Qigong

Posted by DAAN on April 7, 2007 under Culture |

Qigong (”breath work”, or the discipline of developing one’s breathing to enhance your health and energy) is becoming a more and more popular activity. Outwardly similar to Tai Chi, it’s more of an internal style:

“Practitioners say that qigong helps alleviate joint and muscle aches, increases energy and deepens their breathing. “It’s taken my body, mind and spirit to a completely new level,” said Shelley Marks, 46, a talent manager living in Los Angeles who started qigong after showing early signs of rheumatoid arthritis. “It’s created a very peaceful feeling,” she said, and her inflammation and pain have diminished.

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Qigong devotees report better sleep, less anxiety and increased energy. But the proof has lagged behind.

The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, part of the National Institutes of Health, is financing more studies on medical qigong, which involves therapists working individually with clients to correct energy imbalances that have led to pain or disease. But it’s harder to get funding for studies about self-practice, said Kevin Chen, an associate professor at the Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. “There are not many qigong masters who can produce measurable results repeatedly,” Dr. Chen explained.

The database of the Qigong Institute, an online clearinghouse for information on medical qigong in Menlo Park, Calif. (qigonginstitute.org), includes more than 3,500 studies, reporting qigong’s positive effects on hypertension, arthritis and longevity. But rather than randomized controlled studies, the gold standard for Western medicine, many studies are anecdotal or have small sample sizes. “