Many facts have proved that qigong is helpful to the health of the people, but the mechanism has not been studied in detail. We tried to compare the changes of immunogenicity and microcirculation of nail fold in 38 persons who did qigong exercise before and after twenty days to research the effect of it. The 38 persons we selected were the students of Chanmi Gong class. There were 16 persons who had practised various qigong exercises, the others had not done any qigong exercise ever. The youngest was 18 years old and the oldest was 71 years by age. Most of them were healthy, but there were patients with hypertension, coronary heart diseases and diabetes. We used a WX-253 type microcirculating microscope made in China to examine the microcirculation of nail fold of the persons who did the qigong exercise twenty days before and after. At the same time, we took the vein blood of each one, with 1640 medium for Iymphocyte cell culturing, (37°C, culturing for 48 hours), using [sub 3]H-TdR uptake of lymphocyte transformation essay, using the serum with seroprotein electrophoresis on cellulose acetate sheet and ATAGO optic densitometer scanning to determine the ratio of serum albumin and alpha-1(a-1), alpha-2(a-2), beta(ß), gamma(r) globulin. Since there were less in cases and difference in ages or health conditions, so above indexes were compared with before and after the qigong exercise by self-control, then statistical analysis by an Apple II computer was done.
The results of our studies are as follows:
1. Microcirculation of nail fold The mean of the abnormal tubes of the group who did not do the qigong exercise ever decreased in number after the exercise for twenty days. There was significant difference
(X[bar] ± SD: 2.55±1.68 and 1.68±1.17; t=2.84, P<0.01). It can be considered that qigong can improve the microcirculation of the body. The mean of the abnormal tubes of the group who had done qigong ever also decreased in number after the exercise for the same duration (X[bar] ± SD: 2.88±1.78 and 2.31±1.4). (But t=l.5, P>0.05) It had no significant difference. However, there was no marked difference in the length of the tubes and the numbers of tubes.
2. Lymphocyte transformation test: There was high difference before and after the qigong exercise in the two groups (P<0.01), when we did not lead with PHA. It may be thought that qigong could effect the level of basic proliferation of Iymphocyte. When we led them with PHA, there was significant difference in the group who had done exercise (t=2.31, P<0.05). The other group's Iymphocyte transformation level increased too, but it had no significance by statistical treatment (P>0.05).
3. Serum with seroprotein electrophoresis on cellulose acetate sheet The ratio of the percentage of immunoglobins of the two groups were increased after the qigong exercise for twenty days, there was significant difference (X bar ± SD: 36.29 ± 5.0% and 48.03±7.5%, t=6.02, P<0.01). It can be considered that qigong can raise the immunogenicity of the body.
Through our studies we have observed that qigong can prevent and cure diseases, one of the mechanism is that qigong can improve the microcirculation and elevate the immunogenicity of the body. Especially it is suitable for preventing and curing common diseases of the aged,
such as cardiovascular diseases and cerebral vascular diseases.
