The studies on the effects of balneotherapy in combination with other therapies (kinesitherapy, bath agents, diet therapy, pharmaceutical therapy, climatotherapy and phototherapy, and multiple therapies) published in past two decades have been reviewed. The effects of the combined baleotherapies on diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, psoriasis vulgaris, atopic dermatitis, ankylosing spondylitis, stiff neck, chronic back pain, peripheral circulatory failure, emphysema, bronchial asthma, and fibromyalgia syndrome have been suggested or evidenced. The health promotion effects of combined balneotherapies among healthy or ill-healthy persons have also been showed.

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  水中歩行が下肢筋活動に与える効果を調べる目的で、健常女性5名を対象に陸上および水中での前・後・側方歩行時の下肢筋活動を比較・検討した。測定方法は、陸上自由歩行、水中自由歩行、水中努力性歩行とし、水深は臍部で約50％の免荷とした。歩行時の下肢筋電図は、中殿筋・内側広筋・大腿二頭筋長頭・股関節内転筋群・前脛骨筋・腓腹筋内側頭を測定した。
  その結果、陸上自由歩行に比べ水中自由歩行では筋活動がほとんど同等か減少した。そして、陸上自由歩行に比べ水中努力性歩行の前方歩行では中殿筋を除く大腿部の筋群と前脛骨筋、後方・側方歩行では大腿二頭筋長頭・股関節内転筋群の筋活動の増加が認められた。また大腿二頭筋長頭と股関節内転筋群では、全ての歩行パターンにおいて陸上自由歩行よりも水中努力性歩行で筋活動が有意に増加していた。中でも大腿二頭筋長頭では水中努力性後方歩行、股関節内転筋群では水中努力性側方歩行が最も大きな筋活動を示した。以上より、水中努力性歩行は筋力トレーニングに有用であると考えられ、特に大腿二頭筋長頭には水中努力性後方歩行、股関節内転筋群には水中努力性側方歩行が最も有効となり、選択的な筋力トレーニングの可能性を示唆した。

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Introduction
  Seifu, devised in 1992 by Xu, is a method of treatment through “pulling the skin”, unlike the approaches of treatment adopted in Shiatsu, massage, or acupuncture. This paper reports our recent evaluations of the effects of Seifu on the blood pressure, pain, and edema.
Materials and Methods
  The blood pressure was measured before and after Seifu in 36 individuals (mean age : 78.6±6.6 years) who underwent Seifu for 5 sessions or more. The effects on edema were evaluated in 14 individuals aged 45-90. Changes in the severity of edema following Seifu were analyzed. The effects on pain were evaluated in two ways.
1) Effects on acute pain
  The effects on pain arising from injection into the knee were evaluated in three groups of patients with osteoarthritis of the knee: Group A (injection after the application of Seifu to the acupuncture point Gohkoku (LI4); n=7, mean age: 72.8±2.8 years), Group B (injection after the application of Seifu to the area around the knee; n=198, mean age: 75.3±9.1 years) and Group C (injection after the application of Seifu to the acupuncture point Saninkoh (SP6) ; n=62, mean age: 75.0±7.5 years).
2) Effects on subcuate and chronic pain
  Pain was evaluated before and after Seifu using a visual analog scale (VAS) in 103 patients with some subacute or chronic pain(n=594, mean age: 73.4±12.4 years).
Results
1. Blood pressure
  The blood pressure decreased significantly in 5 and increased significantly in the normal range in 1 of the 36 subjects. No significant change in the blood pressure was noted in the other 30 subjects.
2. Edema
  Seifu was effective against pitting edema. However, in pateints followed for long periods of time after the surgical treatment of breast cancer, the skin hardness decreased but edema showed no marked reduction. Seifu exerted no effect on Quincke edema.
3. Pain
1) Acute pain
  Pain at the time of injection was not alleviated in Group A. Pain at the time of injection was alleviated in 73.3% of the subjects from Group B and 69.4% from Group C. This percenatge did not differ significantly between Groups B and C.
2) Subacute and chronic pain
  Mean VAS±SD decreased significantly from 6.6±2.0 before to 3.4±1.8 after Seifu (p<0.001).
Discussion
  Seifu was shown to be effective against pitting edema. In cases where lymph ducts and vascular walls are intact, edema is expected to be alleviatedl by the Seifu-induced activation of lymph system autotransportation and its milking action on veins.
Seifu seems to alleviate pain via the mechanism proposed in the gate control theory.
Conclusion
  Seifu is simple to apply and effective against pitting edema and pain, without exhibiting adverse effects on the blood pressure.

