The effects of Qi Gong health maintenance exercises were compared with a control group of walkers considered to have an equivalent amount of exercise, by measuring the changes in the pulse, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure and peripheral circulation.
Although no significant differences were seen in either the pulse or blood pressure of the control group of walkers when the before and after exercise values were compared, in the Qi Gong group, a decrease in these values was seen over time, with significant decreases from the pre-exercise values indicated in all values 30 minutes after exercise. This is consistent with the findings in a previous report that there was a significant reduction in catecholamine in the Qi Gong group 30 minutes after performing Qi Gong exercises.
When the flow rate of the peripheral circulation was measured using Doppler ultrasound equipment, in comparison with the lack of notable change over time seen in the control group, a significant improvement in the peripheral circulation was suggested for the Qi Gong group when the pre- and post- exercise values were compared. It has also been suggested that Qi Gong health maintenance exercises lower stress hormones and act to improve the peripheral blood circulation; a discussion of which is also included in this paper.

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Five cases are reported where Daiobushi-to was used for prevention of ileus. The abdominal symptoms that had occurred daily disappeared, and ileus did not recur.
The first case was a 78-year-old female. She had had a uterine myomectomy 23 years previously, and had suffered from ileus repeatedly since then. In November of 1987, she was admitted to the emergency room of the author's hospital for abdominal pain and vomiting. Slight relief of the abdominal pain and vomiting was obtained upon administration of Daikenchu-to via enema, but the Kampo formula was changed to Daiobushi-to due to a lack of bowel movements. Progress has been normal for seven years after this.
The second case was a 34-year-old male. In 1986 he received emergency surgery for a punctured duodenal ulcer. After surgery, he experience attacks of abdominal pain that would appear and disappear. In July of 1989, he was admitted to the hospital complaining of abdominal pain and vomiting. He was diagnosed as having ileus and given a Daikenchu-to enema. Shakuyakukanzo-to-go-Daiobushi-to was also administered, and, five years later, he continues to progress well.
Case 3 was an 87-year-old male who came to the hospital complaining of repetitative ileus. In 1975 he underwent partial gastrectomy for stomach cancer. After surgery he would have to be hospitalized once or twice a year for ileus. In 1984, following unsuccessful preventative treatment, he had surgery for ileus. However, despite the surgery he continued to suffer from symptoms of ileus, finally coming to the authors' clinic in March of 1990. First, Daikenchu-to-go-shokenchu-to was administered for one year, during which ileus did not occur, but in October of 1991 he had a reccurrence requiring hospitalization in the author's department. After a Daikenchu-to enema, Daiobushi-to was administered. He has been free of recurrence for the three years since he was released from the hospital, and has continued to do well up until the present.
Case 4 was a 67-year-old female, who came to the author's department to receive treatment for recurring ileus. She had had a total hysterectomy in 1970 for uterine cancer, and had also recienved radiation therapy. Five years after surgery, she began to suffer form repetitative ileus. Now, two and a half years after commencement of Daiobushi-to administration, her progress is good.
Case 5 was a 70-year-old female who had undergone a partial gastrectomy for stomach cancer in 1992. She began to suffer from constipation after surgery, and developed ileus two months after surgery, requiring emergency hospitalization. She was given Daiobushi-to and has been progressing well for the two years since then.

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A taste survey was conducted on decocted Kampo medicines, and the strength and weakness of the taste on each decoction expressed numerically. This data was used to construct a decocted Kampo medicine taste rank table and a table summarizing the tastes for the different Kampo decoctions.
The taste rank table and the summary table can be used to know the taste of the Kampo formula being administered to the Patient, and are therefore thought to be useful in Kampo treatment and as administration guidelines.

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In their infant years, physically handicapped children have a tendency to develop infections, otitis media, tonsillitis and acute sinusitis repeatedly because their physical development is retarded and metabolism poor.
A combination of shosaiko-to and Shokenchu-to were prescribed to a 3-year-old boy with Down's syndrome. and a 2-year-old boy with cerebral palsy. They caught fewer colds, stopped contracting infections, and digestive symptoms were ameliorated. When the sho, or Kampo diagnostic procedure, was followed in the administration of the above combination or other Kampo formulas during infection remission, they were effective in improving weak constitutions.
When a combination of Shosaiko-to and Keishikashakuyaku-to were prescribed for a mantally handicapped 14-year-old boy who suffered from frequent colds and acute sinusitis, good results were obtained. Although the patient's physical development was normal, he became weak due to his poor basic physical habits, such as snacking, which arose from his retarded mental development.

