[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to clarify the role of acupuncture and moxibustion in infertility treatment and to assess its use in nationwide infertility clinics, and also to discuss problems identified that affect the future of acupuncture and moxibustion in infertility treatment. [Subjects and Methods] From September 2015, an e-mailed anonymous questionnaire survey was conducted at 547 facilities listed on the Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology (JSOG) website, which included all of the following; "registration facility for clinical practice of in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer," "registration facility for cryopreservation and transplantation of human embryos and ova," and "registered facilities for micro-insemination." [Results] The effective questionnaire recovery rate was 28.5% (156/547), with physicians accounting for 82.7% of the respondents. The use of acupuncture and moxibustion in fertility treatment was acknowledged in 55.1% of the responses. However, only 8.3% of the facilities actually used acupuncture and moxibustion, and 72.0% had no plans to do so in future. Gynecological clinics were the most likely to use acupuncture and moxibustion, and there was a correlation between the status of acupuncture and moxibustion use and the type of hospital (p = 0.037). In addition, there was a relationship between the use of acupuncture and moxibustion and the information source (p = 0.0009). "Relieving mental stress" was the most cited reason for the use of acupuncture and moxibustion at 75.9%, and the prevalent reason for not using it was "because there was not enough evidence for acupuncture and moxibustion as an effective treatment" at 59.3%. [Conclusion] Although only a small number of clinics use acupuncture and moxibustion in infertility treatment, it is necessary to demonstrate the effectiveness of these modalities based on evidence, such as seen in comparative studies, in a way that is easy for physicians and patients to understand. Also, if acupuncturists can start to exchange opinions and information on fertility treatment at the same level as other medical workers, the possibility of using it in clinics and the amount of acupuncture clinics that treat cases in cooperation with infertility clinics will increase. Therefore, there is a need to improve the level of communication between acupuncturists themselves as well as between them and other medical co-workers.

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[Objective] An esthetic salon may perform acupuncture in combination with facial care. Furthermore, it may perform acupuncture independently. The aim of this study was to examine the degree of satisfaction with the combined esthetic acupuncture and independent acupuncture, focusing on facial regions. [Methods] We included 44 women (mean age, 44.1 ± 10.1 years) undergoing facial care. All participants provided informed consent. The study protocol was approved by the Ethics Committee of Morinomiya University of Medical Sciences. For 13 persons, after an esthetician performed facial care (30 min), a practitioner performed acupuncture (30 min; combined group [CG]). For 31 persons (single group [SGn a practitioner performed acupuncture without facial care. All subjects were evaluated by a facial check sheet (FCS) developed by the authors that included the following items: wrinkles around the eyes, wrinkles between the eyebrows, amount of wrinkles, nasolabial sulcus, middle cheek line, marionette line, sagging around the eyes, sagging of the cheek, sagging of the corners of the mouth, face lines, skin tone (dull skin color), and macules. Items on FCS were scored on a 5-point ordinal scale: 1 = excellent; 2 = good; 3 = average; 4 = below average; and 5 = poor. We recorded FCS scores before (pre) and after (post) the operation and compared CG and SG using the two-way mixed-model analysis of variance, and performed Welch's test before and after the operation in each group (CG and SG). [Results] The FCS score changed from 4.24 ± 0.2 pre-operation to 2.55 ± 0.2 post-operation in CG and from 3.47 ± 0.2 pre-operation to 2.48 ± 0.1 post-operation in SG. The "worrisome state" of the face improved. Moreover, an interaction was seen in pre-operation and post-operation states between the groups. [Conclusion] The degree of satisfaction with the face was better in CG than in SG.

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[Introduction] This study explored acupuncture systems in several developed European countries, including the UK, Germany, and France. By analyzing the survey results, we examined issues pertinent to the expansion and development of the acupuncture system in Japan. [Method] Researchers used the websites of PubMed.gov, scholar.google.com, and google.com to search for publications from the UK, Germany, and France in 2019. The search terms included "acupuncture," "regulation," "license," "education," "health insurance," and "survey." [Results] In all three countries, medical professionals, such as physicians, perform acupuncture at medical facilities, and if the relevant conditions are met, acupuncture treatment is covered by a health insurance system. In the UK and Germany, non-medical professionals perform acupuncture outside healthcare facilities without medical insurance coverage. Non-medical professionals in the UK receive professional education in acupuncture at colleges, and after graduation, they join a self-regulatory organization and receive annual lifelong training. Additionally, physicians in the UK are educated and certified by professional acupuncture associations. In Germany and France, physicians receive two to three years of postgraduate training in acupuncture and receive a certification or diploma upon completion. In the UK and France, physicians receive training on medical acupuncture - acupuncture using the principles of evidence-based medicine. Approximately 60% of UK physicians use acupuncture, 30% of general practitioners in Germany have an acupuncture certification, and 2%-34% of French physicians use acupuncture. Although 12% of patients with chronic pain utilize acupuncture in the UK and France, 16% choose to access it in Germany. In the UK, 24% of those who have undergone acupuncture have been advised to specifically receive such services from a physician. In Germany, 62% of those who have undergone acupuncture or acupressure have also been advised to specifically receive such services from a physician. [Conclusion] For acupuncture development in Japan, the following four objectives reflected in the European acupuncture system must be met: 1) Acupuncture must be applied at medical facilities and covered by a medical insurance system, 2) Physicians must recognize the validity of acupuncture treatment and acupuncturists, 3) Education on acupuncture as a Western form of medicine must be offered to physicians, and 4) Acupuncturists should join a self-regulatory organization that will be tasked with conducting annual lifelong training.

