Changes of Cardiovascular Parameters during Serial Immersion in Hot Springs Special reference to the relationship with efficacy of balneotherapy

• Published in: The Journal of The Japanese Society of Balneology, Climatology and Physical Medicine Vol. 51; no. 4; pp. 181 - 193
• Main Authors: YOSHIZAKI, Hideo, SUZUKI, Jinichi, MURANAKA, Motoyasu
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Japanese
• Published: The Japanese Society of Balneology, Climatology and Physical Medicine 1988
• ISSN: 0029-0343; 1884-3697
• DOI: 10.11390/onki1962.51.181

Seven continuous days of balneotherapy was applied to 17 patients with psychosomatic disease or neurosis at Sukawa Spa in Iwate prefecture. Several physiological parameters (e. g. blood pressure, heart rate, T wave amplitude of ECG, plasma catecholamines, and CVR-R) were measured before and after that therapy. Subjective symptoms were also surveyed through a questionnaire and the correlations with the changes in such physiological parameters were studied. The subjects were divided into the effected group and non-effected group according to the evaluation of therapeutic effect. Physiological paramenters other than plasma catecholamines tended to converge into a constant direction during the balneotherapy. While the physiological paramenters of the effected group tended to converge, those of the non-effected group did not show a trend. These results suggest that therapeutic effect of balneotherapy on psychosomatic diseases and neuroses is based upon not only the psychological effect of the environment of a hot spring but also the biological effect of non-specific alterative action of autonomic nervous system due to hot spring bathing itself.