Occasionally, remote acupuncture stimulation has dramatic effects on chronic pain, especially lumbago, headaches, and shoulder pain. It is well known that the Weizhong point can be used as a remote acupuncture stimulation point for the effective treatment of lumbago. We investigated the effects of Weizhong (B-40) acupuncture stimulation on normal healthy volunteers and patients with stable, mild lumbago, all of whom gave informed consent. Using chronaxie values (determined from strength-duration curves, together with rheobase and utilization time), single-pulse stimulation (duration, 0.001 to 9 msec; voltage, 3.5 to 198 V) was applied, and irritability was measured at the Shenshu (B-23) point.
In the normal males, irritability/responsiveness at Shenshu was slightly lower than in the normal females (established using the chronaxie value). Weizhong stimulation had no apparent influence on these Shenshu responses. However Prior to Weizhong acupuncture stimulation in lumbago patients, irritability at Shenshu was greater (and/or threshold value was lower) than in the normal group (chronaxie : 0.113 ± 0.022 msec vs. 0.141 ±0.147 msec, p<0.01, n=10 or 12, respectively). In other words, an aphylaxis, or hyperalgesia or hyperaphia was present. After 30 min or Weizhong acupuncture stimulation in lumbago patients, chronaxie values showed a significant increase (p<0.01) (e.g., immediately after stimulation, 0.166 ± 0.022 msec; 10 min later, 0.164 ± 0.023 msec). This effect persisted for 30 min after removal of the acupuncture needles, with the highest values (0.174 ± 0.002 msec, p<0.01) being recorded in that period. These data indicate that Weizhong acupuncture stimulation produced analgesic effects in the Shenshu region in patients with stable, mild lumbago.
In conclusion, our results comfirm that remote acupuncture point stimulation, such as “Weizhong-to-Shenshu”, may be useful in the treatment of lumbago.

[Object and Subjects] We studied the effects of both electrical and massage (frictional) stimulation on the dorsal region (e.g. BL 13, BL21 and BL23) in experimental dietary obese rats for three weeks as a simple obesity model.
[Results] The electrical and massage (frictional) groups showed reduced (p<0.01) body weight compared with non-treated obese rats, the control group. The electrical stimulation group decreased in body weight more than the massage (frictional) stimulation group. Food intake per 100 g of body weight did not differ between the three groups. There was no significant difference in leptin concentration in the blood pre-and poststimulus, but a tendency for it to decrease was seen in the stimulus groups (p=0.074). This might be diagnosed as normalized hyper-leptinemia and /or leptin-resistance.
These results suggest the existence of action mechanisms for weight decrease originating in electrical and mas-sage (frictional) stimulation, which obviously is different from the case of “the auricular acupuncture stimulus”.
[Conclusion] In conclusion, the possibility of a new application of the “ANMA·massage·SHIATSU” treatment was apparent from this result.

The effects of auricular acupuncture stimulation on non-obese healthy volunteers were tested. Subjects (n=35) averaged 31.5 (17-57) years old, and average BMI was 25.3 (19.2-35.7) kg/m². Small (2.0×0.15mm) auricular needles were applied intracutaneously into the bilateral cavum conchae, a vagally (Arnold n.) innervated region that was identified by having low resistance (27.1-345.5kΩ/cm²), for six weeks. Body weight was measured four times a day, and was charted by the subjects themselves.
Results showed that, in the period of without auricular stimulation, only body weight was measured and charted, 31.4% of the subjects reduced their body weight. In the auricular acupuncture treated period, 19 out of 27 subjects (70.4%) decreased (p<0.01), 4 (14.8%) increased, and4 (14.8%) had no change in their body weights.
In conclusion, the results suggest that success in maintaining weight reduction can be attributed to graphic illustration of ones weight pattern. Bilateral auricular acupuncture stimulation can also reduced the body weight of healthy non-obese subjects. This is consistent with the suggestion that daily charting of body weight and auricular acupuncture might be effective in the treatment of obese patients.

INTRODUCTION : It has been suspected that the BL40 (Weizhong, Ichu) point could be used as a remote acupuncture stimulation point for the effective treatment of lumbago, because traditional remote acupuncture stimulation has shown, on occasion, dramatic effects for relieving chronic pain, especially lumbago, headaches and shoulder pain. We have reported that remote acupuncture point stimulation, such as “BL40-to-BL23 (Shenshu, Jinyu)” might be useful in the treatment of lumbago. An experiment was designed to identify the most effective points on the Bladder Meridian.
METHODS : We tested the electrical stimulation of BL57 (Chengshan, Shozan), BL58 (Feiyang, Hiyo) and BL60 (Kunlun, Konron) as far-points on the BL23 (Shenshu, Jinyu) in patients with slight to mild cases of lumago (24 adults, average age 31.2 y-o), who had given their informed consent beforehand. RESULTS : It was found that the respondent value (96.4 ± 4.8V, n=12) of BL40 on pre- stimulation in the male group was lower than that in the female group (86.1± 4.7V, n=12; p=0.07). When BL57 of lumbago patients was stimulated, the responsiveness of BL23 increased significantly in the male group (y=-0.04x+94.99; r=0.35, p<0.05), but declined in the female group (y=0.07x+102.55; r=0.44, p<0.01). When BL58 was stimulated, it had no apparent effect on the responsiveness of the male group, but that of the female group was reduced (y=-0.13x+99.00; r=0.85, p<0.001). In contrast, the responsiveness of BL23 to BL60 stimulation did not change in the male group but increased in the female group (y=0.12x+100.24; r=0.71, p<0.001). These results indicate that the stimulation on BL57, BL58 and BL60, which are far-points from BL23, had widely different effects on the responding pattern of BL23 in patients with lumbago.
CONCLUSION : The results confirm that remote acupuncture point stimulation might be valuable in the treatment of lumbago.

Recently our intensive attention has been drawn to the effects of the air pollution on the respiratory organs. The authers have studied the vital capacity and timed vital capacity of the adults and children living in the Spa (hydrogen sulfide containing acid Spring Kusatsu) and the sulfur mine where the atomospheric air contains a small quantity of H₂S under 2ppm in spa and SO₂ under 1ppm in spa, and following results were obtained;
1. There was no significant difference in height and body weight among the children in the mine, the spa and the control district.
2. In the mine, many children complained of subjective symptoms concerning the respiratory organs.
3. Elevated vital capacity was found in the mine children.
4. There was no significant difference in the timed vital capacity between the control and the spa children.
5. In the control and the spa, the height showed the highest correlation to the vital capacity with men and the body weight to the vital capacity with women.
Concerning the partial correlation except the age factor, there was a higher correlation between the vital capacity and body weight than between the vital capacity and the height both with boys and girls.
6. Our results supported the Hewlett-Jackson's fomula in regression equation which can be used to predict the vital capacity.
7. There was no significant difference in the vital capacity of the residents between the two mines, which have different environmental and occupational conditions each other.
8. Concerning the timed vital capacity, there was no significant difference between these mines, but it was lower in the mine workers than in the office workers of the mine.
9. No significant difference in the timed vital capacity was proved between the smoker and non-smoker in the mine.