What's New 2013

 



    • Systematic review finds music helps coronary heart disease (CHD) patients. This systematic review indicates that listening to music may have a beneficial effect on anxiety in persons with CHD, especially those with a myocardial infarction. Anxiety-reducing effects appear to be greatest when people are given a choice of which music to listen to.Furthermore, listening to music may have a beneficial effect on systolic blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory rate, quality of sleep and pain in persons with CHD.


    • World Tai Chi and Qigong Day 2014. Last chance to order your long sleeve t-shirt. This limited time offer will end Jan 10th.It will not be available again till 2015. Big Group Order Discounts!

    • Tai Chi & Qigong Way - new FREE membership Qigong website. Contains information about Tai Chi & Qigong, sample instructional videos, music and audio files for practice, full-length keynote lectures, library of articles and media releases, radio interviews, chapters from Dr. Jahnke's books which include The Healing Promise of Qi andThe Healer Within, and information about Professional Training opportunities.



    • Mindfulness Meditation Alters Gene Expression. A new study conducted by researchers working in Wisconsin, Spain, and France shows that mindfulness can even affect your genes. Specifically, the study shows that mindfulness can limit the "expression" of genes associated with inflammation. "The changes were observed in genes that are the current targets of anti-inflammatory and analgesic drugs," study co-author Dr. Perla Kaliman, a researcher at the Institute of Biomedical Research of Barcelona in Spain, said in a written statement. "Our findings set the foundation for future studies to further assess meditation strategies for the treatment of chronic inflammatory conditions."








    • Tai Chi more effective than yoga? After years of being exalted as an exotic form of martial arts, Tai Chi is now seen by the medical world as an answer to most physical grievances. Week after week, researchers are bringing to light the many healing benefits of this form, which includes it being beneficial to people suffering from osteoarthritis, diabetes, and musculoskeletial pain triggered from working on computers. It is also being looked upon as an alternative option to yoga.



    • Human disease resulting from exposure to electromagnetic fields. This review summarizes the evidence stating that excessive exposure to magnetic fields from power lines and other sources of electric current increases the risk of development of some cancers and neurodegenerative diseases, and that excessive exposure to RF radiation increases risk of cancer, male infertility, and neurobehavioral abnormalities.


    • Physical Demand Profiles of Hatha Yoga Postures Performed by Older Adults. Understanding the physical demands placed upon the musculoskeletal system by individual postures may allow experienced instructors and therapists to develop safe and effective yoga programs which reduce undesirable side effects. The study found that Hatha Yoga postures engendered a range of appreciable joint angles and muscle activities about the ankle, knee, and hip, and that demands associated with some postures and posture modifications were not always intuitive.

    • Tai Chi improves non-motor symptoms of Parkinson's Disease. Participants assigned to Tai Chi participated in 60-minute Tai Chi sessions three times per week, for 16 weeks. Pre and post measures included indices of cognitive-executive function including visuomotor tracking and attention, selective attention, working memory, inhibition, processing speed and task switching. Results indicated that the Tai Chi training group had significantly better scores following the intervention than the control group.





    • A profitable calm: Meditation for investors and traders. Meditation is fast becoming a standard part of business training and practice. Top business schools are including meditation courses, and meditation rooms and workshops are a routine part of company cultures. Investors and traders, whose business is buying and selling risk, benefit from meditation in ways that can transform not only their profitability, but their ability to enjoy their work and the life it makes possible.

    • Harvard Yoga Scientists Find Proof of Meditation Benefit. Unlike earlier studies, this one is the first to focus on participants with high levels of stress. The study published in May in the medical journal PloS One showed that one session of relaxation-response practice (i.e. the meditation component of qigong or yoga) was enough to enhance the expression of genes involved in energy metabolism and insulin secretion and reduce expression of genes linked to inflammatory response and stress. There was an effect even among novices who had never practiced before.

    • Can Hot Yoga Hurt You? Hot yoga—also known as Bikram yoga—involves a series of 26 postures, or asanas, performed in a studio heated between 90 and 105 degrees at 40 percent humidity. If getting bendy in a steamy room sounds super challenging, that's because it is: A new Duke University review of 76 yoga-related injuries found that Bikram was commonly linked to injuries, along with Pranayama (a style focused on breathing control) and Hatha (an umbrella term for physical yoga practices).






    • Tai Chi and the Lower Dantien - short Bruce Frantzis video. According to Frantzis, all the movements in Tai Chi should generate from the waist. After you get beyond just physical movements, you want to have the sense that what is directing your body is actually your lower tantien. When you look at using tai chi for healing and meditation, then the lower tantien is even more important.


    • Meditation Is a Place of Refuge. Many people think meditation is just a practical tool to relax the busy mind. Others practice meditation to relieve physical pains or lessen the pressures of a difficult boss, demanding kids, or listening to the news. Meditation is all of this but it is also much more. Meditation opens a place inside of refuge.




    • Tai Ji Quan Exercise for People with Parkinson's Disease and Other Neurodegenerative Movement Disorders. More great Tai Chi research from Fuzhong Li and the Oregon Research Institute. This innovative approach to traditional Tai Ji Quan practice reflects the need for it to be adapted to modern behavioural medicine and the potential for it to fill a gap between research and clinical practice. The ultimate goal of this approach is to identify the extent of health benefits of Tai Ji Quan as an integrated and alternative intervention used to meet the increasing demand for adjunct clinical treatments for movement disorders and chronic disease prevention.











    • Light as Medicine? Scientists have known for years that certain wavelengths of light in certain doses can heal, but they are only now uncovering exactly how it works, thanks to researchers at University of Wisconsin Milwaukee's College of Health Sciences. Among other conditions, it has helped people with multiple sclerosis.

    • Tai Chi Chuan in Medicine and Health Promotion. Previous research substantiates that Tai Chi has significant benefits to health promotion, and regularly practicing Tai Chi improves aerobic capacity, muscular strength, balance, health-related quality of life, and psychological well-being. Recent studies also prove that Tai Chi is safe and effective for patients with neurological diseases (e.g., stroke, Parkinson's disease, traumatic brain injury, multiple sclerosis, cognitive dysfunction), rheumatological disease (e.g., rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, and fibromyalgia), orthopedic diseases (e.g., osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, low-back pain, and musculoskeletal disorder), cardiovascular diseases (e.g., acute myocardial infarction, coronary artery bypass grafting surgery, and heart failure), chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases, and breast cancers. Tai Chi is an aerobic exercise with mild-to-moderate intensity and is appropriate for implementation in the community. This paper reviews the existing literature on Tai Chi and introduces its health-promotion effect and the potential clinical applications.


