"Chinese medicine is wellness based and its benefits are accomplished through functional enhancement. When a body heals any part, the whole participates. Only in the Western world do we, because medicine is pathology based and potentially dangerous, believe it is critical to attack specific pathogens or remove a particular diseased part very specifically. In the more primitive systems of medicine where the paradigm is based on healing by maximizing the function of the whole being on every level, it is well known that the whole body works together to resolve pain and heal disease. In the more whole person paradigm, the idea of treating a part or process pales next to the profound idea that, integrally, any part can only be transformed with the support of healing components, factors and processes that happen throughout the whole system." Dr. Roger Jahnke.
"Although not proven conclusively from a Western Medical stand point, qigong is an accepted treatment option in the fields of complementary and alternative medicine.[16][54][96] Qigong treatment is also used extensively in China as part of Traditional Chinese Medicine and has been included in the curriculum of Chinese universities.[97] Qigong practice serves both a preventive and curative function. It is considered to be effective in improving the effects of many chronic conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, allergy, asthma, arthritis, degenerative disk disease, cancer, depression, anxiety and addiction. Qigong works by improving the practitioners’ immunity response, increasing a person’s self-healing and self-recovery capabilities and enhancing one’s self-regeneration potential...."
"Science has recognized that at least one-third of all healings including drugs, and surgery, and other allopathic interventions, one third of all healings has nothing to do with the process but has to do with the Placebo Effect." Dr. Bruce Lipton.
"The Placebo Effect is really another way of talking about the body's self healing capacity and anything that unleashes more of that is going to be a better system Rupert Sheldrake." Ph.D
Can your thoughts affect your health?
View a preview of The Living Matrix, a film on the science of healing. Listen to explanations of recent medical research that will transform your understanding of how to get well and stay well.
What is "Medical Qigong?"
Qigong was not associated with the word "medical" until the late 20th Century. In this interview on The Secrets of Qigong Masters on blogtalkradio, Dr. Roger Jahnke discusses the true definition of medicine as it relates to Qigong, the historical definition of Medical Qigong, the political influences in China that affected the development of Medical Qigong, Medical Qigong in America, and more. More on Qigong Internet Radio.
The Center for Integrative Medicine (CIM) at the University of Maryland School of Medicine provides complementary medical patient care; is a National Institutes of Health research center on CAM; integrates CAM in the School of Medicine curriculum; and disseminates information on CAM. As summarized on its webpage:
Integrative Medicine blends the best of conventional and complementary medical approaches, addressing not only physical symptoms, but also psychological, social, environmental & spiritual aspects of health & illness. It believes in stimulating the innate human capacity for healing, empowering patients in their own care, while providing them with choices in healthcare that are proven to be safe and effective.
"US health care costs stem from an overdependence on high-tech allopathic medicine and pharmaceuticals that treat symptoms; the bureaucracy and paper work of dealing with numerous insurance companies; the threat of malpractice lawsuits; and greed. The current US health care system is set up to make profits for investors rather than to heal… [we] must accept responsibility for our health by making health-promoting choices daily and seeking true preventative care that assists the body's innate healing ability. Therapies other than drugs and surgery need to be available through Medicare and insurance plans… The current system in the US depends upon sickness and high-tech solutions in order to make a profit. Our very economy is dependent upon the health care industry as it now stands. A November 2006 article in BusinessWeekOnline says that '…health care has become the main American job program for the 21st century, replacing, at least for the moment, all the other industries that are vanishing from the landscape.' " Robert J. Zieve, MD in The Townsend Letter (www.townsendletter.com) - February/March 2007. In his book Beyond the Medical Meltdown , Zieve discusses the factors contributing to the high cost of US health care.
When Bill Moyers’ series, Healing and the Mind, premiered on PBS over 10 years ago, integrative medicine still lay on the fringes of the U.S. health care system. Today, it is booming. Even the most conservative health institutions are beginning to practice therapies once considered “new age”— acupuncture, visualization, self-hypnosis and mindfulness— alongside the more traditional drugs and surgery. Equally important is a new attitude that treats the patient as a whole person rather than a cog in an assembly line. The New Medicine, a two-hour documentary, hosted by Dana Reeve, takes viewers inside medical schools, healthcare clinics, research institutions and private practices to examine the rapidly expanding world of integrative medicine.
"Health Medicine" is a term being used to describe an integrative, holistic, person-centered, and preventive style of clinical practice. An example of a website and practice that embodies health medicine is DoctorSaputo.com. It is the brainchild of Len Saputo, MD and Francesco Garri Garripoli who have built this project on the foundation of their friendship that began in 1998. These two wellness advocates envisioned a new approach to health education and personal empowerment. Combining Len's concept's of "health medicine" and a true "patient centered" approach to medicine... and Francesco's emphasis on a holistic, body/mind/spirit perspective on self care and preventative medicine, DoctorSaputo.com is a true East-meets-West approach to health education. DoctorSaputo.com offers a library of nearly 2,000 media files featuring Dr. Saputo, his wife Vicki Saputo, RN, Francesco, and an amazing array of health and wellness experts from around the world discussing information that is custom-delivered to you. This is made possible utilizing the WujiTech Environment software designed by Francesco and his team of Romanian programmers who have been developing this state-of-the-art technology since 2002.
