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What is Qigong?
Zhineng Qigong is a form of medical Qigong, but it is actually
much more than a medical qigong and encompasses healing of the
mind, emotions, and all aspects of the human being.
Description | How
practicing Qigong helps | Conditions benefited
by Qigong |
Qigong in China
Zhineng Qigong is the practice of bringing
the body chemistry into healthy balance, moment- by-moment, all
day and night long. This is accomplished through focusing the mind/body
on the awareness of health through moving and sitting meditation,
the breath, and sound. Old mental/physical habits are replaced with
healthy habits as is shown in changed brain wave patterns, in the
release of stressful emotions, and in the secretion of healing hormones
and neurotransmitters in the body. In this way, the immune system
regains strength to prevent disease and speed the healing from disease.
Descriptions of Qigong from Alternative Therapies by Dr.
Jahnke :
“In external qigong, a qigong master or qigong doctor projects
or emits ……qi to ….heal another. When patients
are severely ill, and their own level of qi is very low or stagnant,
receiving qi form a Qigong master can prove to be a powerful stimulant
towards healing.
“Recent medical studies in both China and the United States
show that Qigong can reduce stress, increase circulation, and provide
resistance to disease. Today, most hospitals in China include Qigong
as part of their health care programs, with certain hospitals devoted
solely to its study and practice. Thousands of qigong institutes
also provide qigong instruction, while major centers in Beijing,
Shanghai, and Guangzho train Qigong teachers and carry out government-supported
research.
Traditional Chinese Medicine holds that Qigong stimulates and nourishes
the body’s internal organs by circulating qi. Qigong can break
down
energy blocks and facilitate the free flow of energy throughout
the body, promoting blood and lymph flow and the even flow of nerve
impulses necessary for proper health maintenance. ‘ The overall
benefit of Qigong is to mobilize and harmonize the body’s
naturally occurring healing resource (known as qi in China),’
according to Roger Jahnke, O.M.D., of Santa Barbara, California.
…..
According to Dr. Jahnke, Qigong stimulates human bioelectrical conductibility.
Dr. Jannke explains, ‘The human body has the ability to conduct
an electrical charge.’
This affects the entire body, and it is responsible for maintaining
the function of the organs and tissues. ….[Qigong works] by
improving circulation of the cardiovascular and lymphatic systems,
as well as modulating brain chemistry.
In the United Sates, qigong is now being taught by qualified instructors
at innovative hospital programs, at adult education centers, and
for people in any state of health, qigong is unique among fitness
programs as it can be performed standing, walking, sitting, or lying
down. Qigong exercises can even be performed by those confined
to bed or a wheelchair.
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How practicing Qigong helps the body and mind
In a comprehensive overview of applied physiology and qigong research,
Dr. Jahnke cites a number of current studies in which the following
physiological mechanisms are enhanced by regular qigong practice:
•Initiates the ‘relaxation response’ which decreases
the sympathetic function of the autonomic nervous system ….This
decreases heart rate and blood pressure, dilates the blood capillaries,
and optimizes the delivery of oxygen to the tissues.
•Alters the neurochemistry profile (neurotransmitters, also
called information molecules, bond with receptor sites on tissue,
enzyme, immune, and other cells to excite or inhibit their function)
moderating pain, depression, and addictive cravings, as well as
optimizing immune capability.
•Enhances the efficiency of the immune system through increased
rate and flow of the lymphatic fluid.
•Improves resistance to disease and infection by accelerating
the elimination of
metabolites (metabolic by-products) from the interstitial spaces
in the tissues organs, and glands through the lymphatic system.Increases
the efficiency of cell metabolism and tissue regeneration through
increased circulation of oxygen and nutrient rich blood to the brain,
organs, and tissues.
•Coordinates right/left brain hemisphere dominance promoting
deep sleep, reduced anxiety, and mental clarity.
• Induces alpha and, in some cases, theta brain waves which
reduce heart rate and blood pressure, facilitating relaxation, mental
focus, and even paranormal skills; this optimizes the body’s
self-regulative mechanisms by decreasing the activity of the sympathetic
nervous system.
• Moderates the function of the hypothalamus, pituitary, and
pineal glands, as well as the cerebrospinal fluid system of the
brain and spinal cord, which mediates pain and mood and potentiates
immune function.
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Conditions Benefited from Qigong
Qigong has been shown to be effective in helping resolve digestive
problems, asthma, arthritis, insomnia, pain, depression, and anxiety,
as well as helping cancer, coronary heart disease, and cases of
HIV/AIDS. According to Wong Chongxing, M.D., Director of Research
a the Rel Jin Hospital in Shanghai, China, several thousand hypertensive
patients experienced dramatic improvement after they had been instructed
in basic qigong exercises. His studies suggest that daily qigong
practice lowers blood pressure, pulse rates, metabolic rates, and
oxygen demand. David Eisenberg, M.D., a clinical research fellow
at Harvard Medical School, says these studies also indicate that
qigong triggers the body’s relaxation response by reducing
the level of dopamine, an enzyme that controls neurological activity.
Stephen Chang, M.D., a doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine, cites
numerous scientific studies documenting the effects of qigong. In
one study, 2, 873 terminal cancer patients practiced qigong for
six months: 12 percent of the patients were
cured, while 47% showed significant improvement. In another study,
qigong eye exercises significantly reduced farsightedness and nearsightedness
in a group of Chinese school children. Sinus allergies, hemorrhoids,
and prostrate problems have also been effectively treated.
As Director of the Health action Clinic and Chairperson of the Qigong
Department of the Santa Barbara College of Oriental Medicine, Dr.
Jahnke draws from a broad experience with qigong. ‘In regular
classes at Health Action, and at a regional hospital, we have seen
constant testimonials of the health benefits of qigong. After only
two weeks of practice, six people out of a group of thirty had specific
improvement – (three cases experienced increased breath volume
and relief of constricted breathing, one person found relief from
constipation, one person improved sleep, and one had a lessening
of headaches). Twenty-five of the thirty participants reported a
heightened sense of well-being in this very brief period of practice.
One of our patients had set an appointment for glaucoma surgery
before joining the weekly qigong class. After six weeks in the class
she went to the laboratory for preoperative testing. The results
of the tests showed that the glaucoma problem had resolved itself
and surgery was no longer necessary.’
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Qigong in China
Today in China, many hospital practitioners combine qigong with
conventional medicine in order to treat cancer, bone marrow disease,
and diseases of old age. At the Kuangan Men’s Hospital in
Beijing, China, ninety-three cases of advanced malignant cancer
were treated with a combination of drugs and qigong exercises,
while a control group of thirty patients were treated by drugs
alone. Eighty-one percent of the Qigong group gained strength,
63 percent improved appetite, and 33 percent were free from diarrhea,
compared to control group improvements of 10 percent, 10 percent,
and 6 percent, respectively.
Qigong is often found to be more effective than chemotherapy, surgery,
and even acupuncture for the prevention and treatment of disease.
According to Liu Guo Long, M.D., Ph.D., of the Beijing College of
Traditional Medicine, qi energy directed to the site of an injury
‘facilitates’ the signals to the brain stem.’
As a result of increased blood and lymph flow, and a greater supply
of nutrients regenerating the cells, the area of injury can heal
more effectively.
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