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Four cases of atopic dermatitis successfully treated with the Kampo formula Tokaku-joki-to are reported. Case 1 was a 25-year-old woman who had been suffering from atopic dermatitis since she was in lower elementary school. She came to our clinic in July of 1992. She complained of intense itching of the neck and area around the mouth. Her abdominal tension was moderate, and there was para-umbilical and caecal tenderness. The patient complained of constipation and dysmenorrhea. After four weeks of Tokaku-joki-to administration, the dermatitis improved markedly. After two years of treatment with this formula, she is progressing favorably.
Case 2 was a 14-year-old girl, who had suffered from atopic dermatitis since she was 3 months old. She first came to our clinic in January of 1993. The dermatitis was located in the upper extremities, face and neck. She also had experienced flushing, para-umbilical tenderness and constipation. After two weeks of administration of Tokaku-joki-to, her dermatitis improved remarkably, although she still experienced flushing. Ryokei-mikan-to was added to the formula for the flushing.
Case 3 was a 28-year-old woman who had suffered from atopic dermatitis since she was 3 years old. She consulted our clinic in October, 1993. The dermatitis was located on her face and elbow. She had tenderness around the paraumbilical, caecal and sigmoid regions. The patient is progressing favorably with Tokaku-joki-to administration.
Case 4 was a 26-year-old woman. She had had atopic dermatitis since she was young, and came to our clinic in October of 1993. The dermatitis was on the upper extremities, face and back. At first we prescribed Toki-inshi, but this formula was not effective. The formula was changed to Tokaku-joki-to and the dermatitis improved remarkably after about three months of treatment.
This is the first report of administering Tokaku-joki-to for atopic dermatitis. Based on the clinical study involving the four cases described above, we propose the following indications for use of Tokaku-joki-to for atopic dermatitis: 1) the dermatitis is located on the upper part of the body, 2) there is flushing, with a feeling of coldness in the lower extremities, 3) there is tenderness around the para-umbilical, caecal and sigmoid regions, and 4) there is a tendency towards constipation.

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Extract preparations of Shosaiko-to and Keishi-ka-shakuyaku-to were simultaneously prescribed to 34 patients with trigeminal neuralgia. The efficacy of these kampo formulas on painful paroxysms was evaluated two weeks after commencement of formula administration.
In 11 out of 19 patients who were also taking carbamazepine (CBZ), dosage reduction or elimination of CBZ administration became possible; from the changes seen in the symptoms, Kampo treatment was thought to be effective in 14 of these cases. Of the 11 cases receiving Kampo alone, reduction in pain or elimination of pain was seen in 8 cases.
Excluding 4 cases where effectiveness could not be evaluated, the overall efficacy rate for Shosaiko-to/Keishi-ka-shakuyaku-to was determined to be 73% (22/30 cases).
Many basic and clinical studies have verified that Shosaiko-to-go-Keishi-ka-shakuyaku-to acts as an anticonvulsant. There are several common pharmacological characteristics between CBZ, the standard treatment for trigeminal neuralgia, and Shosaiko-to-go-Keishi-ka-shakuyaku-to. The formulas Shosaiko-to and Keishi-ka-shakuyaku-to used by themselves or in combination with CBZ were therefore thought to be a safe and effective option for the treatment of trigeminal neuralgia.