    • Implementing an Evidence-Based Fall Prevention Program in an Outpatient Clinical Setting. Healthcare providers successfully implemented a protocol to refer individuals at risk of falling to a Tai Ji Quan-based program. The evidence-based program appears readily scalable and exportable, with potential for substantial clinical and public health effect. This is another great Tai Chi study result from Fuzhong Li and Oregon Research Institute which could provide added incentive for tai chi to be embraced as a medical therapy by the western medical community. A 4-minute YouTube video by Fuzhong Li on Tai Chi for Seniors can be found on the What is Tai Chi page on the Qigong Institute website.

    • Patient perspectives on care received at community acupuncture clinics. Community acupuncture is a recent innovation in acupuncture service delivery in the U.S. that aims to improve access to care through low-cost treatments in group-based settings. Patients at community acupuncture clinics represent a broader socioeconomic spectrum and receive more frequent treatments compared to acupuncture users nationwide. As a relatively new model of acupuncture in the U.S., little is known about the experiences of patients at community acupuncture clinics and whether quality of care is compromised through this high-volume model. The aim of this study was to assess patients' perspectives on the care received through community acupuncture clinics.




    • COPD affects more than just the lungs. Increasing evidence supports the presence of a systemic inflammatory component which is thought to provide the link between COPD and the co-morbidities commonly associated with this disease. These include cardiovascular disorders, skeletal muscle dysfunction, diabetes, and osteoporosis. The majority of current therapies for COPD have been developed to improve airway obstruction or to target airway inflammation, leaving an unmet medical need with respect to the systemic inflammatory component of COPD and its extra-pulmonary manifestations.




    • Randomized Control Trial finds Qigong reduces stress. This is one of the too few trials done on Qigong per se (and not meditation, Tai Chi, movement exercise, breathing...) that shows its beneficial effects psychologically and as a biochemical marker of stress.








    • Qigong at the VA. Teaching Qigong to combat veterans with PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) was covered recently in Psychology Today Magazine. Veterans in the Dallas-Fort Worth area are experiencing a powerful new program “Training Mindfully with Qigong Principles,TM” to manage their post-combat stress. It’s part of a new patient-centered health care initiative sponsored by the VA.



    • What is the Role of Alternative Treatments in Late-life Depression? - Harvard Medical School research. Late-life depression remains challenging to treat. One major limitation to treatment is the concern over medication-related side effects to which the elderly are especially vulnerable. Also, because many elderly people are already taking multiple medications for medical conditions, there is the concern over drug-drug interactions. This article reviews various complementary and alternative medicine interventions for late-life depression, including natural remedies, exercise, yoga, tai chi, massage therapy, music therapy, and religion and spirituality.




    • Proposed catalog of the neuroanatomy and the stratified anatomy for the 361 acupuncture points of 14 channels. In spite of the extensive research on acupuncture mechanisms, no comprehensive and systematic peer-reviewed reference list of the stratified anatomical and the neuroanatomical features of all 361 acupuncture points exists. This study creates a reference list of the neuroanatomy and the stratified anatomy for each of the 361 acupuncture points on the 14 classical channels and for 34 extra points. This is a step towards western medical standardization of acupuncture points.






    • Meditation alone doesn't lower blood pressure: study. "It's important to remember that this study was limited to a highly standardized stress reduction program, and the results do not apply to other techniques," a physical therapy researcher told Reuters Health. Some examples include Tai Chi and Transcendental Meditation. A 2007 summary report published by the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality found Zen Buddhist meditation and Qi Gong significantly reduced blood pressure. The incoporation of movement and breathing by qigong in addition to just meditation greatly enhances the health effects of any exercise. Another point made in comments on the article is that meditation techniques may be difficult for some people to master in the amount of time allowed for the MBSR program. Other commenters reported being able to lower their own blood pressures via meditation.

    • Yoga may offer physical benefits, studies find. The physical benefits include lengthening muscles (unlike normal exercise which shortens them) and increasing flexibility and range of motion. Researchers agree that other physiological benefits of yoga are derived from “Any type of yoga that incorporates breathing and movement and a component of meditation.” In other words, Qigong.





    • Is there a link between Autism and Electromagnetic Field exposure? This Harvard Medical School paper explains how dramatic increases in reported autism spectrum conditions are not only coincident in time with the deployment of wireless technologies but have parallel physiological impacts to electromagnetic frequency and radiofrequency exposures. The biggest impact is on the electrophysiological oscillatory synchronization of the brain and autonomic nervous system, proving that bio-energy has a crucial role in homeostasis.


    • Interaction between cognition, emotion, and the autonomic nervous system. The mind and body are intrinsically and dynamically coupled. Perceptions, thoughts and feelings change, and respond to, the state of the body. The extent to which bodily states influence mental processes is determined in part by "interoceptive sensitivity," an index of individual differences in the ability to detect one's own bodily sensations.





    • TAI-CHI HEALTH BENEFITS ARE FREE. Staying ahead of the Health Insurance Industry and the Doctors: We have talked a lot about the cost of insurance, hospital stays, doctor bills, and prescription medicine. There is a way that we can avoid or greatly reduce all of these costs going into the future by going into the distant past.









    • Swiss study highlights short and long-term effects of Tai Chi. The transfer effects of Tai Chi into participants' daily lives predominantly occurred in their work and social environments, as well as during everyday activities. Regular practice correlated with higher transfer effects. The most frequently reported effects were "increase of self-efficacy", "improvement of stress management", and "increase of body awareness". Transfer effects were reported by over seventy percent of the participants, even one year after the study course was completed.



    • How yoga is helping prisoners stay calm. Very little research has been done into the value of yoga and meditation in prisons - but many prisoners have found they help overcome the stresses and strains of life behind bars. Prison authorities too are waking up to the possible benefits, providing classes in the hope of fostering a calm and positive atmosphere.


    • Mind-Body Interventions for Mood Disorders in Older Adults. Complementary use of mindful exercise, such as Tai Chi and yogic meditation can improve clinical outcomes of mood disorders in older adults—as demonstrated in brain scans, biomarkers of cellular aging, and mental health rating scales.









    • Great intro video to meditation and Tai Chi. Bill Douglas, author of a best-selling Tai Chi book, "The Complete Idiot's Guide to T'ai Chi & Qigong," and 2009 Inductee to the Internal Arts Hall of Fame in New York, has been showing profound results through student's health improvements in his Kansas University Hospital's Turning Point program. Diabetes, MS, Parkinson's, chronic pain, mobility challenges, stroke rehabilitation, and other issues have been profoundly improved in these classes. This video offers a few testimonials from students in these classes. The testimonials are preceeded by a short ABC News segment on meditation which has been previously posted.








    • Placebo is gaining wider recognition as a significant factor in health and healing. The 2013 Science of Placebo international symposium in Italy reported not only that placebo responses may be ubiquitous across research and clinical settings, but also that they can significantly modulate symptoms across a wide spectrum of highly prevalent conditions such as acute pain, chronic pain, anxiety, depression, Parkinson's disease, and nausea, just to name a few.


