Health promotion programs based on traditional medicine

2005 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary

• Project/Area Number: 15500494
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Applied health science
• Research Institution: Meiji University of Oriental Medicine
• Principal Investigator: YANO Tadashi Meiji University of Oriental Medicine, Department of Health Promoting Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Professor, 鍼灸学部, 教授 (70166560)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): HIRO Masaki Meiji University of Oriental Medicine, Department of Health Promoting Acupuncture and Moxibustion, associate professor, 助教授 (80218825) ; IWA Masahiro Meiji University of Oriental Medicine, Department of Health Promoting Acupuncture and Moxibustion, assistant professor, 講師 (60232633) ; ISHIZAKI Naoto Meiji University of Oriental Medicine, Department of Health Promoting Acupuncture and Moxibustion, associate professor, 助教授 (90212878) ; FUKUDA Fumihiko Meiji University of Oriental Medicine, Department of Health Promoting Acupuncture and Moxibustion, assistant professor, 講師 (80238485)
• Project Period (FY): 2003 – 2005
• Keywords: Traditional Medicine / Acupuncture and Moxibustion / Acupoint / Health Promotion

Research Abstract

In this study, we investigated evaluation of health using a health promotion program based on traditional medicine. We also studied the effects of acupoints therapy on various symptoms in a population of workers. In performing the study, we used common health questionnaires, including the Short Form 36 (SF-36), life-style related questionnaire, self rating depression scale, life-related satisfaction, and criteria for stress, and we also developed and used the Oriental Medicine-related health questionnaire (MOS). The results showed that more than 95% of the workers were healthy based on the commonly used health questionnaires : among the eight SF-36 subscales, only the "bodily pain" score was below the national average. Based on the oriental medicine questionnaire, stiffness and bodily pain due to accumulation of chronic fatigue were typically observed, and approximately 40% of the workers were judged to have a deficiency in yang (cold symptoms) and approximately 20% had a deficiency in yin (heat symptoms). We also investigated the effects of acupuncture therapy on various symptoms. Press needles (0.6mm in diameter) were applied to acupoints which were determined by oriental diagnosis, and used to treat the region of the body over two months. This therapy showed a tendency to decrease stiffness, bodily pain and general fatigue. However, deficiencies in yin and yang were not improved by acupuncture, suggesting that longer term acupuncture therapy may be needed. In conclusion, we suggest that health promotion programs that combine health evaluation with traditional medicine are useful.