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Benefits of Qigong

It is estimated that in China 200 million people practice qigong everyday. It

is also one of the most broadly applicable systems of self-care in the

world, which can be used by the healthy as well as the severely ill. Qigong

combines movement, meditation, and breath regulation to enhance the flow

of vital energy in the body, improve blood circulation, and enhance immune

function.

Qigong (also referred to as chi-kung) is an ancient Chinese exercise that

stimulates and balances the flow of qi (vital life energy), along the

acupuncture meridians (energy pathways). Like acupuncture and

Traditional Chinese Medicine, the qigong tradition emphasizes the

importance of teaching the patient how to remain well. In China, the various

methods of qigong form the nucleus of a national self-care system of

health maintenance and personal development. Qigong cultivates inner

strength, calms the mind, and restores the body to its natural state of

health by maintaining the optimum functioning of the body?s self-regulating

systems.

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.

Qigong can help resolve digestive problems, asthma, arthritis, insomnia,

pain, depression, and anxiety, as well as cancer, coronary heart disease,

and cases of HIV/AIDS. According to Wong Chongxing, M.D., Director of

Research at the Rei Jin Hospital in Shanghai, China, several thousand

hypertensive patients had been instructed in basic qigong exercises and

experienced dramatic improvement. 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, a

neurotransmitter that controls neurological activity.

Acupuncture.com, January 2009 Newsletter

with thanks to www.qigonginstitute.org