Relationship of the Cold-Heat Sensation of the Limbs and Abdomen with Physiological Biomarkers.

Duong Duc Pham,Jieun Kim,Jeonghoon Lee,Gayul Kim,Chae Hun Leem,Jiyeon Song

doi:10.1155/2016/2718051

Duong Duc Pham, Jieun Kim + Show 4 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1155/2016/2718051

Copy DOI

Abstract

The present study explored the relationship between the regional Cold-Heat sensation, the key indicator of the Cold-Heat patterns in traditional East Asian medicine (TEAM), and various biomarkers in Korean population. 734 apparently healthy volunteers aged 20 years and older were enrolled. Three scale self-report questions on the general thermal feel in hands, legs, and abdomen were examined. We found that 65% of women tended to perceive their body, particularly their hands and legs, to be cold, versus 25% of men. Energy expenditure and temperature load at resting state were lower in women, independently of body mass index (BMI). Those with warm hands and warm legs had a 0.74 and 0.52 kg/m2 higher BMI than those with cold hands and cold legs, respectively, regardless of age, gender, and body weight. Norepinephrine was higher, whereas the dynamic changes in glucose and insulin during an oral glucose tolerance test were lower in those with cold extremities, particularly hands. No consistent differences in biomarkers were found for the abdominal dimension. These results suggest that gender, BMI, the sympathetic nervous system, and glucose metabolism are potential determinants of the Cold-Heat sensation in the hands and legs, but not the abdomen.

Highlights

Traditional East Asian medicine (TEAM) refers to various forms of traditional medicine mostly practiced in East Asian countries, such as traditional Chinese medicine, Kampo medicine, traditional Korean medicine, and traditional Vietnamese medicine [1]
In TEAM, pattern identification (PI), a diagnostic method based on holistic evaluations of clinical symptoms used to define the cause, location, and nature of illness, plays a key role in all aspects of TEAM
The differences in heat capacity (HC), Resting energy expenditure (REE), and Temperature increment load at resting state (Tload) according to gender remained after adjusting for age and body mass index (BMI) (Table 2)

Summary

Introduction

Traditional East Asian medicine (TEAM) refers to various forms of traditional medicine mostly practiced in East Asian countries, such as traditional Chinese medicine, Kampo medicine (traditional Japanese medicine), traditional Korean medicine, and traditional Vietnamese medicine [1]. Nakamura et al [13], using stimulated hot and cold conditions, found that humans prefer a cooler face and warmer abdomen, respectively They reported that the distal region (e.g., limbs and extremities) is less sensitive to changes in thermal pleasantness than the trunk [14]. According to the TEAM theory, general feelings of coldness/hotness in the hands, legs, and abdomen are three important dimensions in the questionnaire used to determine the Cold-Heat patterns [8] These perceptions are subjective, they may reflex the capability of temperature adaptation in the context of thermoregulation. The present population-based study aimed to investigate factors (e.g., anthropometric indices, thermal regulation parameters, and metabolic and obesity-related biomarkers) potentially involved in variations in the subjective perception of coldness/hotness and to examine whether these factors contribute to regional thermal comfort in the hands, legs, and abdomen (Cold-Heat sensation). Our results shed light on the essence of the Cold-Heat patterns in TEAM as well as thermal sensation in modern physiology

Methods

Results

Discussion