Emerging Research Supporting Health Benefits of Qigong Exercise and Tai Chi practiced as Qigong: 2010 through 2014. A Bibliography.
Report from the National Qigong Association Research & Education Committee
Authors; PJ Klein, PT, EdD and Eric Imbody, MA, LPC Date: 09/04/2015
Introduction
As recently as fifteen years ago, a lack of high quality research validating the benefits of qigong exercise and tai chi performed as qigong was a primary barrier to achieving a goal of recognition of the value of these practices within health promotion and traditional Western health care. Awareness of the potential benefits of qigong exercise was stimulated in 2004 review of the literature citing seventeen research studies. The authors concluded that preliminary research on the implementation feasibility of Taiji (tai chi) programs existed for a variety of clinical populations.
Over the next five years (2004 - 2009), through a growing awareness of the need for controlled research methodology and an expanding availability of research funding, the body of evidence strengthened. Practice validation was further advanced in 2010 when a review of 77 clinical research articles investigating qigong exercise and tai chi concluded that consistent, significant results for a number of health benefits were confirmed through independent, quality research. These researchers also established the equivalency of therapeutic tai chi as qigong exercise.
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