Basic Principles of Qigong

    * The power of  Qi-Blood
     Qi is the basic root of the life force. Blood is energized by Qi, so we call "qi  blood". Yuanqi (original qi) make everyone as a natural healer. If you cut yourself, the wound heals by itself. All the systems of the body --the immune system have the ability to heal inside human body use the original qi (ying qi and wei qi). All the organs and  cells have the same abilities. If qi coordinate these abilities well, it can heal our physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual conditions.
     I have the power to heal myself.
    You have the power to heal yourself.
    Together we have the strongest power to heal ourselves.

    * The Benefits of  Qigong
   All you should to do is continuously practicing the qigong and exercises takes only 15-30 minutes every day.
    Qigong is highly effective in producing a wide range of positive benefits.
    •Anti-Aging Benefits :  This is a review article summarizing the results of several studies relating to anti-aging benefits of Qigong. The studies are taken from a database of 840 abstracts of presentations at international conferences of original research reported in Chinese. Qigong has potential for restoring normal body functions in people with chronic conditions, many of which accelerate the aging process. The main conclusion is that Qigong helps the body to heal itself. In this sense Qigong is a natural anti-aging medicine.
    •Hypertension (chronic high blood pressure): In a twenty-year study of 204 hypertensive patients, blood pressures in a Qigong group stabilized while that of the control group increased. During this period the drug dosage for the Qigong group decreased while the dosage of the control group had to be increased.
    •Mortality and stroke: A thirty-year study of 242 hypertensive patients and an 18-22-year study of 536 patients showed that Qigong decreased by about 50% the incidence of total mortality, mortality due to stroke and morbidity due to stroke.
    •Heart function and microcirculation: After a year of Qigong practice the incidence of disturbance to microcirculation in the heart in 120 hypertensive patients was reduced by roughly half.
    •Sex hormone levels. Qigong can reverse the trend of declining levels of sex hormones in men and women. This reversal is accompanied by improvements in symptoms associated in TCM with Kidney deficiency hypertension, such as soreness, dizziness, insomnia, hair loss, impotence and incontinence.
    •Blood chemistry in hypertension. Qigong improved plasma coagulation firbrinolysis indices, blood viscosity, erythrocyte deformation index, levels of plasma tissue-type plasminogen activator, plasminogen activator inhibitor, VIII factor related antigen, anti- thrombin, and two messenger cyclic nucleotides.
    •Senility. In a study of 100 subjects with senile or presenile impaired cerebral function, eight of fourteen of the clinical symptoms in the Qigong group improved above 80% whereas none of the symptoms in the control group improved above 45%.
    •Stimulate physical metabolism:. Study shows that Qigong can stimulate physical metabolism, promote the circulation of meridians and regulate the flowing of Qi and blood.
    •Cardiovascular function: In comparison to controls who exercised aerobically, Qigong proved to be more effective in lessening altitude stress as measured by blood pressure, heart rate, oxygen consumption etc. When three groups were compared -- a Qigong group, a control group that exercised calisthenically and a group of residents of the Tibetan Highlands -- altitude sickness was less in the Qigong group than the control group. Pulmonary ventilation was significantly improved in the Qigong group compared with the control group and nearly equal to the resident group. Qigong exercise is superior to physical exercise such as calisthenics.
    •Blood flow to the brain:  Qigong increases blood flow to the brain. For 158 subjects with cerebral arteriosclerosis who practiced Qigong for one to six months, improvements were noted in symptoms such as memory, dizziness, insomnia, tinnitis, numbness of limbs, and vertigo headache. During these studies a decrease in plasma cholesterol was also noted.
    •Cancer:  A Qigong group of 97 and a control of 30 cancer patients each received drugs. The Qigong group practiced Qigong for more than two hours a day over a period of three to six months. Both groups improved but the Qigong group showed improvements four to nine times greater than the control group in strength, appetite, being free of diarrhoea, and gaining weight. The phagocytic rate, which is a measure of the immune function, increased in the Qigong group but decreased in the control group.