    • "Decentering" helps people deal with chronic pain. Acceptance and mindfulness-based treatments for chronic pain attempt to alter the impact of pain-related thoughts and feelings on behavior without necessarily changing the thoughts and feelings themselves. A process called "decentering" appears relevant to these treatments because it includes the capacity to observe thoughts and feelings from a detached perspective, as transient events in the mind, that do not necessarily reflect reality or the self. People with chronic pain may benefit from the capacity to contact their thoughts and feelings from a perspective as a "separate observer," to see them as transient, and to experience them as cognitively "defused."





    • The Grandmaster movie. Watch this amazing martial arts display of kung fu while it's still on a big screen. The visuals are stunning. It's the story of Ip Man, best known as Bruce Lee's teacher.

    • Energy Healing with a professional method. How does chi get formed? With the mind – our thoughts are able to mold the biophotons and hold the image of that which we want them to be and as such, affect the outcome through visualization.
























    • Dr. Ken Sancier, the founder of the non-profit Qigong Institute, has passed away at age 93

      Ken SancierDr. Sancier earned a PhD in chemistry in 1949 from Johns Hopkins University while working at Linde Air Products Company as a gas chemist. He had a distinguished early career as a lecturer and researcher in chemistry at the University of Tokyo, Brookhaven National Laboratory, and Johns Hopkins. He spent his last thirty three years in industry as a senior scientist in basic and applied materials science at SRI International in Menlo Park, California researching such diverse areas as magnetic properties of materials, solar energy conversion, electron spin resonance spectroscopy, and semiconductor surface reactions. His research resulted in over seventy technical publications and ten patents.

      In 1984, Dr. Sancier retired from SRI International and spent about a year finding an endeavor to replace the intellectual stimulation of research at SRI. He settled on Qigong because he found a challenge in explaining the scientific basis of Qigong. The Qigong Institute was initially developed under the umbrella of the East West Academy of Healing Arts. Dr. Effie Chow was very instrumental in providing the first home, support, and funding for the Qigong Institute. In 1987, Dr. Sancier turned the Qigong Institute into a separate organization, and it was incorporated in 1997 as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

      Dr. Sancier published a total of twenty-seven papers as a result of his interest and experiments in Qigong. He searched the literature and found that almost all scientific research had been conducted in China. To become familiarized with the research in China, he presented his research at international conferences in Beijing, Shanghai, Tokyo, and San Francisco. Dr. Sancier developed the original Qigong Database™ to collect this vast amount of scientific information on Qigong. It is the only online resource for much of this early research. He later decided to add alternative healing and energy medicine practices to his research, including Yoga, Reiki, Acupuncture, and Mind-Body healing and therapies. To reflect its expanded scope, the database was renamed to The Qigong and Energy Medicine Database™, and it currently has close to ten thousand abstracts.

      He was the first recipient of the National Qigong Association Lifetime Achievement Award and received the Meritorious Activity Prize from the International Society of LIfe Information Science (ISLIS). World Tai Chi and QIgong Day 2012 was dedicated to Dr. Sancier for his contribution to global health through the founding of the Qigong Institute and creation of the Qigong and Energy Medicine Database™. Dr. Sancier appeared in the original PBS documentary on Qigong: ‘Qigong - Ancient Chinese Healing for the 21st Century’. He was the first honorary member of the National Qigong Association in 1997 for his work in promoting Qigong by establishing the Qigong Institute and the publishing of original papers on Qigong, with the most referenced being Anti-Aging Benefits of Qigong. His belief was that "The science and art of Qigong may open a window into new thinking about health, medicine, psychology and spirituality”.















    • NCCAM Online Continuing Education Series
      The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) is offering *free*, comprehensive videolectures about research in complementary health approaches. These online videolectures provide an in-depth perspective on the current state of science, as related to complementary medicine. The previously posted lecture 'International Perspectives on Acupuncture Research' is part of this series. This series was designed for physicians, nurses, and other allied health professionals interested in research and learning about complementary medicine. Researchers, students, and members of the public are also welcome to view the online lectures and learn about NCCAM’s research. Other lectures in this series include Integrative Medicine, Health and Spirituality, Neurobiological Correlates of Acupuncture, and Neural Basis of Mind-Body Pain Therapies. Health professionals are eligible to receive continuing education credits (CME and CEU) and a certificate of completion at no cost.

    • International Perspectives on Acupuncture Research
      The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) continues to expand its online continuing medical education (CME) offerings. International Perspectives on Acupuncture Research is a series of videolectures on acupuncture. Included are videos on the safety of acupuncture, it's efficacy and effectiveness, neuroimaging and stimulation studies, acupuncture styles, individual treatment response, comparative effectiveness research, and more. The main speaker is Claudia M. Witt, M.D., M.B.A., a professor for medicine and Acting Director of the Institute for Social Medicine, Epidemiology and Health Economics at the University Medical Center Charité in Berlin, Germany. Dr. Witt is also visiting professor at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.


    • Spiritually-based treatments for advanced cancer patients are not "one size fits all"
      The study found that with regard to patient conceptualizations of religion and spirituality, three categories emerged: (1) Spirituality is intertwined with organized religion; (2) Religion is one manifestation of the broader construct of spirituality; (3) Religion and spirituality are completely independent, with spirituality being desirable and religion not.




    • How Exercise Changes Fat and Muscle Cells
      Exercise changes the expression of genes through a process called methylation. Methylation, analogous to a light-switch, turns on or off the expression (or behavior) of genes. Exercise and lifestyle (e.g. Qigong practice) directly influence methylation patterns. Epigenetics is the study of the effect of lifestyle and environment upon genetic activity. For more information on Qigong and epigenetics, see Epigenetics, Psychoneuroimmunology, and Qigong.






    • 3 Meditation Techniques for Beginners
      Gold stars to those who can make it through this article without wondering about dinner or unattended emails, mindlessly scrolling through Instagram or scanning half a page before realizing you have no idea what the heck you just read.


    • Placebo effects of different therapies differ
      Not all placebos are equal, and patients who respond to one placebo don't always respond to others, according to research published July 31 in the open access journal PLOS ONE by Jian Kong from Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School and colleagues from other institutions.


    • Success Brings Scrutiny to Chinese Mystic
      Once again Qigong has attracted the attention of Chinese authorities by being associated with the high-profile pursuit of a man who portrays himself as the target of a political vendetta and is being pursued for alleged quackery and superstition. The largest crackdown (of the Chinese government on an individual or organization whose main practice is Qigong) occurred with Falun Gong in 1999. This had a dampening effect upon the wide-spread practice of Qigong, especially in public, and its use in clinics and hospitals that is still being felt today.

