Medical Benefits of Qigong

According to an article published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (Lazarou et. al.) which analyzed the incidence of serious and fatal adverse drug reactions (ADRs) in hospital patients, in a single year over two million patients had serious ADRs and over 100,000 ADRs were fatal. And this was just in the hospital patient population under study. The Qigong and Energy Medicine Database™ holds thousands of references going back to 1986, covering medical applications, scientific, and experimental studies on Qigong and related energy therapies from around the world. Records in English have been compiled from International Qigong conferences and seminars, scientific journals, magazines, dissertations, MEDLINE, and other databases. One example concerning prescription drug use is from Therapeutic Benefits of Qigong Exercises in Combination with Drugs . J Altern Complement Med. 1999; 5(4):383-389; ISSN: 1341-9226, by Ken Sancier, founder and CEO of the Qigong Institute:

"The therapeutic role of Qigong exercises combined with drugs is reported for three medical conditions that require drug therapy for health maintenance: hypertension, respiratory disease, and cancer. In these studies, drugs were administered to all patients who were divided into two groups, a group that practiced qigong exercises and a control group that did not. Taken together, these studies suggest that practicing Qigong exercises may favorably affect many functions of the body, permit reduction of the dosage of drugs required for health maintenance, and provide greater health benefits than the use of drug therapy alone. For hypertensive patients, combining qigong practice with drug therapy for hypertensive patients resulted in reduced incidence of stroke and mortality and reduced dosage of drugs required for blood pressure maintenance. For asthma patients, the combination therapy permitted reduction in drug dosage, the need for sick leave, duration of hospitalization, and costs of therapy. For cancer patients, the combination therapy reduced the side effects of cancer therapy. Also reported is a study showing that the practice of Qigong helps to rehabilitate drug addicts." Ken Sancier.

Another example is a study on how Qigong prevents bone loss:

This study aimed to assess the efficacy of a 12-week Baduanjin qigong training program in preventing bone loss for middle-aged women. An experimental design was adopted, and subjects were assigned randomly into an experimental group (n = 44) and a control group (n = 43). The experimental group received a 12-week Baduanjin qigong training program, whereas the control group did not. Interleukin-6 (IL-6) and bone mineral density (BMD) were measured before and after the intervention. The results showed significant differences in IL-6 (t = -5.19, p < 0.000) and BMD (t = 1.99, p = 0.049) between the groups. Baduanjin reduced IL-6 and maintained BMD in the experimental group. In conclusion, this study demonstrates promising efficacy of Baduanjin in preventing bone loss commonly occurring in middle-aged women. Thus, Baduanjin is valuable for promoting and maintaining the health status of middle-aged women. The full text of this article is available at The Effects of Baduanjin Qigong in the Prevention of Bone Loss for Middle-Aged Women.

For more abstracts, see the Qigong and Energy Medicine Database™ . Also see the abstracts of research published by the Qigong Institute as well as a Review of Qigong for Cancer Treatment, the Anti-Aging Benefits of Qigong, the Use of Qigong Therapy in the Detoxification of Heroin Additcs, Qigong and Neuorlogical Illness and other published Scientific Papers.

"There is the widespread belief in our culture of the technological fix. This extends especially to drugs that are used to address chemical imbalances. In the meantime, prevention, nutrition, exercise, healthy living habits, and self-healing have been de-emphasized or discarded. Just a few of the consequences of this are a dramatically over-weight population and degenerative diseases that have replaced infectious diseases as the most pressing health issues...Adverse drug reaction is a leading cause of diseases and death. Chemical cures are still unpredictable. In spite of their 'precision' dosages, there is insufficient research on what else is going on in other parts of the brain and body when these drugs are administered...Some non-energetic conventional remedies are widely used, and even reimbursed by insurance companies, but have not been proven to be medically or cost effective and have side effects that can be harmful." Tom Rogers, President, Qigong Institute.

Energy Psychology

Qigong in the Martial Arts

There are thousands of different types of Qigong. Arguably the most popular type of Qigong for martial arts is zhan zhuang (“jan jong”). This is also known as “stake standing”. The practitioner stands motionless in a particular posture to develop internal strength. A widely practiced form of zhan zhuang is Wuji Qigong. It is very easy to practice yet is said to be difficult to master. Standing Qigong practice develops integrated body/mind awareness and focus, called “sung” in Chinese. Some masters train only using this form of Qigong. Shown is Chen style Tai Chi Grandmaster Chen Qingzhou demonstrating zhan zhaung.

