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Qigong:
A Natural Way to Heal by Allison Brooks
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Qigong is a natural wellness remedy that traces its roots back to ancient Chinese healing practices. The word Qigong is derived from “qi”, which means the body’s energy flow, and “gong”, which is the term used to describe four different actions that people undertake. These include diet, movement, breathing and meditation. The goal of Qigong is to have all four systems operating in harmony for the purpose of delivering a healthy blood flow to the organs of the body and providing it with natural immunity from illness.
How is Qigong Practiced?
The ultimate goal of Qigong is to increase the flow of energy throughout the entire body. This is accomplished both internally and externally. Internal Qigong is practiced by focusing on meditation, breathing exercises, and physical movement. External Qigong is something that is only practiced by people who are sufficiently skilled enough to heal others through the use of their own “qi”. It is not necessary for the Qigong master to physically touch the person whom he or she is healing; it can be accomplished through the use instructing the student to master their thoughts and movements.
The first time a Qigong student comes to a session, he or she will most likely be asked to remain silent and focus on the “qi” that is flowing through the body. While the mind is intently focused on that, the student will also be instructed to pay special attention to breathing and movement.
What Ways Does Qigong Help People?
The only country that currently uses Qigong as a medical practice is China. In every other nation, those who practice it are considered to be promoting alternative methods of healing. Some benefits that have been reported by Qigong students include increased mental awareness and ability to sharply focus one’s attention, an improved state of physical coördination, reduced pain, a decrease in anxiety and depression, and the ability to bring one’s blood pressure levels to more stable levels.
Due to this increase in the emotional and physical character of a person, many doctors suggest Qigong be used as a complementary or integrative medicine with certain treatments. Since many chronic illnesses and aggressive cancers, like non-hodgkin’s lymphoma or pleural mesothelioma, require harsh conventional treatments, the morale and physical awareness of a patient can be low.
Though Qigong has not been proven to cure cancer, it is helpful for patients to use in an effort to combat the physical pain and fatigue that usually accompanies the disease. Many doctors working with patients of a low-survivability rate cancer recommend the adoption of a therapy like Qigong to serve as an outlet from the everyday rigors of cancer treatment.
Centre for Balance 