    •Anxiety:  Myeong Soo Lee, Chang-Won Kang, Hyun-Ja Lim, Myung-Suk Lee. (2004, Aug.) Effects of Qi-training on anxiety and plasma concentrations of cortisol, ACTH and aldosterone: a randomized placebo-controlled pilot study. Stress and Health. 20(5): 243-248. The effects of Qi-training on anxiety, and plasma concentrations of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), cortisol, and aldosterone in healthy young men was investigated. Thirty- two subjects were randomly assigned to a sham control group or a Qi-training group. Although the basal level of anxiety did not differ between the groups, there was a significant group by time interaction of the 1-hour intervention; anxiety decreased by 26 per cent in the Qi- training group and by 9 per cent in the control group. After Qi-training, the plasma concentrations of ACTH, cortisol, and aldosterone decreased, but these levels did not change in the control group. These findings suggest that Qi-training improves anxiety and has a significant effect on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. (Copyright c 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)
    •Arthritis: Kevin W. Chen and Tianjun Liu. (2004, June). Effects of Qigong Therapy on Arthritis: A Review and Report of a Pilot Trial. Medical Paradigm. 1(1): 36-48. There are two parts to this article, a literature review and a pilot study of external Qi therapy for arthritis. After three treatments, all six subjects of the study reported some degree of symptom relief, reduction in pain and negative mood, a decreased anxiety score, reduced active pain/tenderness in joints (with one exception) and reduced movement difficulty scores. Two participants reported complete relief without any pain one month after treatment.
It is well known that Qigong practice is beneficial in preventing disease and strengthening immunity, but it is less known, even in China, that this therapy can be an effective means for relieving pain and treating arthritis. The literature review suggests there is strong evidence for a therapeutic effect of Qigong on reducing pain and relieving the symptoms of arthritis without side effects and with an enhanced sense of self- efficacy.
    •Blood Gas Concentrations: Myeung Soo Lee, Hoon Ryu, Jeho Song, Sun-Rock Moon. (2004, November). International Journal of Neuroscience. 114 (11): 1503-1510. Using an ABA' design, the authors investigated the effects of Qi-training on blood gas concentrations with a 20 min control rest period (A), 1 h of Qi-training (B), and a 20-min rest period (A'). The blood partial pressures of oxygen (PO2) and carbon dioxide (PCO2), and oxygen content, oxygen saturation, and pH were significantly altered. The mean PO2 value increased significantly during Qi-training by 14 mmHg (about 24%, p < .01) compared with control A. During Qi-training, the mean decrease in PCO2 was 3 mmHg (about 10%). These results suggest that the practical application of Qi-training may exert a positive regulatory function on physiological status.
    • Blood Pressure and Taking Responsibility for Your Health : Myung-Suk Lee, Hyun-Ja Lim, Myeong Soo Lee. Impact of Qigong Exercise on Self- Efficacy and Other Cognitive Perceptual Variables in Patients with Essential Hypertension. Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. (2004, August), 10(4): 675- 680. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of practicing Qigong on middle- age subjects with essential hypertension. Impacts on blood pressure, reported self- efficacy, perceived benefit and emotion were observed. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure were significantly reduced in members of the Qigong group after eight weeks exercise. Significant improvements in self-efficacy and other cognitive perceptual efficacy variables were also documented in the Qigong group compared to the original situation. This pilot study demonstrates the positive effects of practicing Qigong on controlling blood pressure and enhancing perceptions of self-efficacy.
