Hi everybody,

we are currently planning an intervention study with patients
suffering from congestive heart failure. I would like to convince my
colleagues to take up qigong as one of the interventions. In order to
achive that I am searching for peer reviewed papers which show one of
the following:

Effects of Qigong and/or Taiji on
- health outcomes in heart patients (may also be coronary arterie
disease or other forms)
- effects of cardiovascular functioning in general (heart rate, blood
pressure, heart rate variability, etc.)
- effects on diabetis, cholesterol, obeseity and hypertension
- any other effects that you think might be interesting in that context.

Papers about other forms, like mindfulness meditation, etc. would also
be welcome.

I am glad abot any hints you can possibly provide.

this is my email adress: andreas.cordes@...

Thanks in advance,
Andreas

> Hi Andreas and everybody,
>
> I forwarded to the group this message previously
> sent
> to Andreas. This article is a good sarting point to
> other ones via its entensive references.
>
> --- Claude Fournier <foucla01@...> a écrit :
>
> > Date: Tue, 2 May 2006 14:09:54 -0400 (EDT)
> > De: Claude Fournier <foucla01@...>
> > Objet: taijiquan vs cardiology
> > Ŕ: andreas.cordes@...
> >
> > Hi Andreas,
> >
> > In response to your request concerning
> > qigong/taijiquan vs cardiology, this is an
> excellent
> > article.
> >
> > Taylor-Piliae RE, Froelicher ES. Effectiveness of
> > Tai
> > Chi exercise in improving aerobic capacity: a
> > meta-analysis. J Cardiovasc Nurs 2003;19(1):48-57.
>
> >
> > Claude


~~~~~~~.o0o.~~~~~~~
Claude Fournier, md.
Service de médecine intégrée
CSSS de Beauce
Site CLSC de St-Georges
12523, 25e Avenue, Ville St-Georges, Québec, G5Y 5N6
Tél. (418)228-2244 #308   Fax: (418)222-6735
http://www.yangsheng.info   http://www.amibes.info

BBC News - Saturday, 9 October, 2004, 23:22 GMT 00:22 UK
Tai Chi 'can treat heart failure'
http://www.worldtaichiday.org/WTCQDHlthBenft.html#anchor36
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/3728174.stm

for more on tai chi as therapy for a myriad of conditions:
http://www.worldtaichiday.org/WTCQDHlthBenft.html

<< > Hi Andreas and everybody,
  >
  > I forwarded to the group this message previously
  > sent
  > to Andreas. This article is a good sarting point to
  > other ones via its entensive references.
  >
  > --- Claude Fournier <foucla01@...> a écrit :
  >
  > > Date: Tue, 2 May 2006 14:09:54 -0400 (EDT)
  > > De: Claude Fournier <foucla01@...>
  > > Objet: taijiquan vs cardiology
  > > Ŕ: andreas.cordes@...
  > >
  > > Hi Andreas,
  > >
  > > In response to your request concerning
  > > qigong/taijiquan vs cardiology, this is an
  > excellent
  > > article.
  > >
  > > Taylor-Piliae RE, Froelicher ES. Effectiveness of
  > > Tai
  > > Chi exercise in improving aerobic capacity: a
  > > meta-analysis. J Cardiovasc Nurs 2003;19(1):48-57.
  >
  > >
  > > Claude
   >>

Several papers discussing new experimental evidence and the possible
role of  local and global bioelectromagnetic effects in genetic
control mechanisms are now available online in the April 2006 issue of
JNLRMI at  http://www.emergentmind.org/jnlrmiiv1.htm  If anyone is
interested in replicating some of these studies or in other forms of
future collaboration, please contact me.

Thanks.

Lian Sidorov
lian@...

The Relationship of Qi and Hypnosis
By: Dr. John P. Painter Ph.D. ND.
International Copyright IAM Co. 1999

Why do some Chinese Daoist teachers, Tibetan Lamas and East Indian
sages in countries where the average age is 49 live active productive
lives twice that long without illness and are still as active
physically, mentally and sexually at 85 as they were at 35." The
Chinese Daoist, the people who wrote the book on longevity and
disease free living say it is the mind that generates most illness
especially in adolescents and adults.

Pathogenic factors only serve to create illness when the body itself
is not in harmony with the mind. The way we learn to use the mind to
organize our patterns of body energies is the difference between
health and disease.  An ancient Chinese medical text "The Yellow
Emperors Classic of Internal Medicine" published two thousand years
ago contains a chapter entitled "Natural Truth in Ancient Times" it
appears that the subject of Qi is mentioned in this rhetorical
question from that text.

"When one is completely free of wishes or ambition, he will really
get the genuine vital energy. When one concentrates his mind
internally, how can disease attack him?"

This idea seems to illustrate my point that "all is mind" (Quantum
Physics) and that all illness and also all healing begin and end with
the direction and amplitude of the thoughts we generate. This is the
foundation of Dr. John Painter's Psycho-Soma Mobius Principle that
states simply that the mind / spirit, which is housed in the body,
creates the body itself. The two are so inextricably linked so as to
be almost indistinguishable from each other. What happens in the body
affects the mind and what happens in the mind affects the body. So
long as we are alive the two flow in an endless loop.

As the Daoist sage Lao Zi said, "So long as we possess a physical
body there will be misfortune."

The process of Qi-gong is more than just performing a series of
movements. The mind must also be involved and there must be a certain
level of positive expectations as to the outcome or the results of
the exercises for the methods to function correctly.

For Qi-gong to be truly effective one must learn to use the mind to
elicit what Harvard's Dr. Herbert Benson has called a relaxation
response. This process can be thought of as a type of meditation
training in which the following criteria have to be achieved to begin
creating a "healing response".

1. Relax the external muscles.
2. Calm the mind of distracting thoughts.
3. Begin to relax inwardly the internal muscles and organs

One thing that is also clear from psychological studies of meditators
suffering from emotional disorders is that straight mediation does
not always solve emotional problems. It can often drive them deeper
by making the mind stronger so it is numbed to the pain.


Chinese Daoist concepts seem to deal with this by transforming the
energy from emotions that they believe are stored in specific organs
into positive energy and using this to increase the overall Qi level
of the body. This is most often accomplished by specific
visualization exercise in which the mind (Yi) is used to guide the Qi
energy to a specific point or lead it along a certain pathway.

The reason that standard quite sitting meditation does not do this is
that it is not bringing forth a modality for the discharge of
negative emotional energy stored in various tissues and organs of the
body in a compete form. It is merely allowing the mind to become
still and quiet. Thus meditation is only the first step. The mind's
distracting static can be dampened in mediation but no long stored
emotional energies are discharged from their collection points.

For this we must engage the use of specialized mental exercises
involving in some cases physical movements but in all cases the use
of visualizations and imagination to produced subtle internal
feelings and changes in the internal systems.

Enter Self-Hypnosis
Once we start talking about using the imagination or the mind to
visualize or create specific responses we are entering the realm of
mesmerism / hypnosis / autosuggestion / self-hypnosis / self-talk or
any of a number of other names. Those who still hold to the misguided
idea that hypnosis is some type of trance where one person controls
another would do well to read more modern literature on neuro-science
and the workings of the brain and mind.

You are hypnotized daily by radio, television commercials, news
commentators or your peers. Anytime you listen to someone who
purports and idea and you buy into and believe that idea you are
working with hypnosis. You buy a special brand of soap, diet food,
natural foods etc based on something you read, saw or heard and you
bought into the idea that it was good for you. This happened because
you choose to believe this thing, person or product was beneficial to
you in some way. Your mind recorded it as a truth and you moved to
make it happen.

Just in the same way you can get a cold or the flu by thinking, "I
get sick every year." That thought turns the brain on to lower your
immune system and allow the bacteria or virus to invade your system.
Of course it is a bit more complex than this simple explanation but
it is the basis of how and why you get ill, succeed or fail in many
endeavors in life or have certain belief systems.

