Western science leaves off its study of life's energy at the inanimate
level of chemicals. But life has another entire level of organization
above that of the cells, tissues and organs. What is it that controls
cell replacement, tissue regeneration and metabolic energy? The Chinese
call it Qi. We can train this vital life force itself to keep
regenerating our good health for many, many years (Dong & Esser
1990:18).
Qigong can work to improve the length, well being and quality of your
life.
As Qigong diffuses from China to the West, we are witnessing a now
familiar turn of events. In the 1970s the Chinese began to 'export'
acupuncture to North America in a big way. At first, Western scientists
claimed that acupuncture did not work, that stories of people undergoing
surgery with only acupuncture anesthesia were impossible and false.
Before long they began to admit that acupuncture did work, but they
labeled it a 'placebo effect.' Gradually, some came to understand that,
instead, acupuncture does have scientifically observable effects. For
example, it enhances production of naturally occurring morphine-like
substances called endorphins and enkephalins that moderate pain. Now
Qigong is invading the West in a big way, and the cycle is repeating
itself.
Looked at from a purely Western perspective, Qigong is a form of
positive thinking. It combines meditation, breath control and gymnastics
(Porkert w/Ullmann 1982: 106). There are breathing exercises, muscular
exercises involving both tension and relaxation, and meditation. Qigong
induces a whole-body relaxation response (see Benson w/Proctor 1984:
100-01). One clinical research fellow at the Harvard Medical School has
written: "A one-hour session of Qigong combines aerobic, isometric, and
isotonic exercise with the relaxation response, meditation, guided
imagery, and probably several unrecognized behavioral techniques. It
evokes simultaneously almost every behavioral intervention known to
Western medicine" (Eisenberg w/Wright 1985: 227-8).
The practice dates back beyond the earliest recorded history. We still
have pictorial writing on artifacts referring to Qigong from seven
thousand years ago (Wozniak, Wu & Wang 1991: ii). There is
archaeological evidence suggesting that Qigong may date back as far as a
million years. Qigong predates the martial arts, and all of what we now
know as religion as well. The very early Yellow Emperor's Classic of
Internal Medicine (1972) treats it at length. Chinese Taoists were early
advocates of Qigong, but Indian Buddhists have influenced its later
practice.
Secular Qigong is firmly in the Chinese tradition. Probably all of
China's most important ancient scholars, philosophers and religious
leaders practiced Qigong, including Confucius, Lao Ze and Mencius
(Eisenberg w/Wright 1985: 208-11).
In addition to being a health-promoting practice, Qigong is an ancient
philosophical system. According to Dr. Yan, its basic purpose is to
promote the harmonious integration of human beings with the universe
(Wozniak, Wu & Wang 1991: i).
Qigong helps restore the harmony of ourselves, of our beings, in nature
and with nature. This cures an enormous range of the illnesses and
diseases that plague our species. One student finds his arthritis
suddenly disappear, another notices that her visual acuity has improved,
a third finds a chronic pain has vanished. A fourth is surprised to find
he is driving more courteously (UAQA). All sense what it means to be
happier, more alive, more at home on the planet. We all have latent
potential abilities that Qigong can help us realize. Qigong is a
consciousness-raising activity par excellence.
A basic purpose of Qigong activities is to impose a disciplined and
rhythmic pattern on one's body. We impose willed control over breathing,
normally an involuntary function of the parasympathetic nervous system.
Doing so helps bring the body into phase with the larger rhythms of
daily life, the cycles of the days and the seasons. Most diseases are
irregularities and dysfunctions. Put the body into phase and flow with
the universe, and the Qi will flow more freely. Freely flowing Qi can
eliminate irregularities and dysfunctions. Qigong permits a person to
gain some control over autonomic functions. The exercises produce
'autonomic learning' that modulates and rectifies the flow of the life
force (Porkert w/Ullmann 1982: 106- 7). This form of biofeedback does
not require machines.
We have lost the ancient way of living in quiescence and tranquility.
Qigong helps to bring this back. Beyond the basic imagination exercises,
when we have a fever we think of the sea, bamboo leaves, or the cool
forest floor. If we are restless we think of the blue sky, cool and
serene moonlight, etc. (Yan 1994b: 6) Being in phase with the cosmic
environment greatly strengthens the body, and it strongly helps to
produce an optimistic and happy attitude toward life. Central to the
philosophy of Qigong is the understanding that we must cultivate moral
and physical strength together to prolong life, develop human potential
and help others. A cardinal rule of Qigong is to treat others with
compassion. When one family member practices Qigong, the others benefit.