    • Serbian researchers outline key components of physical activity necessary to maintain strong bones to reduce the risk of fractures and improve quality of life
      Aerobic exercises, which lead to an acceleration of breathing, increased heart rate and mild perspiration, as well as resistance exercises and exercises against resistance done by stretching elastic bands, for hands, legs and torso have been proven to increase bone density and improve bone strength. Coordination and balance exercises are important in an individual workout program. An explanation of the action of adapted physical activity is the basis for the theory of control and modulation of bone loss, muscle strength, coordination and balance. Physical activity is very effective in reducing sclerostin, which is known to inhibit bone formation. In addition, physical training enhances the levels of insulinlike growth factor, which has a very positive effect on bone formation.



    • Bioelectrical properties of cells and their microenvironment exert a profound influence on cell differentiation, proliferation, and migration
      This is the latest ground-breaking research from Michael Levin at the Tufts Center for Regenerative Developmental Biology. Ion channels and pumps expressed in all cells, not just excitable nerve and muscle, establish resting potentials that vary across tissues and change with significant developmental events. Most importantly, the spatiotemporal gradients of these endogenous transmembrane voltage potentials serve as instructive patterning cues for large-scale anatomy, providing organ identity, positional information, and prepattern template cues for morphogenesis.

    • Meditation provides myriad cardiovascular system benefits
      The Einstein Medical Center report published in the International Journal of Cardiology says that meditation has beneficial effects upon the autonomic nervous system and decreases blood pressure acutely and after long term practice. Meditation has the potential to positively influence the cardiovascular system through the mind-heart connection and the anti-inflammatory reflex.




    • 2nd International Tai Chi Symposium is scheduled for July 6-11, 2014
      In July of 2014, the world’s foremost authorities on the five traditional Chinese Family Schools of Tai Chi Chuan, as well as other top Tai Chi Chuan practitioners and scholars will come to Spalding University in Louisville, Kentucky for an international level Tai Chi Chuan Symposium. The theme of this Symposium will focus on bringing together the wisdom of Chinese culture with the precision of modern science through evidence-based literary review sessions, Master’s workshops and other special events designed to foster an exchange of knowledge and cultures. This Symposium will be the second time this event will be held in the United States. It offers an unparalleled opportunity to study with five of China’s top Masters along with respected scholars carefully selected for their unique and highly professional level of expertise in the scientific study and examination of Tai Chi Chuan. Listen to the interview with Dr. Roger Jahnke (scroll down the page) who summarizes his experiences and observations at the First International Tai Chi Chuan Symposium.
























    • Tai Chi & Qigong appear national media
      The cover of the coming edition of Spirituality & Health Magazine features "Moving Meditation - 10 Ways to Wake Up Your Body." Qigong master, Daisy Lee, a featured speaker at the coming National Qigong Association annual conference, was interviewed on the power of Qigong. Complete Idiot's Guide to T'ai Chi & Qigong author, Bill Douglas (who's also the founder of World Tai Chi & Qigong Day) was interviewed on the power of Tai Chi practice.



    • The Scientific Basis of Qigong - newly updated Qigong Institute web page
      Included is a new section on Acupuncture as well as a summary of the 15TH World Congress on Qigong and Traditional Chinese Medicine Research Symposium (May 2013 in San Francisco).

    • How Meditation Works
      Mindfulness meditation is having a moment in the West, and with it some compelling reasons to understand and try it.











    • Review Finds Mixed Results for Acupuncture and IVF
      Acupuncture, when used as a complementary or adjuvant therapy for in vitro fertilization (IVF), may be beneficial depending on the baseline pregnancy rates of a fertility clinic, according to research from the University of Maryland School of Medicine. Press Release.




    • Cracking the bioelectric code: Probing endogenous ionic controls of pattern formation
      This is another very interesting paper from a group of researchers at Tufts. They are basically creating the new field of developmental bioelectricity. Their research results indicate a bioelectric code, or bioelectrical signaling, that functionally maps physiological states to anatomical outcomes, including embryogenesis and regeneration. This begs the comparison to energy templates in living things and The Eight Extraordinary Vessels.




    • Mother and baby yoga is good for you
      Mother and baby yoga is becoming more and more popular in the western world, as postpartum mothers discover the benefits of being able to 'work out', bond with their baby and relax, all in one session.



    • Advances in Integrative Nanomedicine for Improving Infectious Disease Treatment in Public Health
      Homeopathy is being increasingly recognized as a major form of the emerging science of nanomedicine. Infectious diseases present public health challenges worldwide. An emerging integrative approach to treating infectious diseases is using nanoparticle forms of traditional and alternative medicines. Advantages of nanomedicine delivery methods include better disease targeting, especially for intracellular pathogens, ability to cross membranes and enter cells, longer duration drug action, reduced side effects, and cost savings from lower doses.





    • New Book On Zhan Zhuang - Inside Zhan Zhuang: First Edition 
      Author Mark Cohen: "In addition to breaking down Standing Meditation's actual transformation process for the first time, the book is an in-depth look at Zhan Zhuang's relationship to health and healing, internal martial arts and Tai Chi, and expanding perception/consciousness."











    • Qigong testimonial and videos for cancer survivors
      Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) quarterly newsletter (Bridges, Vol. 21, Summer 2013) has an article by a cancer survivor who uses Qigong: Ask the Survivor: Benefits of Qigong (scroll down to read the article). MSKCC also publishes a video series for cancer survivors on their website: Dr. Yang Yang offers a 4-part lecture on Qigong for cancer patients and survivors.

    • It’s Electric: Biologists Seek to Crack Cell’s Bioelectric Code
      Researchers have found that cells’ bioelectrical communication regulates growth and development. It is hoped that if the code can be learned, manipulating cellular signaling could be used to stave off cancer or even regenerate limbs. Levin is one of few researchers with enough courage and foresight to push beyond the conventional medical paradigm and continue energy researchers' work (e.g. Burr, Jaffee, and even more recently Becker) that was dismissed or abandoned in the pursuit of the genome, conventional molecular biology, and pharmaceuticals. His research represents a very important step beyond chemical and molecular signaling into the realm of electromagnetic signaling in and among cells. Levin sees these patterns of electrical activity as a form of cellular communication, signaling when and how to grow.




    • No lotus position needed: Neuroscience pushes meditation into the mainstream
      Propelled by technological breakthroughs in neuroscience enabling researchers to monitor brain activity, the medical community is awash in studies showing that meditating has beneficial physical effects on the brain. Those studies are being joined by others demonstrating that advantages include everything from raising the effectiveness of flu vaccines to lowering rejection rates for organ transplants. The practice is being embraced by an audience that isn’t interested in its religious contexts but is fascinated by its mechanics and techniques. The West’s co-opting of meditation is similar to what happened to yoga, which came to this country as a spiritual discipline and has morphed into a form of physical fitness.

