New Research - Qi Gong Lowers Blood Pressure

Shin, Kyung-Min, Ji-Eun Park, Sanghoon Hong, Taeseob Park, Minhee Lee, Yan Liu, Jung-Eun Kim et al. "568 A Randomized Controlled Trial for the Use of Qigong in the Treatment of Pre and Mild Essential Hypertension." Journal of Hypertension 30 (2012): e167.

Qi Gong encompasses many styles and forms within each style, many of which are traditionally used to benefit specific bodily systems. The researchers concluded that Qi Gong is safe and has a “positive effect on blood pressure and health status in pre and mild hypertension patients.” Based on these findings, the researchers suggest additional research to further explore the medical benefits of Qi Gong with a larger sample size of participants.

A total of 40 participants were randomized into a control group and a Qi Gong group. The Qi Gong group practiced the forms for a total of 5 times per week for a total of 8 weeks. Blood pressure reductions occurred in the Qi Gong group and not in the control group. Systolic blood pressure reduced significantly. Diastolic blood pressure was unaffected.

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is comprised of five major branches: movement arts, acupuncture, herbal medicine, dietetics, bone medicine. Qi Gong and other arts such as Tai Chi are part of the movement arts division of TCM including other forms of breathing and meditation exercises. Most forms of Qi Gong involve meditation, synchronous breathing and physical exercise.

http://www.healthcmi.com/acupuncturist-news-online/792-qigongbp

Qigong for Digestive Problems

Qi Magazine - Issue 85 (December 2007)

Today, many people have digestion problems because they do not get enough exercise, eat improperly or have too much stress. Some have all of these factors and so it is understandable that they will have illness.

Our bodies are meant to be maintained and looked after but often we neglect to do so until we have an illness which tells us something is starting to go wrong. We know we need to service our cars regularly, changing the oil and topping up brake fluid and water or coolant. Every so often we need to have something more serious done like replacing old brake pads or a worn tire as we know that otherwise it could be very dangerous and cause us to have a serious accident. Most of us though, do not give the same regard to our health until it is too late. When the big problem comes, the time for worry is already gone. We can only try to limit the effects of the problem and start to build up our Qi and immune system through Qigong exercise and meditation.

The first thing we should work for is the bones and so doing some standing meditations like Zhan Zhuang or Horse Stance is ideal. In the beginning you may only be able to stand a minute but can slowly build up to 5, 10 and 15 minutes or longer. You should feel good when you are standing although at first you may find the mind wandering and that you are impatient to be still for so long. If you can conquer this impatience, then you can start to develop yourself. The longer you stand (within reason), the more Qi you will gather which will "wash" the internal organs and make you stronger.

Sometimes it is the most simple exercises, like Wuji stance, that will give us the most benefit. However, in the end, it is all up to us as we are the ones who have to work for our own Qi and healing.

With kind regards,

Michael Tse

Qigong Confusion

Qi Magazine | Issue 73 | December 2004 

By Adam Wallace

As Qigong becomes more well known you would naturally assume that the level of understanding would also increase. However, there are still too many misconceptions among the general public regarding Qigong.

Qigong is not a martial art. Traditionally it was linked with Chinese martial arts because it enhances physical performance and mental focus, and heals the body, but it is a health exercise. Qi relates to energy and gong means work.

Qigong is not Taijiquan. With the Pinyin romanisation of Chinese you have Qi, Qigong, and Taijiquan; and with Wade Gilles you have Chi, Chi Kung and Tai Chi Chuan. The word Chi ( Ji, meaning ‘limited’ or ‘ending’) in Tai Chi Chuan is written the same as Chi (Qi, meaning energy) in Chi Kung, and therein lies the confusion. The ‘soft’ watered-down Taijiquan for health promoted today has, in essence, become similar to Qigong, but it is not quite in the same league for health.

Qigong is not a warmup exercise. Many Taijiquan teachers include basic Qigong as a warm-up to their practise but it is no substitute for deep stretching. Qigong is not a ‘quick-fix’. I once overheard two ladies discussing classes they had taken and one said to the other, “I did Qigong last Monday and it set me up for the entire week”. The effect may be immediate but it does not last indefinitely; good results only come from cumulative efforts. A‘Grandmaster’ in New York guarantees that results can be achieved from mere minutes of practising his Qigong every day, and brandishes scores of written student testimonials as ‘proof’. But, it is really simple common sense - the more you put in the more you get out!

Qigong is a Chinese skill. This may sound painfully obvious but people are currently creating (trademarking) and promoting their own Western versions. Syner Chi Sculpt (a combination of Qigong, Yoga, and weightlifting) and Aqua Chi Kung (performed in chlorinated indoor swimming pools), among others, are continually emerging.

Traditional Qigong was designed as a total balanced system of training the body and mind. When teachers must combine their Qigong with other exercise either their own studies are incomplete or else their Qigong is deficient. Mixing up disciplines without internal knowledge and experience can be hazardous to health.

Qigong is not a religion. It is based on the principles of Daoism (following nature) and Buddhism (enlightenment); the philosophy is an education in morality and does not cause conflict with any religious faith. Qigong is not a political movement.When Qigong is combined with activism here is a dichotomy as the student cannot relax, let go, and forget when so passionately involved in a cause.

Qigong is not a self empowerment/goal-achievement method. It was created for health, vitality, and longevity by Daoists and Buddhists, and not by 21st Century self-help gurus. Certain people are actually marketing Qigong as the means to cultivate financial success, land a dream job, or find one’s ‘soul-mate’.

Qigong is not a substitute for psychotherapy. As a mind-body exercise practice, it balances emotions, far better than merely talking endlessly about oneself and being ‘medicated’, but certain ‘masters’ promise a lifetime of anger or depression can be eliminated in one or two ‘treatments’.