The regulation of thoughts, breathing and posture all help to reduce the
mind/body's neural activity. Qigong practice strengthens the body's
electrical and biochemical signals, and the structure and sensitivity of
the receptor cells. This quieting of the body permits physiological and
biochemical functions to regain their healthy flows. This cures specific
ailments, but it also strengthens one's overall biological field or
bioenergy, drastically cuts down the number of free radicals and
minimizes their damage at the cellular level. That prolongs life.
Qigong meditation works best by far in the company of a group. While one
must regularly practice alone at home, this is not enough. When people
come together to practice Qigong, they put their biological fields in
proximity. These fields begin to resonate with one another, and so to
multiply the benefits of practice for each person. For this to happen
requires two things. First, ill people must truly want to get rid of
their diseases. Second, they must cultivate the positive, open and
optimistic attitude necessary for resonating in harmony with the field.
Skeptical Westerners sometimes mistake this openness to change for a
'placebo effect.' In a placebo-effect situation, the subject is fooled
into thinking a therapeutic treatment is happening when it is not. The
open optimism necessary for success in Qigong is much different. In the
case of the placebo effect, belief produces a consequence, a
self-fulfilling prophecy or at least the mistaken perception of
improvement. When people doing Qigong agree to resonate in harmony, this
is a prerequisite to success. Good, real and lasting effects follow.
This necessary precondition for success is called "synchronous
resonance" (Wozniak, Wu & Wang 1991: 81).
It does help to play a trick with one's mind when doing Qigong to treat
some specific problem. So long as one's mind is focused on a specific
problem of ill health it is not possible to enter fully into the deep
Qigong state in which lasting healing can occur. One must therefore
learn to forget about the problem and look only for general benefits. If
the cosmic-quantum forces of the universe are to do their healing task,
we must be fully open to receive them.
Advancing More Deeply into the Process
As one advances more deeply into Qigong practice, and into the Qigong
state, significant physiological changes occur. Consumption of oxygen
decreases. The lung's capacity to absorb oxygen greatly increases. So
does the lung tissue's oxygen storage capacity. The white blood cell
count goes up dramatically. Doing Qigong also "improves
micro-circulation of the cerebrum and this cannot be obtained through
any other kind of practice. The brain's deeply layered cerebral cells
are enriched with sufficient blood by doing Qigong" (Wozniak, Wu & Wang
1991: 43). This oxygen enrichment of the brain is an important key to
many Qigong effects.
As the practice is developed, one will begin to sense the activation of
a small Qi channel. This channel runs from the top of the head down the
front of one's chest, between the legs, up the spine back to the top of
the head. This is another major advance along the Qigong learning curve.
With sufficient practice, one may eventually become able to move one's
Qi at will anywhere inside the body. A person's own willpower may then
effect miraculous cures. Once the flow of Qi can reach the site of
disease or illness, the cure can be astonishingly rapid.
In the book "A Great Revolution in The Brain World," written by Dr.
Haruyama, a medical doctor from Tokyo University, the author describes
very carefully how qigong and meditation cause the human brain to
release beta-endorphins. According to Dr. Haruyama, beta-endorphin is
one kind of peptide hormone that is formed mainly by Tyrosine (one kind
of amino acids). The molecular structure is very similar to morphine but
with different chemical properties. Many scientists have found that
beta-endorphins can activate human NK (Natural Killer) cells and boost
the immune system against diseases and cancer cells. That explains why
some patients can cure some diseases simply by practicing qigong
meditation. For a long time, many scientists believe that human immune
system is autonomous and does not have any outside control. However, Dr.
Felten discovered that human nerve fibers are in fact physically linked
both to the human immune system as well as the nerve system. As a
result, more and more scientists start to believe the immune system can
be controlled to a certain degree by the human brain.
The idea has led to the development of a new area of medical science:
Psycho-neuro-immunology, and has attracted many peoples' attentions.
Some scientists believe this is the reason why people who practice mind
adjustment in qigong can be more in control of their health.
The Experiments
There are more and more scientific reports today supporting the fact
that qigong can effect the immune system and endorphin levels. Dr.
Higucchi, in his article "Endocrine and Immune Response During Qigong
meditation" (Journal of International Society of Life Information
Science Vol.14, No.2, 1996), reported about some tests conducted on two
groups of people. All the members in the "Qigong" group have practiced
qigong for at least one year while those in the other group (the
"Control" group) have not. Everyone in both groups was checked for their
endorphin level before, during and after meditation.
After meditating for one hour, most people in the Qigong group showed an
increase in endorphin level. By contrast, most people in the Control
group showed no significant change while some showed a 35% decrease in
endorphin level. Since a higher endorphin level is associated with
better empowerment to the immune system, some doctors are starting to
believe that qigong can be a effective healing modality for some
patients. Actually, beta-endorphins not only strengthen the human immune
system but also are very effective for pain control. For a long time,
the mechanism of pain control by acupuncture has been a mystery to
scientists.