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We present here an interesting case of anorexia nervosa that was well controlled by Ancyu-san, a traditional Japanese herbal medicine. A 17-year-old student was re-admitted to our department in December of 1990, because of anorexia and eating disorders. She had lost approximately 12kg body weight during 3 months. She was 154cm tall and weighed 26kg. Her blood pressure was 75/40mmHg, her pulse rate was 30beats/min, and her body temparature was 34.4°C. She was extremely emaciated and hyperactive. On oriental examination, a shallow complexion, a cold feeling in the limbs, postprandial headaches, and a feeling of obstruction of the external ear. Her pulse was slow and feeble. Abdominal examination revealed that the abdominal strength was reduced to 2/5 with Inai-teisui (abdominal water and gas retention). Based on these findings, this case was diagnosed as Deficient Spleen and Stomach due to Deficient Ki and Blood combined with Stagnated Ki, and therefore a candidate for the Kampo formula Ancyu-san. The patient began medication in January 1991. Her appetite improved gradually and her body weight increased from 26kg to 47kg in two months.

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The subject of this study was a 64-year-old male. He had experienced a sensation of abdominal fullness during treatment for chronic hepatitis C at a neighborhood clinic. He was referred to our hospital for work-up upon discovery of elevated AFP.
Examination on admission revealed abdominal swelling, ascites and marked swelling of the liver. The AFP was 11, 535ng/ml. A tumor measuring 9 by 8 centimeters was revealed in the right lobe of the liver on the CT scan, and there were many metastatic lesion 1cm in diameter in both the lung field. Since the liver tumor was considered unresectable, in August 1992, MMC and ADM were administered intraarterially just once at doses of 10 and 20mg, respectively. At the end of August, oral administration of UFT at a dose of 600mg/day was started.
The patient was discharged after 3 weeks of treatment, but the administration of 300mg/day of UFT was continued, Since hepatic function tended to be aggravated, administration of Shosaiko-to (EK-9) was commenced at a dose of 6g/day. With the combination therapy, the symptoms were gradually relieved and the subjective symptoms disappeared. In September 1992 (8 months after initiation of Shosaiko-to administration), the shadows due to lung metastasis were absent on the chest x-ray examination, and the CT scan turned negative for the tumor in the right lobe. AFP and PIVKA-II decreased below 11.7ng/ml and 0.06AU/ml, respectively. As of December 1994, the patient is still on combination therapy consisting of Shosaiko-to and UFT. Neither adverse reactions such as weight loss have been induced nor has the tumor returned. The general condition of the patient is good.
The results obtained in this case suggest that Shosaiko-to and UFT in combination are effective in treating liver carcinoma.

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Saiko-sokan-to has been traditionally used for the amelioration of symptoms such as anxiety, insomnia, Shigyaku-san-sho (sho = pattern of symptoms determined by Kampo diagnosis) with left hypochondralgia and Shigyaku-san-sho with a feeling of obstruction in the costal region. However, there are still aspects that remain to be elucidated concerning the indications for this formula.
This study involved 7 cases with stiff shoulders, headaches, abdominal distension, meteorism and flushing which responded to Saiko-sokan-to. The experience of these cases suggests that conditions indicating Saiko-sokan-to have the following features: (1) there is resistance or tenderness upon pressure in the subcostal region (traditionally referred to as Kyokyokuman), (2) there is resistance or tenderness upon pressure in the epigastric region (traditionally referred to as Shinkahiko), (3) there are signs of Ki-depression, (4) for severe “blood stagnation” syndrome (traditionally called oketsu), Ikkando Saiko-sokan-to was found to be more effective than Igakutoshi Saiko-sokan-to.

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The author evaluated the immediate effect of a single dose of Kakkon-to-ka-senkyu-shin'i on nasal obstructin in a 26-year-old male patient with exacerbated nasal allergy symptoms. A 100mm-linear visual analogue scale (VAS: 0=complete nasal patency and 100=complete nasal obstruction while breathing through both nostrils with the mouth closed) was used for subjective measurement of nasal sensation of airflow. At the same time, acoustic rhinometry was performed to objectively measure the minimum cross-sectional area (MCA) and cavity volume (NCV) of the nose.
1) The VAS score decreased linearly from 47 to 43 for the first 70 minutes after the medication was administered. During this period, the linear regression was significant (p<0.05). After the first 70 minutes, the VAS score started to increase.
2) Right+left MCA and right+left NCV increased linearly in the same period, 0.24cm²to 0.39cm² and 11.47cm³ to 13.74cm³, respectively. These slopes were also significant by linear regression analysis (p<0.05. respectively). Both of these values started decreasing after this period. These findings were in close agreement with those obtained in the simultaneous VAS study.
In conclusion, Kakkon-to-ka-senkyu-shin'i apparently produced an immediate effect on allergy-induced nasal obstruction in a patient who recovered his nasal patency within an hour after administration, although the effect was not long-lasting.

