We administered active vitamin D (AVD) to female patients with osteoporosis at a dose of 1μg, or Kami-kihi-to (KKT) at a dose of 7.5g every day for 6 months. To measure bone mass in patients with osteoporosis we employed the computed X-ray densitometer (CXD) method and examined change of bone mass and blood biochemical analysis in patients on long-term therapy with AVD or KKT. Patients with osteoporosis were divided into three groups: Control group, AVD group and KKT group. One year after administration, the bone mass of AVD and KKT groups significantly increased compared to that of the control group. Moreover, the KKT group clearly showed an increased red blood cell (RBC) count and an improvement of the simple menopause index (SMI) which correlated with bone mass and induced hemopoiesis. Two years after administration, the difference in bone mass between the AVD and control groups further increased. In contrast, the KKT group did not show any recovery of osteoporosis, anemia or SMI compared with 1 year previously. This indicates that the increase in bone mass associated with AVD is transient. These results demonstrate that KKT gradually activated bone metabolism and indirectly increased bone mass. Further modified methods of KKT administration such as increasing dose and duration may have potential for the treatment of osteoporosis with reduced cortical bone formation.

In order to examine the effectiveness of Kami-kihi-to for changing bone mass, we measured for osteopenia in ovariectomized (OV) rats using two methods: computed X-ray absorptiometry and a metabolism measuring system.
Materials and methods: 24 female Wistar rats (8 weeks old, 160-180g) were divided into three groups. Group one and group two Wistar rats were OV rats in which systemic osteoporosis was induced. After that group one (OVX [Kampo]) was administered Kami-kihi-to (500mg/kg) for 6 months. Group two (OVX [CTL]) was administered only water. Group three (NR) was untreated as the control. In each group, bone mineral density was measured before starting treatment and after 1, 3, and 6 months of treatment, and locomotor activity was determined before starting treatment and after 6 months of treatment.
Result: Bone mineral density showed little change over 6 months in the NR group. However, it was significantly lower in the OVX (CTL) group than in the NR group 3 months after ovariectomy. But in the OVX (Kampo) group, its decrease was obviously inhibited after 6 months of treatment compared with the OVX (CTL) group.
Moreover, in the NR group, the pattern of activity was regular. In the OVX groups, there was no clear difference between the active and resting phases and the pattern of activity was irregular. In the OVX (Kampo) group, the pattern of activity became diphasic, with clear active and resting phases as was observed in the NR group.
Conclusion: These results demonstrated that the pattern of regular activity affected increase of bone mass secondary due to the administration Kami-kihi-to.

To examine the effectiveness of pain relief for muscle electro-acupuncture therapy (muscle-EAT), we performed a study using rats, with the adjuvant-induced arthritis (AA) rat as an experimental arthritis model. Twenty-four female SD rats (6 weeks) were divided into three groups. AA rats were raised for 8 weeks as chronic pain model. Group I (AA-E) received stimulation of the quadriceps (depth 5mm) with muscle-EAT 1 HA 10 minutes, for five days. Group II (AA-N) was untreated as controls. Group III (CTL) were the normal rat controls.
After muscle-EAT stimulation, we measured the blood flow volume in the rat foot, reactive speed response to pain-related scores, and the amount of locomotor activity. The AA group showed significantly lower blood volume and locomotor activity response than the CTL group.
Moreover, sensory abnormalities caused a delayed reactive speed to heat stimulation. After muscle-EAT stimulation, Group I showed increased blood flow volume in the foot, locomotor activity and reactive speed response in pain-related scores, compared with those shown by Group II. These findings suggest that muscle-EAT is effective for relief of pain induced by chronic inflammation.

In order to examine the effectiveness of moxibustion and Goshajinkigan for diabetes we investigated using Otsuka Long-Evans Tokushima Fatty (OLETF) rats and Long-Evans Tokushima Otsuka (LETO) rats. 18 male OLETF rats (5 weeks old) and 6 male LETO rats (5 weeks old) were divided into 4 groups. Group I rats were given trial moxibustion (BL 20, BL 23). Group II rats were administered Goshajinkigan (100mg/kg). Group III (OLETF) and IV (OLETF) rats were untreated as controls. In each group, we measured body weight (BW), blood sugar (BS), urine albumin (UA), pain-related time (PRT) and blood flow volume (BFV) before and after the experiment. Moreover, kidney and pancreas tissues were observed.
In groups I, II and III, BW, BS and UA increased in comparison with that of group IV, as the rats grew older. But groups I and II showed suppressed increases, in comparison with that of III group. After stimulation groups I and II showed reaction sensitivity, in comparison with group III. Group I showed a suppressed decrease of BFV. Tissue samples showed no serious change.
These findings suggest that moxibustion and Goshajinkigan inhibited some quantity of the progress of diabetic disease.