OBJECTIVEHie (cold sensation) is one of the most well-known health complaints in Japan and elsewhere in East Asia. Those who suffer from severe hie are considered to have hiesho (cold disorder). This study was conducted to determine symptoms associated with hie in young females using a survey consisting of the hie scale and hie diary.

METHODSTwo hundred and seventy-one participants were included for the analysis. Survey forms were distributed to the participants. Diagnosis of hiesho was determined by using the hie scale. A discriminant score of over -0.38 was considered hiesho. The Short Form-8 Health Survey Standard Version (SF-8) was used to measure health-related quality of life (QOL). The participants were also asked to respond to the questionnaire evaluating 14 physical and emotional symptoms, utilizing a six-level Likert scale item.

RESULTSThe 1st factor (hie factor) was correlated with hie (r = 0.546), dry mouth (r = 0.332), lower-extremity edema (r = 0.450), headrushes (r = 0.470), shoulder stiffness (r = 0.311), headrushes with chills (r = 0.726), and fatigue (r = 0.359). Cronbach's α of the 1st factor was 0.748, which indicated reliability between the items. When hie factor was the dependent variable, standardized partial regression coefficient was β = -0.387 for physical component score (P < 0.001) and β = -0.243 for mental component score (P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONThis study indicated that hiesho symptoms among young female adults were associated with bodily pain and general health perceptions of the SF-8 QOL survey.

Objective : To determine the effectiveness of acupuncture therapy on hiesho in maturate stage females.
Design : Multicenter, randomized, prospective, open blind, waiting list-controlled trial.
Setting : A clinical center attached to three universities and one vocational school.
Participants : Twenty two females between 18-39 years of age and with a level of more than four points on the “hiesho sensation scale” proposed by Kusumi et al for hiesho. Interventions : Participants were randomly assigned to receive therapies of either acupuncture or no therapy (waiting list controls). Acupuncture therapy was provided by needle retention to SP 6 and electro-acupuncture therapy to BL 32 at a frequency of 1 Hz for 20 minutes. One session per week of this therapy was provided for a total of four sessions. Method of Measurement : The primary outcome of change in hiesho intensity was measured using the visual analogue scale (VAS). Secondary changes were measured by an eight heading score and three component summaries of the standard edition SF-36 v 2.
Results : The statistical analyses used an intent-to-treat analysis that included two participants who dropped out, and the mixture of one participant targeted for exclusion who was censored from the analyses. As a result, 21 participants were classified as either in the acupuncture group (n = 12) or the control group (n = 9). Efficacy with acupuncture therapy was not found for effect size (Cohen d, point-biserial correlation r) for VAS and the scores of SF-36 between the two groups.
Conclusions : Effectiveness of the acupuncture therapy was not found, which suggests that it may be due to the smaller sample size, frequency of intervention, and symptoms associated with autonomic dysfunction.

OBJECTIVEHie (cold sensation) is one of the most common health complaints in Japan. Those who suffer from severe hie are considered as having hiesho (cold disorder). However, exact hiesho symptoms have not been defined clearly and the decision as to whether a person suffers from hiesho is subjective and based on self-awareness. The study was conducted in attempt to develop a standardized hiesho diagnostic scale.

METHODSSubjects comprised 1 146 students. From the self-awareness of hiesho symptoms, males and females were divided into hiesho and non-hiesho groups. Physical, behavioral and adaptive characteristics were compared using the 24-item questionnaire (four-grade survey) and indicators for hiesho symptoms were extracted. Based on the scores, a receiver operating characteristic curve was drawn for the total ordinal scale score of the extracted items in relation to the presence and absence of hiesho symptoms, and an optimal cutoff value was determined.

RESULTSThe self-awareness of having hiesho was found in 23.2% males and in 55.6% females. The sensitivity was 84.5% for males and 83.3% for females in the hiesho groups, and the specificity was 86.0% for males and 85.2% for females in the non-hiesho groups.