    • A 20-Minute Bout of Yoga done as Qigong Stimulates Brain Function Immediately After
      Researchers report that a single, 20-minute session of Hatha yoga significantly improved participants' speed and accuracy on tests of working memory and inhibitory control, two measures of brain function associated with the ability to maintain focus and take in, retain and use new information. Participants performed significantly better immediately after the yoga practice than after moderate to vigorous aerobic exercise for the same amount of time.


    • Journal of Subtle Energies and Energy Medicine Archive now available free on-line
      The International Society for the Study of Subtle Energies and Energy Medicine (ISSSEEM) on-line journal archives extend back to the first issue in 1990. They can be searched via Google Scholar. The abstracts from these journals pertaining to Qigong and Energy Medicine research were added to the Qigong and Energy Medicine Database™ by Qigong Institute Founder Ken Sancier starting in 1990.

    • Why Your DNA May Not Be Your Destiny
      It's great to see that the popular press is finally starting to embrace epigenetics and the fact that there is much more to human life and health than just the genome. Epigenetic changes are biological markers on DNA that modify gene expression without altering the underlying sequence. Researchers have found that environmental and lifestyle factors — such as trauma, stress and even diet can activate epigenetic changes. Epigenetic traits can be passed down from generation to generation. For more information see Epigenetics, Psychoneuroimmunology, and Qigong.


    • Psychological factors predict unexpected diagnoses
      This is the latest from Harvard Medical School and the Benson Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine. Although the condition studied and outcomes have to do with atraumatic hand condition, common sense would dictate that the treatment provider should be keenly aware of the patient-provider interaction. Given that unexpected hand diagnoses or treatment recommendations are both inherently awkward and associated with greater symptoms of depression, catastrophic thinking, and hypochondriacal beliefs, a practiced, thoughtful, and empathetic communication strategy may improve patient satisfaction and health outcomes.







    • Mechanism of Pain Relief through Tai Chi and Qigong
      The purpose of this paper is to outline the academic and medical evidence for Tai Chi and Qigong impact on pain, and describe the hypothesized mechanism that enables Tai chi and Qigong to work so well at relieving pain - often better than opioid pain medication, and with fewer side effects. This paper also describes a paradigm for research which will increase the likelihood that researchers doing projects in this field can synergize their efforts and start building a foundational body of knowledge rather than continue to do independent and disconnected studies on the phenomenon that enables Tai Chi and Qigong to work.



    • Meditation and stretching may ease PTSD symptoms
      PTSD patients who participated in mind-body exercises for eight weeks were able to improve their levels of cortisol, a hormone tied to stress. The study could provide another option for PTSD sufferers, including nurses and those returning from military service.

    • Pro/Con Editorials Look at Evidence on Acupuncture for Symptom Relief
      There is ample evidence that acupuncture has physiological affects, especially in the nervous system. The opponents of acupuncture in this article seem to be oblivious to these research results, which were summarized at the 15th World Congress on Qigong and TCM by Dr. Hohn Longhurst, M.D. Ph.D., Director of the Susan Samueli Center for Integrative Medicine and Professor in the Departments of Medicine, Physiology & Biophysics and Pharmacology at UC Irvine. Dr. Longhurst noted that the World Health Organization in 1999 declared acupuncture was a proven treatment for diseases and symptoms such as pain, depression, nausea and vomiting, non-normal blood pressure, and stroke. He also explained that electroacupuncture is effective only in 70% of experimental subjects, and a mechanism of action is opioids in the central nervous system. There have been a number of studies that have noted the methodological issues with acupuncture clinical trials, especially in China. Some of these critical studies have been written by Chinese researchers. That being said, the western medical community overly relies on their "gold standard" or RCTs as evidence of effectiveness. Never mind that, as noted on the Qigong Institute website, 50% of western medical practice has no evidence base. In addition, at least a majority in the western medical community still do not understand mind-body medicine (and in particular, healing factors such as placebo) because it wasn't taught in medical school. Then there are the plethora of academics, researchers, and doctors who are employed or overly influenced by the pharmacological industry to promote drug-based solutions and deprecate complementary and alternative medicine-based treatments. It's unfortunate that there are still many uninformed academics and researchers at prestigious institutions, but these people will increasingly be in the minority as more research and clinical results become available to convince even them.






    • Benefits of yoga and meditation revealed
      Studies show how helpful a regular meditation practice can be for relieving pain, anxiety and stress. Researchers have also found that mindfulness meditation can reduce high blood pressure, stroke risk, heart disease and chronic pain.

    • Yoga, Meditation Benefit Both Brain and Body
      Though the practices of yoga and meditation have their roots in ancient cultures, they've both become modern day movements. More than 20 million Americans meditate regularly, according to the 2007 National Health Interview Survey. More than 13 million do yoga.



    • Long-term yoga practice improves pain tolerance
      Regular and long-term yoga practice improves pain tolerance in typical North Americans by teaching different ways to deal with sensory inputs and the potential emotional reactions attached to those inputs leading to a change in insular brain anatomy and connectivity.

    • Meditation helps kids perform better at school
      A University of California, Los Angeles study found second- and third-graders who practiced "mindful" meditation techniques for 30 minutes twice a week for eight weeks had improved behavior and scored higher on tests requiring memory, attention and focus than the nonmeditators. Another study of more than 3,000 children in the San Francisco Unified School District found a dramatic improvement in math test scores and overall academic performance among students who practiced transcendental meditation, a form of mediation that promotes relaxation and "an awakening" of the mind. The study also found a decrease in student suspensions, expulsions and dropout rates, ABC News reported. Also see Meditation Helps Kids Chill Out, Reduce Impulsivity.


    • Wi-Fi technology - an uncontrolled global experiment on the health of mankind
      Approximately 2 years ago, the International Agency of Research on Cancer (IARC) classified the electromagnetic fields used in mobile communication as a possible carcinogen. This paper discusses the potential health hazard and lack of scientific assessment and regulatory actions in protection of the life on the planet.

    • Pilot study finds Qigong improves major depression 
      This is the newest Qigong research from the Benson Henry Institute at Massachusetts General Hospital. Sixty percent of the participants reported positive treatment-response from a 12-week Qigong intervention. This study shows that it is feasible to provide Qigong as part of clinical treatment for depression. Larger controlled trial studies will be required in order for Qigong to be recommended as a component of treatment in a clinical setting.


    • Patient selected music reduces anxiety and use of sedatives
      A randomized controlled trial published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that a patient-directed music intervention resulted in greater reduction in sedation frequency compared with usual care or a noise-cancelling headphone (NCH) group, and greater reduction in sedation intensity compared with usual care, but not compared with NCH. Silence is golden.

