Study on Temperature Measurement Using MRI during Acupuncture and Moxibustion

Abstract

SUMMARYIn the field of traditional oriental medicine, two types of treatment style, which are acupuncture treatment and moxibustion treatment, have been performed. These treatments are used and effected by doctors or acupuncturists in their clinic or hospital and widely spread. Although such a general treatment, mechanism of heat transfer modality and temperature distribution in the treatment of moxibustion is not deeply discussed. Also, temperature distribution of deep human tissue during acupuncture treatment is not discussed. It is derived from the difficulty of noninvasive measurement of internal human body with small change of electromagnetic wave signals noninvasively. In this study, a temperature distribution for acupuncture and moxibustion treatment is measured and analyzed using thermography and MRI by measuring the phase of longitudinal relaxation time of protons. The experimental results of measured temperature distribution under the human legs have been demonstrated. The result of temperature analysis in the human body is also reported.