    •Cancer : Kevin Chen and Raphael Yeung. (2002). Exploratory Studies on Qigong Therapy for Cancer in China. Integrative Cancer Therapies. 1(4): 345-370.The authors reviewed more than 50 studies of Qigong therapy for cancer in China, in three categories: clinical studies on cancer patients, in vitro studies on laboratory-prepared cancer cells, and in vivo studies on cancer- infected animals. Most of the clinical studies involved observations of cancer patients' self-practice of Qigong. Although no double-blind clinical trials were found among patient studies, many had a control. The Qigong groups showed more improvement or had a better survival rate than conventional methods alone. In vitro studies report the inhibitory effect of Qi emission on cancer growth and in vivo studies find that Qigong-treated groups have significantly reduced tumour growth or longer survival among cancer-infected animals. However, there is much room for improvement in these studies and some require replication to verify the findings. Qigong therapy is an area that is often neglected by mainstream medicine and research but our review strongly suggests that Qigong deserves further study as a supplement to conventional cancer treatment.
    •Cardiovascular System : Myeong Soo Lee, Byung Gi Kim, Hwa Jeong Huh, Hoon Ryu, Ho-Sub Lee and Huntaeg Chung. (2002, May). Effect of Qi-training on blood pressure, heart rate and respiration rate. Clinical Physiology. 20(3): 173. To examine the physiological effects of Korean traditional Qi-training, we investigated the changes in blood pressure, heart and respiratory rates before, during and after ChunDoSunBup Qi-training. Heart rate, respiratory rate, systolic blood pressure and rate- pressure product were significantly decreased during Qi- training. From these results we suggest that CDSB Qi-training has physiological effects that indicate stabilization of the cardiovascular system.
    •Chronic Illnesses Among the Elderly
Hector W. H. Tsang, C. K. Mok, Y. T. Au Yeung, Samuel Y. C. Chan. (2003, May). The effect of Qigong on general and psychosocial health of elderly with chronic physical illnesses: a randomized clinical trial. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry. 18(5): 441-449.
Objectives: Based on the model by Tsang et al. ([2002]) which summarized the etiological factors and consequences of depression in elderly with chronic physical illnesses, a randomized clinical trial of a special form of Qigong (The Eight Section Brocades) was conducted to assess if it improved the biopsychosocial health of participants. Design: 50 geriatric patients in sub-acute stage of chronic physical illnesses were recruited and randomly assigned into the intervention and control group. The intervention group was given a 12-week period of Qigong practice while the control group was given traditional remedial rehabilitation activities. Results: The intervention group participants expressed improvement in physical health, ADL, psychological health, social relationship, and health in general as reflected by scores of the Perceived Benefit Questionnaire and informal feedback. Conclusion: Although results are not significant in the generalization measures, it may be due to small effect size, small sample size, and short intervention period. Although not all of the hypotheses are supported, this report shows that Qigong (the Eight Section Brocades) is promising as an alternative intervention for elderly with chronic physical illness to improve their biopsychosocial health. More systematic evaluation with larger sample size and longer period of intervention is now underway in Hong Kong. Results will be reported once available. Copyright c 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
    •Chronic Pain and Mood Disturbances: Kyung Hee Yang, Young Hee Kim, Myeong Soo Lee. (2005, July). Efficacy of Qi- Therapy (External Qigong) for Elderly People with Chronic Pain. International Journal of Neuroscience. 115(7): 949-963.
The intervention group was given four weeks of Qi-therapy whereas the control group was given standard care. Compared with the control group, Qi-Therapy participants experienced improvements in positive mood and psychological variables over the four- week program. Compared with baseline values, pain and psychological benefits remained significantly improved after two weeks of follow up. These findings suggest that Qi- therapy may help the elderly cope with pain and associated mood disturbances.
    •Diabetes : Takuya Tsujiuchi, Hiroaki Kumano, Kaxuiro Yoshiuchi, DeGuang He, Yuko Tsujiuchi, Tomisfusa Kuboki, Hiroyuki Suematsu and Koichi Hirao. (2002). The Effect of QiGong Relaxation Exercise on the Control of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus. Diabetes Care. 25: 241- 242.
A study of twenty-six diabetes patients receiving conventional care concludes that Qigong may be a beneficial adjunctive treatment for individuals with type 2 diabetes. Qigong can improve glucose metabolism by the benefits of relaxation response. Significant improvement in C-peptide levels was shown compared with the control. Patients' moods were significantly enhanced.
