Qigong - Precious Gift of the Orient
by Clif Sanderson,teacher of Flying Bird Qigong
Reiki, spiritual healing,therapeutic touch, intentional healing, ki and acupuncture share one thing in common. Subtle energy.
Yet nobody knows how it works.
"I bind the wound but God does the healing"
says New York surgeon Professor McCabe.
Its one of the miracles we can only marvel at.
Science has the same problem describing energy. Any scientist can create electricity but why it wants to run down the wire remains a mystery!
Qigong masters say that even after4000 years of observing Qi healing they don’t try to explain why there is aremarkable flow of energy measured during a Qigong session.
Whether it is understood or not,more than 200 million people in Asian countries happily do it everymorning.
Westerners are catching on inhundreds of thousands.
Qigong (pron: chi gong) means cultivationor refinement of life energy. Itwas kept a firm secret until the present Chinese government was pressured in1959 to recognise the ancient art. For all those centuries it was only made available and taught to thehighest officials and senior monks. Such powerful energies were considered unsafe to release into the commonknowledge. Or perhaps the idea of personal energy was unpalatable to those whowished to rule others.
What were always encouraged were themartial arts. Even the apparently gentle dance of Taiji arose through the needfor self-defence. Kung Fu, Karate and similar techniques were developed forsurvival against attackers.
Qigong significantly stands alonebecause it uses energy for healing purposes by integrating physical energy, themind and the breath.
Put lyrically, the 'three heavenlypearls' of Qigong are: Correct Breathing, Calm Intention, and Easy Movements.Together they are the foundation for more than 2000 different styles of movingmeditation. Yet, despite such a variety the practice remains easy tofollow. Any effort is considerednot true Qigong.
Ages range from 15 to 80. Nocomplicated steps are required. No expensive equipment. No special room orbuilding.
Just comfortable clothes, soft shoesand a nearby park or beach.
It sounds simple and yet the resultsare breathtaking.
Tangiblebenefits are now being measured by medical researchers world-wide. Stanford,Columbia and Bastyr Universities in the USA are conducting numerous trials.European, Scandinavian and Japanese scientists co-operate with Chinesehospitals in finding solutions for such problems as stress, cancer, arthritis,AIDS, hypertension, allergies and heart disease. Qigong is known as a powerfulanti-addiction method.
The Chinese have found an effective wayto treat substance abuse and obesity.
Itis helpful in treating cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's diseaseand post stroke syndrome. It isespecially useful in treating any kind of chronic pain and chronic disorders ofthe digestive, respiratory, cardio-vascular and nervous system.
In recent years western science hasstarted taking an interest in subtle energies.
Russian medical science already knewof this phenomenon. For decades they have called it 'bio-energy healing' orelectromagnetic energy.
The Russian parliament in 1995passed legislation to allow people who use 'bio-energy' to work within thehospital system. I am told there are now more than 500,000 registeredpractitioners there.
In Moscow, October 1991, the medicalcentre, LENC (Russia -L Makarov and AB Kapustin) joined RIFNS (New Zealand - CASanderson) for research to determine whether existing medical technology couldmeasure the outcome of Qigong healing energy.
The scientific programme usedclassical methods of acupuncture diagnostics known as Ryo-do-Raku defining theelectro-skin resistance (ESR) of 24 acupuncture points. Heart activity wasanalysed by non-stop registration of ECG on magnetic tape.
The measurements of the Qigongpractitioner (Sanderson) taken before contact showed a lower level of energythan would be expected for a 'normally healthy' person (a trained Qigong personuses energy more efficiently than an untrained person). Each of the patients presented variousmaladies and all showed significantly higher agitation of their energyparameters than might be expected in a healthy person.
After the experiment both patientsand practitioner showed a balance in the same measurements.
In Grodno, Belarus, 190 childrenfrom highly radioactive contaminated regions following the Chernobyl disasterwere examined.
A group of doctors led by ProfessorL Yevets agreed to explore alternative approaches since there is no medicalprotocol for treating radiation-related illnesses.
Data from 69 parameters of healthwere taken before and up to eight weeks after the course of Qigong treatment.
Therewas a reduction from 38.89% to 9.09% of radiation in the urine in children withlevel more than15 to 10-9 Cu/ltr measured by the scintillation Wallak-1500meter.
Itwas essential reduction in the percentage of children with high systolic bloodpressure from 22.58% to 4.17% (p <0.05).
Thenumber of children suffering from different types of blood disorders reduced.
Whatwas impressive to the medical researchers, the children and the mothers was thedramatic absence of the regular blinding headaches and the sudden reduction ofexplosive nose bleeds they had been experiencing both of which were caused byeating radioactive food.
Cancer patients in advanced stageswere introduced to Qigong by Kuangan Man Hospital, Beijing. (International YanXin Qigong Association - www.gigong.net/english/index.htm) There were 93in-patients treated simultaneously with drugs and with Qigong and 30 in thecontrol group. In the observationgroup, 81.7% regained strength, 63% improved appetite, 33.3% were free fromdiarrhoea while the rates in the control group were 10%, 10% and 6%respectively. Body weight increased more than 3kg in 50.54% of the Qigong groupwhile the rate was 13.3% in the control group.
Asthma. (Reuther I; Aldridge D,Faculty of Medicine, University at Witten Herdecke, Witten, Germany. J AlternComplement Med, 4(2): 173-83 1998 Summer).
Thirty asthma patients, with varyingdegrees of illness severity were taught Qigong Yangsheng under medical supervision.They exercised daily keeping a diary of their symptoms including sleepingthrough the night, coughing, expectoration, dysnea and general well-being.
An improvement was indicated ifsubjects showed a decrease of at least 10% in peak-flow variability between the1st and 52nd week. This occurred more frequently in thegroup of exercisers (n=17) than in the group of nonexercisers (n=13). When comparing the study year with theyear before the study, there was improvement also in reduced hospitalisationrate, less sickness leave, reduced antibiotic use and fewer emergencyconsultations.
The theory of External Qigongfollows the same theory as acupuncture.
Wherever thereis stagnant energy an imbalance can grow. Stimulation either by needle orcertain exercises can correct the flow of energy.
R.A.Anderson MD reported in TownsendLetter for Doctors: 26 HIV-positive subjects completed the protocol in thisstudy which compared T4 cell counts before and after three months of Qigongpractice. Although there was not a control group the results appearedsignificant. T4 cell counts rose from a mean of 271 to 304/1 (p<.05);depression scores fell from 9.1 to 6.7 (p<.05) and anxiety scores fell from7.6 to 4.9 (p<.05). He comments that this is one more confirmation of themultiple influences strengthening the immune system.
Ken Hamilton MD, Maine, USA, wrote "Itis so simple. I have been using it and I have even seen results in one session.Some with active cancer have experienced effective, beneficial remission. Forothers, chronic pain has softened. I'm not performing surgery any more. People in my care just seem to getbetter."
Qigong is taking the world by stormbut many westerners after the first taste of a Qigong class drop out. The most difficult part is to be still,quiet in the mind and breathing deeply and slowly. If you want to get the best results you will need to commityourself to perhaps several months of daily training.
The rewards are a relaxed andpeaceful state of mind, a sense of well-being, a clear and focused mind, betterrelationships and better moods.
Dr Clif Sanderson published thefirst Australian Qigong newsletter but now lives in Auckland, New Zealand andconducts seminars and classes in Qigong, Deep Field Relaxation, the science ofI Ching and professional Feng Shui. For personal consultations or furtherinformation phone or fax +64 (09) 829 2364. or look at the web site
© Clif Sanderson 1999
