1.Effect of taking acupuncture and medicine together for scleroderma: A case report
Eri SAKURADA ; Shinichirou HOSHI ; Shuichi KATAI
Journal of the Japan Society of Acupuncture and Moxibustion 2011;61(1):77-84
[Case Report]A female in her fifties complaining of numbness on her face and stickiness in the month who was diagnosed with scleroderma.
Although some other symptoms were improved by the administration of medicine, her main complaints did not change. We applied acupuncture aiming at adjusting the autonomous nerves and it had a little effect for face numbness, Raynaud and KL-6 but numbness on her face did not change since suspending treatment. We changed the method of acupuncture in regards to palpation and it was more effective for her main complaint.
[Method]Watching the change of the patient's subjectivity of a numbness on her face, frequency of sleeplessness and Raynaud, quantity of medicine, and the result of a blood test.
[Result]Both her general condition and numbness on her face were relieved after acupuncture treatment. Especially acupuncture in regard to palpation for general care was more effective. There was no change in stickiness in the mouth.
[Conclusion]We suggest that acupuncture treatment with medicine might be effective for symptoms of scleroderma. These changes will relieve anxiety for their disease and the secondary effect of medicine.
2.Improvement of Sleep and Circadian Rhythm Disturbance in Nursing Home Residents by Aromatherapy Massage: A Preliminary Study
Jiro IMANISHI ; Eri WATANABE ; Satoko WATANABE ; Kumi SAKURADA ; Zenshiro ONOUCHI
Japanese Journal of Complementary and Alternative Medicine 2010;7(2):87-93
We examined the effect of aromatherapy massage on the circadian rhythm in 8 elderly subjects in an open semi-comparative trial, comparing the parameters in the 2nd week during which the aromatherapy massage sessions were performed, with 1-week periods (1st and 3rd weeks) before and after the sessions. Time spent asleep while in-bed and the sleep efficiency during the sleep time increased significantly in the 2nd week compared with those in the 1st and/or 3rd weeks. A higher peak of the 24-h cycle circadian rhythm was noted following aromatherapy massage in elderly people, who often exhibit circadian rhythm disturbance. Furthermore, the peaks of the spectrum cycle in the 2nd week were significantly closer to 24 h than those in the 1st and 3rd weeks. These results suggest that aromatherapy massage improves sleep and circadian rhythm disturbance.