Volume 12, Number 1 | Spring 2017

Integrating Kampo and Evidence-BasedMedicine (9)Headaches that Emerge Accompanying a Decline in
Atomospheric Pressure
Hiromichi Yasui
Japan Institute of TCM Research

Barometer apps
Soon after the principle of the barometer wasdiscovered in the 17th century, it was found thatweather deteriorations caused by the approach of alow-pressure system are preceded by a change inatmospheric pressure. The barometer thus came to
be used for weather forecasts, and became aA rain-praying shrine maiden
Machio Kazeno, a Japanese novelist, writes
highly popular historical novels that are also
mysteries. Among his short stories, there is a story
called “The Disappearance of a Beautiful Rainpraying Woman”1). It is a story about a woman whobecomes the talk of the town, because it rains
without fail whenever she prays for rain. The story
thus begins, without anyone knowing why it always
rains when she prays for rain.
However, the main character of the story
eventually uncovers the truth. The woman has three
younger sisters and two younger brothers who live
off her earnings. The woman’s youngest sister closely
resembles her rain-praying eldest sister in physicalbuild.
The main character sees the resemblance, andsays to the youngest sister, “I bet you can tell whenis going to rain. Am I right?” The young girl answers,“Rain? Well, yes, it often rains a few days after I geta headache, feel lightheaded, or experience aburning sensation on my skin.”
The young girl’s eldest sister also experienced achange in her physical condition a few days before
whenever it rained and could thus predict rain, so as

particularly important and indispensable tool forshipnavigation.

Inthebeginning,mercury

barometers were the most common, but thereafter,
the Aneroid barometer was invented, and theBourdon tube barometer also emerged. Today,
barometer systems that incorporate a semiconductor
sensor and output atmospheric pressure readings asdigital signals are widely used.
In fact, iPhone 6 is equipped with a built-inbarometer, which not only measures atmosphericpressure, but also warns users of headaches andother illnesses that might be caused by a drop in
atmospheric pressure, via a free dedicated app(English/Japanese).
Some types of headaches and migraines arecausedaccompanying

adropinatmosphericpressure. According to the above-mentioned app,seven million people suffer this symptom.
A considerably large number of people benefit
from this app, because when they receive a warning,they can promptly take a prophylactic or hold backon working too much, in anticipation of a headache.
It is said that 250,000 people use the app every
month.

a shrine maiden, she prayed for rain whenevershe predicted that it was going to rain. Therefore,
the truth was that the woman did not have thepower to make it rain, but had responded to herclients’ expectations only when she knew it wasgoing to rain.
Reading the above, there are apt to be people
who claim the story is unbelievable, and those
who claim that they have the same experience.
Actually, in Japan today, there are said to besome seven million such people.

Website for the “Zutool” barometer app

The Journal of Kampo, Acupuncture and Integrative Medicine (KAIM)

9Volume 12, Number 1 | Spring 2017

GoreisanDr. Haimoto discovered that when smoke from

In modern medicine, there is hardly any difference

the chimney of a paper mill in front of his clinic

between drugs that are administered for headaches

flowedinacertain

direction,and migraines occurring from a drop in atmosphericdeteriorated on the following day, and on such dayspressure and drugs that are administered forin particular, the number of headache patients

headaches occurring irrelevant to atmosphericincreasedpressure. That is, they are both taken to control theadministering goreisan to these patients prevented

onset of pain, and do not necessarily prevent pain.

the headache from occurring, or prevented it fromsignificantly.

Healsotheweatherfound

thatIn Kampo medicine, however, there is a drug forintensifying even if it did occur. He thus launched apreventing headache pains from occurring. In 2005,

study with his fellow physicians to learn what types

I introduced a study conducted by Dr. Haimoto in theof headaches goreisan is effective against, andfirst issue of this journal (Vol. 1 No. 1). The study

achieved the above-mentioned result.

found that administering goreisan to patients whodevelop a headache prior to rain is 16.3 times more

Barometer apps and goreisan

likely to be effective than in patients who do not

You probably understand now why I introduced

experience a headache prior to rain. The odds ratio

the story about the rain-praying shrine maiden atwas 16.32).

the beginning of this paper. An extremely large
number of people develop a headache when there isa drop in atmospheric pressure. Some people may beable to sense a drop in atmospheric pressure like theshrine maiden, but since the majority of people arenot as susceptible to changes in atmosphericpressure, barometer apps like the one in iPhone
would probably be useful.
Proper diagnosis is the first step to treatment.
Kampo medicine provides treatment methods thatare not offered by modern medicine. In Vol. 1 No. 1of this journal, I introduced cases of this type3), butsince then, I have successfully treated many similar

Introduction of Dr. Haimoto’s paperin Vol. 1 No. 1 of this journalpatients with goreisan. Below is an example of one
such case.

