The largest percentage of patients receiving acupuncture treatment in Japan are those with chronic aches. Aches are major factors of QOL, and the pain-killing effect of acupuncture treatment has a large clinical significance. In the study, therefore, we expressed the QOL of the patients who received acupuncture treatment as scores using SF-36 and then examined the effect of acupuncture treatment on improving the QOL. Each score of SF-36 was rated from 0 to 100, where higher points represent better states of health.
The study was conducted on 60 patients who received acupuncture treatment in our facility from Oct. 2002 to Jan. 2003.
All scores before the start of treatment were low, and all score fell below the national standard value. Physical functions (PF), bodily pain (BP), and generally view of healthiness (GH) of the physical component summary (PCS) and vitality (VT) of mental component summary (MCS) showed particularly low scores relative to other scores. Comparison of scores before the start of treatment with those 1 month after the treatment revealed that BP among the eight sub-scales was improved significantly (p<0.05). In conclusion, these results suggest that receiving acupuncture treatment can contribute to improving a patient's QOL.

The concordance rate between the Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) evaluators and the SP evaluation evaluators, in the analyses conducted during the past two years was investigated and compared by the acupuncture department at the College for Japanese Judo-Therapy Acupuncture and Moxibustion Therapy.
The subjects were third year students who sat for the OSCE during FY 2004-FY 2005, and consisted of thirteen and thirty-two students, respectively. Four stations were set up which were comprised of medical interviews, physical examinations, and practical skill evaluations on acupuncture, and moxibustion.
The concordance rate at each station was compared, and the improvements in these rates could be seen particularly for physical examinations and practical skills on acupuncture stations. The relationship between the evaluator and the SP was that a correlation between the medical interview evaluator and the SP evaluation was recognized
Improvements were due to segmentation and clarification of the assessment items, more meetings being held, and simulated trials conducted prior to the actual examination. These factors lead to a comprehensive interpretation of the manual.
However, a correlation between the evaluator of the practical skills for acupuncture and the SP evaluation was not recognized. Therefore, it is vital to include the assessment of SP evaluation, and ensure it is performed uniformly.

Bell's palsy, most frequently occurring in peripheral facial paralysis, is a well-recoverable disease showing spontaneous healing in 70% of patients. This chronic patient of Bell's palsy has persisted for more than two years. Many medical institutes have diagnosed that it was very difficult to remedy completely. The rating score was 24 (full score : 40 points), having sequelae of synkinesis, facial spasm, crocodile tears and other problems. By thermography, the temperature difference between the normal side and the paralyzed side was 0.9°C, and the paralyzed side's temperature was lower. To improve microcirculation on the paralyzed side, electro-acupuncture treatment has been applied to the facial nerve and facial expression muscles.
After evaluating mainly the score for facial paralysis and thermography, the score was increased with disappearance of the temperature difference between the normal side and the paralyzed side. Subjectively, it also became easier to move facial expression muscles, and the phenomenon of crocodile tears was decreased. Long-term electro-acupuncture treatment is considered to be effective for improving the microcirculation and enhancing the QOL of the patient.