抄録
Psychosomatic study in Tohoku University was begun in 1919 by prof. S. Marui and its stream has been continuing via S. Yamagata and K. Kushima down to our department with a spirit of natural science which does not solely depend on psychological aspects. As a physician of internal medicine, the author has kept the attitude to conduct biological studies in order to clarify the mechanism of mind-body relations and is continuing to develop the diagnostic procedure and treatment methods from the standpoint of the following concepts. The diagnostic procedure of psychosomatic disease should have a stress-induced change of biological mediator such as blood catecholamines or cortisol in the human body. I can not agree to make a diagnosis of psychosomatic disease only by the psychoanalytic method that connects psychological stress and bodily symptoms directly. Since psychosomatic medicine is one of the branches of natural science, its diagnosis has to prove biological abnormality under the stress loading. The therapeutic method should has a scientific basis which consists of biological reasons. Also there needs to be an order range to pursue the schedule of medical psychotherapies as follows. 1. Complete explanation of the disease to patients until they can understand it, 2. discharge of frustration or stress by a non-directive interview, 3. cognition of reasons for unadaptation to their living environment including their behaviors and personalities by the method of self-instruction with NAIKAN meditation, which helps them to modify their own life style, 4. Regulation of imbalance of the autonomic nervous system and the endocrine system by the fasting therapy or ZEN meditation or autogenic training, as those bodily abnormal functions cause the bodily symptoms, 5. Modification of life style by group-life therapy utilizing balneotherapy which is conducted at resort hot spring hotel under the guidance of doctors and psychologists. This can call a psychosomatic rehabilitation to go back to general business. The result of above mentiond special therapies are successful in about 85 percent of the patients with psychosomatic diseases, neuroses and depressions. However, the most important factor in the success of therapy depends upon the personality of the attending doctor and not on his technical skill.