     •Living sensors:  Many studies have been carried out on various species, largely to respond to the criticism that Qigong healing relies on psychological suggestion. (a) External Qi has a significant inhibitory effect on cancer cells in tumour-bearing mice. (b) Qi can prolong the lives of laboratory flies. (c) Animal studies on hypertension and diabetes show positive results. (d) In one study, 18 pigs with surgically induced paralysis were divided into three equal groups. One group received Qigong healing within twelve hours, three treatments for the first week and two treatments daily for 84 days. Another group started Qigong treatment seven days after the injury and received two treatments a day for 84 days. A third group was the control with no treatment. After 90 days the first group could walk around freely and two of them could run and jump. In the second group all but one pig could stand and one could run. In the control group none of the pigs could stand up and only two had some avoidance response to stimulation.
    •Heart Rate Variability: Myeong Soo Lee, Mo Kyung Kim, Yong-Heum Lee. (2005, September). Effects of Qi- therapy (external Qigong) on cardiac autonomic tone: a randomized placebo controlled study. International Journal of Neuroscience. 115(9): 1345-1350.
Qi-therapy reduced the heart-rate and increased heart-rate variability as indicated by a reduced low frequency/high frequency power ration of heart-rate variability. These findings suggest that Qi-therapy stabilizes the sympathovagal function more than placebo therapy.
    •Heroin Detoxification: Ming Li, Kevin Chen and Zhixian Mo. (2002, Jan/Feb). Use of Qigong Therapy in the Detoxification of Heroin Addicts. Alternative Therapies. 8(1): 1-9. Eighty-six male heroin addicts, aged 18 to 52 years. The Qigong group practiced Pan Gu Qigong and received Qi adjustments from a Qigong master daily. The medication group received the detoxification drug, lofexidine-HCI, by a ten-day gradual reduction method. The control group received only basic care and medications to treat severe withdrawal symptoms. Reduction of withdrawal symptoms in the Qigong group occurred more rapidly than in the other groups. From day one, the Qigong group had significantly lower mean symptom scores than did the other groups. Both the Qigong and medication groups had much lower anxiety scores than did the control group and the Qigong group had significantly lower anxiety scores than did the medication group. All subjects had a positive response to the urine morphine test before treatment. On day three 50% of the Qigong group had negative urine tests compared to the 23% in the control group and 8% in the medication group. By day five of treatment all subjects in the Qigong group had negative urine tests compared to day nine for the medication group and day eleven for the control group. Results suggest that Qigong may be an effective alternative for heroin detoxification without side effects, though we cannot completely eliminate the possibility of the placebo effect from the current study.
    •Hypertension (Chronic High Blood Pressure): Myung-Suk Lee, Myeong Soo Lee, Hye-Jung Kim, Euy-Soon Choi. (2004). Effects of Qigong on blood pressure, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and other lipid levels in essential hypertension patients. International Journal of Neuroscience. 114(7): 777-786. Blood pressures decreased significantly after eight weeks of Qigong. The levels of total cholesterol, high- density lipoprotein and apolipoprotein A1 were changed significantly in the Qigong group post-treatment compared with before treatment. Qigong acts as an antihypertensive and may reduce blood pressure by the modulation of lipid metabolism.

     •Immune System Function : Juan M. Manzaneque, Francisca M. Vera, Enrique F. Maldonado, Gabriel Carranque, Victor M. Cubero, Miguel Morell, Maria J. Blanca. (2004). Assessment of immunological parameters following a Qigong training program. Medical Science Monitor, 10(6): CR264- 270. Statistically significant differences were found between the control and experimental groups, with the experimental group showing lower numbers of total leukocytes and eosinophils, number and percentage of monocytes, as well as complement C3 concentration. In addition, a similar result with a trend towards significance was observed in the number of eosinophils. These findings demonstrate that after one month of practicing Qigong, significant immunological changes occurred between the experimental and control groups, with a consistently lower and broadly significant profile of these measures within the Qigong practitioner group.