The remedy of using goreisan against headacheswas born from a Japanese physician more than 200years ago. This clinical pearl had long been forgotten,
but was rediscovered approximately 60 years ago,
andhassincecometobeused

popularly.

Nevertheless, there was no knowing on what

Case: 31-year-old female
First visit: May 22, XXXX
Chief complaint: Headache
History of present illness: The patient developed aheadache at around the age of 18. Since then, theoccasions it ought to be used. Articles written in theheadache has continued till today. It mostly occurred

Shokanron (Treatise on Cold Damage) andKinkiyoryaku (Prescriptions from the Golden

frequently in summer than winter. It was not relatedCabinet) were of no use in this regard.

before the weather deteriorated, and occurred more
to menstruation. There was no pulsating, butvomiting occurred when it intensifies. It constituted
an atypical migraine.

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The Journal of Kampo, Acupuncture and Integrative Medicine (KAIM)

Volume 12, Number 1 | Spring 2017

Good appetite. Ordinary sleeping pattern.

The patient visited my clinic for the first time inDry mouth.

May XXXX. The fact that her headaches occurred

Urination 5 times/day; Bowel movement once/day

more frequently in summer than winter was related

Menstruation: Regular pattern

to Japan’s unique weather conditions around thistime of year.

Present conditions: 158 cm, 58 kg

The Japanese archipelago lies in the path ofPulse: Sunken
Tongue: Pale, teeth marks (+), thin white coating

typhoons from May to September. In fact, more than(+)

thirty typhoons travel through the Japanese islands

Abdomen: Intermediate abdominal strength, fluidat the most during this time. All the while, theretention in stomach (-). Nothing else in particular.

islands are subject to unstable weather, withPrescription: 6.0g Kracie goreisan, 3 times a day

atmospheric pressure dropping and rising.
The patient had typical symptoms that were

before meals
Progress: goreisan was first administered for two

susceptible to goreisan, so I administered the drug.

weeks. The headache stopped, so the medication was

As a result, her prognosis was good, and goreisan

terminated.

headache

was not no longer needed after a while. However, notsometimes occurred thereafter before the weather

many patients necessarily exhibit this progress, anddeteriorated, so she visited the clinic occasionally formore than a few patients continue to take the drug

a prescription and took the drug when she felt aover several years.

However,

thepatient’s

headache might occur, because she knew that taking
the prescription would cure her of her headache.
After November, the headache was gone, and she nolonger needed to take goreisan. In May of thefollowing year (XXXX+1), the patient came to theclinic, saying a headache occurred for the first timein months, so two weeks’ worth of goreisan wasadministered. It was typhoon season in Japan then.
For about a year thereafter, the patient did not makea visit to the clinic, until June of XXXX+2, when shecame regarding a different illness. She said she did
not experience a headache during the long interval,
so I did not administer goreisan.

Conclusion

This patient’s case was a typical case in which

goreisan applied. The only abnormity in themetabolism of water was dry mouth, and nothingelse was observed in particular. This meant that nodiagnosis

could

beprovided

bytraditional

examination methods. In this patient’s case, theobservations that a headache frequently occurs
before the weather deteriorates, and that it occurs
more frequently in summer than winter, bore more
importance.

Typhoon information for the area around Japan on July 2, 2017

Most

headaches

andmigraines

thatoccur

accompanying a drop in atmospheric pressure aresusceptible to goreisan . However, there are somepatients whose symptoms do not abate even after
taking goreisan . In this case, ryokeijutsukanto andhangebyakujutsutenmato are sometimes effective.
Dr. Yan, a friend of mine who runs a clinic in
Okinawa, says such headaches are rather more
susceptible to hangebyakujutsutenmato4). Theremay be a difference in what prescription is effective
depending on the region.

The Journal of Kampo, Acupuncture and Integrative Medicine (KAIM)

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Volume 12, Number 1 | Spring 2017

There are regions throughout the world that are
subject to large climate fluctuations. To headache
patients who live in these regions, goreisan might bea dream come true. Meteoropathy is also susceptible
to Kampo drugs.
References
1) Kazeno, Machio. Enma Sabaki (2) Amagoi no bijo

ga kieta (Enma’s Judgment (2) A rain-praying
beautiful woman disappears), Kadokawa Haruki
Corporation, 2016.
2) Hiromichi Yasui: Efficacy of “goreisan (PoriaPowder with five Herbs)” to the Headache, An
epidemiological research on relationship between
chronic headache and an atmospheric depression,
The journal of KAIM Vol.1 No.1, pp7-11, 2006
3) YoshihideYakazu,Hiromichi

Yasui:

Twointeresting Cases of Headache using “goreisan(Poria Powder with five Herbs)”, The journal ofKAIM Vol.1 No.1, p23, 20064) Chorson Yan: Clinical Report Haedache, The
journal of KAIM Vol.4 No.1, p16, 2009

12The Journal of Kampo, Acupuncture and Integrative Medicine (KAIM)