A doctorate in Traditional Chinese Medicine is not indicative of Qigong skill. Knowledge of herbs and acupuncture does not replace experience with internal training, i.e. Chinese movement and deep meditation. Surprisingly, most Western TCM doctors today do not actually practice Qigong (despite having learned elementary skill as a course requirement), or have any active interest whatsoever.

Qigong has nothing to do with feeling Qi. This is no more indicative of good health than not feeling Qi being indicative of illness. Certain teachers so impress the need to feel the energy that students either begin to imagine this or else are left feeling inferior to those who can (or claim to) feel Qi sensations.

What accounts for all this confusion? Unqualified low-level teachers not fully comprehending Qigong’s capabilities who remain confused themselves, and authors writing on the subject in complete ignorance with zero experience. For example, NewYork’s Time Out magazine featured an article on Qigong in July 2004. The author recommended a “yoga-qigong hybrid class” (that she had attended) as an “easier entry point” over “Qigong in its purest form (as in Wallace’s Dayan class)” where “postures are often excruciatingly slow and it can be a challenge to stay focused”. Dayan Qigong is nothing like this! Mistaken perception or deliberate deception? The author wrote these comments even visiting the class!

Meditation is Part of the Solution

Zhang Zhuang as Self-Treatment

Traditional Chinese Therapeutic Exercises - Standing Pole

By Wang Xuanjie, J.P.C. Moffett

The Chinese medical community has previously conducted investigations into the therapeutic value of pile stance exercises. The cycle of illness is explained as follows: When the cerebral cortex becomes over excited or exhausted, the body's functioning suffers as a result to the point of illness. Likewise, illness, as a malfunctioning of the organs, sends out harmful stimuli to the cerebral cortex, placing an even further burden upon it. The aim of standing pole exercises is to break the illness cycle by providing the cerebral cortex with beneficial stimuli, thus causing it to relax.

Relaxation is achieved through the manner in which the standing pole exercises are practiced. One must assume the required body posture and then hold it for a period of time. The cerebral cortex eventually finds a soothing and pleasing object of focus in order for the body to maintain the physical posture. When the object of focus is not overly stimulating, the very relaxed sensation felt by the cerebral cortex leads to muscle relaxation, improved blood circulation and deeper respiration. The initial aches and numbness associated with a beginner's practice will gradually disperse and will be replaced by a warm, slightly numbing but very comfortable feeling. This feeling is a most beneficial stimulus to the cerebral cortex and the longer it lasts the cerebral cortex achieves even deeper relaxation, concentration and an inhibitory "quiet" state.

Electroencephalogram investigations have demonstrated this (quiet) state to be quite different from sleep or hypnosis. It is characterized by the appearance of beta wave in the front portions of both hemispheres, which increases in amplitude and expands towards the back of the hemispheres as practice progresses and the inhibitory state deepens. The alpha wave, however, undergoes little change, though sometimes exhibiting a slight increase in amplitude, cycle extension and a trend towards a gradual slowing of rhythm.

Mental activities such as worry, anger and even thought as well as unnecessary and excessive tensing of the body's muscles cause fatigue and body aches. Tension can especially be felt in the chest and shoulders and seen in the face. The steady practice of standing pole exercises extends outside practice to daily life so that excess tension and thus fatigue are permanently reduced or eventually eliminated.

It has been observed that during the standing pole exercises the pulse rate increases steadily and then eventually levels off. Immediately after practice the pulse rate does not drop suddenly. This makes it suitable for practice by those with heart trouble or the very frail. Breathing is allowed to respond naturally to the gradually rising needs of the metabolism. Breathing is not artificially slowed for that would deprive the body of oxygen. As with other strenuous types of exercise when oxygen intake cannot keep up with its consumption, as evidenced by labored breathing, there occurs a harmful build up waste products in the body such as lactic acid.

With steady practice, chest muscles eventually relax, allowing for very deep and perfectly natural breathing. There is an accompanying increase in lung capacity and with it a beneficial increase in the permeability of the pulmonary alveolus wall and expansion of the lung's capillaries. Further, greater chest expansion during inhalation increases pressure in the thorax, helping to draw blood out from the veins into the heart. Exhalation releases the pressure, helping the heart to push out blood. Lastly, there is a beneficial massaging effect of deep breathing on the internal organs as with each inhalation the diaphragm sinks and the mediastinum expands and with each exhalation the diaphragm rises and the mediastinum contracts.

Relaxation of the abdomen allows the abdominal organs to settle, while the movement of abdominal respiration coupled with pressure changes in the thorax creates a massaging motion on them. Investigations have shown that such a massaging action on the liver causes an increase in choleresis, aiding digestion, prevents stasis of the bile system and expands the blood capillaries in the liver. Such massage also helps to prevent stasis in the stomach and intestinal system, working against the development of ulcers, gastroenterits, constipation and other abdominal disorders.

In summary, the standing pole exercises are a viable and effective method of self-treatment. As a non-strenuous but thorough mental and physical exercise they can be practiced by even the very frail, combating illness and strengthening the body without the side effects of other forms of treatment. 

The Simplicity of Standing by Wang XiangZhai

The wisdom of Master WXZ

"The standing exercise represents a very special accumulation of knowledge in China.  But in the past there were very few people who paid attention to it because most people thought it was too simple.  They wondered how, by standing in a single posture without moving, can you improve health?  When people wonder this, it is because they do not really understand the essence of standing.  In reality, in practicing the exercise of standing without moving, we can not only increase physical strength, but also awaken healing process within the body, allowing the body to cure itself of all kinds of chronic diseases it might have accumulated during a lifetime.  Therefore, in preventative medicine, standing exercises have great value.  In fact, it is one of the most appropriate ways of exercising."