| Research Abstract |
We developed a form of thermal therapy that differs from the traditional sauna, using a dry sauna at 60℃. In this study, we analyzed the effect of thermal therapy on chronic heart failure (CHF), peripheral arterial disease (PAD), chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), chronic pain, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Two-week thermal therapy improved ventricular arrhythmia and heart rate variability (SDNN)in patients with CHF. Furthermore, thermal therapy increased the serum concentration of ghrelin and growth hormone, and improved the appetite-loss in patients with CHF. In the animal study, thermal therapy increased the expression of nitric oxide synthase (eNOS)in aorta and plasma nitric oxide levels, and improved survival in TO-2 cardiomyopathic hamsters with CHF.
Unilateral hindlimb ischemia was induced in apolipoprotein E-deficient mice divided into control and thermal therapy groups. The latter mice received thermal therapy once daily for 5 weeks. Significantly greater blood
… More
flow and capillary density were seen in thermal therapy group. Western blotting showed thermal therapy markedly increased hindlimb eNOS expression. Thermal therapy did not increase angiogenesis in N^G-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME)treatment or in eNOS-deficient mice. We here found that angiogenesis was induced via eNOS using thermal therapy in mice with hindlimb ischemia. In addition, we confirmed that thermal therapy improved symptoms, status, and blood flow in patients with PAD.
Regarding psychosomatic diseases, repeated thermal therapy diminished appetite loss and subjective complaints in mildly depressive patients. The effects of thermal therapy on chronic pain and CFS were also revealed.
The repeated thermal therapy was found to improve right ventricular dP/dt, the pulmonary hypertension during exercise, exercise tolerance and St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ)scores in the patients with severe COPD.
In conclusion, thermal therapy may therefore be a novel, safe, and innovative therapy for patients with CHF, PAD, CFS, chronic pain, and COPD. Less
|
