Background : In the field of public health, public-private partnerships (PPPs) have become possible modalities in conducting health promotion policies. Sakai Town in Ibaraki Prefecture and DHC Corporation signed a comprehensive cooperation agreement with the aim of revitalizing the local community and promoting the health of residents.

Purpose : (1) To evaluate the efficacy and feasibility of a weight loss intervention program by Sakai Town as a PPP. (2) Development and promotion of a folate awareness project through PPPs to improve outcomes during pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum in Japan.

Methods : (1) Overweight or obese subjects, otherwise healthy, participated in the weight loss program by telephone and/or a personalized website to receive individual dietary counseling from medical professionals. Meal replacements, the ‘DHC Protein Diet’ series, were consumed once daily instead of regular meals. Anthropometric parameters and body composition were assessed before and after the 12-week weight-loss program. (2) The Health Division of Hiratsuka City in Kanagawa Prefecture and DHC Corporation discussed measures to resolve issues of maternal and child health through PPPs.

Results : (1) Eighty-seven participants completed the 12-week program. Compared with the baseline, significant decreases in BMI, body weight and waist circumference were observed. (2) The Health Division launched the Hiratsuka Folate Project to promote the proper intake of folate and use of folic acid supplements for maternal and child health.

Conclusion : The results demonstrated the efficacy and feasibility of health promotion policies by a local government with PPPs. Health care companies should play a pivotal role in realizing a healthy, long-lived society.

Objective : Okada Purifying Therapy (OPT) is classified as a type of biofield therapy and is practiced as a health method that enhances natural healing ability. We examined changes in programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) expressed on CD8⁺ T cells, and indexes of quality of life (QOL) and spirituality after the OPT practice.

Methods : We measured the percentage of PD-1^±CD8⁺ T cell of the peripheral blood in 44 healthy subjects who did not regularly receive OPT for 60 minutes daily for 3 months. We also used the 10-item MOA Quality of Life Questionnaire (MQL-10) and the 20-item SKY Spirituality Scale (SS-20) before and after the practice period of OPT in order to evaluate QOL and spirituality.

Results : There was no statistically significant changes in the proportion of PD-1⁺terminally differentiated CD8⁺ T cells after the daily practices of OPT. There were significant better changes of MQL-10 and SS-20 scores.

Discussion and Conclusion : Interpretation of the present results on immunity is difficult because the mechanism and clinical implications of the high PD-1⁺terminally differentiated CD8⁺ T-cell group may be different in cancer patients and healthy subjects in the present study. On the other hand, we found favorable changes in the indexes of QOL and spirituality. We believe it necessary to set up a control group and examine the association and causal relationship of each indicator in the future.

Background : Cannabidiol (CBD), a compound specifically contained in the cannabis plant, is used in other countries to relieve symptoms of pain, anxiety, and insomnia, in addition to being prescribed as an antiepileptic drug. In Japan, it has been widely distributed in recent years in foods, cosmetics, and luxury goods. However, there have been no studies on the uses, efficacy, and safety of CBD products in Japan.

Methods : We created an online survey soliciting responses through social media from August 16 to 31, 2021. We limited the respondents to those who had previously used CBD and excluded respondents who had consumed cannabis that contained Δ9-tetrahydrocannabionol (THC) in the past year.

Results : Of the 1,351 respondents, 799 were included in the analysis, 60.6% of whom were male, with an average age of 37.7 years. The most common uses for CBD were relaxation (77.8%), sleep (66.3%), anxiety (56.2%), health improvement (50.8%), and depression (47.8%). Respondents used CBD for an average of 5.5 different purposes. Respondents assessed the severity of their illness/health problem before and after CBD use. The percentage of respondents for whom the severity was alleviated by more than 50% was as follows : headache (70.9%), chronic pain (67.8%), sleep disturbances (67.4%), substance use disorder (66.7%), nerve pain (65.5%), depression (62.4%), anxiety (59.6%), joint pain (54.5%), collagen disease (50.0%), and skin disease (49.7%). Epilepsy scored 42.1% and asthma 37.8%. The incidence of adverse events was 7.4%, and none of them were considered serious.

Conclusion : In Japan, it is suggested that CBD products are used as a means of self-care mainly in the area of mental health, and that many users have experienced improvements in their symptoms.