Today science is learning more and more about the mind and its
mysterious influence over the body. We are learning more each year.
Science is slow to make progress in these areas. Western science must
see everything in concrete terms and be able to examine a process in
minute detail.

In the East where the traditions of mental healing began, no such
approach is taken. If a method works it is accepted as valid because
of the outcome not the process. Practitioners of a method will strive
to improve the method until it is more powerful and effective but
they seldom question why something works.

After over thirty years of observing, studying and researching
various Qi-gong methods and systems Dr. Painter says he is more
convinced that ever that it is what and how we think or rather how
and what we imagine that has the greatest influence on our health or
lack thereof.

Because many people have a problem with the word "hypnosis" he
chooses to use the term guided imagery when discussing concepts of
Vitapathic healing (Qi-gong) as this term seems to fit the processes
used in Chinese and Tibetan methodology. Guided imagery is a simple
process in which we can train ourselves to use pictures in our mind
to turn on and increase your bodies' natural healing potential and
maintain it at peak efficiency.

It is very clear to see is we make comparative studies of eastern
cultures and their healing methods that guided imagery is at the
heart of all the healing traditions of the East and early shamanistic
health systems. It is safe and very powerful if used correctly.

In one of the earliest know texts on Qigong theory written by Master
Wei, Boyang, titled Can Tong Qi (Akinness of the Three) around 142 AD
the master of Daoist energy development says, "In the end whatever
you call it, it is not more than the mind (Yi and Xin), intention and
attitude and the breath being together as one. It is simply the Yin
and the Yang influenced internally with their spirit and energy
entwined."

Even earlier the founder or Daoist thought, Lao, Zi author of the
Daodejing (Tao Te Ching), is reputed to have authored a previous work
which was burned and later banned in China (today it is available
again and in wide circulation). This was The Treatise of the Exalted
One, On Response and Retribution written some possibly around 549
B.C. in this work the opening lines are: `The exalted One says:
Curses and blessings do not come through the gates, but man himself
invites their arrival. Good and evil is like shadow following object…"

Both of these passages would seem to imply that what we think
and "invite in" to the mind becomes the progenitors of our success or
failure, happiness or success. This message is not new it is repeated
over and over again in culture after culture. Yet in the pursuit of
Qigong somehow the message has gotten lost in the forest of
numberless exercises, breathing practices and ritualized dances all
attempting to get the Qi flowing in the right way at the right time.

What seems to be lost in all of this is the fact that the mind rules
the body and the body houses the Qi which seems to be exactly what
master Wei and master Lao Zi  were trying to tell us. The best way to
activate this powerful mechanism of the mind to take dominion over
the body and the Qi is through visualization training and that can
also be called guided imagery. As Shakespeare said, "What's in a
name, a rose by any other would still smell as sweet."

The goal of guided imagery healing exercises is to create a response
felt throughout our body. In some instances we feel a very subtle
feeling of things changing in others we experience heat building up
and in some there is a response that manifests as a feeling of
tingling as if a light electrical current were moving internally.
This "feeling" is often identified as the moving of the Qi. In
reality it may be due to relaxation of muscles producing greater
blood flow or increased innervation as compressed areas of the
neurological system are released.

No matter what the sensations that occur in the individual what is
similar in all cases is a letting go of fear and tension and the
ability to use the mind to direct these feelings. As Qi is not a noun
but a word used to describe an unseen energy it is possible to take
the position that Qi is not a thing but a result of a specific type
or though process that may activate at any one time the neurological
system, the muscular system, the endocrine system or any other
process of the body. All of this occurs as a result of a desire or
thought process. So this could be called the Qi-gong process
activated by the guided imagery we choose to use. Through learning to
relax with meditation and or guided imagery exercises this produces
the letting go idea that will allow the subject to bring his or her
attention to the physical body in a way not possible during normal
activity.

Practicing a Qi-gong routine that uses guided imagery allows the
scattered thoughts in the mind to come to rest and the subjects' mind
become centered of focused on a specific task. By the reduction of
mental static the mind then has a chance to turn inward toward its
innate natural ability activating you bodies healing response
mechanisms.

Remember all forms of Qi-gong training whether static (non-movement)
or active (moving forms) contains a specific goal to be achieved by
the practitioner. Even without consciously directing Qi to move or
specific visualizations it should be noted that the positive
expectancy concerning attaining this goal is a vital part of the
concepts of guided imagery. We have undertaken this exercise for a
reason and thus we see in our mind's eye the desired result which in
turn triggers basic response mechanisms in the unconscious capable of
directing our natural systems toward a favorable response.

Guided imagery will not always work for everyone. Some individuals
who seem to have a desire to overcome physical illness at a conscious
level may in fact have a very different agenda guiding the
unconscious control mechanisms of the mind. As Dr. O Carl Simonson a
famous pioneer of guided imagery for cancer patience said in his
landmark work "Getting Well Again". "Some people have an unconscious
will to live and other a will to die. If they choose the latter in
the unconscious then the prognosis is very grave indeed."

This explains why some people seem to not be helped by guided imagery
or any form of natural healing method. At some level the subject has
not accepted or "bought into" the idea that he or she has the right
and the ability to participate in his or her healing process. Wanting
and professing such a belief is of no consequence so long as the
unconscious programming has a contrary point of view.

Dr. Painter states that in his personal experience with hundreds of
clients that some people with a predilection to this unconscious
negative personality trait can change his or her unconscious negative
programming and use guided imagery with great success. But, unless
certain adjustments are made in the individuals internal belief
structures all the Qi-gong and guided imagery or even modern western
medical methods will be of little benefit for healing.

Programming the Human Bio-Computer with Qi-gong

A fascinating fact about this human bio- computer (mind) is that the
unconscious does not see anything as good, bad, right or wrong. It
just stores information, which we feed into it. When we encounter an
idea or new experience we first take it into what is know as short
term memory. Little importance is given to the event unless it is
repeated or it is a singularly profound experience like burning you
hands on the stove or a great emotional shock.

If, however the experience is profound or occurs over again we tend
to absorb it and accept it as a fact. Ideas that are repeated
consistently by a peer roll model or parent or thoughts and
sensations that are pleasing or frightening to us will eventually be
stored in the long-term memory circuits. Your unconscious bio-
computer accepts these ideas as facts. This process of how thought
and images change us and guide or lives gets kind of complicated and
for this paper the basics of what we need to know are:

1. The unconscious stores information it does not judge the
information as good or bad it merely stores it for future use.

2. The unconscious helps our conscious recognize the world around us.

3. The unconscious controls the internal biological responses of our
bodies, heart beat, respiration, immune system response, digestion
and neurological functions.

4. If the unconscious is programmed for health we are healthy if it
is programmed for illness we get sick. Unconscious programming for
health or illness is not always apparent in the conscious mind's
awareness of self.

  5. Seeing, touching or hearing things can trigger information
retrieval. The things we hear, see, feel, and think influence the way
our unconscious mind releases its programming controls that affect
the other systems of our body.

So we can say that thought creates changes in the body. In other
words we are guided toward health or illness by what we choose to
see, feel, think and do. We can say that our perception or
imagination of how the world is actually creates the reality we feel,
hear and see.

Changing Reality With Non-Reality
Here is a simple experiment that you can do right now to show you how
the imagination creates reality. As you listen to this close your
eyes and picture a large juicy lemon. It is a big thick, fat lemon,
swollen with tart lemon juice. The fruit is very yellow and ripe. Now
you can see yourself holding a knife, a sharp knife. You carefully
cut into the lemon skin and slice around the lemon rind. The juice of
this lemon starts to drip down the knife onto your hand. It is cool
and sticky. You put down the knife and peel open the lemon exposing
the yellow pulp. As you squeeze the lemon juice into a bowl it smells
tart and sweet.