Qigong for Autism and Children with Disabilities

A team from Western Oregon University’s Teaching Research Institute and the non-profit Qigong Sensory Training Institute, led by Dr. Louisa Silva, has shown that Qigong Massage is an effective sensory system treatment for children with autism. The method they have developed teaches parents how to give a fifteen minute massage to their child, once a day for at least five months. The program has been shown to help children sleep better, have less aggression, transition more easily, decrease self-injurious behaviors, and improve eye contact, language and social skills. Research papers published in peer-reviewed medical journals include:

• A Medical Qigong Methodology for Early Intervention in Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Case Series


• Improvement in Sensory Impairment and Social Interaction in Young Children with Autism Following Treatment with an Original Qigong Massage Methodology


• Outcomes of a Pilot Training Program in a Qigong Massage Intervention for Young Children with Autism


• Qigong Massage Treatment for Sensory and Self-Regulation Problems in Young Children With Autism: A Randomized Controlled Trial


• A Model and Treatment for Autism at the Convergence of Chinese Medicine and Western Science: First 130 Cases


• Early Intervention for Autism With a Parent-Delivered Qigong Massage Program: A Randomized Controlled Trial


• Autism Parenting Stress Index: Initial Psychometric Evidence


• Sense and Self-Regulation Checklist, a Measure of Comorbid Autism Symptoms: Initial Psychometric Evidence

Qigong Sensory Training Research - Part 1

Qigong Sensory Training Research - Part 2

Treating Autism with Qigong Massage - The Chinese Medicine Perspective.

Qigong Sensory Training Institute

As a private, non-profit organization, the mission of the Qigong Sensory Training Institute is: To make the Qigong Sensory Training Program for young children with autism accessible to parents and professionals; and to further research in qigong treatments of young children with disabilities.

World Champion Racewalker's Training Secret: Qigong

Trying to keep up with the world's fastest racewalking gerontologist, Jack Bray, would be difficult for people just half his age. Jack has developed a winning training strategy that is built upon a foundation of Qigong. To learn more, read Walking With Qi: the Nine Jewels of Qigong Walking

Qigong in Prisons

The U. S. prison population is enormous and growing. Stress is a relentless and inevitable element of life in prison. The physical, mental and emotional toll that stress-related illnesses take on the inmates, guards and their families is huge. This toll filters into the rest of society. Some courageous people are addressing this problem by teaching Qigong inside prisons. Strong initial evidence indicates that inmates who practice Qigong are generally healthier and make a better adjustment when they gain their freedom. If this proves to be true, the societal and economic benefits are potentially very large. To read one teacher’s experiences of introducing thousands of inmates in California prisons to Qigong, visit Judy Tretheway's Qigong Prison Ministry . In addition, Bill Douglas, the organizer of World Tai Chi and Qigong Day, describes teaching Qigong in Folsom prison in California and Penal and Drug Rehabilitation at the Kansas Correctional Facility for Women.

Yoga Could Help Improve Prison Environment- New Study.

The David Lynch Foundation is working to bring the benefits of meditation to the prison population as is the Prison Dharma Network.

Inmates find Solace in Yoga.

Meditation in prisons could cut overcrowding

Meditating behind bars: How yoga in prisons could cut overcrowding. This article also talks about the Prison Yoga Project.

Singapore Launches National Qigong Health Program

Singapore's Health Promotion Board (HPB) is the country's main driver for national health promotion and disease prevention programmes. Its goal is to increase the quality and years of healthy life and prevent illness, disability and premature death. HPB implements programmes that reach out to the population, specifically children, adults and the elderly. Getting Started on Qigong Health is a brochure for people starting out with Qigong that includes illustrations of basic Qigong practices. National Health Qigong Programme Launch (video 2:26) shows large numbers of citizens practicing Qigong during the launch of the program.

Singapore government promotes Qigong and Tai Chi to seniors, in National Parks, and the workplace. Exercises such as brisk-walking and martial art forms qigong and taiji are already popular among the elderly, but a government committee is giving them a further boost to ensure seniors stay active and healthy. Some 500 brisk-walking clubs have been formed with about 90,000 participants. There are also 86 qigong clubs with 7,000 members. And close to 2,000 participants joined in a mass display during a taiji launch.