     •Immunity : Brian M. Jones. (2001). Changes in cytokine production in healthy subjects practicing Guolin Qigong: a pilot study. Complementary and Alternative Medicine. 1(8).
These preliminary studies in healthy subjects, although not necessarily representative of a randomized healthy population and not including a separate control group, have indicated that blood levels of the stress- related hormone cortisol may be lowered by short-term pratice of Qigong and that there are concomitant changes in numbers of cytokine- secreting cells.
     •Pain and Anxiety :Wu W.H., Bandilla E., Ciccone D.S., Yang J., Cheng S.C., Carner N., Wu Y., Shen R. Alternative therapies in health and medicine. 1999 Jan;5(1):45-54. CONTEXT: Despite the growing popularity of qigong in the West, few well-controlled studies using a sham master to assess the clinical efficacy of qigong have been conducted. OBJECTIVE: To study the effect of qigong on treatment-resistant patients with late-stage complex regional pain syndrome type I. DESIGN: Block-random placebo- controlled clinical trial. SETTING: Pain Management Center at New Jersey Medical School. PATIENTS: 26 adult patients (aged 18 to 65 years) with complex regional pain syndrome type I. INTERVENTIONS: The experimental group received qi emission and qigong instruction (including home exercise) by a qigong master. The control group received a similar set of instructions by a sham master. The experimental protocol included 6 forty- minute qigong sessions over 3 weeks, with reevaluation at 6 and 10 weeks. Assessment included comprehensive medical history, physical exam, psychological evaluation, necessary diagnostic testing. Symptom Check List 90, and the Carleton University Responsiveness to Suggestion Scale.        • MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Thermography, swelling, discoloration, muscle wasting, range of motion, pain intensity rating, medication usage, behavior assessment (activity level and domestic disability), frequency of pain awakening, mood assessment, and anxiety assessment. RESULTS: 22 subjects completed the protocol. Among the genuine qigong group, 82% reported less pain by the end of the first training session compared to 45% of control patients. By the last training session, 91% of qigong patients reported analgesia compared to 36% of control patients. Anxiety was reduced in both groups over time, but the reduction was significantly greater in the experimental group than in the control group. CONCLUSIONS: Using a credible placebo to control for nonspecific treatment effects, qigong training was found to result in transient pain reduction and long-term anxiety reduction. The positive findings were not related to preexperimental differences between groups in hypnotizability. Future studies of qigong should control for possible confounding influences and perhaps use clinical disorders more responsive to psychological intervention.
    •Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) : Hye-Sook Jang, Myeong Soo Lee, Myung-Ja Kim, Elizabeth S. Chong. (2004, Aug.) Effects of Qi-therapy on premenstrual syndrome. International Journal of Neuroscience. 114(8): 909-921.
Qi-therapy had a significant effect on pain and water retention. In addition, there were significant short-term effects on pain mental depression and anxiety. These results suggest that Qi-therapy might be useful as a nursing intervention for women who suffer from PMS to maintain or restore a balance of Qi.
     •Relaxation Through Meditation: Hong-Zhen He, Da-Lin Li, Wen-Bin Xi, Chang-Lin Zhang. (1999). A "Stress Meter" Assessment of the Degree of Relaxation in Qigong vs. Non-Qigong Meditation. Frontier Perspectives, 3(1), 37- 42. Many subjects were able to reach deep levels of relaxation through meditation. But, the subjects using Qigong training were able to reach deeper levels of relaxation than those using non-Qigong techniques. However, when the inducement language of experienced Qigong masters was used with the non-Qigong subjects they were able to reach deeper levels of relaxation.
     •School Children improved: Claudia Witt, Matthias Becker, Karin Bandelin, Renate Soeliner, Stefan N. Willich. (2005, Feb.) Qigong for schoolchildren: a pilot study. Journal for Alternative and Complementary Medicine. 11(1): 41-47. Six months after starting Qigong lessons, schoolchildren improved in social behaviour and showed stable grades while inappropriate behaviour decreased, compared with the control.