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In this paper, we report four patients with chronic respiratory diseases who improved by administration of Bukuryo-kyonin-kanzo-to.
A 66-year-old female diagnosed as bronchial asthma could increase the peak flow rate and stopped western medicines by its administration. A 63-year-old female suspected to have cough variant asthma and an 08-year-old female diagnosed as having bronchiectasia with cough and dyspnea on exertion improved gradually after a few months of treatment. A 62-year-old female diagnosed as having interstitial pneumonia with systemic sclerosis showed improvement of cough and dyspnea. The erythrocyte sedimentaion rate and serum lactate dehydrogenase decreased and arterial oxygen pressure increased by its administration. This report and past reports seem to indicate that a patient profile which can be expected to be responsive to this formula is: elderly female, cough worse at night, chest dyspnea, and epigastric tenderness and muscle guarding. This drug was considered to have wider applications for chronic respiratory disease.

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Choto-san was given to a patient with narcolepsy. Four days later, symptoms such as paroxysmal sleep, impulsive cataplexy and hypnagogic hallucinations had disappeared.
In the Kampo treatment of narcolepsy, although there have been reports of remarkable reduction in symptoms upon administration of Kakkon-to 1) 3) and Hochuekki-to-ka-miho 4), this is the first report of the symptoms disappearing so rapidly upon administration of Choto-san.

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A study was carried out on the efficacy of a combination of Keishi-to and Maobushisaishin-to extract, which is a variation of Keikyososooshinbu-to. Remarkable improvement was seen when a combination of these extracte was administered to 15 cases (headaches, colds, rhinitis, feeling chilled, diarrhea, etc.) which exhibited a disk-shaped area of resistence in the epigastrium, a typical indication for the use of Keikyososooshinbu-to, as well as a tendency to feel chilled or coldness in the hands or feet. The progress of two of these cases (headache, diarrhea) are reported. The results suggested that the symptoms indicating the use of the combination of the two formulas were similar to those associated with Keikyososooshinbushi-to, and that if the differences between the two formulas is taken into consideration, the combination of Kelshi-to and Maobushisaishin-to extracts can be used as a variation of Keikvososoonshinbushi-to.

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In order to evaluate the “Sho” (Kampo diagnosis) objectively, the authors attempted to quantify patients in a hypertension patient group by means of the quantification III method.
The first axis of symptom values expressed Deficient/Excessive tendency. On scattergrams comprised of the first-second, first-third, and second-third axes, it was found that the symptoms were separated in some groups according to differences in their “patterns of appearance.” Furthermore, the group of symptoms nearly corresponded to the Oriental medicial concepts of Kan-utsu (Stagnation of the Liver), Kikyo (Qi deficiency) and Jinkyo (Kidney Deficiency).
These results suggest that we can use the quantificatiom III method to objectively evaluate the “Sho” and distinguish the appearance patterns of symptoms.

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We sent out questionnaires to out-patients that were receiving treatment at our Kampo clinic to determine their level of awareness concerning Kampo medicine.
The patients were particularly concerned about side effects, and the most frequent reason given for choosing Kampo was that it had few side effects. Although most felt that there were almost no side effects associated with Kampo, there were some that thought Kampo had absolutely no side effects, or that it could cause serious side effects. These responses indicate the need to explain any potential side effects fully to patients. Also among the responses were criticisms of Western medicine, people who reported that Western medicine had not helped them and those that felt they could not rely on Western medicine.
The expectations in Kampo for disease treatment were high, and the effectivectiveness of treatment was also highly rated. Moreover, there were expectations in other aspects of Kampo medicine that cannot be found in Western medicine, such as improvement of the constitution, health maintenance, disease prevention and increased stamina. The responses indicated that patients seeking treatment by Kampo were not satisfied with Western medicine, and were looking for a treatment method they could rely on in Kampo medicine.

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