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Medical
Qigong and Oriental Medicine
by Jampa
Mackenzie Stewart
Medical Qigong is one of the oldest branches of Chinese medicine, predating
acupuncture by thousands of years. Qi refers to the life-force
energy that flows through the acupuncture channels in the body, while
gong means skill acquired through disciplined practice. Therefore,
medical qigong refers to Chinese methods that guide and direct the Qi
for health and healing. There are over one thousand different qigong systems
known to be in use today.
Categories of Medical Qigong
Medical Qigong can be divided into general categories:
1. Physical therapy for fitness, health maintenance, and the treatment
of specific disorders;
2. Stress management exercises and relaxation techniques; and,
3. External Qi Healing (Chinese Therapeutic Touch).
Qigong For Physical Therapy
Qigong exercise is usually gentle, slow, and encourages deep breathing,
stretching, and movements that are beneficial to the joints, organs and
bones. I believe that qigong is superior to most Western forms of exercise.
It's less likely to cause injury, and aims not only at strengthening
the muscles and the cardio-vascular system, but on balancing all the systems
of the body, conserving energy, strengthening the bones, tendons, joints,
nervous system, internal organs, glands, and the reproductive system as
well.
There are specific qigong exercises for almost every type of malady: musculo-skeletal
problems, internal organ problems, and for many other specific diseases
and conditions.
Qigong physical therapy has proven extremely effective in treating serious
internal disorders. One of the most famous examples of this is that of
Madame Guo Lin of Beijing, a woman who created her own variation of Hua
Tuo's “Five Animal Frolics” to treat her uterine cancer,
which she developed at age 40. Living well into her seventies, she taught
her system to tens of thousands of people, assisting in the documented
cancer cures of over three hundred patients and the improvement of thousands
of others.
Another system, called Shu Xin Ping Xue Qigong, is specifically used for
the treatment of heart disease. It has been proven beneficial for angina,
hypertension, and congestive heart failure.
There are many other qigong forms for treatment of specific diseases such
as obesity, ulcers, eye problems, epilepsy, Raynaud's syndrome, asthma,
emphysema, arthritis, diabetes, herpes, and many other chronic health
problems.
Qigong for Stress Management
Over the last fifty years, chronic stress has been cited as either a primary
or secondary cause in the onset of over one hundred diseases, including
heart disease and cancer.
An interesting fact is that many of the modalities of stress management
used in Western medicine are drawn from qigong. These include such methods
as breathing exercises, visualization, meditation, progressive relaxation,
and physical exercise. These “new” medical treatments are
actually thousands of years old!
For example, breathing exercises are used in every Western stress management
program. The term “qigong” itself is sometimes translated as
“breathing exercise.”
As the link between mind and body, consciously controlling the breath
can have an impact on both physical and mental tension. By gently guiding
and allowing the breath to adopt the qualities of breathing exhibited
during states of deep relaxation (breathing should become quiet, deep,
smooth, even, soft, and fine), one can thus induce the accompanying physical
and mental states of relaxation.
Breathing exercises have proven to be effective in reducing anxiety, depression,
irritability, muscle tension and fatigue, and are also used in treatment
and prevention of agoraphobia, hypertension, breath holding, hyperventilation,
shallow breathing, and cold hands and feet.
Other qigong methods, such as Liu Qi Fa (The Six Healing Sounds), involve
healing imagery and visualization of the organs, their Five Element colors
and positive qualities. These have proven effective in treating
many physical and emotional maladies, including cancer.
External Qi Healing (Chinese Therapeutic Touch)
When a qigong master emits Qi from his own body to affect the energy flow
of others, it is called External Qi healing (wai qi liao fa). Qigong research
in China on emitted Qi from different qigong healers has measured infrared
radiation, low levels of electric energy, electro-magnetic energy, magnetic
energy, and low frequency modulated infra-sonic sound (8-14 hertz ) being
emitted from their hands.
Dr. Wan Sujian, a Chinese army doctor and Director of the Institute of
Chinese Taoist Medical Qigong in Beijing, has gained worldwide renown
for his success in treating thousands of paraplegic and quadriplegic patients
with emitted Qi. Dr. Wan’s army hospital has also searched throughout
China for children who exhibit special qigong healing abilities and has
brought them to the hospital for further training as qigong therapists.
External Qi Healing (Wai Qi Zhi Liao) is not a primary health care choice
for most people. It is usually resorted to when conventional treatment
methods have failed. The fact that External Qi Healing is successful,
when nothing else works, indicates its special value and importance as
a limb of medical practice.
Medical Qigong therapy has been a part of Oriental medicine since its
inception. It is often the treatment of choice for many illnesses. There
are now several schools in the United States offering professional level
training programs in Medical Qigong therapy. This low-tech approach to
health and healing opens new possibilities in integrative healthcare for
21st century America.
Dr.
Jampa Mackenzie Stewart is a Doctor of Oriental Medicine, the Executive
Director of Healing Tao Institute in Austin, TX, and dean of its two-year
Medical Qigong Therapy program
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Body
Hypnotics
Atlanta
National Hypnotherapy Institute
The
Swan Center
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Therapy