Location via proxy:   [ UP ]  
[Report a bug]   [Manage cookies]                
Chinese Qigong Essentials Qigong is a formidable art, part of Chinese medicine and Western cognitive neurology (cognitive neuroscience), to prevent and treat diseases, improve health, delay aging and enhance latent potential of human beings. It is focused on the Chi movement. The term Qi (Chi) takes on at least three different meanings, the first referred to the air inspired and exhaled by humans, it is found in the universe and has direct influence on human physiology. It is also the means of connection and interrelation of the different parts of the body, organs and tissues included, and finally the Chi is a kind of 1 substance present in the human body, unlike the other parts like skin or bones, it is invisible to the sight, but constitutes the real essence of the human beings. Witnesses of Qigong long history, are numerous: the classic "the way of the power", a milstone which deeply portrays theory and the practice of the Qigong, appeared in the IV century b.c., going back "I Ching" fundamental base for the Qigong is dated 11 century 771 b.c., therefore, Qigong origins date back to at least 3000 years ago. Qigong practice contributes to the growth of the Qi (Chi) essential substance, increasing human body energy and delaying aging, because Qi (Chi) is the connections between human body to the everything in the Universe. Yin and Yang theory is the backbone of Chinese medicine, base of all the ancient healing methods that were born in China Qigong included. Everything in the Universe can be divided into two categories: Yin and Yang, including the human body, body heat is Yang, cold is Yin, the lack of harmony between these two elements causes illnesses, in the body / environment relationship Yang Qi exists outside the body, Yin Qi circulates inside it through a series of focal points that allow its passage towards all the organs. The most important areas where Qi presence is concentrated, are indicated with the name of dantian. This name means "field of the elixir", and it derives from an ancient alchemic practice that tried to discover the elixir of eternal life via the fusion of some minerals, so, when in ancient times during the practice of Qigong, they tried to obtain a state of relaxation and concentration mentally focused on the lower part of the abdomen, they felt a sensation of warmth just in that area, and without scientific methods to better understand this event, they attributed to that area the name Dantian, thinking to identify it with that warmth and with the discovery of the elixir (dan) of eternal life. 2 Into human body there are three points aligned and called dantian. The "high" one located between the eyes in the forehead center, the middle one placed in the median position of the chest, and the lower one, positioned five centimeters below the belly button, in the lower abdomen. Lower Dantian, is the most important,and, it is the center where the Qi (Chi) is concentrated and can be increased with Qigong and Tai Chi Chuan. Qigong practicing methods highlight the necessity to came in in a "state of quiet", interconnected to its three fundamental aspects: regulating the mind, regulating the breath and adjusting the position of the body. Some experiments have elicited that during the practice the width 3 of the brain waves is from one hundred and fifty to one hundred and eighty micro-volts, moreover the brain waves of all the brain areas became synchronic, the cerebral consumption of oxygen and the metabolic level of noradrenaline are respectively 16% and 60% lower than in the normal physiological state. Regards to the effectiveness of Qigong in medical practice there are vast scientific evidence that this practice has influence on the nervous system, the respiratory system, the circulatory system ,the digestive system , the endocrine system, and on the immune system, contributing to improve the life quality and delaying aging. In the early sixties, Shanghai researchers showed that during Qigong in some practitioners it was evident the heart and respiratory rate decrease integrated by a marked decrease of oxygen consumption and physiological changes, all considered as signs of energy storage in human body. Moreover, further scientific tests, at the institute for atomic research of the Chinese academy (1977), showed the emission of a low-frequency infrared modulated radiation, detected in the (Wagi) flow of vital energy emitted by a practitioner's hands Qigong expert. Further later confirmations from Beijing researchers (traditional medicine academy), showed an increase in micro-circulation equal to 20% in the moments of emission of fingertip energy during practice. Last but not least, on subsequent experiments, it was discovered that the Wagi varied according to the type of style used by practitioners, and, besides the infrared radiation, was recorded the presence of static electricity, microparticles currents, thermodynamic processes and low frequency magnetic