Take note now of how your mouth is reacting. Do you have saliva
flowing freely, is your mouth puckering up. Can you smell the scent
of the lemon. If so you have a good ability to visualize and to
imagine. When the imaginary lemon created these sensations you were
experiencing guided imagery. Your physical body reacted to imaginary
stimuli, the lemon, which did not really exist except as a thought
image by producing digestive enzymes in your mouth. Your body in
other words was getting ready to eat a lemon and digest it.

Your mind created a change in your bodies' chemical structure and
began producing enzymes in your mouth and throat designed to digest
an imaginary lemon. In other words from a state of non-reality you
produced a state of reality. If you fully understand this process it
is not hard to expand the idea into learning to use thought and image
to change many of the ways your body produces healing chemicals and
rids it's self of toxic chemicals and emotions.

The primary use and benefit of guided imagery in Qi-gong is in
preventive maintenance.  A good practitioner will seek out the little
nagging problems, knots, areas of tension and misalignments, to
eliminate them, thus showing you what your body should feel like all
the time.  Each time you practice Qi-gong with guided imagery, your
body is given an opportunity to relax and align itself a little more,
if only for a short time at first.  This alignment is not only in a
physical sense, such as alignment of muscle and bone and properly
working systems, but mental and spiritual alignment may be achieved
as well.

So no matter what the method or exercises we must buy into the
process and create a marriage of mind, imagery and focused attention
with body. All things working in synergy to produce the desired
results. Dr. Painter has been able to successfully apply the
principles mentioned here both in the healing Qigong practice of his
Daoqiquan arts and in the martial training of "power standing" for
developing internal power or Jin energy skill. As he says< "One
treatment may seem like a "drop in the bucket" . . .
drop...drop...drop...drop. . . they keep building up until the bucket
overflows with good health and internal power."

END

Excerpted from:
Qi-gong The Li Family Methods
By: Dr. John P. Painter ND.

NOTE:
It should be understood that, as a beginner, you should never try to
cure your own disease without proper guidance, and you should always
consult a competent medical doctor first if you suspect yourself or a
friend to be seriously ill.


WANT TO KNOW MORE FROM HANDS ON EXPERIENCE?:

Shifu Robert Castaldo of the Gompa in Arlington Texas will be
teaching a workshop at the Zhan San Feng Festival Titled

  Qi and Beyond Through Guided Imagery With Shifu Castaldo
All forms of internal martial art, meditation, standing practice and
Qi-gong training contains specific goals to be visualized and
achieved by the practitioner. Science is now discovering that the
positive expectancy which often involves some form or "self talk",
visualizations or guided imagery is a vital part of the concepts of
Qigong and internal martial art practice. Understanding how Guided
Imagery functions and how you can employ it in your training can help
you make serious breakthrough in your internal arts training. Shifu
Robert Castaldo, an instructor of Chinese internal martial arts has
also worked as a Hypnotherapist with the Life Sciences Institute. He
will show you how to use guided imagery (self-hypnosis) to enhance
your meditation, martial arts and Qigong practice. 90 minutes


GUIDED IMAGERY FOR INTERNAL POWER AND JIN IN MARTIAL ARTS

Dr. Painter will be teaching a special program at the week long
festival Gathering of the Circle workshop following the Zhan San Feng
Festival titled , The Truth about Mind Body Jin and Qi This program
will feature Dr. John Painter's breakthrough concepts of Psycho-Soma-
Integration to take your practice of Zhan Zhuang standing directly
into your Baguazhang practice in a way that will ramp up your
internal power to a totally new level. This is a master key and is
the bedrock foundation of physical, mental and internal power
development. It will all be presented to you in one crystal clear
package.

Online Registration at   -
http://www.americansocietyofinternalarts.org/
  ---------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------

ALSO A FULL WEEK OF QIGONG IN VIRGINIA

AT A Taste of China IN Winchester Virginia June 28-July 2 Featuring
Dr. Painter's four incredible internal power programs of Daoist Bagua
Health & Longevity Qigong.

Each of these programs can be used alone or together for developing
longevity, health and stress reduction.

1. Xin-Quan mind - intention Boxing
2. Ji-Haoma Qigong / Luck Number Bagua Qigong
3. Long Feng-Shui - Dragon Wind Water Bagua Qigong
4. Feixing Long Qigong - Flying Dragon Qigong

   Come learn from some of the top internal arts teachers in the
country  at A Taste Of China

For More Information on all the other masters and programs
Visit ATOC Website
On Line Registration www.atoctaijiquan.com

Professor Timothy Liu from the Beijing University
of Chinese Medicine is coming to New Jersey to
speak at both UMDNJ and Rutgers University on
medical qigong and its effects on human
health.  He is internationally known for his
research and instruction in Qigong and is the
Secretary General of China’s National Qigong
Education & Study Association. Professor Liu has
taught Qigong in Beijing University of Chinese
Medicine for 20 years and is editor-in-chief of
the textbook “Qigong Study in Chinese Medicine”,
the only official Qigong textbook in China’s
universities and colleges.  Although he has
traveled to many countries in Asia and Europe
speaking on this subject, this is his first time in the United States.

Date:  Saturday, June 3, 2006
Time:  10:00 am – 12 noon
Place:  Asian American Cultural Center, Rutgers University
              49 Joyce Kilmer Ave, Livingston Campus, Piscataway, New Jersey
Limited Seating:  Please RSVP by June 1 to
<mailto:bosacchi@...>bosacchi@... or call 732-445-8043.
Co-sponsored by: Rutgers Asian American Cultural
Center and the World Institute for Self-Healing, Piscataway, NJ
__________________________________________________________________________
Date: Tuesday, June 6, 2006
Time: 10:30am – 11:30am
Place: Department of Family Medicine, Research Division, UMDNJ
              1 World’s Fair Drive
              Somerset, NJ 08873
For more information contact: Cynthia
Duncan-Robinson (<mailto:robinsce@...>robinsce@...) 732-743-3222.

Symposium on Methodological Challenges
in the Study of Mind-Body Therapies and Energy Medicine

(Part of the 2006 North American Conference on
Complementary and Integrative Medicine,
May 24-27, 2006, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada)

Chair: Kevin W Chen, Ph.D. MPH

ABSTRACT

*  The Study of Energy Medicine's Effects on Cells
--- Gloria A. Gronowicz, Ph.D.  Professor at
Department of Orthopaedics, School of Medicine
University of Connecticut Health Center (Farmington, CT 06030 USA)
              Energy medicine studies with
patients have effects due to energy transference
from practitioner to patient, and due to the
mind-body connection in the patient. The study of
the effect of energy medicine on cells may be
able to reveal directly the target and the nature
of the energy field or “biofield”. However to
accomplish these goals, study design and
methodology must be developed scientifically to
demonstrate with appropriate statistical
analysis, the effects of the biofield on cells.
To begin this scientific journey, we will be
discussing the following topics and data that may
elucidate the path to reach our goals. The choice
of a model system for the study of energy
medicine is critical to its success. The types of
cells and assays to be performed, along with the
variables, such as placebo controls and the site
where the study is being performed, must be
considered in any well-designed study.  How we
report the data is also important. The
practitioners’ well-being and training along with
the researcher’s relationship with the
practitioners will impact the study. Treating
cells is different from treating patients, and
the practitioner needs to understand the cells
and to realize that they were once in a human’s
body or in the case of bacteria that they have
their own entity, are still living and retain a
“memory” of where they have been. The need for
well-designed cell studies is great and will help
to increase our understanding of the biofield and energy medicine.

