[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.

The immunological research committee for acupuncture and moxibustion, which was primarily organized in 2004, has investigated previous reports on basic research describing the immunological effect with acupuncture and/or moxibustion treatment.
According to the on-line database, we firstly selected 724 reports by keyword searches, which were finally narrowed down to 52 reports on experimental animal tests and 42 reports on clinical tests (72 English articles and 22 Japanese articles) by careful sorting. Then, we analyzed information such as the condition of acupuncture and/or moxibustion stimulation, subject of the test, and immunological parameter for assessment in the 94 reports.
The findings showed that the previous research was performed under inconsistent methods that were difficult to organize, and it is suggested that more comparable and reproducible experiments are required for the progression of this research area in the future.

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.

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.

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.