Healing with qigong: case studies and experimental measurements by muscle testing

The principles of energy healing according to The Chow Integrated Healing System will be discussed and demonstrated to show the tonification or sedation effects of certain Qigong maneuvers.

An experimental study will be described of the effects of certain Qigong maneuvers related to healing on the body energy of eight subjects. Changes in body energy were inferred from an arm muscle test that was made after each of a given sequence of six Qigong maneuvers given to each of the subjects. Measurements were made of the time dependence of the force required to lower the subject's arms and of the arm height. Two different nonverbal Qigong maneuvers were used: (1) a process initiated by Qigong master, Dr. Effie Chow, whose intention was to weaken (disperse) or strengthen (tonify) the body energy of the subject and (2) a thought process of the subject stimulated by flash cards visible only to the subject that were marked either 'weak' or 'strong.' Related Qigong maneuvers are used in healing to balance the body energy. The time duration of the resistance to the downward force was used as a parameter to characterize the body energy. The results show that the subjects' resistance to the downward force was decreased by an energy dispersing maneuver and restored by an energy tonifying maneuver. For example, statistical analysis of a group of 8 subjects who experienced the first type of nonverbal Qigong maneuver showed that the means of the time-duration for the dispersed and tonified states were significantly different (P < 0.0001). Statistical analysis of a group of 15 subjects who experienced the second type of Qigong maneuver showed that the means were significantly different for 10 subjects (0.0001 < P < 0.031), marginally significant for 2 subjects (P = 0.049), and not significant for 3 subjects (P > 0.14).

The results of the study support the widely held belief that healing is enhanced by a positive mental attitude of the individual, and our results show that a healer can have a profound effect. In fact our studies indicate that the effectiveness of the healer seemed to be more reproducible among the subjects than the nonverbal thought of the subjects. However, subjects who responded with highest correlation were among those who, in response to the flash cards, used strong visualization of what it meant to be weak or strong. These findings have consequence in diverse fields, such as, Chinese medicine, health care, bioenergetics, psychoneuroimmunology, and chiropractic.