Moxibustion strengthens immunity and it is an effective treatment modality, but, depending on the material quantity, shape,\nand composition, the thermal strength and intensity can be difficult to control, which may cause pain or epidermal burns. To\novercome these limitations, a heat stimulating system which is able to control the thermal intensity was developed.Thetemperature\ndistributions on epidermis, at 5mm and 10mm of depth, in rabbit femoral tissue were compared between moxibustion and the\nelectric thermal stimulation system.Thestimulation system consists of a high radio frequency dielectric heating equipment (2MHz\nfrequency, maximum power 200 W), isolation probe, isolation plate, negative pressure generator, and a temperature assessment\nsystem. The temperature was modulated by controlling the stimulation pulse duty ratio, repetition number, and output. There were\n95% and 91% temperature distribution correlations between moxibustion and the thermal stimulus at 5mm and 10mm of depth\nin tissue, respectively. Moreover, the epidermal temperature in thermal stimulation was lower than that in moxibustion. These\nresults showed that heat loss by the electric thermal stimulation system is less than that by the traditional moxibustion method.\nFurthermore, the proposed electric thermal stimulation did not cause adverse effects, such as suppuration or blisters, and also\nprovided subcutaneous stimulation comparable to moxibustion.
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