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.

We investigated changes of the amperage on the dorsalis by the hand acupuncture under the condition of DC 12 volt, 200uA when both electrodes are connected.
(Method) We leaved a stainless steel needle, 25mm lenght and 0.26mm in diameter, on the first lumbar and thigh region point of 16 healthy adults for 10min. 2×2cm aluminum foil coated with keratin cream was used as a elcectrode for the measurement. We measured in pre-practice, post-practice, 10min, 20min, and 30min. The measurement velues in every time were examined by means principal component analysis.
(Results) Acupuncture stimulation on the first lumbar and thigh region point showed the tendency of operation upon the symmetric L4resion.

According to the Ryodoraku autonomic nervous system therapy the average of the measurement values on Ryodo points (acupuncture point) which belong to the Ryodoraku (meridian) can be obtained from the measurement value on the representative point of the Ryodoraku.
They are judged relative excitement which corresponds to “excitement and suppression” (fullness and emptiness) in proportion as to the relative position on Ryodoraku chart.
We got the result that the knee joint pain relates to the excitement of H₂, the suppression of F₁, and the suppression of F₄.

In the present study, acupuncture treatment has performed in a patient with spondylosis deformans combined piriformis syndrome, and applied to relief the hypertonus of the piriformis in the right buttock. As a result, the mitigation of right buttock pain and subsequent improvement in the range of the hip joint motion were observed from the early stage of treatment. These acupuncture effects are probably due to pain relief that resulted from increased local muscle blood flow following acupuncture stimulation. In addition, the present patient was suspected of double lesion neuropathy consisting of spondylosis deformans complicated by piriformis syndrome. From the present study, acupuncture therapy is thought to be useful method of enhancing the decompression of an entrapped nerve and vessels by increasing blood flow in the affected muscle in entrapment neuropathy such as thoracic outlet syndrome or piriformis syndrome.

The levels of stress-related hormones in the blood were measured before and after doing Qi Gong health-maintenance exercises, and a control group of walkers with a similar level of movement selected for the basis of a comparative study. The adrenaline, noradrenaline and growth hormone responses of the Qi Gong group were compared with the pre-exercise values. Although no significant difference was observed immediately after exercise, there was a significant drop in all values 30 minutes after exercising. Similar changes in the blood cortisol were noted in the Qi Gong group and walker group. Compared with the pre-exercise value, both group exhibited significant reduction in blood cortisol both immediately following exercise and 30 minutes after exercise, with the lowest value occurring 30 minutes after exercise. In contrast to the increase in stress-related hormones typical after light exercise that was seen in the walker group, the significant reduction response seen in the stress-related hormones of the Qi Gong group with the similar amount of movement was seen as unusual. This suggested that Qi Gong may be a positive means of stress-reduction and a useful health-maintenance method in today's stressful society.

Clinically, it has been recognized that moxibustion with artemisia stimulates the internal parts of the body without a burn on the skin. Recently, Matsuyama et al. reported that the maximun temperature of moxibustion varied with every change of size, mass, hardness, quality, and humidity of moxa. The purpose of this study was to investigate experimentally the temperature-changes in vivo with moxibustion by using laboratory animals.
Male mice of the C57BL/6CrSlc strain (30 weeks old) and chromel-alumel thermocouples (0.32mm diam. and 0.5Ω electric resistance) were used. Following autoclave sterilization, the chromel-alumel thermocouples were surgically set in the subcutaneous and the muscle layers of the mice. Three weeks later, the temperature-changes in the mice with 5mg of Ibuki-moxa were registered by a calibrated recorder.
As illustrated in Fig. 2, maximum temperature diminished in the following order; on the skin (A), in the subcutaneous layer (B), and in the muscle layer (C). And the time occupied on the temperature restoration in the body became longer than that on the skin. As illustrated in Fig. 3, a series of three moxa-cauterizations induced the maximum temperatures to diminish on the skin (A), and to augment in the subcutaneous (B) and muscle layer (C). The former is caused by the barriers of previous moxa tar, sap, and ash to the heat conduction, while the latter is due to the accumulation of prior moxibustion heat. These results indicate that a series of three moxibustions enhances the stimulation not to the shallow parts but to the deep parts of the body. However, it should be made to clarify whether this conclusion holds good for clinical cases.

Indirect moxibustion has been found to have the effects of thermal stimulation and pharmacological effects as we analyzed the intercalated substance with thin layer chromatography, 6-gingeol from zingiberis Rhizoma and allicin from Allis Bulbus were detected.
It is suggested that pharmacological effects of intercalated substance were significant in indirect moxibustion.

In previous report, we investigated temperature-changes in vivo with diathermic moxibustions (scarring moxibustions), and showed that the temperature in the subcutaneous layer rised over 50°C. In present study, it was recognized that indirect moxibustions (ginger or garlic moxibustions) kept longer high-temperature than those of diathermic moxibustions. Therefore, it is possible that indirect moxibustions, although it seemed to be weakly stimulation, have stronger stimulation than diathermic moxibustions. In addition, the temperature-changes in vivo with indirect moxibustion seemed to be influenced by water contents of materials for indirect moxibustion and organism skin.

In present study, the moxa and moxibustion-products inhibited production of superoxide.
These results suggested that moxa and moxibustion-products had a scavenger like effects on superoxide.

In the previous paper, we reported that the indirect moxibustions (ginger- or garlic-moxibustions) kept high-temperature rather than those of the diathermic moxibustions. However, the effects of the indirect moxibustions include not only thermal stimulations but also medicinal actions of the materials. In this study, we found the effects of radical scavenger in ginger and garlic with ESR spin trapping technique. This suggested that ginger- or garlic-moxibustions were available to treatment of disease caused by the radicals.