    • Indian review cites long-term negative effects of cell phone and microwave usage
      This review concludes that the regular and long term use of microwave devices (mobile phone, microwave oven) at domestic level can have negative impact upon biological systems, especially on brain. It also suggests that increased reactive oxygen species play an important role by enhancing the effect of microwave radiations which may cause neurodegenerative diseases.

    • Jet Li opens Tai Chi academy with Alibaba founder
      According to Groove Asia, the tai chi school is Ma's idea, who wanted to promote the traditional exercise and do more in education and the environment. Having the support of an internet entrepreneur and movie star may raise the visibility of Tai Chi within China, especially among the younger generation.

    • Patients' preconceptions of acupuncture: a qualitative study exploring the decisions patients make when seeking acupuncture
      Existing theories of how context influences health outcomes could be expanded to better reflect the psychological components identified here, such as hope, desire, optimism and open-mindedness. Future research on the context of acupuncture should consider these elements of the pre-treatment context in addition to more established components such as expectations. There appears to be a need for accessible (i.e. well-disseminated), credible, and individualised, patient-centred materials that can allay people's concerns about the nature of acupuncture treatment and shape realistic hopes and expectations

    • Swedish review strengthens grounds for concluding that radiation from cellular and cordless phones is a probable human carcinogen
      Some studies have examined mobile phone users for periods of time that are too short to detect an increased risk of brain cancer, while others have misclassified exposures by placing those with exposures to microwave radiation from cordless phones in the control group, or failing to attribute such exposures in the cases. In 2011, the World Health Organization, International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) advised that electromagnetic radiation from mobile phone and other wireless devices constitutes a "possible human carcinogen." The authors also note that brain cancer is the proverbial "tip of the iceberg"; the rest of the body is also showing effects other than cancers.

    • Meditation by phone found effective for corporations
      Findings suggest that an MBSR program delivered via phone can be a low cost, feasible, and scalable intervention that shows positive impact on health and well-being, and could allow MBSR to be delivered to employees who are otherwise unable to access traditional, on-site programs.

    • The promise and challenges of teleconsultation
      Professionals assume teleconsultation co-defines a new patient-professional relationship by extending hospital-based caregivers' perceptions of as well as attention for their patients. At the cost, however, of clinical and personal connectedness.



    • Qigong Institute Chairman Francesco Garripoli to teach in Oakland, CA Sat June 29 (.PDF)
      Qigong for Personal Empowerment & Self Healing. Francesco Garripoli is an internationally renowned Qigong instructor, researcher, wellness advocate, 
      Emmy Award winning television graphics designer, producer/director and is the author of “Tao of the Ride” and “Qigong – Essence of the Healing Dance.” For 18 years he produced educational television programs for PBS-TV and has created and is featured on a series of award-winning Qigong instructional DVDs with Daisy Lee.


    • Philosophy of the Tao 1 & 2 [Video] - Alan Watts 
      Best known in Taoist circles for his final book “Tao; the Watercourse Way,” Alan Watts (1915-1973) was one of the 20th century’s a “foremost interpreter of Eastern thought for the West.” During the 1950’s & 60’s Watts was a teacher and Dean of Academy of Asian Studies in San Francisco. Through the late 60’s & early 70’s Watts began to lecture and appeared on television and radio. This short two-video (25:10 and 26:06) introduction to Taosim is an excert from a library of over 400 talks. For related information, seeSpiritual Qigong.

    • Cleansing the Internal Organs - A Comparison Between The Methods of Yogis and Qi Gong Masters
      There are many reason to clean the internal organs, and both traditions, from India and China respectively, agree that a sluggish immune system, poor digestion caused by overtaxed eliminative organs, and clogged emotions that can reside in the liver, gallbladder, or heart, for example, can impede spiritual progress. There seem to be some subtle differences in the conceptualization of the energy system in both traditions, however, and thereby the means that masters of each path engage in to purify the body, mind and spirit.



    • 'The Yogis of Tibet': a film for posterity.
      This film is an insight into esoteric practices of Tibetian Buddhism. It explores the lives of Tibetian yogis dedicated to rigorous and previously secret training that deepens their control over their minds and bodies.






    • Temari Reiki: A new hands-off approach to traditional Reiki
      This paper encapsulates the history of Reiki from its origins in Japan to current practice in the United States. It defines Reiki therapy and discusses the development of a new Reiki method called Temari Reiki and the use of two additional chakras, and its success as a therapy.


    • How does tai chi influence the body and mind?
      Dr. Anthony Komaroff of Harvard Medical School recently responded to a reader question about tai chi, and reflected on Peter Wayne's new book (Harvard Medical School Guide to Tai Chi ) as an introduction and guide to the world of tai chi.

    • The brain's GPS: The neural correlates of proprioception
      Proprioception is having a sense of where you are, or your body position in space. This ability is critical, especially to older adults who are susceptible to developing a fear of falling as they age due to their diminished mental capacity to navigate in space. Tai Chi is a proprioception exercise. In other words, it is a coordination exercise that directly affects sensorimotor control of balance, neuromuscular function, and postural stability. This article reports on exciting basic neurological research that has revealed some of the mystery of how the brain implements proprioception.




    • Qigong for Cancer Survivors
      Integrative medicine specialist Yang Yang describes the benefits of qigong for cancer survivors, and demonstrates exercises and meditation.

    • Clinical integration of Mindfulness-based interventions
      This is a review of mindfulness research published during the last five years. Over 500 scientific articles on mindfulness were published in 2012. This was more than the total number of mindfulness articles published between 1980 and 2000. A recent survey by the Mental Health Foundation found that 75% of general practitioners in the UK believe that mindfulness is beneficial for patients with mental health problems. Indeed, recent findings indicate that Mindfulness-based interventions may be effective treatments for a broad range of psychological disorders and somatic illnesses.


    • Study Finds Some Alternative Therapies Lower Blood Pressure
      The American Heart Association has identified several alternative therapies that could lower blood pressure in patients with hypertension. Researchers say the alternative methods are options when traditional medications don't work, or patients can't tolerate them. The alternatives include yoga, various types of meditation, biofeedback, device-guided breathing, relaxation, acupuncture, and stress reduction.


    • Free digital copy of Tai Chi Principles for Massage Therapy
      To celebrate WTCQD 2013, Sifu Richard Kosch, is giving away free digital copies of his new book: Tai Chi Principles for Massage Therapy, to anyone who sends him a request on April 27th by putting World Tai Chi Day Gift in the subject line. They can request the copy by emailing: SifuRichKosch@yahoo.com.












    • Traditional Chinese exercises and treatments boost the mind, soul and joints
      New studies by U.S. researchers are revealing the potential healing power of acupuncture, Tai Chi exercise and Qigong to reduce the symptoms of osteoarthritis, the most common form of arthritis, which causes pain and reduced motion in the joints and spine. Experts say there is no current medicinal cure for osteoarthritis.