Another example of the new style of holistic wellness practice is One Circle Wellness:
The Textbook of Integrative Mental Health Care is a new book on integrative approaches including Qigong in mental health care that provides a comprehensive resource on the theory and clinical practice of integrative mental health care. The book presents a framework for psychiatrists, other mental health professionals, and CAM practitioners who wish to learn about the conceptual foundations of integrative medicine and examine the evidence for non-conventional and integrative approaches used to assess and treat common mental health problems.
The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine ( NCCAM ) has established an Integrative Medicine Consult Service at the National Institutes of Health ( NIH ) Clinical Center, the world’s largest hospital devoted to research. This service will provide physicians, nurses, and other members of the Clinical Cnete health care team the ability to discuss complementary and alternative medicine ( CAM ) therapies with knowledgeable medical staff from the consult service and learn how various CAM practices might complement or interact with a patient's care as a research participant at the Clinical Center. For more information: Read the NIH PressZoom .
"Although emerging evidence during the past several decades suggests that psychosocial factors can directly influence both physiologic function and health outcomes, medicine has failed to move beyond the biomedical model, in part because of lack of exposure to the evidence base supporting the biopsychosocial model. The medical literature was reviewed to examine the efficacy of representative psychosocial–mind-body interventions, including relaxation, (cognitive) behavioral therapies, meditation, imagery, biofeedback, and hypnosis for several common clinical conditions". Read the full article Mind-Body Medicine: State of the Science, Implications for Practice .
Listen to an introduction to the use of Medical Qigong for health (once on the referenced page, scroll down the page to find this podcast) by Ted Cibik, Doctor of Medical Qigong. Also, for more information on how Qigong is being used to treat a range of diseases and conditions, such as asthma, multiple sclerosis, high blood pressure, diabetes, and more, see Ancient Health Practices for a Modern World.
“Qigong is a truly holistic healing knowledge system. Our body has a complex diagnostic and healing system that I call the ‘internal hospital’, a hospital called Nothingness, all inclusive. Critical to genuine Qigong healing is the understanding that Qigong does not work at the structural level (anatomy), but at the Qi level, or Qi based knowledge system or framework, even beyond the Qi dimension. ...More
From: Restoring Natural Harmony, Simon Blow. www.simonblowqigong.com. Reprinted with permisson of author.
The mission of the Global Health Institute is to educate health professionals, students and the media community on the discoveries, cutting edge therapies and emerging knowledge that is shaping the integration of healthcare.
What’s Missing from Western Medicine: The Power of the Mind
What distinguishes Western medicine from all other healing traditions on the planet are several key concepts: the separation of mind and body, and the notion that all of nature can be explained via a materialistic world view. On the other hand, every single non-Western healing tradition recognizes the inextricable link between psyche and soma. “Dis-ease” is not limited to the physical body; thoughts and emotions are causative factors. And healing necessitates addressing these elements of our being. Getting well is not just about fixing the physical body. More.
Medical Qigong: A Vital Branch of Oriental Medicine
The early Taoist shaman/healers saw that through connecting to the natural powers through dance and movement they could restore outer harmony and balance with the forces of nature. It was not long before they transferred this same reasoning to the microcosm of their own bodies. Therefore, of the earliest know qigong healing forms, many were derived from the movements of animals. The Qi Gong Classic (Dao Yin Tu), discovered in the tomb of King Ma in 1973 and dating back to the second century B.C., illustrates in manuscripts written on silk over 45 qigong postures with descriptions of the movements as well as the names of the diseases which they treat; over half of these postures are animal movements. More.
The Doctor and the Healer
Anyone truly interested in health, illness, and healing, and, therefore, in medicine and psychotherapy, whether professional health-care practitioner or lay person, cannot help marveling at what is happening today in the medical profession and in the world! On the one hand, we have never had more knowledge, material resources, and on-going medical research. The medical technologies and sophisticated remedies that are available to us have never been greater or more accessible to more people on this planet. On the other hand, it is highly questionable as to whether these are paying off in terms of global health, longevity, personal happiness, and fulfillment! Social science statistics are very clear but rather pessimistic: the rates of psychopathology, suicide, anti-social behavior, depression and doctor-induced deaths and illnesses keep going up, particularly in those countries that are most developed, wealthy, and technologically advanced. All over the world and particularly in traditional societies and in Europe, there is a growing interest in ethnic and traditional medicine, in holistic or integrative medicine that seeks to bring together the best of modern science and the wisdom of the past. More.
We are not victims of our heredity. People are limited by their perceptions and beliefs of the world that they live in. Listen to Dr. Wayne Dyer and Dr. Bruce Lipton discuss how people can heal themselves.
, Zieve discusses the factors contributing to the high cost of US health care.
