Studies on the Psychosomatic Functioning of Ill-Health According to Eastern and Western Medicine 7.

Abstract

Using the anxiety-affinitive constitution index (AACI) that we created, we measured the degree of the anxiety-affinitice constituation as an equivalent of ill-health for the study of psychoimmuno-endrocrinological changes induced by Kampo medication and relaxation training (RT). With 20 sixth-year Saga Medical School students (average age: 24.8 ± 1.4) as the subjects, we obtained three results: (1) relaxation training produced lowered STAI trait and state anxiety scores and tended to transform the respiratory pattern from thoracic to abdominal; (2) Kampo medication generated lowered GHQ-30 total scores and lowered the depression factor scores for its symptom components; and (3) Kampo medication for overcoming blood stagnation induced lowered NK cell activity, whereas Kampo medication for providing a tonic effect on vital energy and enriching blood brought about elecvated NK cell activity and blood cortisol concentration. These results strongly suggest that while Kampo medication alleviated psychological distress as demonstrated by lowered GHQ-30 scores, RT improved the respiratory pattern, as demonstrated by increased abdominal dominance. The utmost attention must be paid to the prolonged administration of drugs for overcoming blood stagnation because of their possible immunosuppressive action.