    • Science behind acupuncture revealed
      Researchers have explored the basic science and mechanisms of action of medical acupuncture, which is increasingly being validated as an effective treatment for a broad range of medical conditions. In a special issue of Medical Acupuncture, a peer-reviewed journal published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers presents a series of articles by authors from around the world who provide diverse and insightful perspectives on the science and physiologic responses underlying medical acupuncture.





    • Meditation can boost test scores, study suggests
      The study, which appeared in the March 2013 issue of Psychological Science and was reported by The New York Times Wednesday, found subjects who participated in two weeks of “mindfulness training” had improved test scores and memory capacity as well as reduced distracting thoughts.

    • Mayo Clinic Says 2.5 Million Americans Now Use Tai Chi to Improve Health
      According to the Mayo Clinic more than 2.5 million Americans are practicing tai chi to reduce stress and anxiety, increase energy, stamina and flexibility, muscle strength and definition and balance. There is also evidence that Tai Chi improves immune response, sleeping patterns, lowers cholesterol levels, relieves joint pain and, in older adults, reduces the risk of falls.












    • Harvard Medical School strongly endorses Tai Chi with new book: Harvard Medical School Guide to Tai Chi
      Conventional medical science on the Chinese art of Tai Chi now shows what Tai Chi masters have known for centuries: regular practice leads to more vigor and flexibility, better balance and mobility, and a sense of well-being. Cutting-edge research from Harvard Medical School also supports the long-standing claims that Tai Chi also has a beneficial impact on the health of the heart, bones, nerves and muscles, immune system, and the mind. This research provides fascinating insight into the underlying physiological mechanisms that explain how Tai Chi actually works. Harvard Medical School author, Peter Wayne, and other Harvard researchers will mark World Tai Chi & Qigong Day with a free public web link to a series of lectures on Tai Chi research at Harvard. They will release this web-link publicly on World Tai Chi & Qigong Day, April 27th.

    • United States Department of Health and Human Services Administration on Aging Recommends Tai Chi
      The Administration on Aging provides grants to States and Territories based on their share of the population aged 60 and over for education and implementation activities that support healthy lifestyles and promote healthy behaviors. Evidence-based health promotion programs reduce the need for more costly medical interventions. A number of Tai Chi based programs have met varying degrees of criteria for inclusion in the AoA's list of effective evidence-based interventions for improving health and wellbeing or reducing disease, disability and/or injury among older adults; and being ready for translation, implementation and/or broad dissemination by community-based organizations using appropriately credentialed practitioners.




    • A plausible mechanism for Reiki and Acupuncture
      Many so-called "alternative medicine" techniques such as Reiki and acupuncture produce very good outcomes for intractable pain and other chronic illnesses but the efficacy is often dismissed as being psychosomatic. However a plausible mechanism does exist i.e. that the treatments alter the electromagnetic fields in living organisms and thereby prevent or reduce activity of neurons which lead to the pain.







    • National Qigong Association launches Qi Talks
      The NQA's FREE monthly tele-seminar series Qi Talks will present leaders from the world of the Energetic Arts for an hour of information, discussion and Q &A. Qi Talks debuts on Thursday, April 11, 2013 from 8:30 - 9:30 EST with your host: Vicki Dello Joio and will feature Mark R. Reinhart on Three Rivers/12 Steps: Qigong For Recovery. Register for Qi Talks.




    • Information and Meditation -- Improving attention in the digital-age. In the University of Washington Information and Contemplation class, participants scrutinize their use of technology: how much time they spend with it, how it affects their emotions, how it fragments their attention. They watch videos of themselves multitasking and write guidelines for improving their habits. They also practice meditation—during class—to sharpen their attention.


    • Harvard Medical School to release Tai Chi Guide in conjunction with World Tai Chi & Qigong Day 2013
      The Harvard Medical School Guide to Tai Chi - 12 Weeks to a Healthy Body, Strong Heart & Sharp Mind mentions World Tai Chi & Qigong Day, and footnotes link to www.WorldTaiChiDay.org. Excerpt from the book: 'A reflection of how successful the invasion [of Tai Chi worldwide] has been is World Tai Chi Day ... One of the purposes of this day is "to bring together people across racial, economic, religious, and geo-political boundaries, to join together for the purpose of health and healing, providing an example to the world." Millions of people around the world -- 65 nations participated in 2011 -- gather one day each year to celebrate the health and healing benefits of Tai Chi and Qigong.' The Harvard Medical School will hold Tai Chi as medical therapy lectures in days leading up to World Tai Chi & Qigong Day 2013 (Sat., April 27th, 2013), to kick off the global education events held in hundreds of cities in 70 nations on WTCQD!








    • 7 Myths of Meditation
      Deepak Chopra attempts to debunk some of the more common myths surrounding the practice of meditation.






    • Australian review includes summary of the anti-inflammatory effects of acupuncture
      The mechanisms underpinning acupuncture's anti-inflammatory effects include mediation by sympathetic and parasympathetic pathways; antihistamine action and downregulation of proinflammatory cytokines, proinflammatory neuropeptides, and neurotrophins which can enhance and prolong inflammatory response; and suppression of the expression of COX-1, COX-2, and iNOS during experimentally induced inflammation.


    • Acupuncture reduces geriatric chronic pain
      The study results suggest that acupuncture is highly acceptable and could be very useful in the management of chronic pain when performed in very old frail people with chronic physical and mental disability.



    • Mobile EEG becomes reality 
      This study investigates the use of mobile electroencephalography (EEG) as a method to record and analyse the emotional experience of a group of walkers in three types of urban environment including a green space setting.

    • Film Wisdom of Changes - Richard Wilhelm and the I Ching
      Richard Wilhelm (1873-1930) is regarded as the European who discovered China´s spiritual world. "Wisdom of Changes“ is a documentary about the life and work of the most distinguished translator and mediator of classical Chinese culture to the west. The film narrates from today's perspective of the granddaughter, award winning film director Bettina Wilhelm, the phases of Richard Wilhelm's eventful life in times of dramatic changes. It also provides insight into the deeply humane, timeless Chinese wisdom of the I Ching, which can still serve as orientation in our own volatile times.

    • The Health Benefits of Spirituality: A Complex Subject
      Johns Hopkins Medicine Health Alert: Do people who are religious or who have a nonreligious set of spiritual beliefs that guide them in their daily life have an advantage over those who don't when it comes to mental and physical well-being? A growing body of research suggests that religion and spirituality may help some people better cope with illness, depression and stress.

