The purpose of this study was to clarify the change in symptoms, behavior, and feeling with acupuncture and the relationship between the changes and physical activity level in middle-aged and elderly people with musculoskeletal pain.
 The Subjects were 55 (26 males and 29 females, aged 65.0±12.2 years) middle-aged and elderly people with musculoskeletal pain who have been treated with acupuncture. We investigated the change in their symptoms, behavior, and feeling (symptoms, frequency of other treatments, exercise, frequency of going out and taking trips, general feeling, confidence in physical fitness, and coping with the prospects for the symptoms) with acupuncture using an unsigned self-administered question naire. In addition, the health-related quality-of-life was evaluated with SF-8 and the physical activity level was assessed with the Short Version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire.
 The subjects mostly recognized that their symptoms, behavior, and feeling had a tendency to improve or remain unchanged with acupuncture. Evaluation of the relationship between the changes with acupuncture and walking physical activity showed that the subjects who felt their frequency of exercise or of going out or taking trips tended to increase with acupuncture treatment showed a significantly higher physical activity level than those who stated there was no change or a decreasing tendency (p<0.05). Similarly, the subjects whose assessment for the general feeling or coping with the prospects for symptoms was a tendency to irnprove with acupuncture showed a significantly higher physical activity level than those whose assessment was no change or deleterious change (p<0.05).
 These results indicate that acupuncture might have a positive affect on their symptoms, behavior, and feeling, and also provide opportunities to increase walking physical activity in middle-aged and elderly people with skeletai and muscular disorders.

Objective: We previously reported the immune-enhancing behavior of fucoidan, a sulfated polysaccharide extracted from Gagome kombu (GKF), both in vitro and in animal studies. In the present study, we evaluated the immune efficacy and safety of GKF in healthy Japanese adults.Methods: In this randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled study, 30 subjects who ingested GKF (200 mg/day) or placebo for 4 weeks were enrolled. For evaluation of efficacy, phytohemagglutinin-stimulated cytokine production in whole blood cells was measured. For evaluation of safety, blood chemistry analysis, hematological analysis, and urinalysis were conducted.Results: Almost all cytokine production decreased in samples from the placebo group during the test period. Ingestion of GKF for 4 weeks significantly suppressed the decrease in production of the T helper 1 (Th1)-type cytokines interferon-γ and interleukin-12 as well as the Th1:Th2 ratio. There were no adverse clinical changes in blood analysis and urinary analysis, and no serious symptom was observed.Conclusion: These results indicate that GKF is a useful and safe food ingredient to support immune function.

The effects of transsomatic physical therapies (acupuncture and TENS) on the neurogenic bladder were examined in 73 patients (50 men and 23 women) aged 15-78 years old (mean, 59.8 years old). The capacity of the bladder and residual urine volume were observed by cystometry, uroflowmetry and by determining the urethral pressure profile. The following results were obtained:
1. In the patients with dysuria due to hypertonus of the sympathetic nerve system, the tonus of the sphincter urethrae and urethral resistance decreased due to the effects of acupuncture anesthesia, resulting in a decline in residual urine volume and improved urination in 71.4%.
2. Urethral resistance also decreased, in the patients with hypotonic bladder, resulting in a decline in residual urine volume and improved urination in 75%.
3. Acupuncture anesthesia by applying TENS seems to be clinically significant for improving urination in the neurogenic bladder.

We investigated sports disorders in 112 (82 men, 30 women) members of Field and Track Club, University of Tsukuba.
Before acupuncture treatment, they entered their painful and fatigued areas in our chart and were tested by Cornel Medical Index.
After six months, we questioned 51 (38 men, 13 women) members treated by acupuncture on effects.
The following results were obtained.
1. The painful areas varied with athletic events, that were muscles and joints they moved frequently.
The painful areas were mostly low backs and thighs in a short distance and hurdle race, hips and legs in a middle and long distance, low backs and legs in a jumping event, elbows and low backs in a throwing event.
2. As a result of Cornel Medical Index, it was proved that many members had more mental than physical symptoms.
3. Most of members treated by acupuncture could still go on with training in spite of pains.
4. The effects of treatment continued for 2-3 days.
5. The effects were rated as follows: better 78.4%, no change 14%, worse 6%.

We report the effect of electrical acupuncture therapy (Tsukuba method) on 10 patients with primary osteoarthritis of the knees.
We applied acupuncture to the sites of muscle induration and tenderness determined by physical examination and palpation. Pains during walking and when standing -up were releaved in all patients who received the treatment. Activities in daily life showed various responses to our treatment. No improvement in symptoms was found in three patients when they were going up and down staircases or sitting on tatami with their knees fully flexed. We consider that these differences in response are related to the degree of myatrophy, contracture, and stenosis of the joint space.

