To clarify the effects of acupuncture treatment on acute and chronic shoulder-hand syndrome, 20 minutes of manual acupuncture was applied to 14 patients with posthemiplegic shoulder-hand syndrome at the hemiplegic arm and hand (eight points of keiketsu) twice a week for 5 weeks.
Thermographic and laser doppler measurements showed the increases in skin temperature and blood flow of the affected hand. Although manual acupuncture produced long-lasting increases in skin temperature and blood flow of both hands, its effects were inhibited when 10-mg alpha-blocker phentolamine was injected beforehand. After 5 weeks of the acupuncture therapy, the increased skin temperature and blood flow of the affected hand were gradually reduced to normal levels.
Subjective and objective symptoms such as pain, local heating, and swelling showed positive improvement in 10 out of 14 patients after the 5 weeks of acupuncture therapy.
These results may suggest that the shulder-hand syndrome is produced by unknown sympathetic vasodilating mechanisms and that acupuncture plays a therapeutic role through the suppression of increased sympathetic tone.

The effects of high concentration mineral water bating (31.16g/kg, mainly composed of Na, Ca, Mg chloride and sulfate) were studied in 13 healthy men (44.9±16.3y.o.). The subjects took 41°C, 10min bathing and kept warmth by a blanket for 30min. Blood pressure (BP), Heart rate (HR), cardiac output (CO), total peripheral resistance (TPR) and sublingual temperature by electric thermista as deep body temperature were measured during and after bathing. Skin blood flow by LASER doppler flow meter and venous partial gas pressure and pH were also measured.
Sublingual and forehead temperature was increased significantly by +1.4°C after 10min bathing and +0.9°C increase continued even after 30min. Diastolic BP and TPR were significantly decreased, and HR and CO were significantly increased by +20bpm and +2.7l/min, respectively. Significant increase of skin blood flow was also demonstrated. Significant increase of venous pO₂ (+20 Torr) and decrease of pCO₂ (-8.0 Torr) suggested the improvement of peripheral oxidative metabolism due to increased CO.
High concentration mineral water bathing was highly effective than simple water bathing probably due to the thick coating effect by binding concentrated minerals with skin furface protein.