[Objective]This study aimed to identify the attitudes toward and the perceptions of the interrelation between acupuncture/moxibustion and immune system for clinical acupuncturists in Japan. A questionnaire survey was conducted as the second periodical action of the Immunological Research Committee for Acupuncture and Moxibustion.
[Methods]Clinical acupuncturists in the 43vocational colleges belonging to the Japan College Association of Oriental Medicine and 6 universities having an acupuncturist-education course were surveyed.
[Results]The response rate of this survey was 27.4%(263/960). Fifty six percent of responders expressed a positive view that the acupuncture/moxibustion had therapeutic effect to augment the body defense against infection, and 83%of them had the perception that acupuncture/moxibustion therapy could act as the preventive medicine. However, only 11%of those responders usually carried out the therapeutic evaluations after their treatments, and the other acupuncturists relied their assessment upon the statement from the patients alone.
[Conclusion]From the basic concepts of evidence-based medicine, the present study demonstrates that the urgent introduction of the noninvasive and objective procedure by which acupuncturists assess the degree of immune defense in their clinical institution is important.

There have been not enough information about the biological effects of moxibustion. The symposiums have been opened on the meetings of Japan Society of Acupuncture and Moxibustion. Many significant results of moxibustion have been discussed on these symposiums. The symposium, “Present Research on Moxibustion”, was opened on the 52nd meeting of Japan Society of acupuncture and Moxibustion in 2003. The contents on this symposium were following.
The outline of fundamental research on moxibustion was presented by Dr. Aizawa. From his report, the various researchers have tried to elucidate the mechanism of moxibustion. These have been many presentations of moxibustion at the meeting of The Japan Society of Acupuncture and Moxibustion.
The histological investigation on treated area was presented by Dr. Menjo. From her report, the increase of cutaneous change was observed from the treated area after moxibustion. This result was significant on the decision of moxibustion-stimulation.
The immunological investigation on the effects of moxibustion was presented by Dr. Tohya. From his report, cytokines as IL-12 and IFN-γ was expressed by moxibustion. These results demonstrated that such effects are dependent on the chemical substances in moxa.
The effect of Onkyu was presented by Dr. Nakanishi. From his report, the transportation by Onkyu-stimulation is different from that by acupuncture-stimulation. His results demonstrated that chemical mediator by Onkyu-stimulation acts to the nervous system.
These presented results supposed the significant information and to contribute the development of moxibustion-medicine.

Clinically, it has been recognized that moxibustion with artemisia stimulates the internal parts of the body without a burn on the skin. Recently, Matsuyama et al. reported that the maximun temperature of moxibustion varied with every change of size, mass, hardness, quality, and humidity of moxa. The purpose of this study was to investigate experimentally the temperature-changes in vivo with moxibustion by using laboratory animals.
Male mice of the C57BL/6CrSlc strain (30 weeks old) and chromel-alumel thermocouples (0.32mm diam. and 0.5Ω electric resistance) were used. Following autoclave sterilization, the chromel-alumel thermocouples were surgically set in the subcutaneous and the muscle layers of the mice. Three weeks later, the temperature-changes in the mice with 5mg of Ibuki-moxa were registered by a calibrated recorder.
As illustrated in Fig. 2, maximum temperature diminished in the following order; on the skin (A), in the subcutaneous layer (B), and in the muscle layer (C). And the time occupied on the temperature restoration in the body became longer than that on the skin. As illustrated in Fig. 3, a series of three moxa-cauterizations induced the maximum temperatures to diminish on the skin (A), and to augment in the subcutaneous (B) and muscle layer (C). The former is caused by the barriers of previous moxa tar, sap, and ash to the heat conduction, while the latter is due to the accumulation of prior moxibustion heat. These results indicate that a series of three moxibustions enhances the stimulation not to the shallow parts but to the deep parts of the body. However, it should be made to clarify whether this conclusion holds good for clinical cases.

Indirect moxibustion has been found to have the effects of thermal stimulation and pharmacological effects as we analyzed the intercalated substance with thin layer chromatography, 6-gingeol from zingiberis Rhizoma and allicin from Allis Bulbus were detected.
It is suggested that pharmacological effects of intercalated substance were significant in indirect moxibustion.

In previous report, we investigated temperature-changes in vivo with diathermic moxibustions (scarring moxibustions), and showed that the temperature in the subcutaneous layer rised over 50°C. In present study, it was recognized that indirect moxibustions (ginger or garlic moxibustions) kept longer high-temperature than those of diathermic moxibustions. Therefore, it is possible that indirect moxibustions, although it seemed to be weakly stimulation, have stronger stimulation than diathermic moxibustions. In addition, the temperature-changes in vivo with indirect moxibustion seemed to be influenced by water contents of materials for indirect moxibustion and organism skin.

In present study, the moxa and moxibustion-products inhibited production of superoxide.
These results suggested that moxa and moxibustion-products had a scavenger like effects on superoxide.

In the previous paper, we reported that the indirect moxibustions (ginger- or garlic-moxibustions) kept high-temperature rather than those of the diathermic moxibustions. However, the effects of the indirect moxibustions include not only thermal stimulations but also medicinal actions of the materials. In this study, we found the effects of radical scavenger in ginger and garlic with ESR spin trapping technique. This suggested that ginger- or garlic-moxibustions were available to treatment of disease caused by the radicals.

In previous report, we showed that moxa inhibit generation of superoxide as one of active oxygen species.
In present study, we investigated on radical scavenging effects of various moxas with DPPH-method.
These results showed that various moxas have radical scavenging effects and the difference of radical scavenging activities. The difference of activities should be due to the difference of grade of moxas.

The examinations of essential oils in highest-, high-, and regular- grade commercial moxa were carried out by gas-liqiud chromatography. These results showed that highest grade-moxa contains lower alkanes but high and regular moxa contain higher alkanes in high and regular moxa.
On the quality control of moxa, it is necessary to examine how components contain in moxa.