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Aim
  The study aimed to develop an appropriate in vivo rat model of muscle strain to investigate whether electroacupuncture is useful for improving muscle strain.
Methods
  An in vivo muscle strain model was developed with Wistar rats by the eccentric contraction (EC) evoked by pulling their hind limb with a stainless-steel wire that was connected to a weight; the EC was given under anesthesia during tetanic contraction in their gastrocnemius evoking by electrical stimulation of the sciatic nerve. Development of muscle strain was evaluated by comparing the muscle tension induced by the twitch of the gastrocnemius, pain thresholds measured using the Randall-Selitto test, and the serum creatine kinase (CK) activity between the following three experimental groups : EC×1 group, EC was temporarily evoked to their hind limb only once (n=10); EC×5 group, EC was temporarily evoked to their hind limb five times consecutively (n=6); and control group, EC was not evoked to their hind limb (n=6). After confirming the absence of a significant difference in the parameters between the two EC conditions, the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) was evaluated using the model of one-time EC (EA group n=10). At 12 hours after EC, EA was carried out at a frequency of 50 Hz and an intensity of 0.5 mA for 15 min; this stimulation was given for six consecutive days.
Results
  Muscle tension, pain thresholds, and the CK activity showed no remarkable changes in the control group during the experimental period. A significant decrease in the muscle tension was observed after EC in the EC×1 and EC×5 groups, and the decrease sustained until 48 and 24 hours after EC, respectively. Pain thresholds in the EC×1 and EC×5 groups were significantly lower than those in the control group at each of the time periods studied after EC, and were sustained at least until 120 hours after EC. The CK activity increased in the EC×1 and the EC×5 groups at 30 minutes after EC. Recovery in muscle tension after EC was faster in the EA group than in the EC×1 group. Pain thresholds also showed faster recovery in the EA group than in the EC×1 group, indicating statistically significant differences at 72, 96, and 120 hours after EC.
Discussion
  The in vivo rat model, which was developed in the present study, was considered to be an appropriate model of muscle strain because it clearly showed a decrease in the muscle tension and pain thresholds, and an elevation in the CK activity. EA was considered to be capable of accelerating the recovery of muscle strain as it was found to improve muscle tension and pain thresholds in the model.

