The Actual Health Conditions of Taxi Drivers and Acupuncture Treatment Osaka
10.3777/jjsam.31.185
- VernacularTitle:タクシー労働者の健康実態と鍼灸治療
- Author:
Masashi Ogiwara
;
Shuji Shimonaka
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- From:Journal of the Japan Society of Acupuncture and Moxibustion
1981;31(2):185-196
- CountryJapan
- Language:Japanese
-
Abstract:
For 2 years beginning in Nov., 1979, at Suminoe Acupuncture-Moxibustion Center with the cooperation of the Western Osaka Local Committee Osaka Associated Branch of the National Automobile Transportation labor Union using union member taxi drivers as subjects we tackled health problems with a focus on acupuncture-moxibustion. This was an attempt to effectively use the preventative aspects of acupuncture-moxibustion therapy.
In general taxi drivers' health disorders include chronic respiratory disease, gastro-duodenal problems, chronic liver disturbances, lumbago, whiplash injury, hypertension, etc. but they are also affected by sudden death and other changing social problems.
At this time we used as subjects of therapy and central health care problems those affected by the so-called “drivers' disease” syndrome, that is those with no specific disease, the so-called “half-healthy”. Over the course of about 2 years we have treated about 270 such patients. The half-healthy condition called drivers' disease can be classified according to symptoms the gastrointestinal symptoms group (diarrhea, constipation) cranial symptoms group (headache, heavy-headedness) circulatory organs symptoms group (palpitations, dizziness, dypsnea), motor symptoms group (aches and pain of the hands, feet and back), psychological symptoms group (sudden loss of temper, uncouthness) sensory organs symptoms group (eye fatigue, tinnitus) respiratory organ symptoms group (frequent colds) etc Symptoms often occur at times of fatigue. This disease is gradually becoming a fixed syndrome. It is a syndrome common to all the drivers we treated as subjects. We'd like to consider it a phenomenon arising from the peculiar character of the work of a taxi driver.
We are then at present administering acupuncture-moxibustion therapy to these “half-healthy” taxi drivers. What we are administering from the point of view of health control is preventative therapy and as such certain results are being obtained. At this time as our first report we'd like to try to talk about the health conditions of the taxi drivers and acupuncture therapy.
