A 64-year-old female who had suffered from rheumatoid arthritis (RA) for many years was admitted to our hospital because of acute abdominal pain and diarrhea. She was diagnosed with RA, Sjögren syndrome and protein-losing enteropathy (PLE) with GI tract amyloidosis. She was treated with total parenteral nutrition, prednisolone, tranexamic acid and a variety of Kampo medicines, for example: kanzo-syashin-to, keishi-kashakuyaku-shoukyou-ninjin-to, and bushi-kobei-to. However, diarrhea continued and paralytic ileus occurred. Then she was treated with Ubai-en, which is known as an anti-ascarid drug or anti-diarrheic drug. Ubai-en was effective on her diarrhea in 2 weeks. This suggests that Ubai-en may be an effective treatment for PLE.

The relationship between the fur of the tongue and dysfunctions of Ki, Blood, Body Fluids, Spleen and Stomach was investigated in 167 cases by analyzing both subjective and objective symptoms. The mean score of Ki-deficiency increased with the degree of both thickness and yellowness of the tongue fur. The mean score of upper gastrointestinal tract symptoms also increased with the degree of thickness of the tongue fur. These results suggest that when examining the tongue fur during Oriental Medical diagnosis, it is important to keep in mind its relationship with dysfunction of the Spleen and Stomach and Ki-deficiency.

The authors examined the ralationship between ‘Oketsu’ syndrome and multiple cerebral infarction. In the 59 patients (62.8±9.5 years of age; 43 male and 16 female) with multiple cerebral infarction who had undergone MRI examinations, the authors evaluated the ‘Oketsu’ score, DEA (maximum diameter of the column of intravasclar erythrocyte aggregation) and erythrocyte aggregability.
The control group, 18 subjects (61.2±9.3 years of age; 11 male and 7 female) had no findings of cerebral infaction upon MRI examination.
In the patient group, the ‘Oketsu’ score was higher than the control group (P<0.0001) and microcirculation was significantly impaired (P<0.01).
According to localization of foci in the MRI study, the microcircuation was particularly impaired when infarctions occurred in areas controlled by the cortical branches (P<0.05).
Both symptomatic and asymptomatic infarctions presented high ‘Oketsu’ scores and impairment of microcirculation.
Erythrocyte aggregability significantly increased in patients in the multiple infarction symptomatic group (P<0.05). Particulaly, patients suffering from cerebral infarctions in the cortical branches had more severe erythrocyte aggregation.

Recently we observed three cases in which symptom-producing doses of Kampo medicine with aconiti tuber dramatically ameliorated primary diseases. The symptoms were similar to intoxication caused by aconiti tuber. Case 1 had been suffering from rheumatoid arthritis. After the daily dose of Keishi-ni-eppi-itto-ka-ryojutsubu, a Chinese herbal medicine containing aconiti tuber, was increased from 6g/day to 7g/day, the patient briefly experienced palpitation and nausea. At the same time, polyarthralgia and laboratory data dramatically improved. Case 2 suffered from lumbago due to osteoarthritis. Numbness around the lips and in the limbs and gait disturbance occurred in this patient after the basal prescription was changed from Shakuyaku-kanzo-bushi-to to Hachimijio-gan-ryo with the 4g/day dose of aconiti tuber remaining the same. The patient's lumbago disappeared almost completely. Case 3 had osteoarthritis and began taking Hachimijio-gan-ryo, containing aconiti tuber (8g/day), in early June. Numbness around the lips and limbs occurred after administration of Hachimijio-gan-ryo containing aconiti tuber (4g/day) in late July. After that, her gonalgia was recovered. Based on our experience above, we had the impression as follows: 1) Symptoms similar to intoxication due to aconiti tuber may be caused not only by increasing the daily dose of aconiti tuber, but also by changes of basal description or climate variations such as a rise in temperature. 2) In order to use aconiti tuber effectively, it is sometimes necessary to increase the daily dose to the level where it provides treatment, in spite of the risk of intoxication.

We developed a new electrothermo-acupuncture instrument which employs a curved heating plate, and we compared this new one and the old hitherto used electrothermo-acupuncture instrument in terms of radiation temperature, using two male volunteers. The results showed that the 2nd step in the old instrument equaled the fifth channel in the new one. The radiation temperature increase of 140°C seen in 10 minutes was the same, between the two instruments, but the old one continued to increase its temperature, whereas the new one held at a plateau of about 140°C. Therefore, we considered that the new electrothermo-acupuncture instrument is safer than old one.
Next, we investigated the relation between effective Kampo formulas and endurance time in the fifth channel of the new electrothermo-acupuncture instrument, in nineteen patients. We found that Kampo formulas used in the resistant phase of Yang-syndrome disease, is effective in less than 10 minutes of endurance time, and the Kampo formula containing Aconite Tuber is effective for over 30 minutes.
We considered, because of the relation between endurance time and Kampo diagnosis, that the new electrothermo-acupuncture instrument can be useful in a supplementary way in deciding Kampo diagnosis.

The therapeutic efficacy of Hachimi jio-gan on pain, weakness, numbness and coldness of the limbs and lower back was investigated in 37 aged patients. After administration for 4 weeks, improvement in the global improvement rating was 55.9%, and improvement in pain, weakness, numbness and coldness were 44.8%, 39.3%, 59.1% and 31.8%, respectively. For the improvement of numbness, more significant improvement was seen in patients 60 years old or greater than in those 59 or less. Such symptoms as hair thinning or hair loss, dimming of the eyes, constipation, pain in the upper limbs, numbness in the lower limbs, coldness of the upper limbs and coldness of the lower limbs showed significant improvement. These results suggest that Hachimi jio-gan is effective in the treatment of pain, weakness, numbness and coldness in aged patients.

We reported that Interferon (IFN) induces the analogous state of the initial stage of Yang disease with ectodermal symptoms (tai yang bing). Flu-like symptoms from IFN treatment were reduced or disappeared with Mao-to and Dai-seiryu-to. We consider that flu-like symptoms induced by IFN can be a symptomatic model of hyper-functioning condition of tai yang bing. Pulse of sinking and deficiency was seen in all five patients with the symptoms of having caught a chill. These results suggest that there is the possibility that pulse of sinking and deficiency is seen in the very early stage of tai yang bing.