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Backgrounds : The one of the leading factors of deteriorating condition is upper respiratory tract infections (URTI) in athletes. Athletes who are forced in regularly intensive training often decrease salivary secretory immunoglobulin A (SIgA) which has important role of immune function in the buccal cavity. It causes increase of morbidity risk in URTI. Acupuncture treatment is one of the conditioning methods in the competition field and mainly treated for orthopedic injuries. On the other hands, acupuncture treatment induced increase of natural healing ability which involved immune response, and prevent and treat some diseases. It has been reported acupuncture increase SIgA level. However, the relationship between time course and diagnostic of cold by the acupuncture stimulation effect is still unclear. Thus, the purpose of this measurement is to investigate the effect of acupuncture stimulation on the SIgA during training camp. Furthermore, it is important to investigate questionnaire about diagnostic of cold during and 1 week after training camp, it leads to clear the effect of acupuncture stimulation on the URTI.
Methods : Eighty subjects men who have auditory difficulties (26.7±0.9 yr[±SE]) participated in this study. The subjects were randomly assigned two groups; acupuncture group and control group. The training camp conducted 3 days and training performed 3 hours each in the morning and afternoon. Acupuncture stimulation was applied at LU 6 (Kongzui), LI 4 (Hegu), ST 36 (Zusanli), and ST 6 (Jiache), for 30 min after dinner. To measure SIgA level, saliva samples were taken 7 times; daytime and evening of first day (Day1(D), Day1(E)), morning, daytime and evening of the second day (Day2(M), Day2(D), Day2(E)), morning and daytime in the third day (Day3(M), Day3(D)). The questionnaire about diagnostic of cold was conducted Day1(D), Day2(M), Day3(M) and 1 week after training camp.
Results : The secretion rate of SIgA in the control was not significantly changed during training camp. However, the acupuncture group was significantly higher level in the Day2(M) and Day3(M) compared to the Day1(D) (P<0.05). Both control and acupuncture group was significantly higher SIgA concentration in Day2(M) and Day3(M) compared to the Day1(D) (P<0.05), but acupuncture group was significantly higher in the Day3(M) compared to the control. The frequency of diagnostic cold was 1 in the acupuncture group and 4 in the control group. Moreover, 1 week after training camp, 6 in the acupuncture group and 6 in the control.
Conclusion : Acupuncture stimulation induced significant increase SIgA level during training camp. Moreover, the diagnostic of cold was lower during training camp in the acupuncture group. Therefore, acupuncture stimulation might reduce the risk of the morbidity of the URTI.

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Purpose : Recently, it has been reported that insulin resistance was revealed among non-PCOS women with ovulation disorder. There have been many relevant reports so far that glucose metabolism and lipid metabolism were improved by acupuncture therapy. In this research, therefore, it was examined if acupuncture therapy is effective for glucose metabolism or menstrual cycle disorder of women with ovulation disorder.
Method : We had thirty three adult female measured their basal body temperature (BBT) for three months. Six of them whose BBT showed a normal menstrual cycle were put into a control group, and seven who didn’t show the high temperature phase were put into an abnormal group. Each group was given 75g of glucose tolerance test (OGTT) and their blood glucose level and insulin level were compared. Also, the abnormal group had acupuncture therapies for about a year, and their menstrual cycle, blood glucose level and serum insulin level were compared between before and after the series of therapies.
Results : The comparison of the blood glucose level at 30 minutes, 60 minutes, 120 minutes and serum insulin level at 120 minutes between the control group and the abnormal group showed that they were significantly higher in the abnormal group. (The blood glucose level at 30 minutes : 113±16.0 mg/dl vs. 142.4±22.0 mg/dl, p<0.01, the blood glucose level at 60 minutes : 91.6±21.2 mg/dl vs. 128.2±47.9 mg/dl, p<0.01, the blood glucose level at 120 minutes : 84.1±9.1 mg/dl vs. 123.2±32.6mg/dl, p<0.01, serum insulin level at 120 minutes : 35.3±14.5 μU/ml vs. 55.0±17.5μU/ml, p<0.01) The comparison between before and after the therapies of the abnormal group showed that they were significantly lower at the blood glucose level at 30 minutes, 120 minutes and serum insulin level at 30 minutes, 120 minutes. (The blood glucose level at 30 minutes : 142.4±22.0 mg/dl vs. 119.8±26.6mg/dl, p<0.01, the blood glucose level at 120 minutes : 123.2±32.6 mg/dl vs. 94.2±18.7 mg/dl, p<0.01, serum insulin level at 30 minutes : 74.2±50.0μU/ml vs. 54.5±29.1μU/ml, p<0.01, serum insulin level at 120 minutes : 55.0±17.5μU/ml vs. 37.3±13.3μU/ml, p<0.05) The number of days of menstmal cycle became significantly shorter and the high temperature phase became significantly longer after the series of therapies. (Cycle : 110.8±124.7 days vs. 37.7±13.0 days, p<0.03, number of days of high temperature : 0 days vs. 7.5±4.5 days, p<0.03)
Conclusion : It was suggested that acupuncture has a possibility to work effectively for improving glucose metabolism disorder and menstrual cycle for women with ovulation disorder.

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