* Systematic Negative Controls in Biofield Healing Research
     -- Garret Yount, Ph.D. Research Scientist at
California Pacific Medicine Center
         Indirect measurement of the influence of
biofield healing treatments in the laboratory
allows for careful control of the parameters that
might influence outcomes. The strict control of
experimental conditions permitted by in vitro
models is especially useful for testing
mechanistic theories and demonstrating proof of
principle. However, the issue of variability in
the apparent effects of biofield treatments found
using in vitro models presents an important
challenge in the field. Beyond the variability
introduced by human operators, logistics often
prevent control of some parameters of the
biological target system. The variability of the
model must yield to the laws of probability,
however, as long as there are sufficient numbers
of experiments, careful randomization, and strict
blinding to eliminate artifact and bias. The
incorporation of systematic negative controls
provide an additional level of confidence in this
regard by balancing experiments involving
biofield treatments with an equal number of
control experiments involving all the
manipulations of the target cells except the
biofield treatment. Systematic negative controls
were helpful when considering the significance of
outliers in the data from experiments in our
laboratory. While outliers in the data from
experiments with Qigong and Johrei practitioners
could have easily been interpreted as exceptional
performances by a particular practitioner in a
particular experiment, evidence of intrinsic
variability of the system of similar magnitude
did not support this speculation. Thus, the
conduct of experiments without continual
assessment of potential variability within the
model system may sway the results into spurious significance.

*  Problems of repeatability in clinical or
pre-clinical studies of energy medicine and the
possible solutions -- Kevin W Chen, Ph.D. MPH,
Associate Professor in Department of Psychiatry,
UMDNJ – Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.
               Although mind-body integrative
therapies and energy medicine have gained
increased attention and popularity, little
scientific documentation can be found in the
western literature about their efficacy.  Among
the few studies in this area, researchers are
confronted with serious problems in producing
results or replicating previous findings based on
conventional research methods.  Based on both
personal experiences with energy healers, and
documented studies in the field, this
presentation will briefly explore the following issues:
1)      How repeatable it is for an energy healer
to produce in clinical or laboratory studies
2)      What are the major factors that may
affect repeatability of a positive result
3)      Effective methods for future studies to
achieve a better repeatability of positive result.

* Exploration of effective methodology in laboratory study of Qigong
-- Tianjun Liu, OMD, Professor, & Director of
Laboratory of Qigong Study, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, China
            Qigong is a traditional Chinese
medicine (TCM) therapy based mostly on empirical
experience and physical and psychological
sensations, while modern research methods in
western medicine are mostly evidence-based
techniques with a perspective of reductionism and
positivism. Is it possible to apply the modern
research methods and technique in the study of
qigong therapy?  To what degree can modern
techniques help us understand the empirical
healing art like qigong?  Our laboratory of
qigong study at BUCM conducted a series of
experiments to explore the possibility of
applying modern medical equipments and methods to
examine or verify the therapeutic effects of
qigong therapy through adjustment of body
postures, adjustment of breathing, and adjustment
of mind state.  The key lessens, results and the
major challenges in these studies will be briefly discussed.

• You are welcome to share Qi Dao with your friends.
• To subscribe to Qi Dao, send an email to Qi_Dao-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.
• To contribute to Qi Dao or contact us, please email to WISH_Qidao@....

Hello,

This email message is a notification to let you know that
a file has been uploaded to the Files area of the qiresearch
group.

   File        : /Welcome_package.doc
   Uploaded by : qigong4us <chenke@...>
   Description : From the 2006 World Conference on Medical Qigong in Beijing

You can access this file at the URL:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/qiresearch/files/Welcome_package.doc

To learn more about file sharing for your group, please visit:
http://help.yahoo.com/help/us/groups/files

Regards,

qigong4us <chenke@...>

Highlight of the Fifth World Conference on Medical Qigong in Beijing

  >>  The Fifth World Conference on Medical Qigong was hold in
Beijing, June 26-28, 2006. Two hundreds ninety seven (297) registered
participants came from more than 20 countries and attended the
conference. There were more participants from outside of China than
those within China.
  >>  The conference was organized by the World Academic Society of
Medical Qigong, which hold its 4th General Assembly at the same time,
and elected the 4th Council during the meeting.
  >>  The conference received 110 submissions of abstracts/papers from
14 countries and districts; and half of them were arranged to be
presented during the conference.  The quantity and quality of the
submitted papers/abstracts are significantly better than those in the
previous conference in 1998.
  >>  The conference published two proceedings based on the submitted
abstracts/papers. The Chinese proceeding includes 80
abstracts/papers, and the English proceeding includes 68 abstracts/papers.
  >>  The abstracts from the conference will be entered into the
Qigong and Energy Medicine Database (by Qigong Institute) and
available in the next edition.
  >>  The World Academic Society of Medical Qigong is head-quartered
in Beijing with Dr. Lida Feng as the president.  It has 14 branches
around the world and 800+ individual members. If you are interested
in more information about the society, please contact:
                          World Academic Society of Medical Qigong
                          11 Bei San Huan Dong Lu
                          Beijing University of Chinese Medicine
                          Beijing,  100029
                          China
                          Email: <mailto:tingyufang@...>tingyufang@...
                          Tel: 86-10-64286908   or  86-10-64286909
                          Fax: 86-10-64211591

I am atending Dr Suzanne Friedmans Training in S.F. Do you know about it? This
is the
Association link, if you have feed back let me know, thanks , Calvin http://
home.earthlink.net/~monkeymedicine/id2.html

Dear friends,

I am in the process to design a controlled clinical study to apply
qigong meditation in treatment of arthritis or other health
problem.  The most common control in the literature for this type of
study is waiting list or educational control (give some education
material or lectures).  However, as our actual qigong treatment is
very intensive, say at least 60 minutes per day, it will not be
practical to ask the control group to do 60 minutes of education
program a day, or 5 hours of education program a week.

Do you have any good suggestion on this matter?  We need a reasonable
control group that will stop criticism from saying our potential
treatment effect is completely psychological....

Thank you for your input on this!

Kevin Chen

****  Please note my new affiliation and email ****
Kevin W Chen, Ph.D. MPH
Associate Professor
Center for Integrative Medicine,
University of Maryland School of Medicine,
2200 Kernan Drive, Kernan Hospital Mansion,
Baltimore,  MD  21207-6697

Tel:  410-448-6876;          Fax: 410-448-6875;
Email: <mailto:kchen@...>kchen@...

Hi, Michey,

Glad to hear from you after a long disconnection.  Hope everything
goes well with your clinics and research.

Your argument is valid in any clinical setting -- as long as it helps
reducing the symptom, it does not matter if it is placebo effect or
not.  However, I am not sure if the SRG reviewers will buy it or not
in a controlled clinical study.  The reality of clinical trial is, no
matter which treatment of method you are trying to test, as long as
you tell the patients it is good for their symptom, it will produce
some results or improvement (including education or reading), which
is where placebo effect or expectation effect come from.  The
challenge to qigong research will be, whether the observed
improvement or clinical effect is significantly beyond the
expectation effect or belief in the therapy?  As qigong
practitioners, we have no doubt that qigong works for health purpose;
however, we are not sure how much it is due to our expectation, our
commitment of time and our belief in traditional Chinese medicine,
and how much it is really due to the true qi flow, the slow
breathing, the biological and chemical change during meditation, and
the carefully-design body postures.  Our research is supposed to
reveal that differences and offer valid answers to those questions.

Claude from Montreal has suggested me to do a reading group as
control, which belongs to the education control category. It worth a
try, but may not be the most convincing way to compare in clinical
study.  Thank you, Claude!

All best wishes!

Kevin


P.S.  If you intend to reply to the group, please add
qiresearch@yahoogroups.com to your "to" or "cc" list.

At 12:09 PM 8/29/2006, Chang-Qing Xun wrote:
>Dear Kevin:
>If Qigong can trigger a completely psychological effect for healing
>and treatment, why don't we use or test this trigger? Also, what
>they really mean psychological effect?? I often tell patients, if
>the placebo is just effective as treatment, use placebo and maximize
>the placebo effect in every way you can. Save you getting from the
>trouble and cost of drugs and side effects from drugs...