Spontaneous Qigong

Although they define reality using different terms, quantum physics and the two main philosophies (Buddhism and Taoism) that influenced modern Qigong are in agreement on the fundamental nature of reality: It is characterized by impermanence or change, the interconnectedness of all things, and the fundamental equivalence of mass and energy. Einstein's Special Theory of Relativity describes this equivalence as "e=mc²"; the Buddhists refer to form or not form (aka "emptiness"); and the Taoists recognize yin and yang. So form, mass, and yin are describing the same state of being as are not form, energy, and yang. But how can something exist yet not exist at the same time? How does one go about exploring this conundrum beyond the realm of intellect and thought into experience and presence? A wonderful way to start is through the simple yet profound practice of Spontaneous Qigong. Spontaneous Qigong is said to be easy to do but difficult to master. This is no surprise, since one of the fundamentals of any Qigong practice is calming the mind.

Start by practicing Qigong forms (see Getting Started with Qigong for some examples) interpersed with free-form Qigong where your movements are led by your Qi (energy). Just move in whatever way your body tells you. You become a living metaphor for moving in and out of form. You become just like the clouds. They form from seemingly nothing, have substance that our senses can detect (mainly through sight), and then they disappear back into nothing, which is where they came from. Spontaneous Qigong or Qigong Dancing (Spontaneous Qigong to music) is a way to experience this shifting in and out of time and pure awareness. Qigong was originally a healing dance. Shaman would give a Qigong "prescription" for people bent over working in fields all day. For examples of Qigong dancing or Qigong with music, see the Dancing Qigong DVD Trailer . Then forget the dancer (the self or ego) and become the dance (pure energy). As one Qigong teacher explains,

"Qigong is not just a set of movements, not just meditation, mantra recitations, or cultivation of qi. Qigong is a path of life mastery, a path to enlightenment. The movements, mantras, and meditations are tools that are used towards that end. The tools should not limit you. They should help you grow...A Qigong form is meant to assist a person in gaining the health, energy, and sensitivity needed to expore the more spiritual dimensions in life. After the basics of Qigong are learned, proper posture and alignments, etc., the student is ready to explore some of the deeper aspects of the art. What happens to some practitioners of spiritual movement systems such as Qigong ... is that they strive for perfection of the form, that is, perfection of the outer form, their posture and alignment. And they end up ignoring the inner experience... What is most important is what is happening on the inside, the energetic, meditative, and spiritual aspect of the art." Richard.

The entire article appears in the Fall 2003 issue of The Empty Vessel.

Shaking and dancing has been prescribed by Chinese Buddhist medical practitioners for centuries to treat a number of physical and emotional disorders. It is a highly effective method for removing energy stagnation and breaking down hardened thinking patterns. Shaking the wrists alone is considered an effective way to treat depression. Chinese Buddhist Qigong masters consider the shaking as preparation for meditation whereas the dance is the meditation.

Daily vibration may help protect aging bones.

Qigong in Education

Dr. Gaspar Garcia realized that if businessmen had been taught from their childhood simple breathing and relaxation techniques, as well as basic preventive medicine concepts, they would not suffer as adults the devastating effects of stress. The Smart Living Program was born from that realization. This program was implemented in schools in Costa del Sol, Spain, and its objective was to convey these teachings to children and young people so they would be able to benefit from them throughout their lives. For more information, contact Dr. Garcia at Luohan Qigong.

Dr Paul Lam has a very well received program for children called Tai Chi 4 Kidz.

Hiruko incorporates Qigong and Tai Chi fundamentals into martial arts training for youngsters.

Children need more meditation and less stimulation.

Yoga Therapy for children with special needs.

The David Lynch Foundation is bringing meditation to schools to help with a silent epidemic among young people: stress.

Qigong in Primary/Elementary Schools

Tai Chi for Kids has been adapted for students with special education needs, including those in wheel chairs and who have severe physical and mental disabilities.

Children in Uganda at an elementary school for AIDS orphans love to do Tai Chi. Here they are doing the elephant. Another favorite is the tiger. You should hear the breathing sound of the ferocious tiger as it focuses and charges.

More Schools are Practicing Tai Chi

In the past 12 months (as of July 2010) Tai Chi for Kids workshops have been given in California, Florida, Massachusetts, New York, Illinois, Indiana, Colorado and Mexico. Schools in Australia and Great Britain love the Tai Chi program. With video conferencing Tai Chi workshops can be held anywhere. As teachers we inspire our students with knowledge, tools for success and a belief in our own success. Tai Chi is helping us realize these goals through flowing movements for relaxation, focus, and concentration.

