ABSTRACT
Background: Hot spring inhalation and rock bathing are widely practiced in Europe, and immersion in water up to the shoulders is popular in Japanese balneotherapy. We designed a combination therapy of steam rock bathing and immersion in an open-air hot spring pool for allergic rhinitis.Methods: Data were obtained by anonymous questionnaires from 19 participants with perennial allergic rhinitis who underwent the combination therapy for several days during the spring-pollen season. The participants immersed themselves in a sitting position in Saiboku hot spring water (sodium salt hot spring) at 41°C up to the shoulder level for 10 min in the open-air and then lay on a floor paved with small rocks in a supine position for 20 min in a room filled with the steam from hot springs, then immersed themselves again in the hot spring water for 10 min, and finally rested and sat on a chair for 20 min in a comfortable room. The hot spring water circulated through tubes with small holes that were embedded under the floor, which was paved with small rocks consisting of tourmaline and lime stones. Steam from the hot spring water penetrated through the floor and vaporized in the room. The rock bathing room was 40°C in temperature and 75% in humidity.Results: Clinical symptoms were alleviated in 17 of 19 participants. Watery rhinorrhea, eye itching, sneeze, and sore throat were improved in 100%, 75%, 40%, and 100% of the participants, respectively, compared with symptoms during the previous several years. No adverse effects were observed in any participants. Conclusion: Steam rock bathing, combined with immersion in an open-air hot spring pool, is useful in ameliorating the focal and systemic symptoms of allergic rhinitis.
ABSTRACT
<p><b>Background:</b> Hot spring inhalation and rock bathing are widely practiced in Europe, and immersion in water up to the shoulders is popular in Japanese balneotherapy. We designed a combination therapy of steam rock bathing and immersion in an open-air hot spring pool for allergic rhinitis.</p><p><b>Methods:</b> Data were obtained by anonymous questionnaires from 19 participants with perennial allergic rhinitis who underwent the combination therapy for several days during the spring-pollen season. The participants immersed themselves in a sitting position in Saiboku hot spring water (sodium salt hot spring) at 41°C up to the shoulder level for 10 min in the open-air and then lay on a floor paved with small rocks in a supine position for 20 min in a room filled with the steam from hot springs, then immersed themselves again in the hot spring water for 10 min, and finally rested and sat on a chair for 20 min in a comfortable room. The hot spring water circulated through tubes with small holes that were embedded under the floor, which was paved with small rocks consisting of tourmaline and lime stones. Steam from the hot spring water penetrated through the floor and vaporized in the room. The rock bathing room was 40°C in temperature and 75% in humidity.</p><p><b>Results:</b> Clinical symptoms were alleviated in 17 of 19 participants. Watery rhinorrhea, eye itching, sneeze, and sore throat were improved in 100%, 75%, 40%, and 100% of the participants, respectively, compared with symptoms during the previous several years. No adverse effects were observed in any participants. </p><p><b>Conclusion:</b> Steam rock bathing, combined with immersion in an open-air hot spring pool, is useful in ameliorating the focal and systemic symptoms of allergic rhinitis.</p>
ABSTRACT
Crow-Fukase syndrome is diagnosed by the presence of polyneuropathy in conjunction with several other characteristic generalized symptoms, including organomegaly, endocrinopathy, M protein, and skin changes (POEMS syndrome). Rehabilitation is very important for patients with Crow-Fukase syndrome because progressive polyneuropathy reduces a patient's muscle strength. We report a case of long-term rehabilitation after high-dose chemotherapy with autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation. After transplantation, neurologic improvement began, and following rehabilitation therapy, the patient's proximal lower extremity muscle strength recovered to an almost normal level. At 2 months after transplantation, the patient could walk again using a cane and an ankle-foot orthosis. At six and a half years after transplantation, the neuropathy was still improving and there was no recurrence of other symptoms. We suggest that rehabilitation combined with autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation for Crow-Fukase syndrome is very useful for improving the disuse condition and for recovering muscle strength.