Qigong for Health

Have you he~rq of qigong (pronouncedchee kung)? This gentle Chinese practicedating back several thousand years is find-ing its way into mainstream Americanculture. If you are busy, qigong is perfectfor you since it requires no apparatus,props or special clothing and can be per-formed within the space of an officecubi-cle.What's more, the exercisescan be donesitting, standing or even lying down. Andonce learned, they can be practiced insideor outside, on any type of surface.

Here is why qigong is so powerful,according to Ted J. Cibik, ND, DMQ(China), HIFI, founder and executivedirector ofInner Strength Ine. and formerdean of Henan University of MedicalQiGong and Traditional Chinese Medi-cine in the United States.

How Qigong HealsAccording to the ancient qi masters, qi isthe fundamental energy of the universe,and qigong practice cultivates this en-ergy, thereby awakening natural self-healing properties within the body, mindand spirit.

Qigong's healing effect is based on thesame principles as acupuncture. Each ex-erciseworks on a particular "meridian" or"collateral" in the body. In Chinese med-icine, meridians and collaterals are "en-ergy pathways." Meridians are the majorchannels, and collaterals are smaller path-ways branching off the meridians. Forstress reduction, health maintenance and

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sports conditioning, qigong movementsare used to stimulate and increase theflowof blood and qi to the various merid-ians and collaterals.

Dynamic qigong for health consists ofexercisesthat, in Western terms, combinecontinuous static stretching, breath workand visualization with multiplanar move-ments designed to stabilize the core.Mastering the subtleties of this practicetakes time and patience, but the basic exer-cisescan be learned and performed easily.

Reducing HighBlood PressureRecent studies have shown that qigongpractice can favorably affect varioushealth conditions.

There is evidence, for example, thatqigong can lower high blood pressure.Researchers recruited 36 hypertensivemen and women and divided them intotwo groups: a qigong group and a controlgroup. The first group practiced qigongfor 8 weeks. The investigators recordedlevels of blood pressure as well as totalcholesterol and other lipids among allstudy subjects. Patients in the qigonggroup significantly reduced both theirblood pressure and their total-cholesterollevels. The research was published in theInternational Journal of Neuroscience(2004; 114 [7], 777-86).

Helping Risk Factors forDiabetesAnother study looked at targeting the riskfactors for diabetes. At the University ofQueensland in Australia, a pilot 3-monthstudy on the effects of qigong and tai chipractice on diabetes achieved very suc-cessful results. For the study, Liu Xin, aqigong and tai chi master, developed aseries of exercises especially designed toimpact the risk factors for diabetes.

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IDEAHEALTM & FITNESS ASSOCIAnON

Would you like to learn more aboutqigong, the gentle Chinese practicewith many benefits? Check out theseresources~ ..• "hner Strength Health and Wellness

Center, www.inner-strength.cirg• Qigong Institute, www.qigong

institute.org• National Center for Complementary

and Alternative Medicine, http://nccam.nih.gov

• National Qigong Association,www.nqa.org/

The 11participants gained numeroushealth benefits from the regular practiceof tai chi and qigong. Their flexibility im-proved, they had more energy, and theyfound they were sleeping better. "One ofthe most important results that camefrom the study was the significant reduc-tion in waist circumference measure-ment," said Liu. "Waist circumference isan indicator of central obesity, and cen-tral obesity is recognized as an importantrisk factor for developing many healthproblems, including diabetes and cardio-vascular diseases." The results were re-leased on UQ News Online, a universityof Queensland website, in December2005. Following this pilot study, the re-searchers began recruiting volunteers fora larger trial. •

I MIShandoUt is a serVICe 01 IDEA, tile leaDlllg international membership association in the health and fitness industry, www.ideafit.com.© 2007 by IDEA Fitness Journal. Reprint permission is granted to IDEA members by the copyright owner, IDEA Health & Fitness Inc., (800) 999-4332.

May 2007 IDEA Fitness Journal 107