Recent studies show that acupuncture stimulates the hypothalamus within
the human brain and induces the release of beta-endorphins that affect
the nerve tracts and control the pain. Practicing qigong can achieve the
same releasing effect of beta-endorphins, as does acupuncture. This
provides a good explanation as to why qigong can be very effective for
some patients who suffer from chronic pain.
Qigong and the Human Brain.
Why qigong and meditation can effect the release of beta-endorphins from
the human brain? The exact mechanism is not yet clear. However, some
scientists believe it may relate to the significant change in the
alpha-wave of the EEG (brain wave) patterns. About four years ago, a
number of scientists found the alpha-wave of EEG at the frontal lobe of
a meditator during qigong state has a much stronger intensity than those
taken from a non-qigong meditator. Since the frontal lobe of the human
brain has a lot to do with human mind activities as well as a close link
with the hypothalamus, a major source for the release of
beta-endorphins, many scientists believe the increased intensity of the
alpha-wave at the frontal lobe will stimulate the hypothalamus to
release more beta-endorphins. That could possibly explain why the
mechanism of qigong meditation effects the release of beta-endorphins so
as to improve the immune system and the overall health.
Obviously, the release of beta-endorphins can only explain part of the
picture about qigong and the mind and body interaction. But this is a
good start. With continuous research efforts, I believe we would have a
much clearer picture in the next few years. Qigong still cannot be fully
interpreted by today's scientific standards.
Qigong can exert a tremendous influence over the muscular motion system.
Practicing internal qigong is better than practicing martial arts since
qigong can produce, in the brain and intestinal walls, large amounts of
enkephalin, and excite the bodies morphine receptors to accept the
enkephalin easily. Enkephalin is a naturally occurring substance of the
endorphin family in the human body. Everyone has this substance, but
ordinarily don’t produce large amounts of enkephlin. Its analgesic or
pain relieving effect is many times more effective than that of
morphine. Furthermore, through qigong, one can produce strong magnetic
signals, which have anesthetic and analgesic effects.
The external qi of Qigong has been scientifically detected and the
effects on matter and organism rigorously measured.
During the last 15 years, a considerable number of accomplished
scientists from leading universities and research institutes in China
and the US, such as Tsinghua University, the University of California (UCSD,
UCLA) and Harvard University, have applied modern scientific methods and
protocols to investigate biological, chemical, and physical effects of (YXQ)
Qigong (YXQ) in critical areas of life science, physical sciences and
technology.
A large body of scientific data on Qigong phenomena and effects has been
scientifically documented. They have been reviewed by Chairman (now
honorary Chairman) of Chinese Association of Science and Technology, Dr.
Qian Xuesen (Tsien Hsue-Shen), to be "new scientific discoveries and the
prelude to scientific revolution" . Prof. Hans-Peter Duerr, colleague
and successor of Werner Heisenburg as Director of Institute of
Theoretical Physics in Germany proclaimed Qigong research results to be
"within my window of acceptance."
These data have established that external qi of Qigong:
• physically exists.
• can interact with and affect matter from molecular to atomic levels.
• can affect the fundamental components of living organisms (water,
sugar,
• cell membrane, proteins, DNA and RNA).
• can recognize and optimize genetic properties without adverse effects.
References:
1. Benson, Herbert, w/William Proctor. 1984. Beyond the Relaxation
Response. New York: Berkeley.
2. Guo, YuQiu. 1995. "Introduction to Qigong." Tone, vol. 10, no. 11
(July/August): 39-43.
3. Dong, Paul and Aristide H. Esser. 1990. Chi Gong: The Ancient Chinese
Way to Health. New York, NY: Paragon House.
4. Eisenberg, David with Thomas Lee Wright. 1985. Encounters with Qi:
Exploring Chinese Medicine. New York: Penguin.
5. Leung, Victor. 1995. "Mindfulness and Virtue in Qigong Training."
Tone. vol. 11, no. 3 (November): 6-7.
6. Porkert, Manfred with Christian Ullmann. 1982. Chinese Medicine. Mark
Howson, trans. New York: Henry Holt.
7. UAQA. 1996. "Thoughts from Daily Life: Driving Courteously."
University of Arizona Qigong Association: UAQA Friday Special Issue.
(March 22): 6.
8. Wozniak, Jo Ann, Stevenson Wu and Hao Wang. 1991. Yan Xin Qigong and
the Contemporary Sciences. Champaign IL: International Yan Xin Qigong
Association (Station A, Box 2209, Champaign, Illinois USA 61825).
9. Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine. 1972. 2nd ed.
Berkeley: University of California Press.
