prevention of aggravation (acute to subacute stage of illness), and (3) early recovery and improvement of prolonged symptoms (late stage of illness). Since the declaration of the pandemic, the special working group has conducted the following activities : enlightening academic members, lobbying other academic societies, preparing research protocols, establishing research groups, conducting ethical reviews, responding to the research disclosure system, preparing protocol papers and review articles as the basis for the research, reporting research progress, soliciting case reports, warning against Chinese medicine use, requesting for research support funding, and revising the JSOM website. We also discuss the interpretation of COVID-19 from the perspective of Kampo medicine and the direction of the selection of Kampo formulas in this report.

Usefulness of Combined Kampo and Modern Medicine as Therapy for Pediatric Patients Refractory to Standard Modern Medicine / 日本東洋医学雑誌

There are few reports on the effects for children using the diagnostic method of Kampo medicine (called sho : pattern diagnosis). Therefore, we investigated the effects of combination therapy with Kampo medicines prescribed by specialists in this ancient form of medicine to children who were refractory to modern medicine. This was a retrospective observational study of 98 children (pre-school children (PS ; n = 21), elementary school students (ES ; n = 37) and junior high school students (JS ; n = 40)) younger than 16 years old at the first visit to our department of Chiba University hospital between April 2007 and April 2017. We collected the following information from their medical records : background, chief complaint, referral source, and efficacy of Kampo medicines. We evaluated efficacy for Kampo medicine as follows : Higher improvement (HI) (symptoms improved by 2/3 or more) ; Improvement (I) (symptoms improved by 1/3-2/3) ; Mild improvement (MI) (symptoms improved by 1/3 or less) ; constant ; aggravated ; and unknown or first visit only. Positive response (HI, I, and MI) due to Kampo medicines was observed in 76% (75/98) of patients. No aggravations were observed. The chief complaint by age was skin diseases in PS, digestive diseases in ES, and cardiovascular diseases in JS. Pediatrics was the primary referral in all ages, while 30% of JS were referred from psychiatry. Kampo medicine was significantly more effective for those in PS and ES compared to those in JS (p = 0.025). Combined use of Kampo medicine and modern medicine therapy is useful for children refractory to modern medicine.