>
>These are just my suggestions for your reference
>Mickey
>
>>From: Kevin W Chen <chenke@...>
>>To: Int'l Forum for Qigong Research <Qiresearch@yahoogroups.com>
>>CC: "Tianjun Liu":;
>>Subject: [qiresearch] Best control group for qigong meditation study
>>Date: Tue, 29 Aug 2006 11:25:37 -0400
>>
>>Dear friends,
>>
>>I am in the process to design a controlled clinical study to apply
>>qigong meditation in treatment of arthritis or other health
>>problem.  The most common control in the literature for this type of
>>study is waiting list or educational control (give some education
>>material or lectures).  However, as our actual qigong treatment is
>>very intensive, say at least 60 minutes per day, it will not be
>>practical to ask the control group to do 60 minutes of education
>>program a day, or 5 hours of education program a week.
>>
>>Do you have any good suggestion on this matter?  We need a reasonable
>>control group that will stop criticism from saying our potential
>>treatment effect is completely psychological....
>>
>>Thank you for your input on this!
>>
>>Kevin Chen
>>
>>To Post a message, send it to:   qiresearch@Yahoogroups.com
>>To Unsubscribe, send a blank message to:
>>qiresearch-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
>>Yahoo! Groups Links
>>
>>
>>

Maybe the creators of Qigong, were attempting to harness the power of the
placebo effect (?)  Placebo effect benefits half of the times it is employed.
That is a pretty powerful track record.

Bill Douglas

Dear Stanton,

Thank you for your response to my request.  Here are my answers to
your questions:

At 02:21 PM 8/29/2006, Y. Azid wrote:
>Kevin Chen,
>Some questions:
>a. Will you be using ACR criteria for arthritis
>definition? or some portion of ACR criteria!

Yes, I will use ACR criteria for arthritis

>b. How about endpoints utility? Or pain scales to
>ascertain a change!

For OA, I will use WOMAC as primary outcome, and MPQ-SF and SF-36 as
the secondary outcomes to measure the possible changes. For RA, I may
use tender point count, blood test and MPQ-SF as the primary outcome,
and functional movement scale and SF-36 as the secondary outcomes.

>c. How will you measure severity of arthritis?

All the outcome measures will be used as measures for severity at
baseline.  The subjects will probably be stratified according to
gender, type of arthritis (generalized vs. isolated) and severity of
arthritis before randomization.

>d. As a challenge, a walking group as control OR
>perhaps a psychosocial control group on how to lessen
>the impact of arthritis. An active control group
>(walking) or even posture holding-perhaps too radical
>and bold but a try.

These are good suggestions, but a little difficult in operating, it
is hard to convince a subject of arthritis to walk or hold a posture
60 minutes a day, and then tell her/him this is good for his/her
arthritis symptom...

I like the suggestion of having a regular exercise group, which were
suggested to me by both Dr. Michael Meyer and Dr. Myeong Soo Lee.

Thank you all for the inputs.  Please continue the brain-storming
process for more creative ideas.

Best wishes!

Kevin

On Tue, 29 Aug 2006 13:01:36 -0400, <Wtcqd2000@...> wrote:
> Maybe the creators of Qigong, were attempting to harness the
> power of the placebo effect (?)  Placebo effect benefits half
> of the times it is employed.


     The placebo effect is Qigong effect. That is exactly why one
of the Qigong techniques is to always keep an optimistic view
even when one is very sick.


Best,
Yuan



> That is a pretty powerful track record.
>
> Bill Douglas
>
>
>
>

All the things in your list help the body to cultivate the Qi
which then in turn can cure the body as the placebo effect.

Best,
Yuan


On Fri, 01 Sep 2006 10:52:50 -0400, Master Mark Adlington
<markad@...> wrote:
>
> I do not think that placebo effect is real if you take into
> account the mind can produce chi energy. You can get Chi from:-
> Food
> Breath
> Movement
> Static stance/positions
> Location
> Sacred geometry/Shapes/Patterns
> The Mind (Unconscious/Sub-conscious)
> Ley lines
> Organs (e.g. the heart)
> Colour
> Music/Sound
> Other people
> Crystals
> Prayer
> etc.
>
> And that is both good and bad energy
>
> Cheers
> Mark
>
>
>
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "yuan" <yuan123@...>
> To: <qiresearch@yahoogroups.com>
> Sent: Friday, September 01, 2006 2:24 PM
> Subject: Re: [qiresearch] Best control group for qigong meditation study
>
>
>> On Tue, 29 Aug 2006 13:01:36 -0400, <Wtcqd2000@...> wrote:
>>> Maybe the creators of Qigong, were attempting to harness the
>>> power of the placebo effect (?)  Placebo effect benefits half
>>> of the times it is employed.
>>
>>
>>    The placebo effect is Qigong effect. That is exactly why one
>> of the Qigong techniques is to always keep an optimistic view
>> even when one is very sick.
>>
>>
>> Best,
>> Yuan
>>
>>
>>
>>> That is a pretty powerful track record.
>>>
>>> Bill Douglas
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> To Post a message, send it to:   qiresearch@Yahoogroups.com
>> To Unsubscribe, send a blank message to:
>> qiresearch-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
>> Yahoo! Groups Links
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
>

Posted on the QI Message Board by Yvonne
http://pub21.ezboard.com/fqigonginstitutefrm3
Send replies to qiresearch@yahoogroups.com
========================================================

Re: How Many People Are Practicing Qigong in the U.S.?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  Hey Dr. Kevin,

How are u? Long time no talk.

As part of my thesis, I am looking at how many cardiac
patients doing mind-body therapies in Ontario. I have
submitted my paper to european journal of prevention
and cardiac rehabilitation last week. I will present
some of my findings in IN-CAM symposium in Calgary in
Nov. It's a small conference, but will you be there?

I am looking for supervisor in Canada to continue
doing mind-body therapies research, do you have any
suggestions?

Yvonne


Qigong use in Cardiac patients
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hi there Andreas,

Just saw your message and I am so interested in
knowing more about your study. I am doing research on
mind-body therapy practices among cardiac patients. We
can definitely exchange articles!

You can email me at yleung@...

Hope to hear from you soon!

Yvonne

======================================================
Qigong for Coronary Patients
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  Hi everybody,

we are currently planning an intervention study with
patients
suffering from congestive heart failure. I would like
to convince my
colleagues to take up qigong as one of the
interventions. In order to
achive that I am searching for peer reviewed papers
which show one of
the following:

Effects of Qigong and/or Taiji on
- health outcomes in heart patients (may also be
coronary arterie
disease or other forms)
- effects of cardiovascular functioning in general
(heart rate, blood
pressure, heart rate variability, etc.)
- effects on diabetis, cholesterol, obeseity and
hypertension
- any other effects that you think might be
interesting in that context.

Papers about other forms, like mindfulness meditation,
etc. would also
be welcome.

I am glad abot any hints you can possibly provide.

this is my email adress:
andreas.cordes@...

Thanks in advance,
Andreas


http://www.qigonginstitute.org/

http://pub21.ezboard.com/bqigonginstitute

__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam?  Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around
http://mail.yahoo.com

>> Effect of Qigong exercise program on elderly with depression
Tsang and his colleagues at the Department of Rehabilitation
Sciences, the Hong Kong Polytechnic University conducted a randomized
control trial on this subject, and published their results in
September issue of International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry (Int
J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2006 Sep;21(9):890-7). Here is the abstract:
OBJECTIVES: This report released findings of a randomized controlled
trial conducted in Hong Kong to further our understanding of the
psychosocial effects of qigong on elderly persons with depression.
DESIGN: Eighty-two participants with a diagnosis of depression or
obvious features of depression were recruited and randomly assigned
into the intervention and comparison group. The intervention group
was given a 16-week period of Qigong practice while the comparison
group participated in a newspaper reading group with same duration
and frequency. RESULTS: After eight weeks of qigong practice, the
intervention group participants outstripped themselves in improvement
in mood, self-efficacy and personal well being, and physical and
social domains of self-concept when compared with comparison
subjects. After 16 weeks of practice, the improvement generalized to
the daily task domain of the self-concept. CONCLUSIONS: This report
shows that regular qigong practice could relieve depression, improve
self-efficacy and personal well being among elderly persons with
chronic physical illness and depression. Copyright (c) 2006 John
Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  >>  External Qi of Yan Xin Qigong differentially regulates the Akt
and extracellular signal-regulated kinase pathways and is cytotoxic
to cancer cells but not to normal cells.
