Qigong Prospective in Alternative Medicine

QiGong is a strong structure of healing and energy medicine from China. It employs the usage of breathing techniques, gentle movements, meditation and life energy. In case your wondering you pronounce qigong as Qi pronounced chee and gong as gung like lung. Latest facts and figures shows it can be traced back as far as five thousand years.

Major Practice Areas

Healing Qigong is the preventing and self healing feature of Chinese medicine. Qigong teaches how one can control there reactions to stressful situations so they do not bring about conditions such as high blood pressure or anxiety.

External Qi Healing this is where the practitioner taps into the healing energy in nature and brings it into their body. The more the exercises and meditations of this aspect are practiced the more effective the healing will be. Qi Healing techniques may be used by themselves or combined with other alternative therapies such as massage, chiropractic and acupuncture.

Sports Qigong in the area of sports and martial arts, qigong is the main ingredient to strength, endurance, flexibility, balance and injury prevention. It can be practiced for any sport including golf, tennis and even swimming.

Spiritual Qigong is spiritual discipline which leads to self-awareness, tranquility and harmony with nature.

Why Qigong is a alternative medicine therapy

Qigong is both active and gentle in techniques which can be practiced while either standing, sitting and even while laying down. It can be adapted to each individual and their needs which aides in recovery from illnesses or injuries.

Research conducted both in China and the United States on its medical benefits and have been exchanged. Scientific research has suggested it can be beneficial for a variety of conditions which include cancer, cardiovascular disease and even arthritis.

Reduces Stress In Children

In a control study published last September, 156 7^th graders ages 13 and 14 had been taught and practiced qigong during school. The control group consisted of children with normal school activities. The qigong group had sessions of 25 minutes at twice a week for a length of eight weeks. Children had received surveys to evaluate well-being at school, psychological distress, self-image and stress, before and after the study.

The qigong group had shown decreased psychological distress and stress along with an improved self-image. When students were asked how qigong practice affected them, among the answers were 18 students stating it helped them to calm down, 11 students had felt more alert and awake including more concentration and preform better after qigong.

One study on second grade students had revealed that the practice of qigong had improved behavior and grades.

A study conducted on elementary and high school students showed qigong had greatly had decreased aggression while providing a calming and energizing effect.

Usual symptoms in students like stress reactions, depression and anxiety. The outcome of the stresses lead to things such as headaches, stomach pain and sleep disturbances. Qigong has been noted to improve sleep, lessen headaches along with its benefits on cardiovascular disease and other health issues. Students which are sensitive to stress could greatly benefit from qigong.

Computer Workers Stress Alleviates

A study which was published in Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice that qigong exercises decrease symptoms of stress with a positive effect on the sympathetic nervous system.

The sympathetic nervous system is an extension of the autonomic system and becomes more aggressive when stress occurs. When responding to stress it can increase heart rate and blood pressure, known as the flight response.

The study consisted of twenty women, half in the qigong group and half in the control group. Objective and subjective information had been collected. Objective had included heart rate, blood pressure, finger temperature and norepinephrine(stress hormone) output in urine. The subjective had included daily records of psychological rates of strain and stress levels weekly.

Norepinephrine and adrenaline aides in setting of the flight response. Both of these are usually measured in stress experiments and are also stress indicators.

The findings of the study had shown that qigong exercise had decreased norepinephrine output in the urine and affected heart rate and temperature. The exercise also decreased low back pain.

Researchers stated that qigong exercise over a short length of time could possibly greatly decrease symptoms of stress. Also noticed was a remarked decrease in reporting of stress related physical symptoms.

Providing Benefits To Seniors

Researchers from the University of Illinois had given credibility to past research documenting the health benefits of qigong in the senior community.

Qigong and Tia Chi both provide positive relaxing effects on the mind, body and spirit.

Traditionally Tia Chi training include Qigong, but most researchers omit qigong on their research. Professor Yang Yang a kinesilogy professor states due to that fact all the benefits from traditional tia chi training may not have been documented.

Professor Yang who is a Tia Chi master states both of these are fairly simple, safe and inexpensive and are easily adapted for senior citizens.

In two studies one was quantitative and one qualitative had been presented at the North American Research Conference on Complementary & Integrative Medicine. Professor Yang who headed the research had discovered that healthy seniors who had practiced Qigong and Tia Chi three times a week for six months had experienced compelling health benefits after two months.

Participants had shown noted improvements in laboratory controlled tests that measured balance, lower body strength and stance width. A group of participants had give reactions in the qualitative study which proved how greatly Tia Chi and Qigong had improved their lives from a mental, emotional and spiritual outlook.

Among things seniors had stated was the fact they were able to put shoes and socks on again normally and stand up instead of sitting down. One woman noted she reduced number of strokes needed to swim across pool from 20 down to 11 or 14 and felt more assured to climb the stairs to her attic.

Diabetes

Researchers at Bastyr University in Seattle, just last year had conducted a pilot study to compare effects of Qigong against those of progressive resistance therapy or placebo. The study consisted of 32 people with type 2 diabetes. Participants that were assigned to the qigong group had 30 minute sessions twice a week for twelve weeks. Once week they met with an instructor to make sure it was being done correctly. Participants in the progressive resistance training group had resistance exercises for the same time element as the qigong group. The placebo group had no intervention. Researchers had measured levels of blood sugar, hemoglobin A1c, insulin, fasting C-peptide, cortisol and physiological stress before, during and when the study was completed.

Researchers discovered that those in the qigong had greatly lower levels of fasting blood glucose, hemoglobin A1c, insulin, reduced stress and lost weight.

Researchers are unclear as to how qigong may aide in lowering some of the markers linked to type 2 diabetes. It is believed that meditation, slow movements and breathing exercises advocate relaxation and decreases stress. Qigong also helps to restore the mind-body association and harmony between the pancreas, liver and kidneys.

Other noted results have been:

Stroke prevention and cardiovascular risk factors

A follow-up report on 242 hypertensive cases for thirty years:

Deaths in control group 47.76% in comparison to 25.41% that practiced qigong.

Strokes in control group 40.83% comparison to qigong group 20.49%.

Death from stroke in control group 32.50% in comparison to qigong group of 15.57%.

Qigong in cancer

Study done at Kuangan Men Hospital in Beijing. Consisting of 127 patients with various advanced malignancies and standard chemotherapy was given to all patients. The qigong group practiced for two hours daily for three months.

Results follow as:

Normal liver functioning in qigong group at 20.62% and in control group 6.67%

Normal Erythrocyte Sedimentation in qigong at 23.71% and control group 10%

Phagocytosis rate in qigong group had increased by 12.31% and control group decline of 7.87%

Improvement in appetite in qigong group 63% and control group10%

Science is proving more and more by research that Qigong can be use in Western medicine as an additional benefit in various conditions.

Sources: '

Natural News:

Children Stress

Computer Workers

Seniors

ABC News Channel 36

Qigong Healing