    • Spirituality Linked With Mental Health Benefits
      A small study shows that regardless of what religion you ascribe to, spirituality in general is linked with greater mental health. In particular, spirituality in the study was linked with decreased neuroticism and increased extraversion, researchers found. "With increased spirituality people reduce their sense of self and feel a greater sense of oneness and connectedness with the rest of the universe," study researcher Dan Cohen, an assistant professor at the University of Missouri, said in a statement.



    • Meditation fosters liberal attitudes
      Besides conferring health benefits, meditation also fosters liberal attitudes immediately after a session, say Canadian researchers. ”There’s great overlap between religious beliefs and political orientations,” says psychology researcher Jordan Peterson of University of Toronto. ”Inducing a spiritual experience through a guided meditation exercise led both liberals and conservatives to endorse more liberal political attitudes,” adds Peterson, a study co-author.




    • Long-term yoga practice improves well-being of women over 45 years
      In a sample of female yoga practitioners between 45 and 80 years, increased yoga experience predicted increased levels of psychological well-being. Results showed a dose-response effect, with yoga experience exercising an increasingly protective effect against low levels of subjective well-being and vitality.

    • Electromagnetic brain oscillatory activity and the Brain Activity Map Project
      Wouldn't it be wonderful if conventional scientific research incorporates the study and characterization of electromagnetic activity in the brain into President Obama's recently announced Brain Activity Map Project (also see NYTimes Connecting the Neural Dots). The real breakthrough here would be to understand real-time oscillating energy fields in the brain and not just end up with a reductionist map of the physical wiring of the brain. One can only hope that some of the money will make it to researchers such as those in Italy who are aware enough to understand and study the process of physiological brain activity by utilizing non-invasive electromagnetic means. Although their paperClinical neurophysiology of brain plasticity in aging brain does mention the possible use of their findings to characterize the action of drugs, it is more encouraging to note their integrated approach to research utilizing modern neurophysiological techniques, including electroencephalography (EEG), event-related potentials (ERPs), and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), together with biological markers and structural and functional imaging which is promising for large-scale, affordable, and noninvasive medicine.



    • Chi Tree
      This short film explores the connection we have to the life of trees. It's a video meditation on the stillness of the earth and the presence of an oak tree in a Quantock field in Somerset, England. "Everything on earth is made of the same stuff ultimately - chi (qi, ki, prana or life force - vitality). The notion that we humans are separate from nature, including the earth itself below our feet, is an illusion.

    • Mindfulness Meditation: How It Works In The Brain
      Mindfulness may be so successful in helping with a range of conditions, from depression to pain, by working as a sort of "volume knob" for sensations, according to a new review of studies from Brown University researchers.




    • The Qigong Institute is a co-sponsor of the Live Qi Summit - Open Your Heart, Be the Change 
      March 3, 2013, Richmond, CA. Marina. Join Master Mingtong Gu and guest teachers in dedicated healing of ourselves and our world. Learn and practice Open Heart techniques live in person and via the online "live stream".




    • Yoga significantly reduces stress in middle-aged women
      Regular, long-term practice of yoga provides clear and significant health benefits. Participation in a single 90-minute yoga class can significantly reduce perceived stress. Doing yoga regularly can reduce perceived stress even more significantly.











    • Sympathetic nervous system implicated in acupuncture analgesia
      Acupuncture appears to activate the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) in people experiencing pain, a randomized study indicates. The research offers clues to the mechanisms involved in acupuncture analgesia, although the precise interplay of local versus systemic effects remains unclear.



    • Yoga effective for chronic neck-pain
      Beneficial effects lasted for at least 12 months after treatment. Sustained practice is the most important predictor of long-term effectiveness.








    • Meditation is going mainstream
      Your mind as medication. How you can reshape your brain to deal with pain and other problems. More doctors are now prescribing it almost as a medication to help with healing and more.

    • U.S. Marines Overcome PTSD with Transcendental Meditation®
      A study published in Military Medicine in 2011 found that veterans from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars who practiced the TM technique experienced a 50 percent reduction in symptoms of PTSD after just eight weeks of meditating. Similar reductions were found in a study on Vietnam veterans conducted at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and published in the Journal of Counseling and Development in 1985.






    • Breathe away stress in 8 steps 
      Are you plagued by daily stress? If so, you can tap a simple, free, and powerful tool called the "relaxation response." A simple method for achieving this relaxed mental state was developed and popularized by Dr. Herbert Benson, a cardiologist and professor at Harvard Medical School. He is now director emeritus of the Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital. Research shows that eliciting the relaxation response for as little as 10 to 20 minutes a day pays off in numerous ways.




    • Harvard Medical School review presents the latest available evidence regarding the use of acupuncture for cancer pain
      Cancer pain is one of most prevalent symptoms in patients with cancer. The National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines for adult cancer pain recommends acupuncture, as one of several integrative interventions, in conjunction with pharmacologic intervention as needed. It also provides "actionable" acupuncture protocols for specific cancer pain conditions and related symptoms in order to provide more clinically relevant solutions for clinicians and cancer patients with pain.


    • An Oncology Mind-Body Medicine Day Care Clinic: Concept and Case Presentation
      Cancer diagnosis and treatment are often associated with physical and psychosocial impairments. Many cancer patients request complementary and alternative therapies such as mind-body medicine. A mind-body medicine day care clinic was found to alleviate psychological consequences of cancer and its treatment.

    • Ever wonder how someone could get cancer or some other disease even though they exercise, eat right, and "do all the right things?"
      Dirty electricity, also called electrical pollution, is high-frequency voltage transients riding along the 50 or 60 Hz electricity provided by the electric utilities. It is generated by arcing, by sparking and by any device that interrupts current flow, especially switching power supplies. It has been associated with cancer, diabetes and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in humans. Epidemiological evidence also links dirty electricity to most of the diseases of civilization including cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and suicide, beginning at the turn of the twentieth century.


















    • Yoga finds a home in prisons
      When many states have cut their wellness and education programs for inmates, citing cost and political pressure, some wardens looking for a low-cost, low-risk way for inmates to reflect on their crimes, improve their fitness and cope with the stress of overcrowded prison life are turning toward yoga.
    • A Brief History of the Use of Electricity for Pain Treatment  The pain relieving action of electricity is explained in particular by two main mechanisms: first, segmental inhibition of pain signals to the brain in the dorsal horn of the spinal cord and second, activation of the descending inhibitory pathway with enhanced release of endogenous opioids and other neurochemical compounds (serotonin, noradrenaline, gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA), acetylcholine and adenosine). The modern electrotherapy of neuromusculo-skeletal pain is based in particular on the following types: transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS), percutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (PENS or electro-acupuncture) and spinal cord stimulation (SCS). For more information see Energy-Based Technologies and Therapies.

What's New 2012

What's New 2011

What's New 2007 - 2010


Copyright © 2004-2024 Qigong Institute. All rights reserved.