We have continued a study on the preventive effects of acupuncture on recurrent tonsillitis. Among 239 patients with tonsillitis examined in 1980, 200 were included in the category of recurrent tonsillitis, showing a fever four or more times a year.
The preventive effects of acupuncture in these 200 patients are reported in this paper.
The subjects were 200 patients with recurrent tonsillitis treated in our department in 1980. The frequency, number of days and severity of fever and other symptoms (conditions of the nose and throat, snoring, colds and general condition) were followed for one year after the acupuncture treatment.
Of the 200 patients, 171, excluding the 29 in whom the results of research could not be obtained, were analyzed. With regard to the frequency of fever, the number of patients with a fever 12 or more times a year decreased from 102 before acupuncture therapy to nine after the treatment. The number of patients who did not have any fever and who had a fever one to three times after treatment was 30 and 69, respectively. Thus, 40.4% were not included in the category of recurrent tonsillitis, even though fever was present. In addition, there was a decrease in the severity and number of days of fever.
Favorable effects of the treatment on symptoms other than fever, such as conditions of the nose and throat, snoring, resistance to colds and general condition, were noted in more than 50% of the patients who did not have any fever after treatment or had a fever half as frequently as before treatment.
When the preventive effects on fever were determined according to age, improvement was observed in all age groups. From the viewpoint of the prevention of repetition of a high fever, the best results were obtained in patients 6-11 years of age, followed by those five years old or less.
Acupuncture treatment for recurrent tonsillitis is not so effective as tonsillectomy. However, we consider that acupuncture treatment is worth using prior to tonsillectomy to prevent the relapse of recurrent tonsillitis, taking into account operative stress on the living body and economic and personal problems arising from tonsillectomy.

We administered electro-acupuncture with the purpose of preventing repeated attacks of repetitive tonsillities.
The majority of the 77 subjects were kindergarden and elementary shool children, who had high fiver more then 4 times a year.
The treatment method was as follows: 1Hz low frequency stimulation between Co 4 and lu 6 (and this bilateral) for 20 to 30 minutes.
The treatment interval was once a week, with 3 weeks constituting a treatment course.
And depending on the results of 1 course, the treatment was repeated or not. 53 patients followed 1 course, 24 patients followed 2 course.
The evaluaton of the results is based on a 1 year observation period.
RESULTS:
-9 patients (11.68%) didn't got any high fever.
-49 patients (63.63%) noticed a decrease of the high fever frequency [39 patients (50.64%) got less then 3 times a year a high fever.]
-19 patients (24.67%) didn't notice any effect [6 patients (7.79%) got tonsillectomy.]
This study showed the usefulness of acupuncture and as it's a general and easy to apply therapy, we can consider acupuncture as a first choice therapy for the prevention off repetitive tosillitis.

We have conducted acupuncture treatment for prevening the relapse of recurrent tonsillitis. We previously noted the effectiveness of this treatment in 121 of 239 patients treated in 1980, especially in elementary school children. In the present study, we compared the annual days of absence from school and the body dimensions of children with tonsillitis given acupuncture treatment with those having tonsillar hypertrophy chosen by a school study, although there is a question on the latter's propriety as a control group in a strict sense, in order to investigate the degree of spontaneous healing included in the preventive effects of acupuncture treatment on the relapse of recurrent tonsillitis.
By May 1983, our reseach was completed in 22 children with tonsillitis given acupuncture treatment and 19 with tonsillar hypertrophy not given such therapy. In children with tonsillitis given acupuncture treatment, the average annual days of absence from school before treatment was 14.0, which was more than that for all children in the S elementary school, and that in the year after treatment was 6.5, approximating that for all children in the school. In children with tonsillar hypertrophy not given acupuncture treatment, the average number of days of absence was close to that for all children in the S elementary school in both years.
Among 14 children with tonsillitis given acupuncture treatment, lower values of height and weight were noted in eight and 12 children, respectively, at the beginning of treatment, as compared with the national averages. The body dimensions of children with tonsillar hypertrophy not given acupuncture treatment were similar to the national averages. Of 14 children with tonsillitis given acupuncture treatment, an increase to a value exceeding the national average was observed with both the height and weight in six children, the height in two and the weight in one within the year after treatment.
The above results show that children with tonsillitis have a problem from the educational and developmental standpoint, even if they do not have a focal tonsil. We think that acupuncture treatment is worth attempting prior to tonsillectomy, although it is not so surely effective as tonsillectomy, when the severity of operative stress on the living body due to tonsillectomy and the burden of medical expenses and the load on the patient's family caused by hospitalization are taken into consideration.