Michelle Broady, PE teacher at PS 45 in Brooklyn, NY has taught Tai Chi to the whole student body. They have done it simultaneously with the music over the PA system as part of the ACES program. One fifth grade teacher now does Tai Chi Moves every morning with his whole class. Every student in this class is in the top third of all students in this Grade A school. They are so proud. Ms Broady has taught Tai Chi in day care, in the scouting program and finds it particularly beneficial in the Modified Education classes. Not only do the kids love it, but it helps in transition from lunch or between different activities.

Tai Chi Moves (see Tai Chi for Kids) can be used as part of the State mandated minutes of physical activity in the classroom or in PE.

During and after five weeks of tai chi lessons, adolescents with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) showed less anxiety, daydreaming, inappropriate emotions and hyperactivity, according to a study by the Touch Research Institute (TRI). Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: benefits from Tai Chi. For more research on Qigong and Tai Chi for ADHD, search the Qigong and Energy Medicine Database™.

Press Release: New research shows Transcendental Meditation improves standardized academic achievement - A study with at-risk urban middle school students.

Meditation helps kids pay attention, leading researcher says. About 200 students at four elementary schools have used breathing techniques to hard-wire their brains to improve their ability to focus on their work. "It's so widely popular and successful, the district wants us to scale it up the entire (Madison) school system."

Yoga ideal activity for tweens

Meditation should be "an everyday task, like brushing your teeth," says Goldie Hawn who recommends daily meditation to create well-being, health, and happiness
Hawn describes the benefits of a personal meditation practice. She also mentions the Hawn Foundation's MindUp program which is bringing the multi-faceted benefits of meditation to schools. MindUP™ is a comprehensive social and emotional learning program for pre-kindergarten through eighth-grade students, and is informed by current research in the fields of cognitive neuroscience, mindful education, social and emotional learning, positive psychology, and evidence-based teaching practices.

Qigong in Secondary Schools

Visit the Qigong Institute Teen Website .

Educator Jay Robbins describes how to integrate Qigong into school physical education programs in A New Approach to Mental, Physical, and Emotional Achievement in the Ken-Ton School District.

Integrating a relaxation response-based curriculum into a public high school in Massachusetts.

Qigong-based teen mentoring Program

MentorOhana started in 2003 on the Garden Island of Kaua'i as an online empowerment tool for teens. It has been used to create personal assessments from thousands of teens and adults over the years as a way to empower individuals to make good decisions. Through its Tracking tools, a Member can follow their development over time and see patterns and how their choices affect their lives.

Qualitative evaluation of a high school yoga program: feasibility and perceived benefits. Harvard study finds many benefits to 9th and 10th graders including stress reduction and promoting healthy behaviors at a societal level by focusing on the prevention of negative patterns during the adolescent transition.

Qigong in Higher Education

Many colleges and universities offer Qigong instruction and degree programs. They are very often associated with the Physical Education and Kinesiology departments.

T'ai Chi Chuan & Qigong, KIN 133A. California State University Northridge's Kinesiology Department.

Information and Meditation -- Improving attention in the digital-age In the University of Washington Information and Contemplation class, participants scrutinize their use of technology: how much time they spend with it, how it affects their emotions, how it fragments their attention. They watch videos of themselves multitasking and write guidelines for improving their habits. They also practice meditation—during class—to sharpen their attention.

Looking East for Health and a Career: "77 percent of medical students believe that patients whose doctors are knowledgeable about complementary and alternative medicine benefit more than those whose doctors are trained only in Western medicine." Five Branches University Graduate School of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

(UC Davis, The California Aggie) Maintaining homeostasis in the body is perhaps the single most important factor related to health. Homeostasis is created through focus, calmness and opening of internal circulation through breath, blood, lymph and body heat. As these bodily systems begin to regulate, there is of course nothing wrong with hittin' the treadmill. The heart is just one organ (albeit an important one) that stays in shape through cardiovascular activity. However, there are multiple organs in the body that require upkeep. More.

Changes in Mindfulness, Well-Being, and Sleep Quality in College Students Through Taijiquan Courses: A Cohort Control Study. Tai Chi improves sleep and reduces stress in college students.

Meditation can boost test scores, study suggests
The study, which appeared in the March 2013 issue of Psychological Science and was reported by The New York Times Wednesday, found subjects who participated in two weeks of “mindfulness training” had improved test scores and memory capacity as well as reduced distracting thoughts. Also see New Study Shows Meditating Before Lecture Leads to Better Grades.

Students benefit from meditation stress management techniques.

Tai Chi Kicks Students' Taoism into Shape
What started as a six-person class over 15 years ago has grown into a 60 or 100 student waitlisted course, making it one of the most popular classes taught at Carleton.