CONCLUSIONA questionnaire consisting of the extracted items may be useful to identify hiesho in young males and females with a high level of accuracy.

Objective: We examined the effects of ontokyu (warm tube moxibustion) medical treatment of GB33 and SP6 on young women with a chilly constitution (‘Hie’ symptoms). Methods: The subjects were 13 female university students (mean age: 20.7± 1.3years). They were assigned to either a GB33 group or an SP6 group in consideration of height for the determinate method by the discriminant analysis of Sakaguchi et al. After a one-week pre-observation period, 1 or 2 ontokyu treatments (Choan NEO, Yamasho) twice a week for four weeks were conducted. The follow-up period was two weeks. Effects of the therapy were evaluated using an original questionnaire (‘Hie’ diary), which consisted of six categorical scales of 14 symptoms and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) of the severity of ‘Hie’. Results: Three subjects dropped out before 1st week therapy among the 13 subjects, so the number of subjects in both groups became five. There was no significant difference between the 2 groups in terms of age, height, weight, BMI, VAS, and total score for 14 symptoms at the baseline. There was no interaction between the groups for VAS or total score for the 14 symptoms. For both groups, no significant changes could be found in VAS during the intervention period and follow-up period compared with that during the pre-observation period. Although the total score for the 14 symptoms in both groups decreased gradually from the start of intervention for the GB33 group, it significantly decreased in after the 3rd and 4th weeks therapy compared with that in the pre-observation period. For the SP6 group, it significantly decreased in after the 4th week therapy and the 2nd week after finished therapy. For each item of the 14 symptoms, the GB33 group showed significant differences in stiff neck and shoulders and feeling thirsty when their scores between the pre-observation period and the intervention period were compared. In addition, the SP6 group showed a significant difference in stiff neck and shoulders, feeling thirsty, and nervousness when their scores between the pre-observation period and the intervention period were compared. Specifically, stiff neck and shoulders for the GB33 group was significantly reduced in the 1st and 2nd weeks after finished therapy, and feeling thirsty showed significant reduction in after the 3rd and 4th weeks therapy. On the other hand, for the SP6 group, stiff neck and shoulders significantly decreased in after the 2nd and 4th weeks therapy and the 1st and 2nd after finished therapy, as did feeling thirsty in the 4th week therapy and in the 2nd week after finished therapy, as well as becoming nervous in after the 1st, 2nd and 4th weeks therapy. Conclusion: It was suggested that ontokyu medical treatment to GB33 and SP6 for young women with a chilly constitution did not appear to exacerbate the severity of ‘Hie’ after reductions in air temperature, while improving the total score for 14 symptoms similarly.

OBJECTIVETo determine whether any difference exists in the skin-temperature responses of the lower limbs to hot-stone application relative to one-site and three-site abdominal application.

METHODSTwenty-five female students participated in experimental sessions after a random allocation: 14 participants received a hot-stone application on the umbilicus, superior-umbilicus, and inferior-umbilicus regions (hereafter referred to as the three-site stimulation group); and 11 participants received the hot-stone application on the umbilicus region only (hereafter referred to as the one-site stimulation group). Heated stones were applied for 9 min to participants in both groups. Four arbitrary frames (the lower leg, ankle, proximal foot, and distal foot regions) were created in order to observe and analyze the skin temperature of a lower limb using a thermograph. Observation periods were as follows: before hot-stone stimulation, immediately after stimulation, and 5, 10, 15, and 20 min after stimulation.

RESULTSThere was a significant offset interaction of distal foot skin temperature between the groups. The left-side distal foot skin temperature increased at 15 and 20 min following the three-site abdominal hot-stone stimulation. The right-side distal foot skin temperature increased immediately and at 5, 10, 15, and 20 min following the three-site abdominal hot-stone stimulation. No significant change in distal foot skin temperature was observed following the one-site stimulation.

CONCLUSIONLower-limb skin temperature was altered following hot-stone stimulation applied to the abdomen, and the one-site stimulation and three-site stimulation yielded different distal foot skin-temperature reactions.