| Summary: | 碩士 === 南華大學 === 自然醫學研究所 === 97 === BACKGROUND: Moderate intensity walk is beneficial to individual health and to improve physical fitness by balancing autonomic nervous system, which is found to be a major advantage to cardiovascular system. Most studies used heart rate variability (HRV) as the tool to study the relationship of walk exercise and the autonomic nervous system. This study, using a Ryodoraku device as the tool, investigated the changes in electrodermal activity (EDA) after 6-week walk.
METHOD: Forty seven young females (mean age ±SD is 21.15±0.91) with average BMI of 19.71±1.78, and did not exercise regularily were recruited into this study. 22 of them were randomly chosen as the walk group, and the other 25, the control group. Walk group was asked to walk on a treadmill 3 times a week, 30 minutes each time for 6 weeks. The walking speeds were assigned according to individual rating of perceived exertion (RPE). The electrical conductances of the 24 Ryodoraku points were recorded by a Ryodoraku device every 2 weeks since the beginning of the experiment. 17 of the 22 participants returned 3 months later and were measured again. The BMI, body fatness, and waist-hip ratio were also checked before and after the experiment. The control group was measured following a similar protocol but without walk exercise.
RESULTS: The within-subject averages of the skin conductance are significantly higher since 2 weeks after the execise started. The between-subject averages show significant difference at the end of 6-week exercise. This study also found the skin conductance of the upper limbs is significantly higher (p=0.011), and increase more after the 6 weeks training. This change is reversible and was found back to its baseline 3 months after the exercise stopped.
CONCLUSIONS: Our study finds significant increase in skin conductance after 2 weeks of training. Continuing exercise sustains this level for at least 6 weeks, but would back to its baseline 3 months after withdrawal of exercise. The change of electrical conductance is unlikely BMI related, and may be used as an indicator of physical fitness.
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