Before now, it had almost never been reported that acupuncture therapy effects insulin-dependent diabetesmellitus. This is because acupuncture therapy not only can not bring about a radical cure, but also decreases insulin in insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.
In this paper we present our findings from a college clinic that acupuncture therapy which was based on the traditional pulse examination of the “Nan Jing”, was efficacous for restoring blood sugar levels of an insulindependent patient.
From symptoms and signs in oriental diagnosis we deduced that the condition of a disease like this case had a metabolic defect on the body as a whole. We treated it with acupuncture therapy based on the traditional theory and monitored the variation of blood sugar levels for six months.
As a result, we found that this case of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus clearly showed blood sugar levels returning to normal with improvement of related symptoms, e.g., paralysis, constipation, feeling of cold, etc.
As we could not find any factors influencing the change in the subject's blood sugar levels, such as changes of administered drugs, climate social environment, etc., it is conceivable that this restoration of blood sugar levels was induced by the traditional acupuncture effect.

We introduce the current research on complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in the West, which we refer to as Evidence-based CAM (EBCAM), and discuss its characteristics, problems, and perspectives. Compared with the common attitude of CAM researchers in Japan, that of EBCAM researchers is more objective and often self-critical. EBCAM research is still developing because randomized controlled trials on CAM have many methodological flaws. Caution should be employed in interpreting provisional conclusions of relevant systematic reviews. CAM researchers in Japan should view the case report method from a perspective other than efficacy. Also, they will have to prepare evidence in response to demands from CAM consumers. Priority of research subjects from various kinds of CAM should be decided according to their popularity. Therefore, a large-scale survey on CAM use in Japan is essential.

With the purpose of clarifying the influence of direct moxibustion on the cell count and proportion of leukocytes in peripheral blood, rabbits and humans were treated with direct moxibustion. The moxa cones were the size of a “rice grain”. In the rabbits 10 moxa cones were distributed among four points which were selected on the low back. Humans were treated with the same method except eight points were chosen on the back and legs. Peripheral blood was collected periodically following each treatment. Leukocyte counts and leukocyte differentials were then measured. Lymphocyte subpopulations were also analyzed with flow cytometry in humans.
In rabbits, the mean leukocyte count increased transiently after the treatment in both the moxibustion group and the control group. However, the greatest increase was observed in the moxibustion group. In humans, no change was found in leukocyte counts and leukocyte differentials in the moxibustion group. However, the mean T cell percentage in the moxibustion group decreased 24 hours after the moxibustion treatment. Moreover, the mean CD4/CD8 ratio of the moxibustion group increased 2 hours after the treatment, and decreased 24 hours after the treatment. These changes were statistically significant while no significant change was observed in the control group. No change was found in either rabbits or humans after the 4 weeks of treatment.
These results suggest that the immune system will be influenced by moxibustion at least transiently.