An investigation of the temperature and heat stimulation sense with ginger-partitioned moxibustion / 全日本鍼灸学会雑誌

ABSTRACT

[Purpose]Ginger-partitioned moxibustion is indirect moxibustion of putting sliced ginger between the skin and the moxa. It can give mild stimulation with damp heat. The characteristic of the temperature by the thickness of the ginger was investigated with a temperature sensor without changing the weight of the moxa. Moreover, the relation between the result of a questionnaire on thermal sense and maximum temperature was investigated by applying different thicknesses of ginger-partitioned moxibustion to participants.<BR>[Method]A thermometer was fixed on a wood board 3mm thick. Ginger was cut in a 2 cm square, in three kinds of thickness; 3mm, 5mm, and 7 mm. The temperature change was measured every 30 seconds when the cone-shaped moxa (weight 200 mg, diameter 2cm, height 2cm) was burnt on the ginger for each thickness. Next, the thermal sense of the human body was investigated for ginger-partitioned moxibustion. The maximum temperature of ginger-partitioned moxibustion to the forearm of participants was measured by the thermometer set between the sliced ginger and skin. After moxibustion, we did a questionnaire survey about thermal sense and comfort sense.<BR>[Result]As a result of measuring the temperature on the wood board, the maximum temperature decreased and the time to reach the maximum temperature took a long time according to ginger thickness. Ginger-partitioned moxibustion applied to the human body resulted in a correlation between thermal sense and the maximum temperature. The thinner sliced ginger had the stronger thermal sense. Participants who answered little comfort, comfortable or very comfortable were 5/10 people in the 3mm thickness sliced ginger, 9/12 people in the 5 mm ginger group, and 5/9 persons in the7 mm ginger group.<BR>[Discussion and Conclusion]The thickness of ginger can be an important factor that influences the quantity of stimulus of ginger-partitioned moxibustion. In investigating the comfort sense, the stimulation of ginger-partitioned moxibustion was expected to give the comfort. But four of ten participants who received ginger-partitioned moxibustion with a 3mm thickness felt uncomfortable. If we apply ginger-partitioned moxibustion of 200 mg to patients without discomfort, it is undesirable that the ginger thickness be 5 mm or less.