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[Objectives] In this study, acupuncture was applied to patients who were diagnosed with seborrheic dermatitis and had tried drugs, diets, supplements, shampoos, and other methods for four years, but these methods did not respond effectively to desquamation of the scalp. Then we examined the effects of acupuncture on seborrheic dermatitis. [Materials and Methods] Medical treatment was given to a 40-year-old male patient whose condition was regarded as a heat pattern by four consultations. The acupuncture points used were SP9, LU5, BL13, and BL20 for the purpose of conducting heat, and LI11, GB34, and SP6 for the purpose of conducting moist heat, and LR3, LI4, and BL17 for the purpose of dispersing depressed liver-energy, and PC6, and GV40 for the purpose of quieting the heart. The acupuncture needle was placed in a supine position for 30 minutes and a prone position for 10 minutes. Treatment period was 6 months from March to August X, and intervention was performed twice a week using the ABA method, with the intervention period one, non-intervention period, and intervention period two each lasting for two months. Regarding the amount of desquamation, a black towel was laid above the shoulder at bedtime, and a photograph of the towel was taken the next morning and changes in the shape of the desquamation was recorded. In addition, the amount of desquamation was measured daily using a digital scale. Thus, the change in amount of desquamation during the intervention period and the non-intervention period and the average value for one month were obtained, and the results were examined. [Results] The amount of desquamation was 0.379 g in March, 0.047 g in April, 0.050 g in May and 0.135 g in June, and 0.031 g in July and 0.026 g in August. In Intervention one, the amount of desquamation decreased at two months of treatment and more than doubled at two months of non-intervention. It decreased again in Intervention two and the amount was lowest in the last month. [Discussion] The reason for the decrease in desquamation during the intervention period was appropriate for dialectic argument, acupuncture method, and acupuncture time. It was thought that these acted comprehensively. [Conclusion] Regular acupuncture has been suggested as an effective method for treating seborrheic dermatitis.

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This paper introduces acupuncture medicine in Tsuchiya method which is one of the major acupuncture practical methods educated and practiced in A.P.A.E.Medical Doctors Group, Federacao Portuguesa de Medicina Integrativa and Clinica Tsuchiya in Portugal. A.P.A.E.Medical Doctors Group is a major acupuncture medicine association in Portugal with a focus on medical acupuncture. Tsuchiya method is a series of the practical clinical methods in acupuncture derived from clinical achievements and research in Clinica Tsuchiya and Hospital Saint Louis over 40 years in mainly Portugal by Prof.Dr.Mitsuharu Tsuchiya (anesthesiologist). The most frequently used acupuncture technique in Tsuchiya method is a unique intermittent high-frequency electro-acupuncture stimulation named "Pica-Pau", and the combination treatment (in a narrow sense) of Pica-Pau and low-frequency electro-acupuncture stimulation is a characteristic of Tsuchiya method. Combination treatment (in a broad sense) in which "Pica-Pau" and low-frequency electro-acupuncture combined with 1) ordinary acupuncture, 2) moxibustion, 3) hot pack or icing, 4) simultaneous or exchange stimulation of hot pack/icing, 5) acupressure, 6) intradermal acupuncture, 7) taping and 8)pricking bloodletting method etc. is also important. In addition, patients with various diseases and symptoms are receiving acupuncture in Clinica Tsuchiya etc., and it is not uncommon that clinical effects of acupuncture last for a long time. Therefore, it seems that many patients have great hopes for acupuncture in Portugal. In order to explain wide-range and long-term effects of acupuncture including acupuncture medicine in Tsuchiya method, as hypothesis, I consider that it is necessary to conduct research and consideration regarding acupuncture effects from viewpoints of 1)Relationship between local area and whole body (direct and indirect effect), 2)Interaction of each part of human body, and 3)Long-term effect (compound effects) etc.. Lastly, I hope that acupuncture will be properly evaluated all over the world, and fully utilized for the benefits of patients and societies.

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