currents. Meta-analysis of the literature on the effects related to Qigong concerning physiological processes variability, suggested that the practice of Qigong brings significant changes on parameters such as blood pressure, heart rate variability, decrease in plasma triglycerides, cholesterol (total), LDL cholesterol, an increase in HDL cholesterol, skin temperature modulation, in addition to immunological and neurormonal improvements. It is evident that the bio-physiological effects of Qigong can be used by 4 people of all ages, from primary school children, university students to middle-aged adults or the elderly. Finally, it has been shown that most of the procedures tested on Qigong effects regarding physiological, biological and related processes have been applied in various chronic disease prevention or clinical interventions studies (Dong, Chang, Chen). A study (institute of sport science Mainz, Germany and replicated by Henz et al., 2013,2014,2015;Henz and Schöllhorn, 2015)) has demonstrated an increasing of both midline fronto-central theta and posterior alpha-1 and alpha-2 activity after the practice of dynamic Qigong (Wu Qin Xi) . Results indicate that dynamic Qigong (technique Wu Qin Xi) induces a centered state of mind that has to be distinguished from mind-wandering. Empirical evidence has shown that frontal EEG theta activity is activated in attentional processes and correlates negatively with the default mode network in resting state (Scheeringa et al., 2008), highlightening that mental practice of dynamic Qigong (Wu Qin Xi) leads significant modulations of EEG brain activity. Dynamic Qigong practice (Wu Qin Xi) induces increased fronto-central midline theta activity and increases in alpha-1power of the same intensity as physical training in open eyes conditions. Klein (2017) demonstrated which there is sufficient evidence supporting the belief that Qigong exercise has a complementary role in supportive cancer care. There are established benefits validating the potential of Qigong practice to improve cancer-related QOL without serious side effects. Qigong practice is directely correlated to prevention and decresed cancercorrispondent mortality rates. In a Met-analysis Jahnke et all (2010) finded that 163 different physiological and psychological health outcomes were identified. Many of the studies assessed outcomes across more than one category (e.g., physical function as well as a variety of psychosocial and fitness outcomes).Immunerelated responses have also been reported in response to Qigong and Tai Chi studies. Manzaneque et al. reported improvements in a number of immune-related blood markers, including the total 5 number of leukocytes, the number of eosinphils, and the number and percentage of monocytes. Antibody levels in response to flu vaccinations were significantly increased among a Qigong group compared to usual care. Earlier studies conducted by Irwin and colleagues, showed an increase in varicella zoster virus specific cell-mediated immunity among those Tai Chi practitioners compared to wait-list controls. Immune function and inflammation are closely related, and are often assessed using a variety of blood markers, particularly certain cytokines and C-reactive protein. Interleukin-6, an important marker of inflammation, was found to be significantly modulated in response to practicing Qigong, compared to a no-exercise control group. Qigong practice is also significant in aging retardment. The level of sexual hormone is an important index of aging. As people grow older they have gradually increasing estradiol (E2) levels and decreasing testosterone (T) levels. However after several months of Qigong, praticants have decreased the value of E2 and also the ratio E2/T, demonstrating the anti aging propeties of Qigong. The first study that investigate the effects of qigong on gene expression associated with cellular stress response in peripheral mononuclear blood cells (PMBC) in healthy women (P. Półrola et al. 2018) ,showed that 4 days of 6 qigong training has resulted in a significant decrease in NF-kB and CCL2 mRNA, as well as a significant increase in IL10 mRNA. A slight upregulation of HSF1 and HSPA1A mRNA was also detected.All the indicated changes consisting in the reduction of inflammation due modulation of gene expression associated with apoptosis were noticeable in the PMBC collected from the healthy women. Chinese Qigong Essentials, Cen Yuefang (New World Press)1996 China References https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00154/full https://www.oatext.com/The-physical-physiological-and-biological-effects-of-qigongtherapy.php#jumpmenu1 https://www.immunology.org/public-information/bitesized-immunology/sistemas-y-procesos/t-cellactivation 7 https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02841860701261584 https://www.qigonginstitute.org/category/39/anti-aging-benefits-of-qigong http://taichibali.com/qigong/ Klein P. (2017). Qigong in Cancer Care: Theory, Evidence-Base, and Practice. Medicines (Basel, Switzerland), 4(1), 2. doi:10.3390/medicines4010002 B. Oh, P. Butow, B. Mullan, S. Clarke, P. Beale, N. Pavlakis, E. Kothe, L. Lam, D. Rosenthal, Impact of Medical Qigong on quality of life, fatigue, mood and inflammation in cancer patients: a randomized controlled trial, Annals of Oncology, Volume 21, Issue 3, March 2010, Pages 608–614,https://doi.org/10.1093/annonc/mdp479 Jahnke, R., Larkey, L., Rogers, C., Etnier, J., & Lin, F. (2010). A comprehensive review of health benefits of qigong and tai chi. American journal of health promotion : AJHP, 24(6), e1–e25. doi:10.4278/ajhp.081013-LIT-248 Di Ming lü, Martin Schweizer , Jun Hu Qi Gong in Chinese Medicine (2010) Półrola, Paweł et al. "Anti-inflammatory effect on genes expression after four days of Qigong training in peripheral mononuclear blood cells in healthy women." Annals of Agricultural and Environmental Medicine, vol. 25, no. 2, 2018, pp. 329-333. doi:10.26444/aaem/85208. Liu X, Miller Y, Burton N, Brown W (2010) A preliminary study of the effects of Tai Chi and Qigong medical exercise on indicators of metabolic syndrome, glycaemic control, health-related quality of life, and psychological health in adults with elevated blood glucose. Br J Sports Med 44: 704-709. [Crossref] Lu Z (1997) Scientific Qigong exploration: The Wonders and Mysteries of Qi. Amber Leaf Press, Malvern, PA. Cohen K (1999) The way of Qigong: The art and science of Chinese energy healing. Ballantine Books, New York. Oh B, Butow P, Mullan B, Hale A, Lee MS, et al. (2012) A critical review of the effects of medical Qigong on quality of life, immune function, and survival in cancer patients. Integr Cancer Ther 11: 101-110. [Crossref] Chan CL, Wang CW, Ho RT, Ng SM, Chan JS, et al. (2012) A systematic review of the effectiveness of qigong exercise in supportive cancer care. Support Care Cancer 20: 1121-1133. [Crossref] Klein PJ, Schneider R, Rhoads CJ3 (2016) Qigong in cancer care: a systematic review and construct analysis of effective Qigong therapy. Support Care Cancer. [Crossref] 8 Tao WW, Jiang H, Tao XM, Jiang P, Sha LY, et al. (2016) Effects of Acupuncture, Tuina, Tai Chi, Qigong, and Traditional Chinese Medicine Five-Element Music Therapy on Symptom Management and Quality of Life for Cancer Patients: A Meta-Analysis. J Pain Symptom Manage 51: 728-747. [Crossref] Ng B, Tsang H, Ng B, So C (2014) Traditional Chinese exercises for pulmorary rehabilitation: Evidence from a systematic review. Journal of Cardiopulmonary Regabilitation and Prevention 34: 367-377. [Crossref] Chan CL, Wang CW, Ho RT, Ho AH, Ziea ET, et al. (2012) A systematic review of the effectiveness of qigong exercise in cardiac rehabilitation. Am J Chin Med 40: 255-267. [Crossref] Lee MS, Pittler MH, Guo R, Ernst E (2007) Qigong for hypertension: a systematic review of randomized clinical trials. J Hypertens 25: 1525-1532. [Crossref] Xiong X, Wang P, Li X, Zhang Y (2015) Qigong for hypertension: a systematic review. Medicine (Baltimore) 94: e352. [Crossref] Guo X, Zhou B, Nishimura T, Teramukai S, Fukushima M (2008) Clinical effect of qigong practice on essential hypertension: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. J Altern Complement Med 14: 27-37. [Crossref] Wang CW, Ng SM, Ho RT, Ziea ET, Wong VC, et al. (2012) The effect of qigong exercise on immunity and infections: a systematic review of controlled trials. Am J Chin Med 40: 1143-1156. [Crossref] Lee MS, Ernst E (2009) Qigong for movement disorders: A systematic review. Mov Disord 24: 301-303. [Crossref] Yang Y, Qiu WQ, Hao YL, Lv ZY, Jiao SJ, et al. (2015) The efficacy of traditional Chinese Medical Exercise for Parkinson's disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis. PLoS One 10: e0122469. [Crossref] Chan CL, Wang CW, Ho RT, Ng SM, Ziea ET, et al. (2012) Qigong exercise for the treatment of fibromyalgia: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials. J Altern Complement Med 18: 641-646. [Crossref] Lee MS, Chen KW, Choi TY, Ernst E (2009) Qigong for type 2 diabetes care: a systematic 9 review. Complement Ther Med17: 236-242. [Crossref] Lee MS, Pittler MH, Ernst E (2009) Internal qigong for pain conditions: a systematic review. J Pain 10: 1121-1127. [Crossref] Oh B, Choi SM, Inamori A, Rosenthal D, Yeung A (2013) Effects of qigong on depression: a systemic review. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med 2013: 134737. [Crossref] Wang CW, Chan CH, Ho RT, Chan JS, Ng SM, et al. (2014) Managing stress and anxiety through qigong exercise in healthy adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. BMC Complement Altern Med14: 8. [Crossref] Chen KW (2004) An analytic review of studies on measuring effects of external QI in China. Altern Ther Health Med10: 38-50. [Crossref] Lin Z, Chen K (2002) Exploratory studies of external Qi in China. Journal of International Society of Life Information Sciences 20: 457-461. Chen KW (2004) An analytic review of studies on measuring effects of external QI in China. Altern Ther Health Med 10: 38-50. [Crossref] 10