      • Spontaneous Remission: (Case Study ) Kevin W. Chen. (2004, Feb.) A case study of simultaneous recovery from multiple physical symptoms with medical Qigong therapy. Journal for Alternative and Complementary Medicine. 10(1): 159-162. This report documents the story of a 58-year-old Caucasian male patient with a series of chronic conditions, including high prostate-specific antigen levels (but not a confirmed cancer), atrial septal defect, asthma, allergies, multiple injuries following an automobile accident, high blood pressure, and edema in the legs. The patient received external Qi healing from a Qigong master and practiced Qigong four-plus hours per day during intensive training  and approximately one to two hours daily thereafter. After the workshop and Qigong therapy the patient discontinued all medications (8 in total) and lost 35 pounds. His blood pressure dropped from 220/110 with medication to 120/75 without medication in two weeks. Pulse rate dropped from 88 beats per minute resting to 68 beats per minute in the mornings and 55 bpm in the evening. Edema in his legs went away. Symptoms of asthma or allergies disappeared. PSA level dropped from 11 to 4 (normal). All of this occurred without medications. This kind of simultaneous recovery from multiple "incurable" conditions and other documented successes cannot be explained by any known medical theories and call for formal clinical trials to closely examine Qigong self-healing therapy.
     •Stimulation of Killer Cells :Myeong Soo Lee, Chang-Won Kang, Hoon Ryu. (2005, February). Acute Effect of Qi- Training on Natural Killer Cell Subsets and Cytotoxic Activity. International Journal of Neuroscience. 115(2): 285-297.
Natural killer cell cytotoxicity increased 60% immediately after one-hour Qi-training and returned to the basal level within two hours after training. Natural killer cell subset number did not change after Qi-training. Natural killer cell cytotoxicity and cell number were not significantly correlated. These data suggest that Qi-training has an acute stimulatory effect on natural killer cell activity but has no effect on phenotypical changes in the natural killer cell subset.
    •Stress : M.S. Lee, H. Ryu, H-T Chung. (2000). Stress management by psychosomatic training: effects of ChunDoSunBup Qi-training on symptioms of stress. A cross-sectional study. Stress and Health. 16(3): 161- 166.
Qi-trainees with over 13 months training had significantly lower scores in all the Symptoms of Stress inventory subscales compared to the controls. A significant negative correlation was found between the Qi- training period and all SOS subscales. The total stress scores of the Qi-trainee groups was substantially lower than those of the controls and there was further reduction with longer training periods. These results sugest CDSB Qi-training is effective in stress management and in decreasing symptoms of stress.
     • Stress Hormone, Growth Hormone, Melatonin : Myeong Soo Lee and Hoon Ryu. (2004, October). Qi-Training Enhances Neutrophil Function by Increasing Growth Hormone Levels in Elderly Men. International Journal of Neuroscience. 114(10): 1313-1322.
In healthy elderly men one hour of Qi-training significantly reduced the plasma concentration of cortisol and increased plasma concentrations of growth hormone and melatonin. Generation of superoxide by neutrophils increased significantly immediately after Qi-training. The change in neutrophil syperoxide generation was significantly correlated with the change in growth hormone concentration after Qi-training. These data indicate that, in elderly men, Qi-training enhances superoxide generation by neutrophils, possibly via the changes in plasma growth hormone concentration.
      •Suicide Prevention : H.W.H. Tsang. (2003). Qigong and suicide prevention. The British Journal of Psychiatry 182: 266-267.
This preliminary report showed that Qigong is promising as an alternative intervention for elderly people with depression and with chronic physical illness to improve their biopsycho- social health and possibly reduce their suicide rate. The improvement from Qigong practice included feeling more relaxed, more comfortable, better sleep and being more optimistic. All of these reported improvements in psychosocial functioning are indicative of less depressed mood and improved quality of life.