<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Search&itool=pubmed\
_AbstractPlus&term=%22Yan+X%22%5BAuthor%5D>Yan
X,
<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Search&itool=pubmed\
_AbstractPlus&term=%22Shen+H%22%5BAuthor%5D>Shen
H,
<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Search&itool=pubmed\
_AbstractPlus&term=%22Jiang+H%22%5BAuthor%5D>Jiang
H,
<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Search&itool=pubmed\
_AbstractPlus&term=%22Zhang+C%22%5BAuthor%5D>Zhang
C,
<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Search&itool=pubmed\
_AbstractPlus&term=%22Hu+D%22%5BAuthor%5D>Hu
D,
<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Search&itool=pubmed\
_AbstractPlus&term=%22Wang+J%22%5BAuthor%5D>Wang
J,
<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Search&itool=pubmed\
_AbstractPlus&term=%22Wu+X%22%5BAuthor%5D>Wu
X.,
<http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=PublicationURL&_cdi=5171&_pubType=J&_a\
uth=y&_acct=C000049426&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=2854086&md5=d1f2d689742d\
b50e8729bff7e7602c5e>The
International Journal of Biochemistry & Cell Biology. June 2006 (pre-print)
Abstract: Long-term clinical observations and ongoing studies have
shown significant antitumor effect of external Qi of Yan Xin Qigong
which originated from traditional Chinese medicine. In order to
understand the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying the
antitumor effect of external Qi of Yan Xin Qigong, we have examined
its cytotoxic effect on BxPC3 pancreatic cancer cells and its effect
on the Akt and extracellular signal-regulated kinase pathways. We
found that external Qi of Yan Xin Qigong dramatically inhibited basal
phosphorylation levels of Akt and extracellular signal-regulated
kinases, epidermal growth factor-mediated phosphorylation of
extracellular signal-regulated kinases, and phosphatidylinositol
3-kinase activity. External Qi of Yan Xin Qigong also inhibited
constitutive and inducible activities of nuclear factor-kappa B, a
target of the Akt and epidermal growth factor receptor pathways.
Furthermore, a single 5min exposure of BxPC3 cells to external Qi of
Yan Xin Qigong induced apoptosis, accompanied by a dramatic increase
of the sub-G1 cell population, DNA fragmentation, and cleavage of
caspases 3, 8 and 9, and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase. Prolonged
treatment with external Qi of Yan Xin Qigong caused rapid lysis of
BxPC3 cells. In contrast, treatment of fibroblasts with external Qi
of Yan Xin Qigong induced transient activation of extracellular
signal-regulated kinases and Akt, and caused no cytotoxic effect.
These findings suggest that external Qi of Yan Xin Qigong may
differentially regulate these survival pathways in cancer versus
normal cells and exert cytotoxic effects preferentially on cancer
cells, and that it could potentially be a valuable approach for
therapy of pancreatic carcinomas.

  >> Is there any difference in the effects of Qi therapy (external
qigong) with or without touching?
Jung MJ and colleagues at Department of Oriental Rehabilitation
Medicine, College of Oriental Medicine, Wonkwang University, South
Korea, conducted a pilot study with randomized control to answer this
question. They published their results in International Journal of
Neuroscience (Int J Neurosci. 2006 Sep;116(9):1055-64). Here is the
abstract:  The aim of this study was to evaluate differences in the
effects of Qi therapy without touching or with touching on anxiety,
mood, neurohormones, and cellular immune function. Twenty-four
healthy male subjects were randomly assigned to either QTN (n = 12)
or QTT (n = 12). They received Qi therapy (external Qigong) without
touching (QTN) or with touching (QTT). Nonparametric statistical
tests revealed no significant differences between the effects of QTN
and QTT (all p > .05). Separate Wilcox signed rank tests for each
intervention revealed significant effects on anxiety, alertness,
depression, fatigue, tension, cortisol levels, and NK cell
cytotoxicity for both QTN and QTT, and on neutrophil function for QTN
only. These findings suggest that there are few differences between
the effects of QTN and QTT. However, the reproducibility of the
findings should be tested with multiple sessions, and long-term
follow-up tests.

  >> Effects of mental relaxation and slow breathing in essential
hypertension.
<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Search&itool=pubmed\
_AbstractPlus&term=%22Kaushik+RM%22%5BAuthor%5D>Kaushik
RM,
<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Search&itool=pubmed\
_AbstractPlus&term=%22Kaushik+R%22%5BAuthor%5D>Kaushik
R,
<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Search&itool=pubmed\
_AbstractPlus&term=%22Mahajan+SK%22%5BAuthor%5D>Mahajan
SK,
<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Search&itool=pubmed\
_AbstractPlus&term=%22Rajesh+V%22%5BAuthor%5D>Rajesh
V. (Department of Medicine, Himalayan Institute of Medical Sciences,
Swami Rama Nagar, P.O. Doiwala, Dehradun 248140, Uttaranchal,
India),  Complement Ther Med. 2006 Jun;14(2):120-6.   OBJECTIVES: To
compare mental relaxation and slow breathing as adjunctive treatment
in patients of essential hypertension by observing their effects on
blood pressure and other autonomic parameters like heart rate,
respiratory rate, peripheral skin temperature, electromyographic
activity of the frontalis muscle and skin conductance. METHODS: One
hundred patients of essential hypertension either receiving
antihypertensive drugs or unmedicated were selected randomly. Various
parameters were recorded during the resting state and then during
mental relaxation and slow breathing for 10 min each, separated by a
quiet period of 15 min. All parameters were recorded again after
mental relaxation and slow breathing. Changes in various parameters
observed after mental relaxation and slow breathing were analyzed and
compared. RESULTS: Both mental relaxation and slow breathing resulted
in a fall in systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, heart
rate, respiratory rate and electromyographic activity with increase
in peripheral skin temperature and skin conductance. Slow breathing
caused a significantly higher fall in heart rate (p<0.05),
respiratory rate (p<0.001), systolic blood pressure (p<0.05) and
diastolic blood pressure (p<0.01). Increase in peripheral skin
temperature (p<0.05) and reduction in electromyographic activity
(p<0.05) occurred more with mental relaxation. No significant
differences were seen between increases in skin conductance (p>0.2)
observed with both the modalities. CONCLUSIONS: Even a single session
of mental relaxation or slow breathing can result in a temporary fall
in blood pressure. Both the modalities increase the parasympathetic
tone but have effects of different intensity on different autonomic parameters.


Submitted by K Chen

Qi Dao
August/September 2006

Qi Dao, the E-newsletter of World Institute for Self Healing, Inc.
(WISH), promotes philosophy and methods of human self-healing and
mind power, and shares knowledge and experiences with those who are
interested in human self-healing and mind power and their
applications in health and healing.

Read this issue of Qi Dao at:
http://www.wishus.org/newsletter/092006.pdf

From the Editor
         The last hurrah
         Be Thankful

Research Updates
• Effect of Qigong exercise program on elderly with depression
• External Qi of Yan Xin Qigong differentially regulates the
Akt and extracellular signal-regulated kinase pathways and is
cytotoxic to cancer cells but not to normal cells.
• Is there any difference in the effects of Qi therapy
(external qigong) with or without touching?
• Effects of mental relaxation and slow breathing in essential
hypertension

From the Master
An Overview of the Best Practices in Taiji (part 1 of 2):  Master
Yang discusses those exercises that allow one to realize the maximum
possible results in the shortest amount of time i.e., the most
efficient exercises.

Illuminating the Dao
         Michelle Wood talks about Mindful Preventive Medicine

Methods of Better Meditation
         Ken Andes shares with us his Three Steps to Becoming a
Master at Meditation

Exploration of Self-Healing
         Melatonin: The Most Powerful Drug from Within

Power of the Mind
The Laughing Doctor from John Kehoe's Monthly Mind Power Topic with
some additional notes from the editor.

Citation of the Month
     Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes.
     Don't resist them - that only creates sorrow.
     Let reality be reality.
     Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.
                         --- Lao Tzu

A Comedy Moment
         Doctor! Doctor!

Download entire Qi Dao at:
http://www.wishus.org/newsletter/092006.pdf

• You are welcome to share Qi Dao with your friends.
• To subscribe to Qi Dao, send an email to Qi_Dao-
subscribe@yahoogroups.com.
• To contribute to Qi Dao or contact us, please email to
WISH_Qidao@....

Dear Colleagues,

I would like to do a follow-up report on our discussion of designing
the best control group in qigong meditation study.

I have received many interesting and encouraging suggestions from
this group.  Thank you very much!  I am attaching some of the
comments at the end of this email for your information.

At this moment, I decide to follow mostly Dr. Mayer's suggestion to
do a three-arm design -- qigong group, best existent exercise group
(comparison), and the waiting list (or education) control
group.  Hopefully, the results will be convincing enough for those
skeptical scientists to take the study outcomes seriously -- if we
find something significant.

However, I have not yet finalized which qigong form to use in this
study of osteoarthritis at knee(s) or hip(s).  I am open to the
suggestions based on existent studies or cumulative clinical
experience. (Not just what you think which qigong is better for OA patients).

Thank you all for your support and help!  we should continue thinking
of  more creative designs in this field.

Kevin Chen

Selected comments and feedback follow:


At 12:42 PM 8/29/2006, Michael Mayer wrote:
Hi Kevin:

Congratulations on putting together this type of study and for asking
the good question you are addressing about a control. What about
calling an arthritis foundation. Ask them where some of their members
go for physical exercise. One of the best controls is "other forms of
exercise." There may be hospital programs at Kaiser etc. You could
also survey gyms and find out who that comes to their gym has
arthritis. Obviously the type of person who would go to a gym might
have less severe arthritis than a medical center; so that would need
to be equated in terms of severity with your group. RA versus
Osteo-arthrits etc.

Other types of great controls to compare would be to find  a yoga
center and see if they'd participate, or  various meditation paths.
It would be fascinating to see how Qigong compares to Mindfullness
Meditation---you'd contact John Kabat-Zinns' U of Mass group for this.

I think that a non-exercise control group, as you mentioned would be
a good third control. I wonder whether the National Arthritis
Foundation could give you a good lead.

Best,

Michael Mayer


At 11:28 AM 8/30/2006, Chang-Qing Xun wrote:
>Dear Kevin:
>Truth is that healing is not a single factor. It is a combination of
>many factors. Even more challenge, it is an individulized
>regimen/practice, not one treatment/technique fits all because we
>all have different Karma.
>
>If you try to compare different factors and want to say one is
>better than others, it is like you ask a traditional chinese
>medicine herbalist: "In your magic herbal soup, which one herb is
>the best and most effect?" You know the answer is they are all
>needed to be there to achieve the best result.
>
>So tell reviewers, I am trying to achieve the best result here.
>People can not read 60 mins, can not being a particular posture for
>60 mins, can not.....
>But they can sit down for 60 mins to practice Qigong because Qigong
>is a combination of breathing, visulation, energy......
>So we combine Qigong with reading, posture.... to achieve the best
>result, (better than historical data from pain meds; better than
>drugs because it has no side effect or addiction; better than drugs
>because it has less cost...
>
>So, please educate the reviewers, help them to change their view of
>healing. You will then have enthusiam to support your study.
>
>Best regard,
>Mickey


At 11:53 AM 8/30/2006, Andreas wrote:
Dear Kevin,

I think the choice of the control group is a delicate problem and it
is not always enough to use standard procedures as in blinded
randomised trials.
As you obviously cannot do a blinded trial, you would need to compare
to a similar training which does not include movement of qi.
Additionally it would be required that the trainer of that
intervention belives in his training, so that differences are not
attributable to differences in trainer motivation.
I assume that all subjects are optimally treated from a standard
medical point of view. So I would install a 3 armed trial with a only
standard treatment group, standard+ qigong treatment and standard +
intervention x.
The choice of intervention x depends on what you want to show. I would
try a mixture of aerobic gymnastics with low calory expenditure
similar to that of your planned intervention, combined with some form
of relaxation technique, e.g. jacobson or listening to relaxing music.
If you consider this to be too far from qigong, you could think of
sham qigong only without movement of qi. However, then you would have
the implicit qi manipulation that may be directly triggerd by the
movements.
This design may still be insufficient to eliminate the placebo
argument, but I don't see how this should be possible. But this problem
is shared by any behavioural intervention, e.g. all psychotherapy
studies. I belive that, in the end, it is pointless to try to disprove
the placebo argument. Rather the usefulness and validity of the
placebo concept itself should be (and is) challenged.

Hope this helps a bit (or is at least good for a little inspiration :))
Best regards,
Andreas

At 11:16 AM 8/30/2006, Martin Eisen wrote:
>Kevin:
>
>The control group should be sedentary people who do nothing.
>
>If you have a group that does mild exercise or stretching, they will
>improve from my experience in teaching students. In fact, if you
>just use the processes in the 5-element medical qigong, the exercise
>group might even do better in increased mobility.  The meditative
>group might learn to ignore pain.
>
>You should use another type of Qigong.  I think Zhineng Qigong is
>better in that every joint in the body is gently stretched.
>
>Marty



****  Please note my new affiliation and email ****
Kevin W Chen, Ph.D. MPH
Associate Professor
Center for Integrative Medicine,
University of Maryland School of Medicine,
2200 Kernan Drive, Kernan Hospital Mansion,
Baltimore,  MD  21207-6697

Tel:  410-448-6876;          Fax: 410-448-6875;
Email: <mailto:kchen@...>kchen@...

Qigong Podcasts
As part of the Qigong Institute's effort educate the
public on self-initiated health practices, we have
recorded several podcasts. Our first podcasts are a
great introduction to the many significant benefits of
Qigong and is divided into parts one and two. An
interview with Ken Sancier the founder of the Qigong
Institute has been recenrtly added. Please give a
listen and let us know what you think! We welcome you
to the Qigong community. To listen to our podcasts,
simply click on the link below and click on the
yellowish play buttons at the bottom of each section.

http://qigonginstitute.podomatic.com/

http://www.qigonginstitute.org/

http://pub21.ezboard.com/bqigonginstitute




________________________________________________________________________________\
____
Sponsored Link

For just $24.99/mo., Vonage offers unlimited local and long- distance calling.
Sign up now. http://www.vonage.com/startsavingnow/

List of NIH Grants for Qigong and Energy Healing
Research

List of Qigong Research Broad
http://www.qigonginstitute.org/html/papers/List_of_Qigong_Research_Broad2.pdf

List of Qigong Research Narrow
http://www.qigonginstitute.org/html/papers/List_of_Qigong_Research_narrow2.pdf


http://www.qigonginstitute.org/

http://pub21.ezboard.com/bqigonginstitute



________________________________________________________________________________\
____
Want to start your own business?
Learn how on Yahoo! Small Business.
http://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/r-index

[Research Update]

Kkps V.  Etnier JL.  Pilot study comparing physical and psychological
responses in medical qigong and walking.  Journal of Aging and
Physical Act. 2006;14(3):241-253.
ABSTRACT: Identifying alternative exercise modalities in an effort to
stimulate and promote participation in physical activity, especially
among older adults, is a critical health consideration. The purpose
of this study was to compare physiological and psychological
responses to medical qigong with self-paced brisk walking. Older
women (55-79 years) performed 22 min of either qigong or walking on
two separate days. During exercise performance, heart rate and
ratings of perceived exertion were assessed. Psychological affect,
blood pressure, and pulse rate were assessed before and after the
exercise bouts. Heart-rate data indicated that both forms of exercise
were at a moderate level of intensity. In addition, similar values
were found for the physiological and psychological variables as a
function of the two forms of exercise. Therefore, it was concluded
that this form of medical qigong can be considered a
moderate-intensity physical activity that should have both
physiological and psychological benefits for older women.

Chen HH, Yeh ML, Lee FY.  The effects of baduanjin qigong in the
prevention of bone loss for middle-aged women.  American Journal of
Chinese Medicine. 2006;34 (5):741-7.
ABSTRACT: This study aimed to assess the efficacy of a 12-week
Baduanjin qigong training program in preventing bone loss for
middle-aged women. An experimental design was adopted, and subjects
were assigned randomly into an experimental group (n = 44) and a
control group (n = 43). The experimental group received a 12-week
Baduanjin qigong training program, whereas the control group did not.
Interleukin-6 (IL-6) and bone mineral density (BMD) were measured
before and after the intervention. The results showed significant
differences in IL-6 (t = -5.19, p < 0.000) and BMD (t = 1.99, p =
0.049) between the groups. Baduanjin reduced IL-6 and maintained BMD
in the experimental group. In conclusion, this study demonstrates
promising efficacy of Baduanjin in preventing bone loss commonly
occurring in middle-aged women. Thus, Baduanjin is valuable for
promoting and maintaining the health status of middle-aged women.

Burini D et al.  A randomised controlled cross-over trial of aerobic
training versus Qigong in advanced Parkinson's disease.  Eura
Medicophys. 2006 Sep; 42(3):231-8.
ABSTRACT: AIM: To investigate the effects of an aerobic training in
subjects with Parkinson's disease (PD) as compared to a medical
Chinese exercise (Qigong). METHODS: Design: randomized controlled
trial with a cross over design. Setting: PD out-patients referred to
a Neurorehabilitation facility for the management of motor
disability. Subjects: 26 PD patients in Hoehn and Yahr stage II to
III under stable medication were randomly allocated to either Group
AT1+QG2 (receiving 20 aerobic training sessions followed by 20
''Qigong'' group sessions with 2 month interval between the
interventions), or Group QG1+AT2 (performing the same treatments with
an inverted sequence). Main outcome measures: clinical effects of
treatment were sought through the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating
Scale (UPDRS), Brown's Disability Scale (B'DS), six-Minute Walking
Test (6MWT), Borg scale for breathlessness, Beck Depression Inventory
(BDI) and Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire-39 items (PDQ-39). A
spirometry test and maximum cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET) were
also performed to determine the pulmonary function, the metabolic and
cardio-respiratory requests at rest and under exercise. All measures
were taken immediately before and at the completion of each treatment
phase. RESULTS: The statistical analysis focusing on the evolution of
motor disability and quality of life revealed a significant
interaction effect between group and time for the 6MWT (time x group
effect: F: 5.4 P=0.002) and the Borg scale (time x group effect: F:
4.2 P=0.009). Post hoc analysis showed a significant increase in 6MWT
and a larger decrease in Borg score after aerobic training within
each subgroup, whereas no significant changes were observed during
Qigong. No significant changes over time were detected through the
analysis of UPDRS, B'DS, BDI and PDQ-39 scores. The analysis of
cardiorespiratory parameters showed significant interaction effects
between group and time for the Double Productpeak (time x group
effect: F= 7.7; P=0.0003), the VO(2 peak) (time x group effect: F=
4.8 P=0.007), and the VO(2)/kg ratio (time x group effect: F: 4.3
P=0.009), owing to their decrease after aerobic training to an extent
that was never observed after Qigong treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Aerobic
training exerts a significant impact on the ability of moderately
disabled PD patients to cope with exercise, although it does not
improve their self-sufficiency and quality of life.

<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=Abstr\
actPlus&list_uids=17090333&query_hl=1&itool=pubmed_DocSum>Weydert
JA, Shapiro DE, Acra SA, Monheim CJ, Chambers AS, Ball
TM.  Evaluation of guided imagery as treatment for recurrent
abdominal pain in children: A randomized controlled trial.  BMC
Pediatrics.  2006 Nov 8; 6(1):29
ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Because of the paucity of effective
evidence-based therapies for children with recurrent abdominal pain,
we evaluated the therapeutic effect of guided imagery, a well-studied
self-regulation technique. METHODS: 22 children, aged 5- 18 years,
were randomized to learn either breathing exercises alone or guided
imagery with progressive muscle relaxation. Both groups had 4-weekly
sessions with a therapist. Children reported the numbers of days with
pain, the pain intensity, and missed activities due to abdominal pain
using a daily pain diary collected at baseline and during the
intervention. Monthly phone calls to the children reported the number
of days with pain and the number of days of missed activities
experienced during the month of and month following the intervention.
Children with less than or equal to 4 days of pain/month and no
missed activities due to pain were defined as being healed.
Depression, anxiety, and somatization were measured in both children
and parents at baseline. RESULTS: At baseline the children who
received guided imagery had more days of pain during the preceding
month (23 vs. 14 days, P=0.04). There were no differences in the
intensity of painful episodes or any baseline psychological factors
between the two groups. Children who learned guided imagery with
progressive muscle relaxation had significantly greater decrease in
the number of days with pain than those learning breathing exercises
alone after one (67% vs. 21%, P=0.05), and two (82% vs. 45%, P<0.01)
months and significantly greater decrease in days with missed
activities at one (85% vs. 15%, P=0.02) and two (95% vs. 77%. P=0.05)
months. During the two months of follow-up, more children who had
learned guided imagery met the threshold of less than or equal to 4
days of pain each month and no missed activities
(RR=7.3,95%CI[1.1,48.6])than children who learned only the breathing
exercises. CONCLUSIONS: The therapeutic efficacy of guided imagery
with progressive muscle relaxation found in this study is consistent
with our present understanding of the pathophysiology of recurrent
abdominal pain in children. Although unfamiliar to many
pediatricians, guided imagery is a simple, noninvasive therapy with
potential benefit for treating children with recurrent abdominal pain.

Qi Dao – November/December 2006

Qi Dao, the E-newsletter of World Institute for
Self Healing, Inc. (WISH) promotes philosophy and
methods of human self-healing and mind power, and
shares knowledge and experiences with those who
are interested in human self-healing and mind
power and their applications in health and healing.

Read entire Qi Dao at:
<http://www.wishus.org/newsletter/Qidao_112006.pdf>http://www.wishus.org/newslet\
ter/Qidao_112006.pdf


  From the Editor
              Be Thankful

Research Updates
              A summary of research of Qigong and energy medicine

  From the Master
          An Overview of the Best Practices in
Taiji (part 2 of 2) by Master Yang discusses
those exercises that allow one to realize the
maximum possible results in the shortest amount
of time i.e., the most efficient exercises.

  From the Doctor
          Dr. Claude Fournier shares with us a
literature review on managing side effects of
chemotherapy with Taijiquan and related complementary mind-body therapies.

Illuminating the Dao
              Michelle Wood explores about the Dao
of living in balance and harmony

Power of the Mind
          Master Ken Cohen explains the role of intent in healing.

A Comedy Moment
          Selected Bumper Stickers – there is “Dao” everywhere

How to …
          Ken Andes shares with us his secret on
how to develop extra sensory perception through meditation.

Eastern-Western Perspective
          Dr. Roger Johnke explains how the
China’s ancient solution to the contemporary crisis in medicine in the U.S.

Poem of illuminating
            Stella Kwan shares with us her
personal experience of illuminating Buddha

Inspiration
              Life is the coffee!
              The Optimist’s Creed

Read entire Qi Dao at:
<http://www.wishus.org/newsletter/Qidao_112006.pdf>http://www.wishus.org/newslet\
ter/Qidao_112006.pdf