The effect of cardiovascular system according to the hot water-induced stimulation on Foot

Abstract

In this paper, we applied a hot water-induced thermotherapy system to the foot, based on the oriental medicine principle of Dongeuibogam, which is concerned with the notion that the head should be kept cool and the feet warm. The objective of this study was to determine the influence on the cardiovascular system effected by physiological parameters inherent to thermal stimulation at a temperature of 43°C. Therefore, the relevant physiological parameters, blood flow, heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen saturation, and leg temperature, associated with the cardiovascular system, were selected for analysis. The experimental equipment used in this study included a hot water system designed for the feet. Pre and post experimental conditions, at a temperature of 43°C, were assessed for 10 healthy volunteers over 10 days. Pre and post measurements were obtained at 5, 10, 15, and 20 minutes. The biosignal transition results of the experiments were as follows; Blood Flow(ml/min): 1.18 ± 0.50 inc, Heart Rate(bpm): 6.97 ± 0.72 inc, Blood Pressure(mmHg): (max) -1.49± 2.81 dec, (min) - 0.06± 0.13 dec, Oxygen Saturation(%): 1.34 ± 0.28 inc, (dec: decrease, inc: increase). According to our results, hot-water thermotherapy applied to the foot does appear to exert an influence on the cardiovascular system, and also appears to generally improve human metabolism. © International Federation for Medical and Biological Engineering 2007.