06.28.09
Posted in Qigong at 9:40 pm by Dr. Pharm Tao
According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, chronic fatigue is caused by the disharmony and depletion of Qi. Qigong can provide complementary interventions to strengthen and adjust the states of Qi for disease prevention and treatment. Researchers in UK evaluated the effects of Qigong on relieving chronic fatigue (Craske et al., 2008).
A total of 18 Caucasian female participants were involved in the study. The participants had weekly Qigong training classes for 6 months, and practiced daily for 15 minutes. The study found that the Qigong intervention significantly improved factors associated with chronic fatigue. These factors included sleep quality, pain, emotional attitude and general mobility.
The study indicates that Qigong has good effects for the treatment of chronic fatigue. It is a safe method. Further studies with larger-scale trials and longer terms are still needed to confirm such effects. It is also necessary to explore the scientific mechanisms of such interventions.
Reference:
Craske, N. J., Turner, W., et al. (2008) Qigong Ameliorates Symptoms of Chronic Fatigue: A Pilot Uncontrolled Study. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med.
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06.23.09
Posted in Qigong at 3:38 pm by Dr. Pharm Tao
Researchers at University of Colorado studied the effects of Qigong training on stress reduction in hospital staff (Griffith et al., 2008). A total of 37 subjects were involved in the study. The test group participated in a 6-week Qigong training program.
The study found that the Qigong group had significant stress reduction compared to the control group. The Qigong group also had better improvement on the Social Interaction subscale. In addition, the Qigong group had a significant reduction of pain intensity, but the control group did not. Furthermore, statistical analysis correlated higher baseline stress levels and better improvement within the Qigong group.
These findings indicate that short-term Qigong training can help reducing stress in hospital staff. More studies are necessary to confirm the effects of Qigong and to find out its mechanisms.
Reference:
Griffith, J. M., Hasley, J. P., et al. (2008) Qigong stress reduction in hospital staff. J Altern Complement Med 14, 939-945.
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06.18.09
Posted in Qigong at 3:59 pm by Dr. Pharm Tao
Researchers at Boston University explored the effects of Qigong and Tai Chi in helping survivors of torture and refugee trauma (Grodin et al., 2008). They surveyed the common effects of torture and refugee trauma, emphasizing post-traumatic stress disorder. They reviewed evidence from the scientific literature on the applications of Qigong and Tai Chi in relieving symptoms in torture survivors.
Their observations from four cases, together with the review of the literature demonstrated the potential value of using Qigong and Tai Chi as a therapeutic intervention for torture and refugee trauma. Further studies are still needed to verify their findings and to find out the mechanisms of the efficacy of such interventions.
Reference:
Grodin, M. A., Piwowarczyk, L., et al. (2008) Treating survivors of torture and refugee trauma: a preliminary case series using qigong and t’ai chi. J Altern Complement Med 14, 801-806.
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