title: Evaluation of medical students using the "qi, blood, and fluid" system of Kampo medicine.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Although "qi, blood, and fluid" (QBF) is the most important concept for patients in Kampo medicine, there are few studies about the conditions of the QBF system among healthy populations. We used QBF pattern scores to determine whether or not medical students, presumed to be healthy, had any potentially pathological conditions.
  
  
  METHODS
  Six consecutive fourth-year classes totaling 652 medical students evaluated their own QBF conditions using Terasawa's QBF pattern scores. The six conditions: "qi deficiency" (QD), "qi stagnation" (QS), "qi counterflow" (QC), "blood deficiency" (BD), "blood stasis" (BS), and "fluid disturbance" (FD), were categorized according to Terasawa's criteria. The Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare the score differences between the genders, Chi-square test was used to examine gender differences in the QBF diagnoses, and the Spearman's rank-order correlation coefficient analysis was used to analyze the correlation between each category of QBF.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In all, 44.6% of the students met at least one diagnostic criterion in the QBF system. QC, BD, BS, and FD were established more in females, and QD and QS were established without gender differences.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Most students who were presumed to be healthy were revealed to have some potentially pathological conditions using the QBF system.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oriental Medicine, Tokai University School of Medicine, and Office of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Tokai University Oiso Hospital, 143 Shimokasuya, Isehara, Kanagawa 259-1193, Japan. arai@tokai-u.jp
authors.forename: Makoto
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Arai
authors.forename: Katsuhiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Arai
authors.forename: Chizuko
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hioki
authors.forename: Masanori
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Takashi
authors.forename: Kaori
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Matsumoto
authors.forename: Masamitsu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Honda
authors.forename: Shun-ichiro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Izumi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D059026:Diagnostic Self Evaluation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D020835:Medicine, Kampo; D008875:Middle Aged; D012737:Sex Factors; D013337:Students, Medical / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult