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April 27-29 2018: National Qigong Association Semi-Annual Conference (East) in Asheville, North Carolina

October 2018: National Qigong Association Semi-Annual Conference in the West (U.S.)

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• Effect of a moderate-intensity comprehensive exercise program on body composition, muscle strength, and physical performance in elderly females with sarcopenia. Conclusions: The moderate-intensity comprehensive exercise including simplified Tai Chi was confirmed as a safe and convenient exercise program. This exercise protocol is promising in delaying overall results in community-dwelling sarcopenia elderly females and contributes to the improvement of muscle mass, handgrip strength, and five time chair stand.
• Corrigendum: The effects of Tai Chi on physical function and safety in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a systematic review and meta-analysis
• Effect of Tai-chi on balance, mood, cognition, and quality of life in women with multiple sclerosis: A one-year prospective study.  This study indicates the possible beneficial effects of long-term Tai-chi training on patients with MS.
• Acceptability and Feasibility of a Tai Chi/Qigong Intervention for Older People Living With HIV. A remote TCQ intervention is acceptable, feasible, and safe among older people with HIV.
• Can Tai Chi Improve Cognitive Function? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Tai Chi has a positive effect on the improvement of cognitive function in middle-aged and elderly people with cognitive impairment as well as older adults and college students.
• A Randomized Study Examining the Effects of Mild-to-Moderate Group Exercises on Cardiovascular, Physical, and Psychological Well-Being in Patients With Heart Failure. Tai Chi maintains physical function and improves psychological function in patients with heart failure.
• Qigong-Based Therapy for Treating Adults with Major Depressive Disorder: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Qigong helps alleviate depression symptoms in individuals with major depressive disorder.
• The health effects of Baduanjin exercise (a type of Qigong exercise) in breast cancer survivors: A randomized, controlled, single-blinded trial. Baduanjin is an effective intervention for improving physical and psychological health outcomes among breast cancer survivors, which is worth recommending and implementing by oncology nurses for breast cancer survivors during rehabilitation.
• The Effect of T'ai Chi and Qigong Training on Patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea: A Randomized Controlled Study. Tai Chi and Qigong help peple with sleep disorders. 
• Digital Delivery of Meditative Movement Training Improved Health of Cigarette-Smoke-Exposed Subjects. Qigong improved exercise tolerance and endurance, reduced COPD-related symptoms, and improved interoception, especially in the ability to handle stress. Video-delivered mindfulness meditation training can produce clinically relevant and statistically significant health improvements. 
• Harvard Medical School: A sharper mind: tai chi can improve cognitive function.
• Interoception and Mental Health: A Roadmap. Interoception is a skill developed through Qigong practice. This article summarizes the importance of interoception and the increasing recognition of it in the research community for mental health and homeostatic function: "Interoception refers to the process by which the nervous system senses, interprets, and integrates signals originating from within the body, providing a moment-by-moment mapping of the body's internal landscape across conscious and unconscious levels. Interoceptive signaling has been considered a component process of reflexes, urges, feelings, drives, adaptive responses, and cognitive and emotional experiences, highlighting its contributions to the maintenance of homeostatic functioning, body regulation, and survival. Dysfunction of interoception is increasingly recognized as an important component of different mental health conditions, including anxiety disorders, mood disorders, eating disorders, addictive disorders, and somatic symptom disorders."
• Yoga helps Parkinson's patients
• Barriers to accessing complementary non-pharmocologic approaches, including tai chi, to pain by veterans.
• CDC report calls Tai Chi one of the most cost effective ways to improve balance and reduce falls in older adults, but notes that there are barriers to its use, including lack of knowledge about the benefits of Tai Chi, lack of patient receptiveness to doing Tai Chi, or lack of local availability of Tai Chi classes.
• Tai Chi aids stroke survivors.
• A systematic review of psychoneuroimmunology-based interventions. Systematic review reports that Tai Chi, meditation, and mindfulness are among the treatments that result in decreased levels of cortisol, epinephrine and norepinephrine (stress-related hormones). In addition, they were also associated with reductions in inflammatory processes and levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines in cancer, HIV, depression, anxiety, wound healing, sleep disorder, cardiovascular diseases and fibromyalgia.
• Can the Ancient Martial Art of Tai Chi Help Prevent Falls? The researchers found that at-risk adults who practiced tai chi did, in fact, have lower rates of injury-related falls. In fact, tai chi participants were 43% less likely to experience a fall than non-participants, and 50% less likely to experience falls that led to serious injury.
• Effects of Tai Chi-based cardiac rehabilitation on aerobic endurance, psychosocial well-being, and cardiovascular risk reduction among patients with coronary heart disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Review finds Tai Chi is effective in improving aerobic endurance and psychosocial well-being among coronary heart disease patients. The authors recommend Tai Chi as a cost-effective and safe exercise option in cardiac rehabilitation.
• Review finds Tai Chi improves knee and hip osteoarthritis patient outcomes related to joint symptoms, mobility, quality of life, psychological health, musculoskeletal properties, body composition, sleep, and fatigue.
• Tai chi chih (Qigong) comparable to standard therapy for breast cancer survivors’ insomnia. “Given that standardized tai chi chih is both scalable and community accessible compared with the limited availability of cognitive behavioral therapy in most medical centers, immediate access to tai chi chih would address the need to reduce the morbidity associated with insomnia in survivors of breast and other cancers with treatment benets commensurate with the status quo of clinical treatment approaches to insomnia.”
• A Review Study on the Beneficial Effects of Baduanjin (a form of Qigong). The results of individual studies support the notion that Baduanjin may be effective as an adjunctive rehabilitation method for improving cognitive functions in addition to psychological and physiological parameters among different age groups and various clinical populations (e.g., Parkinson's disease, chronic neck pain, chronic fatigue syndrome-like illness, psychological illness).
• Researchers discover moving meditation (Qigong): New Study Finds Meditation With Walking Reduces Anxiety. Researchers find that meditation with walking works better than just walking.
• Therapeutic touch helps people with dementia.
• How Tai Chi Targets Fascia and Connective Tissues.
• Do Lifestyle Activities Protect Against Cognitive Decline in Aging? A Review. "Relative to other therapies, these activities [meditation and physical exercise] are low cost, are easily scalable and can be brought to market quickly and easily. Overall, although preliminary evidence is promising at the level of randomized control trials, the state of research on this topic remains underdeveloped. As a result, several important questions remain unanswered, including the amount of training required to receive any cognitive benefit from these activities and the extent to which this benefit continues following cessation."
• New Nursing Faculty and Incivility: Applying Mindfulness-Based Strategies. Mindfulness provides a realization that control can only be given to other persons when an individual allows or accepts another's negative behaviors. Awareness of the value and importance of oneself can assist the nurse educator experiencing incivility to maintain his or her emotional, physical, and spiritual health despite the volatility of the work environment.
• Valley High School students learn to cope with stress in 'mindfulness room'.
• Mental Health and Cardiovascular Disease. The authors conclude that non-medication interventions, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy, mindfulness, meditation, yoga, slow breathing exercises, and exercise, (in other words, Qigong) are excellent treatment options. These can reverse many of the cardiovascular changes from mental distress and mental illness.
• Connecting the Mind–Body Split: Understanding the Relationship between Symptoms and Emotional Well-Being in Chronic Pain and Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders. Historically, mind and body became separated in the medical literature and despite more recent biopsychosocial and fear avoidance models working towards reintegration, this historic split is still reflected in service design, as well as the beliefs of families and clinicians. Common paediatric functional diagnoses such as chronic pain and functional gastrointestinal disorders provide examples of the reciprocal links between mind and body. The multifaceted natures and wide-reaching effects of these diagnoses suggest the need for coordinated multidisciplinary input. As illustrated in this article, mind and body have symbiotic relationships, and so we endorse the benefits of mental health and paediatric services entering into their own reciprocal and supportive associations in order to provide effective care.
• Acupuncture (PDQ®): Health Professional Version. This PDQ (Physician Data Query) cancer information summary for health professionals provides comprehensive, peer-reviewed, evidence-based information about the use of acupuncture in the treatment of people with cancer. It is intended as a resource to inform and assist clinicians who care for cancer patients. It does not provide formal guidelines or recommendations for making health care decisions. The summaries come from the National Cancer Institute's comprehensive cancer database, PDQ. This summary is reviewed regularly and updated as necessary by the PDQ Integrative, Alternative, and Complementary Therapies Editorial Board, which is editorially independent of the National Cancer Institute (NCI). The summary reflects an independent review of the literature and does not represent a policy statement of NCI or the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
• Acupuncture for Chronic Pain: Update of an Individual Patient Data Meta-Analysis. The authors conclude: Acupuncture is effective for the treatment of chronic musculosketal, headache and osteoarthritis pain. Treatment effects of acupuncture persist over time and cannot be explained solely in terms of placebo effects. Referral for a course of acupuncture treatment is a reasonable option for a patient with chronic pain.
• Teaching Qigong to Children
• Making Tai Chi & Qigong Easy. An Interview With Roger Jahnke. New to tai chi or qigong? Roger Jahnke, cofounder of the National Qigong Association, says the best practice is one that makes you comfortable and keeps it simple.
• Why Practice Qi Gong. " I had been exposed to QI Gong on meditation retreats and guitar seminars.  While I liked the affects, I did not practice on my own until I was injured...That was over twelve years ago.  I have learned many forms in this time, relishing in the calm and energy that the practice of Qi Gong delivers.  I developed a daily practice...Last year I had an opportunity to present Qi Gong during a week long residential Guitar Seminar...While Qi Gong is great for musicians, the benefits of stimulating our energy flow is great for all."
• A plan to address aggressive behavior and stress in schools. "I recently provided a “Troubled Waters Survival Guide” to this state’s school leaders, which suggests a number of research-based strategies that can be implemented without a significant expense or planning. Teachers, administrators, parents, students and citizens can implement these strategies, both in schools and at home: School-wide mindfulness practices: Increasing mindfulness practices that enable students to better self-regulate, especially in stressful situations, is critically important. Basics include daily mindfulness practice, mindfulness calming glitter jars on every elementary school students’ desk and a “calming corner” in every elementary school classroom. At the secondary level, the basics include several minutes of mindfulness breathing exercises during the morning announcements and another short mindfulness breathing session right after lunch, a mindfulness calming room that students can easily access, and encouragement for families to implement mindfulness practices in the home."
• At 15 local schools, mornings that start with mindfulness help kids 'de-escalate and reflect'
• A summary of the current state of Qigong Research by the National Qigong Association Research and Education Committee.
• NCCIH and Harvard Medical School: Building the Understanding of the Effects of Tai Chi Training on Walking in Older People. Declines in walking ability with age have been linked to a wide range of health issues as well as increased risks of falls and death from all causes. Gait, or the way in which one walks, has thus become a research target. This trial, funded by NCCIH and conducted by a team led by researchers at Harvard Medical School and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, found that as little as 6 months of tai chi training might improve an important indicator of how well a person can walk: gait dynamics.
• Students Spread Meditation and Mindfulness on Campus
• No, mindfulness is not a fad. "Mindfulness is often described as the ability to be in the moment, to be in the present, to be aware. The problem with this is that everyone thinks they are already aware. Some people meditate to become more mindful. Meditation is really just a tool that leads to post-meditative mindfulness. Although it’s a good tool, it’s a tool nonetheless, not the end." This would be a good summary of mindfulness in the practice of Qigong: Mindfulness is fundamental to the practice of Qigong, but it is not the focus of the practice.
• Tai Chi reduces pain and improves emotion, memory, and physical function in individuals with musculoskeletal pain and PTSD. 
• 6-month yoga program improves quality of life, walking speed, fatigue, and depression in the persons with MS
• Acupuncture analgesia involves modulation of pain-induced gamma oscillations and cortical network connectivity.
• Tai Chi Chuan and Baduanjin Qigong improve memory function and prevent memory decline due to aging.
• Yoga reduces stress and promotes psychological health in employees.
• For Older Adults, Yoga Can Reduce Risk Of Falls, University of Wisconsin-Madison Study Finds
• Here's Why I Prescribe Meditation To All My Patients
• Huffington Post: Everything you Need to Know about Mindfulness but were too afraid to ask! Mindfulness is a fundamental component of Qigong.
• The Tai Chi Space Book - How to Move in Tai Chi and Qi Gong. A brilliant new book on the fundamentals of Tai Chi for beginners to experienced practitioners. From the author Paul Cavel: “I have encountered too many practitioners who have put in immense effort, some over many years, in great earnest, yet their forms cannot really be considered internal. Maybe they trained a weak system, did not have a teacher who could perform or communicate internal techniques that are virtually invisible to the untrained eye, or they did not spend enough time on component practices. Whatever the case, this situation is incredibly unfortunate, and, with my upcoming book, my aim is to show you how to develop quality and depth in the fundamentals, which not only unlock health and power-generating benefits but also more advanced and extraordinary levels of practice”.
• Parkinson’s Disease and Tai Chi: Bringing Balance to the Body
• Yoga and Healthcare in the United Kingdom. The emergence of yoga therapy in the United Kingdom began about 45 years ago with the emergence of yoga therapy organizations that offered both treatment and training. The integration of yoga into the National Health Service (NHS) is gradually happening Because: (a) yoga research supports its efficacy as a cost-effective, preventive and complementary treatment for a host of non-communicable diseases; and (b) the escalating economic burden of long-term conditions is overwhelming the NHS. Research shows that integrating yoga therapy for the treatment of low back pain (LBP) into the NHS would result in significant cost savings as compared with usual care.
• The Use of Yoga by Physical Therapists in the United States. The purpose of this study was to determine how PTs in the United States view yoga as a physical therapy (PT) tool and how PTs use yoga therapeutically. Reported use of therapeutic yoga among participants was high (70.6%). Of those participants, nearly a third use asana and pranayama only. Most participants using therapeutic yoga also include additional mindfulness-related elements such as sensory awareness, concentration/focus, and/or meditation. Healthcare changes have required PTs to adapt to a biopsychosocial-spiritual model (BPSS) for improved patient outcomes. Wikipedia: The biopsychosocial model (abbreviated "BPS") is a general model or approach that posits that biological, psychological (which entails thoughts, emotions, and behaviors), and social factors, all play a significant role in human functioning in the context of disease or illness. More on Biopsychosocial Model.
• Balance and Functional Outcomes for Older Community-Dwelling Adults Who Practice Tai Chi and Those Who Do Not: A Comparative Study. Tai Chi participants improved in nearly all measures, whereas controls did not. Older adults' participation in a community-based Tai Chi program leads to improvement in strength, mobility, and confidence in performing functional tasks.
• The effect of long-term confinement and the efficacy of exercise countermeasures on muscle strength during a simulated mission to Mars: data from the Mars500 study. Whole body vibration, a form of spontaneous Qigong, afforded the best protection against isolation-induced loss of strength.
• Growth of Integrative Medicine at Leading Cancer Centers Between 2009 and 2016: A Systematic Analysis of NCI-Designated Comprehensive Cancer Center Websites. Compared with 2009, there was a statistically significant increase in the number of websites mentioning acupuncture, dance therapy, healing touch, hypnosis, massage, meditation, Qigong, and yoga
• Distress Management Through Mind-Body Therapies in Oncology. Research supports the role of mindfulness-based interventions for dealing with common experiences that cause distress around cancer diagnosis, treatment, and survivorship including loss of control, uncertainty about the future, fears of recurrence, and a range of physical and psychological symptoms including depression, anxiety, insomnia, and fatigue. Growing research also supports their cost-effectiveness, and online and mobile adaptations currently being developed and evaluated increase promise for use in a global context.
• Meta-analysis finds whole body vibration, a form of spontaneous Qigong, helps counteract the loss of muscle mass.
• Falling Is Dangerous for the Elderly—and Often Preventable. Wall Street Journal: “The single most effective prevention strategy is the practice of strength-balance exercises like Tai Chi and the development of muscle strength.”
• Tai Chi relieves cancer-related fatigue in patients undergoing chemotherapy.
• Indian review finds Tai Chi and Qigong are beneficial for supportive cancer care.
• Handling chronic pain without relying on opioids. Mayo Clinic program helps patients learn how to deal with their chronic pain by focusing on emotional, social, and psychological (biopsychosocial) aspects. "With meditation and relaxation exercises [e.g. Qigong], we’re trying to teach people to learn to relax their bodies and hopefully kick in a relaxation response." More info on the relaxation response and Qigong can be found on the Qigong Institute website.
• Brain study shows how slow breathing (fundamental to Qigong practice) induces tranquility. Stanford scientists have identified a small group of neurons that communicates goings-on in the brain's respiratory control center to the structure responsible for generating arousal throughout the brain.
• How to Harness the Power of Your Breath. The Benefits of Conscious Breathing as in Qigong: We inhale and exhale approximately 20,000 times per day. With up to ten muscles that can be utilised for inhalation and eight for forced exhalation, the breath has powerful effects on the physical, emotional and mental planes. The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali says when you control your breath, you can control your mind and emotions. A recent study conducted by Stanford Scientists confirms this link between the breath and states of being. There is a group of neurons in the brain responsible for the respiratory system which connect breathing to states of mind. This small neuronal subpopulation works as a breathing rhythm generator sending signals directly to the centre of the brain, and subsequently playing a key role in stress, attention and alertness.
• How Toning the Vagus Nerve Heals Pain. "There is a reason why we groan when we’re in pain, why birthing women moan deeply, instinctively we’re activating our vagus nerves by stimulating the vocal cords. Regular practice of the techniques [which include diaphragmatic breathing as in Qigong] mentioned [in the article] will raise your vagal tone, boosting your immune system, reducing any inflammation and contributing to feelings of well-being and contentment. No pills necessary!".
• Whole body vibration, a form of spontaneous Qigong, is a cost-effective and practical way without side effects to improve postural control, mobility, and functional performance.
• Pumping iron (weight lifting) gives my mind a lift 
• Meditation reduces stress for Yalies, New Haveners.
• Italian study finds that long-term meditation is linked to improvements of attentional functions, working memory and cognitive flexibility -- more proof of the benefits of Qigong.
• Review finds that acupuncture induces brain plasticity.
• To Turn Opioid Addiction Around, This Clinic Tries Exercise, Meditation And Acupuncture. Kaiser tracked more than 80 patients over the course of a year. It found the group’s ER visits decreased 25 percent. Inpatient admissions and total opioid doses dropped 40 percent.
• Inside a 'Calm Classroom,' Arlington Heights students use guided meditation for learning.
• Meditation and yoga help treat PTSD.
• A Protein Has Been Caught Conducting Electricity, And Scientists Are Really Excited.
• Tai Chi more beneficial for cognitive functions in older adults than brisk walking.
• Brief training in mindfulness meditation reduces symptoms in patients with a chronic or recurrent lifetime history of depression: A randomized controlled study.
• Kinetics of the lower limb during two typical Tai Chi movements in the elderly. The authors conclude that Tai Chi strengthens lower extremities which helps prevent falls in the elderly.
• Yoga practice can play an important part in the rehabilitation of prison inmates.
• Qigong and Fibromyalgia. "Qigong is an internal art practice with a long history in China. It is currently characterized as meditative movement (or as movement-based embodied contemplative practice), but is also considered as complementary and alternative exercise or mind-body therapy. There are now six controlled trials and nine other reports on the effects of qigong in fibromyalgia."
• Tai Chi and Its Effect on the Body’s Lymphatic System. "Tai Chi Chuan movements, when done correctly, will act as a tool to help manually flush the body’s lymph system.  This doesn’t just happen by chance. These movements were intelligently designed to work with the three largest cluster of lymph nodes in the human body."
• Harvard Medical School recommends Tai Chi for mobility.
• Mindfulness at the center of South Side school’s education. "Life on the violent and unpredictable streets of Chicago are not always easy for a kid. What's impacting them in their own homes and neighborhoods often plays out in the classroom. One school on the South Side is taking giant steps to address it and, in time, teachers hope the skills taught at school will become life skills.Their approach is not new, but the difference is that the approach is coming from every teacher, every staff member, from every angle in the school."
• Heal Trailer #1 (2017) | Movieclips Indie. "A documentary film that takes us on a scientific and spiritual journey where we discover that by changing one's perceptions, the human body can heal itself from any disease." Qigong is a profound practice for enhancing our ability to heal ourselves.
• Review finds Tai Chi has long-term beneficial effects for people with Parkinson's Disease.
• A Harvard doctor says these are the best exercises for your body. Included are Tai Chi and Kegel exercises, a Qigong practice helping to protect against incontinence and strengthen the prostate.
• Tai Chi Is a Promising Exercise Option for Patients With Coronary Heart Disease Declining Cardiac Rehabilitation. Journal of the American Heart Association.
• Can Tai Chi training impact fractal stride time dynamics, an index of gait health, in older adults? Cross-sectional and randomized trial studies.
• A nonpharmacological approach to improve sleep quality in older adults. Tai Chi and mindfulness were part of the community-based psychosocial intervention program.
• Tai Chi holds promise as cardiac rehab exercise. Journal of the American Heart Association Report. DALLAS, Oct. 11, 2017 — The slow and gentle movements of Tai Chi hold promise as an alternative exercise option for patients who decline traditional cardiac rehabilitation, according to preliminary research in Journal of the American Heart Association, the Open Access Journal of the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association.
• Here’s How Practicing Tai Chi Can Help the Heart.
• Adapting Tai Chi for Upper Limb Rehabilitation Post Stroke: A Feasibility Study. Tai Chi aids upper limb rehabilitation post stroke.
• Mind-Body Therapies in Individuals With Dementia: An Integrative Review. Mind-body practices including Qigong, Tai Chi, meditation, yoga, and biofield therapies improve behavioral and psychological symptoms exhibited by individuals with dementia.
• Effect of Tai Chi Chuan on degeneration of lumbar vertebrae and lumbar discs in middle-aged and aged people: a cross-sectional study based on magnetic resonance images. Regular performance of the simplified Tai Chi 24 form could possibly retard the degeneration of lumbar vertebrae and lumbar discs in middle-aged and aged people.
• Adult Use of Complementary and Integrative Approaches to Improve Athletic Performance. Complementary and integrative therapies were used by more than 14 million adults (20.5%) to improve athletic performance, with 97.6% of them perceiving therapies as helpful.
• Effectiveness of Biofield Therapy for Patients Diagnosed With Fibromyalgia. Biofield therapy helps reduce symptoms of depression, chronic widespread pain, and tenderness among patients suffering from Fibromyalgia.
• Master Helen Liang and “Qigong for Cancer”. Clinically proven, Qigong can help cancer patients to deal with various side effects from cancer treatments. In China, studies even show how Qigong treats cancer. Master Helen Liang claims that she is not a medical doctor but she wants to share her knowledge with anyone who is combating cancer or trying to prevent being a cancer victim. There are three primary points of Helen’s Qigong Methodology: 1. Learning how to oxygenate the entire body at a cellular level; 2. Relieving Qi stagnation from the body at a cellular level; 3. Increasing blood and oxygen circulation without “burning” energy. Through a series of gentle exercises and simple stretches along with deep breathing, it can increase cancer recovery, boost the immune system, reduce pain, and improve sleep quality.
• The U.S. Army enlists Tai Chi and Qigong in the fight against addiction. Lt. Gen. Schoomaker commented that “We now have good evidence for the use of non-pharmacologic, non-opioid treatments, such as yoga, guided imagery, medical massage, chiropractic, acupuncture, Tai Chi, as well as a closely related movement therapy called Qigong, and music therapy…We have pretty good research to endorse their use.”
• Qigong helps injured military service members. Benefits include coping with stress; feeling more resilient and empowered; and improvement in symptoms including sleep and physical function.
• Effect of yoga and aerobics exercise on sleep quality in women with Type 2 diabetes: a randomized controlled trial. Yoga exercise is more effective in improving the sleep quality in comparison with the same course of aerobic exercise in women suffering from diabetes Type 2.
• NIH researchers uncover drain pipes in our brains. Results provide first evidence of the body’s waste system in the human brain.
• Consumer Reports: The Benefits of Learning Tai Chi.
• Mental Health Wellness and Biofield Therapies: An Integrative Review. Biofield therapies such as Healing Touch and Reiki increase relaxation, decrease anxiety and stress, and improve mood. Biofield therapies show safety and promise in reducing anxiety, improving mood, and cultivating mental health and wellness.
• The great secret to meditation? just be present.
• American Heart Association recommends meditation for cardiovascular risk reduction.
• Meditation may help to lower heart disease risk.
• Systematic review finds mindfulness meditation improves chronic pain.
• Opinion: Students should consider mindfulness-based stress reduction.
• The Effect of T'ai Chi Exercise on Lipid Profiles: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Clinical Trials.
• Systematic review finds Tai Chi and meditation aid individuals with heart failure.
• Meditative Movement, Energetic, and Physical Analyses of Three Qigong Exercises: Unification of Eastern and Western Mechanistic Exercise Theory. Qigong is the meditative movement and therapeutic exercise of Eastern medicine. A growing body of evidence is validating its health benefits leading to mechanistic questions of how it works. The purpose of this article is to explore mechanisms of action related to Qigong, with the intent of unifying Eastern and Western exercise theory and to present a model for Qigong exercise analysis.
• Review recommends Qigong for arthritis to heighten the life quality of the individual, while reducing pain and depression.
• Firefighters use tai chi to improve mental health.
• Federal agencies partner for military and veteran pain management research. Through an interagency partnership, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announce a multi-component research project focusing on nondrug approaches for pain management addressing the needs of service members and veterans. Twelve research projects, totaling approximately $81 million over six years (pending available funds), will focus on developing, implementing, and testing cost-effective, large-scale, real-world research on nondrug approaches for pain management and related conditions in military and veteran health care delivery organizations. These projects will provide important information about the feasibility, acceptability, safety, and effectiveness of nondrug approaches in treating pain. Types of approaches being studied include mindfulness/meditative interventions, movement interventions (e.g., structured exercise, taichi, yoga), manual therapies (e.g., spinal manipulation, massage, acupuncture), psychological and behavioral interventions (e.g., cognitive behavioral therapy), integrative approaches that involve more than one intervention, and integrated models of multi-modal care.
• Current Usage of Traditional Chinese Medicine for Breast Cancer-A Narrative Approach to the Experiences of Women with Breast Cancer in Australia-A Pilot Study.
• Qigong Exercise May Reduce Serum TNF-α Levels and Improve Sleep in People with Parkinson's Disease: A Pilot Study. Qigong exercise decreased TNF-α level in people with PD and helped improve sleep quality.
• Qigong and Fibromyalgia circa 2017. Qigong merits further study as a complementary practice for those with fibromyalgia.
• Qigong Exercises for the Management of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus. Qigong exercise has shown promising results in clinical experience and in randomized, controlled pilot studies for affecting aspects of T2DM including blood glucose, triglycerides, total cholesterol, weight, BMI and insulin resistance.
• Qigong in Cancer Care: Theory, Evidence-Base, and Practice.
• NCCIH: Mind and Body Practices for Fibromyalgia. Recent systematic reviews and randomized clinical trials provide encouraging evidence that practices such as tai chi, qi gong, yoga, massage therapy, acupuncture, and balneotherapy may help relieve some fibromyalgia symptoms.
• Physical exercise results in altered brain connectivity.
• Hacking the nervous system. One nerve connects your vital organs, sensing and shaping your health. If we learn to control it, the future of medicine will be electric
• You Docs: Movement as medicine: The power of tai chi
• A Pilot Study of the Effects of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction on Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms and Brain Response to Traumatic Reminders of Combat in Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom Combat Veterans with Post-traumatic Stress Disorder. This study shows that MBSR is a safe and effective treatment for PTSD. Furthermore, MBSR treatment is associated with changes in brain regions that have been implicated in PTSD and are involved in extinction of fear responses to traumatic memories as well as regulation of the stress response.
• The Manual Stimulation of Acupuncture Points in the Treatment of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: A Review of Clinical Emotional Freedom Techniques. The literature demonstrates that remediation of PTSD and comorbid conditions is typically accomplished within brief time frames, ranging from one session for phobias to between four and ten sessions for PTSD. Clinical EFT has been shown to regulate stress hormones and limbic function and to improve various neurologic markers of general health. The epigenetic effects of EFT include upregulation of immunity genes and downregulation of inflammation genes. Seven empirically supported strengths of the approach were identified that make it especially suitable for use with veterans and active military: (1) the depth and breadth of treatment effects; (2) the relatively brief timeframes required for successful treatment; (3) the low risk of adverse events; (4) the minimal training time required for the approach to be applied effectively; (5) the simultaneous reduction of physical and psychologic symptoms; (6) the utility and cost-effectiveness of clinical EFT in a large group format; and (7) the method's adaptability to online and telemedicine applications.
• Reduction in Pain Medication Prescriptions and Self-Reported Outcomes Associated with Acupuncture in a Military Patient Population. In this military patient population, the number of opioid prescriptions decreased and patients reported improved symptom control, ability to function, and sense of well-being after receiving courses of acupuncture by their primary care physicians.
• Long-term Tai Chi exercise increases body stability of the elderly
• Tai chi fights stress, getting popular with Millennials.
• Just 25 minutes of yoga, meditation 'boosts brain function, energy'
• Military Researchers Collaborate With University on Opioid Crisis. "We now have good evidence for the use of non-pharmacologic, non-opioid treatments, such as yoga, guided imagery, medical massage, chiropractic, acupuncture, Tai Chi, as well as a closely related movement therapy called Qigong, and music therapy," he said. "We have pretty good research to endorse their use."
• Tai Chi Chuan and Baduanjin Increase Grey Matter Volume in Older Adults: A Brain Imaging Study. 12-week Tai Chi and Qigong program improves brain structure and memory function in older adults.
• Systematic review finds mindfulness reduces physiological markers of stress.
• Systematic review finds Tai Chi practice aids bone mineral density.
• The 5 Best Exercises For A Healthy Body. Harvard Medical School released a paper outlining the only five exercises we need to practice to get the best outcome for our bodies, and Tai Chi is one of them.
• The bioelectric code: An ancient computational medium for dynamic control of growth and form. Eight Meridian Theory meets modern bioelectricity research. According to traditional chinese medicine the eight extraordinary vessels or meridians are the energy template of the body. This energy template or field is affected by the environment and is the fundamental pattern that provides the basis for human growth and morphology. What determines large-scale anatomy? DNA does not directly specify geometrical arrangements of tissues and organs, and a process of encoding and decoding for morphogenesis is required. Moreover, many species can regenerate and remodel their structure despite drastic injury. The ability to obtain the correct target morphology from a diversity of initial conditions reveals that the morphogenetic code implements a rich system of pattern-homeostatic processes. The authors describe an important mechanism by which cellular networks implement pattern regulation and plasticity: bioelectricity. All cells, not only nerves and muscles, produce and sense electrical signals; in vivo, these processes form bioelectric circuits that harness individual cell behaviors toward specific anatomical endpoints. Levin at Tufts is a leader in this field of human bioelectricity research.
• Efficacy of 8- and 4-Session Mindfulness-Based Interventions in a Non-clinical Population: A Controlled Study. The authors conclude that the efficacy of abbreviated mindfulness programmes may be similar to that of a standard MBI program, making them potentially more accessible for a larger number of populations.
• Tai Chi exercise benefits the knee and ankle kinesthesia
• Looking at benefits of pairing mindfulness with exercise -- rediscovering Qigong.
• NCCIH: Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy Shown To Be Cost Effective for Chronic Low-Back Pain. The researchers calculated societal cost effectiveness by adding the incremental health care costs and productivity losses over change in quality-adjusted life-years. They also calculated costs from the perspective of a health care plan (payer). Compared to usual care, MBSR reduced total societal costs by $724 per person, and reduced individual health care costs to the payer by $982.
• The Effects of Group-Based versus Individual-Based Tai Chi Training on Nonmotor Symptoms in Patients with Mild to Moderate Parkinson's Disease: A Randomized Controlled Pilot Trial. Group-based Tai Chi training is considered to be a more effective and a more labor-saving method in the clinical settings, and patients tend to have a higher compliance rate in their home exercise program.
• A twice weekly Qigong exercise program over 8 weeks improves physical ability, functional health, balance, psychological health, and spiritual well-being in older adults.
• Tai chi improves balance and reduces the risk of falls.
• Meditation induces favorable changes in cardiovascular and respiratory function.
• Systematic review finds whole-body vibration (a form of spontaneous Qigong) improves postural control and balance in elderly people.
• There Is No Performance, There Is Just This Moment: The Role of Mindfulness Instruction in Promoting Health and Well-Being Among Students at a Highly-Ranked University in the United States.
• The Application of One-Hour Static Qigong Program to Decrease Needle Pain of Korean Adolescents With Type 1 Diabetes: A Randomized Crossover Design. The results suggested that the devised static Qigong program was feasible intervention to decrease at least expected pain on insulin injection of adolescents with type 1 diabetes.
• Whole body vibration, a form of spontaneous Qigong, significantly reduced symptoms of fibromyalgia.
• Yoga and Healthcare in the United Kingdom. The emergence of yoga therapy in the United Kingdom began about 45 years ago with the emergence of yoga therapy organizations that offered both treatment and training. The integration of yoga into the National Health Service (NHS) is gradually happening Because: (a) yoga research supports its efficacy as a cost-effective, preventive and complementary treatment for a host of non-communicable diseases; and (b) the escalating economic burden of long-term conditions is overwhelming the NHS. The NHS is actively developing 'sustainability and transformation plans' that include yoga.
• Iranian study recommends Tai Chi for elder patients with knee osteoarthritis as part of their rehabilitation and physical therapy protocols.
• 12-week chair yoga therapy improves physical fitness and quality of life of psychiatric patients.
• How Tai Chi Makes You Stronger.
• Systematic review finds Qigong and Tai Chi help patients with depression and Parkinsons's disease.
• China - Sport and PE. "A fascinating and visually spectacular programme providing unique insights into how Chinese schools, and the country at large, value physical education. We also see the extraordinary lengths that schools go to in order to engender a lifelong habit of exercise."
• Educating Students for a Lifetime of Physical Activity: Enhancing Mindfulness, Motivation, and Meaning. "Using sport, physical activity, dance, and adventure activities as the means to an end for personal and social growth, we can meet our commitment to effective standards-based education while preparing students for a lifetime of physical activity."
• Mindfulness found more cost-effective than usual care for chronic lower back pain.
• Whole body vibration, a form of spontaneous Qigong, improves physical condition of athletes in many sports.
• Tai Chi Exercise for the Quality of Life in a Perimenopausal Women Organization: A Systematic Review. "This systematic review found significant evidence for Tai Chi improving bodily pain, general health, vitality, mental health of SF-36, and the spine dimension of BMD in patients with perimenopausal syndrome. Findings suggest that Tai Chi might be recommended as effective and safe adjuvant treatment for patients with perimenopausal syndrome."
• Mind-body therapies significantly reduce acute pain experienced by hospital patients. After participating in a single, 15-minute mindfulness session, patients reported an immediate decrease in pain levels similar to what one might expect from an opioid painkiller.
• Review finds music effective in treating depression.
• Qigong practice improves attention, brain processing speed, blood pressure and maximal workload in healthy middle-aged adults. However, these improvements disappeared 12 weeks after cessation of Qigong. Consequently, performing Qigong regularly is important to maintain related health effects.
• Tai Chi reduces rate of falls and injury-related falls in at-risk and older adults.
• Tai Chi Practice Changes Fractional Amplitude of Low Frequency Fluctuations in Intrinsic Control Networks. Tai Chi practice enhances the brain's cognitive control capacity. Cognitive control impairment is a typical symptom largely reported in populations with neurological disorders. Based on the evidence from neuroimaging, a wide variety of mental disorders involve impaired cognitive control abilities and altered function in control system. Effective control systems protect against a variety of mental diseases. The authors conclude that Tai Chi practice enhances the brain's cognitive control capacity.
• Tai chi may help prevent falls in older and at-risk adults.
• Vagus Nerve Stimulation Dramatically Reduces Inflammation. Typically, doctors prescribe medications to combat inflammation. However, there's growing evidence that another way to combat inflammation is by engaging the vagus nerve and improving “vagal tone" with mind-body practices such as Qigong.
• Got Depression or Anxiety? Mindfulness Groups Could Be Just What the Doctor Ordered. Virginia Frazier, Psy.D, the director of the Center for Behavioral Health at Spalding University in Louisville, Kentucky, said that mindfulness therapy teaches people to become aware of the present moment in a non-judgmental, compassionate way. On the other hand, CBT teaches people about how their perceptions impact their thoughts, feelings and behaviors, and how to manage their problems by changing the way they “think and behave,” according the National Health Service of the UK. Basically, CBT can focus more on behavioral changes. But mindfulness focuses on embracing things as they are.
• EFT helps patients with PTSD.
• Effect of a Combined Tai Chi, Resistance Training and Dietary Intervention on Cognitive Function in Obese Older Women.
• Fundamentals and Benefits of Qigong. Discover the power of this ancient health care practice, and its variety of movement exercises.
• Confirmed: Mindful Fitness Is On The Rise This Summer. Here Are The Trends You Need To Know About. "Qigong is arguably the original stress reduction tool because it dates back to a time before Lao Tzu, Patanjali, or even The Buddha," says Anthony Korahais, Flowing Zen founder and National Qigong Association board member. "The modern world is falling in love with ancient mindfulness arts because we desperately need to relieve stress and improve healing.
• Knees hurt? From time to time, we may hear people complain that practicing Tai Chi (Taiji) chuan makes their knees hurt. This is ironic since Tai Chi is supposed to help people with various health issues, including knee problems, to be better. Grandmaster Chen Zhenglei addressed this topic during a public speech in Toronto, Canada on June 18, 2017.
• Acupuncture Therapy Decreases Stress in a Large Urban College Population.
• Yoga breathing (pranayama) helps people with COPD.
• Feasibility and Acceptability of Qigong Exercise in Community-Dwelling Older Adults in the United States. An 8-week Qigong exercise program was feasible, acceptable, and safe for American older adults.
• Perspective: Neuroregenerative Nutrition - Key to healthy, active aging. An important component of Chinese culture and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is the principle of ‘Yang Sheng’. ‘Yang’ translates to ‘taking care of, to ‘nourish’ or ‘nurture’ and ‘Sheng’ translates to ‘birth’ and ‘vitality’. Together the words mean to ‘nurture or nourish life’, to ‘foster a state of wellbeing by nurturing mind, body and spirit’. A major component of one's lifestyle, or Yang-Sheng, is nutrition. Proper nutrition is key to mind-body practices like Qigong. The field of regenerative medicine has exploded during the past two decades as a result of the discovery of stem cells in nearly every organ system of the body, including the brain, where neural stem cells persist in discrete areas throughout life. This fact, and the uncovering of the genetic basis of plasticity in somatic cells and cancer stem cells, open a door to a world where maintenance and regeneration of organ systems maintain health and extend life expectancy beyond its present limits.
• The Mind Body-Wellness in Supportive Housing (Mi-WiSH) study: Design and rationale of a cluster randomized controlled trial of Tai Chi in senior housing. A new study by Harvard Medical School that if successful will result in preparation of training and protocol manuals for use in housing facilities across the U.S.
• MEDITATION: IT’S GOOD FOR YOUR BRAIN. Posted by Tucson Digital Media | Jul 7, 2017 | Health. When it comes to doing something good for your cognitive health, skip the “brain games” and try meditation. Regular meditation has proven benefits for your brain, which can sharpen your memory, boost your mood, and make you more compassionate.
• Mindfulness training for teens 'brings them back down to earth.
• Study Shows 8-Week Mindfulness Course Increases Workplace Effectiveness By 6 Percent.
• Meditation and yoga can 'reverse' DNA reactions which cause stress, new study suggests. Mind-body interventions (MBIs) such as meditation, yoga and Tai Chi don't simply relax us; they can 'reverse' the molecular reactions in our DNA which cause ill-health and depression, according to a study.
• Randomized controlled trial shows a mindfulness intervention improves clinical outcomes such as excessive worry and depression and may include some forms of immediate memory performance in older adults with stress disorders and neurocognitive difficulties.
• Self-Efficacy for Coping with Cancer Enhances the Effect of Reiki Treatments During the Pre-Surgery Phase of Breast Cancer Patients.
• Effects of Different Intensity Laser Acupuncture at Two Adjacent Same-meridian Acupoints on Nitric Oxide and Soluble Guanylate Cyclase Releases in Human. Trials have shown mixed results, but a new study shows that something is happening when those needles go in. What’s happening in your body during acupuncture?
• Exercise and gut microbiota: clinical implications for the feasibility of Tai Chi. "Tai Chi is a moderate-intensity exercise that improves immune function and inflammation of the gut. Tai Chi may also affect gut microbiota through vagal modulation and mediating the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis."
• Health benefits of tai chi: What is the evidence? Systematic review finds that there is abundant evidence on the health and fitness effects of tai chi. Based on this, physicians can now offer evidence-based recommendations to their patients
• Systematic review finds cell phone emitted radiations have an adverse effect on salivary glands and facial nerves.
• Tai Chi found to be an effective component of a worksite health promotion program for middle-aged office workers at a high risk of heart disease and other health problems.
• 12-week Tai Chi program improves sympathovagal balance, pain, fatigue, strength and flexibility in women with fibromyalgia.
• To Train an Athlete, Add 12 Minutes of Meditation to the Daily Mix. If athletes practice meditation for a few minutes a day, they may become better able to withstand the mental demands of hours of strenuous physical training, according to an interesting new study of Division I college football players. The study, which compared different types of mental training for stress resilience, could have relevance for anyone planning to start exercising or competing more intensely this summer.
• Meditators and Nonmeditators Differ on Demographic Factors, Health Behaviors, Health Status, and Health Care Access, New Analysis Shows. A new analysis shows that meditators differed from nonmeditators on key factors, such as demographics, health behaviors, health status, and health care access. These results expand on the relatively limited information known about the characteristics of people who practice meditation. The findings, published in the journal BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, are based on data from the 2012 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), a large survey conducted annually by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics.
• Yoga Similar to Physical Therapy in Helping Low-Back Pain in a Diverse Urban Population. Results of a new NCCIH-funded study show yoga and physical therapy offer similar pain-relief and functional benefits to people with low socioeconomic status who had chronic low-back pain. These improvements were greater than self-education; however, they were not considered significant. These findings suggest that a structured yoga program may be an alternative to physical therapy for people with chronic low-back pain, depending on individual preferences, availability, and cost.
• Why Mindfulness Apps Might Be Making You More Anxious
• Neuroscience of Mindfulness: What Happens to Your Brain When You Meditate.
• 13 Health Benefits of Tai Chi, According to Science (+8 Tips for Beginners)
• Psychobehavioral Effects of Meditation. The authors conclude that Tai chi is as effective as sitting meditation ("zazen") for mental health by improving the general well-being, counteracting stress, and leading to a more vigorous spirit. Meditation can be considered a complementary treatment to psychotherapy.
• Endogenous Bioelectric Signaling Networks: Exploiting Voltage Gradients for Control of Growth and Form. Traditional Chinese Medicine's Eight-Meridian (or Extraordinary Vessel) theory describes the formation and flow of energy through the body. Qi follows Eight Extraordinary vessels which comprise an energetic blueprint of the body. Among other things, these vessels are responsible for growth, development, and aging. Developmental bioelectricity is an emerging discipline that researches endogenous bioelectric signaling among many cell types to regulate pattern formation. Bioelectriciity is responsible for the dynamic control of complex anatomy and its growth and developmental transformations through aging. The authors especially note the possibilities of studying ionic activity in the brain to better understand the function of bioelectricity in the body.
• Yoga found as effective as physical therapy for chronic lower back pain.
• Qigong, Tai Chi, and Yoga recommended for cancer survivors.
• Diaphragmatic breathing, the most common form of breathing in Qigong, improves sustained attention and reduces negative emotions and cortisol levels in healthy adults.
• What Is the Molecular Signature of Mind–Body Interventions? A Systematic Review of Gene Expression Changes Induced by Meditation and Related Practices
• Mindfulness and meditation dampen down inflammation genes
• Tai Chi helps patients with major depression.
• Neuroprotective and Anti-Aging Potentials of Essential Oils from Aromatic and Medicinal Plants. The authors conclude: "Essential oils were effective on several pathological targets and have improved cognitive performance in animal models and human subjects. Thus, EOs can be developed as multi-potent agents against neurological disorders with better efficacy, safety and cost effectiveness."
• Tai Chi reduces stress levels in healthy individuals and provides a safer, cost effective, and less physically vigorous alternative to regular exercise.
• Meditation could be a cheaper alternative to traditional pain medication, study suggests
• Duke cancer patients turn to Tai Chi to heal body, soothe anxiety.
• Can Tai Chi Boost Your Health Through Epigenetics?
• Systematic review finds Tai Chi and Qigong improve motor function, depression, and quality of life in Parkinson's patients.
• At least eighty percent of brain grey matter is modifiable by physical activity: A review study.
• Healing, spirituality and integrative medicine.
• The Use of Yoga by Physical Therapists in the United States.
• Participation trends in holistic movement practices: a 10-year comparison of yoga/Pilates and t'ai chi/qigong use among a national sample of 195,926 Australians. Participation rates in yoga/Pilates and t'ai chi/qigong in Australia were low and relatively stable. As fitness activities increased in popularity across the decade, holistic movement practices did not. These findings point to the need to investigate activity-specific barriers and facilitators to participation, including intrapersonal, interpersonal, organisational, and environmental factors.
• Protocol for the MATCH study: Mindfulness and Tai Chi for cancer health a preference-based multi-site randomized comparative effectiveness trial (CET) of Mindfulness-Based Cancer Recovery (MBCR) vs. Tai Chi/Qigong (TCQ) for cancer survivors.
• Meditation reduces cancer survivors' fear of disease coming back, study finds
• Tai Chi Effective, Affordable Alternative to CBT-I for Insomnia in Breast Cancer Survivors.
• We Have A ‘Force Field’ Around Our Bodies And Here’s How You Can Feel It. According to Medical Qigong theory there is a protective energy field around the body called the wei qi ("way chee") field. This electromagnetic energy field has a number of functions including extending past the skin to offer protection against a vast array of harmful energies and pathogens. It can be considered the body's energetic immune system. Internal organs generate this field which radiates through external tissues and interacts with surrounding environmental fields. In this article neruoscience researchers describe how they figured out a way to "feel" this invisible field or bubble that wraps around each of us.
• Music helps people with dementia.
• Music helps manage symptoms of pain, insomnia, and anxiety in critically ill patients.
• A Pilot, Randomized Controlled Study of Tai Chi With Passive and Active Controls in the Treatment of Depressed Chinese Americans. Tai Chi helps patients with depression.
• Electromagnetic Fields, Pulsed Radiofrequency Radiation, and Epigenetics: How Wireless Technologies May Affect Childhood Development. Mobile phones and other wireless devices that produce electromagnetic fields (EMF) and pulsed radiofrequency radiation (RFR) are widely documented to cause potentially harmful health impacts that can be detrimental to young people. New epigenetic studies are profiled in this review to account for some neurodevelopmental and neurobehavioral changes due to exposure to wireless technologies. Symptoms of retarded memory, learning, cognition, attention, and behavioral problems have been reported in numerous studies and are similarly manifested in autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorders, as a result of EMF and RFR exposures where both epigenetic drivers and genetic (DNA) damage are likely contributors.
• Restoring Balance for People with Cancer Through Integrative Oncology. Qigong is a major component of integrative oncology.
• Meta-Analysis concludes that Qigong may be the optimal exercise for lowering blood pressure in hypertensive patients.
• The effects of Tai Chi on physical function and well-being among persons with Parkinson's Disease: A systematic review.
• Immortal Sisters Conference. August 25-30 2017. New York. The mission of the Immortal Sisters Conference is to gather together women practitioners and enthusiasts of Chi Kung and Taoist spirituality. Our intention is to inspire, learn, empower and share the ancient wisdom of “Returning to the Tao”. Our goal is to cultivate balance for women’s lives and for Mother Earth in an overly yang society. The conference celebrates and supports women in their endeavors to create a better world and gives them a safe space to share and learn from each other. This special female “esprit de corp” (feeling of loyalty, enthusiasm, and devotion) can fuel the fire of creativity and spiritual understanding and help us move forward personally and collectively. The conference is inspired by Thomas Cleary’s book, Immortal Sisters: Secret Teachings of Taoist Women, that presents life stories and teachings of distinguished female Taoist adepts who lived from the third to twelfth centuries. These accomplished women, renowned in their own day and throughout history, represent a uniquely female heritage of spiritual mastery.
• Mindfulness & Meditation: What’s the Difference?
• Modified Qigong Breathing Exercise for Reducing the Sense of Hunger on an Empty Stomach. Qigong provides comfort in different circumstances, such as lack of regular meals, limited volume or caloric diet, and even during temporary complete absence of food in therapeutic fasting.
• One- And Two-year Outcomes of Treating Preschool Children with Autism with a Qigong Massage Protocol: An Observational Follow-along Study
• Study of Qigong Massage on Elementary School-Aged Children with Autism Shows Promising Results
• EFFECT OF "TAI CHI" EXERCISE ON ANTIOXIDANT ENZYMES ACTIVITIES AND IMMUNITY FUNCTION IN MIDDLE-AGED PARTICIPANTS.
• Tai-Chi-Chuan Exercise Improves Pulmonary Function and Decreases Exhaled Nitric Oxide Level in Both Asthmatic and Nonasthmatic Children and Improves Quality of Life in Children with Asthma.
• Tai Chi Chih (TCC), a mindful movement meditation that is essentially Qigong, was found to be equivalent to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), the gold standard for behavioral treatment of insomnia. Both CBT and TCC produce clinically meaningful improvements in insomnia.
• German systematic review of recent research concludes that the meditative movement therapies of Tai Chi and Qi Gong are strongly recommended for fibromyalgia.
• Tai Chi Relieves Insomnia in Breast Cancer Survivors. Study shows that slow-moving meditation practice works just as well as talk therapy, and better than medication.
• Breathe Deeply: Mindfulness coming to a school near you
• WebMD - Tai Chi and Qi Gong
• Higher DHEAS Levels Associated with Long-Term Practicing of Tai Chi.
• Here’s How You Can Use Meditation To Change Your Brain. From the article: "...scientists assert that using proprioceptive input to ground your body is helpful when attempting to reach a meditative state. Research has shown that this kind of pressure results in a reduction in cortisol levels and an increase in serotonin production, decreasing your heart rate and blood pressure." The article is basically an ad for something called a gravity blanket. But it makes a good point about proprioception which is a key component of Qigong and Tai Chi. More about proprioception.
• Whole body vibration, a form of spontaneous Qigong, increases bone mineral density in elderly osteoporotic individuals.
• Tai Chi 'could be prescribed' for illnesses
• Effect of Tai Ji Quan training on self-reported sleep quality in elderly Chinese women with knee osteoarthritis: a randomized controlled trail.
• Harvard Medical School Mindfulness techniques. Different meditations to achieve focus, relaxation. The goal of any mindfulness technique is to achieve a state of alert, focused relaxation by deliberately paying attention to thoughts and sensations without judgment. This can help you refocus on the present moment.
• Mental Qigong can be just as rewarding as its physical cousin. New research shows that mental practice of Wu Qin Xi (five animals play) is a suitable alternative therapeutic intervention to physical dynamic Qigong training.
• Why Tai Chi Is As Good For You As CrossFit
• Harvard Medical School endorses Tai Chi for the elderly.
• Iranian study finds exposure to mobile phones during pregnancy induces oxidative stress in the tissues of women and their children.
• Psychological Benefits of Yoga for Female Inmates.
• Systematic review finds Tai Chi helps people with multiple sclerosis.
• Tai Chi helps patients with type 2 diabetes.
• Exercise interventions for cognitive function in adults older than 50: a systematic review with meta-analysis. Tai Chi improves cognitive function of people over 50.
• Certain types of exercise help keep your mind sharp as you get older. Tai chi is an option for people who might not be able to cope with vigorous exercise.
• Literature review determines that tai chi, meditation, and yoga significantly improve symptoms of ADHD among children.
• This Low-Impact Workout Has Been Proven To Reduce Inflammation And Target Stubborn Belly Fat—But You’ve Probably Never Even Heard Of It. "Qigong (pronounced "chee-gung") is an ancient Chinese practice that boasts many well-documented health benefits and is quickly gaining popularity in the West. Simply imagine the meditative powers of yoga + the low-impact strengthening movements in tai chi + the feel-good endorphins of a runner's high. That's qigong."
• Precision knockdown of EGFR gene expression using radio frequency electromagnetic energy. And on the energy medicine side of things....Electromagnetic fields (EMF) in the radio frequency energy (RFE) range can affect cells at the molecular level. This technology opens vast possibilities of targeting a broad range of molecules with applications in medicine.
• Technology and Mindfulness. "the problem behind our unbearable stress levels and the root cause of most of it lies in our mind. We never think about this, but our inability to understand and manage an ongoing stream of thoughts is the root cause our daily suffering. And this prevents us from living a good quality personal life, and to perform with balance at work."
• A Business Professor's Fitness Secret: Qigong. If you google the article title you may be able to read a version of it. Regardless, it is nice to see Qigong in the Wall Street Journal.
• Whole body vibration improves postural balance performance and muscle power output in patients with COPD. Whole body vibration is a form of spontaneous Qigong. More on spontaneous Qigong.
• Tai Chi improves physical and mental health of older adults.
• Commentary: A Breathing-Based Meditation Intervention for Patients with Major Depressive Disorder Following Inadequate Response to Antidepressants: A Randomized Pilot Study
• Growing Young: 6 Powerful Exercises for Initiating DNA Repair and Cellular Rejuvenation. "Researchers found that the DNA repair rate of people with cancer in remission compared to healthy people was much slower. The patients in remission were then taught qigong stress-reducing techniques. Following three months of practice, their cell repair rate had nearly doubled. It is conceivable that the “new” energy medicines of qigong and vibrational sound can affect the erratic energy of DNA and stimulate cellular rejuvenation."
• Energy Expenditure in Vinyasa Yoga versus Walking. YOGA meets the criteria for moderate-intensity physical activity.
• The efficacy of Guolin-Qigong (GLQG) on the body-mind health of Chinese women with breast cancer: a randomized controlled trial. GLQG was more effective in terms of improvement in Quality of life and immunological functions than physical stretching. Both programs brought improvements in anxiety or depression. Guo Lin was a Chinese artist and dancer who cured herself of cancer through the practice of Qigong over a ten year period. She modified an old family form of Qigong which she started teaching to cancer patients and people with chronic illness. Her qigong eventually spread throughout China and to some Western countries. In addition to providing a method to treat cancer, Guo Lin basically invented the idea and practice of social oncology. More on GLQG: Qigong for Cancer.
• Health Benefits of tai chi. CFP MFC -- The official journal of the College of Family Physicians of Canada. There are 5 conditions that had many systematic reviews showing consistent evidence of benefit for tai chi: preventing falls in older adults in the community, osteoarthritis, Parkinson disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and cognitive functioning.
• Google rediscovers wu-wei. One of the fundamental concepts in Taoism and the practice of Qigong is the notion of wu-wei. It can be roughly translated as action through non-action, or not-doing. Think of the action of water, always finding the path of least resistance as it flows yet gradually over time overcoming all obstacles by wearing them down or cutting through them. But it more appropriately means not overdoing, not wasting energy, and only using as much energy as is needed in any particular situation. Another way of looking at it is being in the flow, like an olympic athlete during competition or anyone engaged in their particular art. You might have to suffer through an ad before the video comes on. More on wu-wei on the Qigong Institute website: Spiritual Qigong.
• Secular Mindfulness-Based Interventions: Efficacy and Neurobiology. The authors conclude that clinical mindfulness interventions can result in rapid initiation of structural brain changes.
• Development and Feasibility of a Group-Based Therapeutic Yoga Program for Women with Chronic Pelvic Pain. Yoga helped women to self-manage pain and improve quality of life and sexual function.
• Current Understanding of the Health Effects of Electromagnetic Fields. A recent study showed a link between EMF radiation and the development of malignant tumors in rats. In light of that study, the American Academy of Pediatrics set out new recommendations to decrease the adverse effects of cellphone exposure on children. [Pediatr Ann. 2017;46(4):e172-e174.].
• Examination of the Perceptions of Registered Nurses Regarding the Use of Healing Touch in the Acute Care Setting. Training in Healing Touch provides one avenue for nurses and health care providers to provide compassionate care.
• Effects of Healing Touch on Postsurgical Adult Outpatients. Healing touch is a form of qi transmission in Qigong. The authors conclude that healing touch decreases anxiety, may be appropriate for pain reduction, and may decrease the amount of narcotics needed postoperatively.
• Mindfulness Group Therapy Can Be as Good as Individual CBT for Many Psychiatric Symptoms.
• For-profit meditation centers are the new yoga studios. The richly appointed meditation centers popping up around town are the latest to cash in on the boutique wellness trend.
• 9 surprising ways meditation changes your brain
• Sexual intimacy in couples is associated with longer telomere length.
• Tai Chi Beats Depression. At the meeting of the American Psychiatric Association in Toronto, Canada, UCLA investigator Dr. Helen Lavretsky presented a study on depression and tai chi. Compared to health education classes, depression symptoms in volunteers participating in tai chi classes were significantly less prominent. The tai chi group also had better cognitive abilities and physical functioning, as well as declines in a blood marker for inflammation.
• The Microcosmic Orbit – Taoist Secret of Higher Consciousness. The human body is endowed with spiritual anatomy, using energy to support life and consciousness. As a microcosm of the universe, the energetic circulatory system of the body mirrors the patterns found in the cosmos. The practices of Qi Gong, Tai Chi, Kundalini Yoga, and energetic meditations focus on the development of chi and pranic energy.
• Mitochondria as Chi
• Using Tai Chi to Reduce Fall Risk Factors Among Older Adults: An Evaluation of a Community-Based Implementation. A 12-week Tai Chi program was implemented by novice instructors, was well-received by older adults, and effectively reduced fall risk. This is another great result from Fuzhong Li of the Oregon Research Institute and his Tai Ji Quan: Moving for Better Balance protocol.  Also notable is the fact that novice instructors were able to achieve these results. The National Expert Meeting on Qi Gong and Tai Chi recommended the use of novice instructors to be able to get Qigong and Tai Chi out to larger populations than would otherwise be possible with a limited number of trained teachers and masters.
• Why Qigong May Be The Perfect Mind, Body, and Spirit Exercise.
• Systematic review finds mindfulness meditation and yoga decrease blood pressure (BP) in patients who have hypertension. Qigong Institute founder Dr. Ken Sancier described how Qigong lowers blood pressure in hypertension in his classic 'Anti-Aging Benefits of Qigong' published in 1996. In this ground-breaking research Dr. Sancier also concluded that a combination therapy of Qigong and drugs was superior to drug therapy alone.  Likewise, the researchers found that meditation and yoga are effective alternatives to pharmacotherapy.
• Mindfulness practice recommended in integrative oncology. Mindfulness practice during chemotherapy can reduce the blunting of neuroendocrine profiles typically observed in cancer patients.
• World Tai Chi and Qigong Day "24 Hours of Peace" Livestream 2017. World Tai Chi and Qigong Day April 29, 2017 is fast approaching. There is still time to order t-shirts. Also, for the last several years, Tai Chi Master/Champion, David Dorian Ross has hosted a 24 hour marathon of World Tai Chi & Qigong Day events LIVESTREAMING FROM AROUND THE GLOBE, beginning with live streaming and chats with New Zealand WTCQD organizers, and then spreading around the planet for 24 hours. ... AND YOU AND YOUR LOCAL EVENT CAN BE A PART OF THIS HISTORIC EVENT ... BUT YOU HAVE TO CONTACT LIVESTREAM ORGANIZERS AND GET SCHEDULED AND A QUICK EASY TRAINING ON HOW TO USE YOUR SMARTPHONE TO LIVESTREAM YOUR LOCAL EVENT AND INTERVIEWS WITH LOCAL ORGANIZERS AND PARTICIPANTS. THERE ARE ONLY 6 SPOTS AVAILABLE FOR EACH OF THE EARTH'S TIME ZONES, SO CONTACT 24HOURSWORLDPEACE BELOW NOW TO SCHEDULE YOUR EVENT TO BE PART OF HISTORY ... To get involved in the "24 Hours of Peace" WTCQD Livestream 2017, Contact: 24hrsworldpeace@gmail.com. Margaret Reeves is turning over the front end organizing of David-Dorian Ross's "24 Hours of World Peace" Livestream video event involving World Tai Chi & Qigong Day organizers worldwide "livestreaming" their events to a new Facebook based format, rather than Youtube format (like last year). This change to FB will make it much easier to spread our global livestream of WTCQD events happening worldwide throughout the digital world.
• 6 Qigong Exercises for Cultivating Healing Energy.
• Systematic review finds Baduanjin Qigong practice is beneficial for quality of life, sleep quality, balance, handgrip strength, trunk flexibility, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and resting heart rate.
• Tai Chi improves body stability among the elderly during stair descent under different levels of illumination.
• Tai Chi balance-focused exercise program enhances functional fitness of older adults at risk of falling.
• How slow breathing makes you relaxed
• Serenity Now: Relaxation Techniques for MS, Part Two. Qigong is recommended for MS.
• China nominates Tai Chi for UNESCO list.
• Tai Chi May Improve Alzheimer’s Disease Symptoms. Certified personal trainer and health fitness specialist, Denise Murray talks about the use of different colored Tai Chi sticks for simple exercises designed to help those with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.
• Qigong in Cancer Care - a new documentary video. Harvard cancer researchers endorse an ancient holistic practice of well-being in an award-winning short film, available for free online. BUFFALO, New York (March 30, 2017) - Research has shown that practice of Qigong, in addition to the related holistic practice of Tai Chi, can improve cancer-related quality of life. Various types of exercise are recommended for cancer recovery in general, and Qigong in specific is an ancient Eastern system of mindful exercise practiced for health, healing, longevity, and - in which a new independent film potently illustrates - cancer recovery. A recently released short film, Cultivating Life Energy: Qigong in Cancer Care, describes qigong in general, and explains how this 4,000-year old holistic system for well-being shows promising therapeutic benefit for patients affected by cancer. Featured in the film are leading experts from scientific and related fields, including researchers from Harvard Medical School; further included are the testimonials of US, Canadian and Australian cancer-patients who regularly practice qigong. Collectively, these individuals in the half-hour film make a compelling case for the merits of qigong as a viable component able to fluidly harmonize with a wide range of cancer-treatment regimens.
• Taiji (Tai Chi) For Fall Prevention in the Elderly: Training the Trainers Evaluation Project. A large barrier to dissemination of Qigong and Tai Chi to larger populations, especially older adults through programs such as fall prevention, is the lack of qualified teachers. One of the main conclusions in the 2005 National Expert Meeting on Qi Gong and Tai Chi consensus report was that "The experts were willing to concede that a short, high intensity weekend course (14 to 16 hours) with a clearly defined internship or practicum may substitute for longer formal training activities for individuals with prior knowledge in exercise/health and well-developed teaching skills." This research confirmed that brief, intensive weekend training can increase the available workforce to train the elderly in fundamentals of Taiji for fall prevention. For more information see The National Expert Meeting on Qi Gong and Tai Chi.
• Tai Chi benefits patients with knee osteoarthritis as much as supervised physiotherapy.
• Massachusetts Prevention and Wellness Trust Fund recommends Tai Chi as a clinical and community intervention for falls prevention. Older adult falls continue to be a public health priority across the United States—Massachusetts (MA) being no exception. The MA Prevention and Wellness Trust Fund (PWTF) program within the MA Department of Public Health aims to reduce the physical and economic burdens of chronic health conditions by linking evidence-based clinical care with community intervention programs. The paper includes discussion of issues involved with making falls prevention methods available to large populations, such as creating clinical and community partnerships, patient referrals, and sustainable reimbursement mechanisms.
• Meditation increases functional connectivity among brain regions associated with executive function during active meditation.
• Meditation helps female inmates.
• Tai Chi Encourages Calm. So Why Are Its Chinese Fans Stressing Out?
• Electroacupuncture Promotes CNS-Dependent Release of Mesenchymal Stem Cells. More evidence of actual physiological affects of acupuncture.
• 8-week yoga intervention results in statistically and clinically significant reduction in depression severity.
• Brief Mental Training Reorganizes Large-Scale Brain Networks. Brief mental training alters the functional connectivity of large-scale brain networks at rest that may involve a portion of the neural circuitry supporting attention, cognitive and affective processing, awareness and sensory integration and reward processing.
• The UK government will teach eight-year-olds mindfulness to tackle spike in kids’ mental health problems.
• Mindfulness 101: How to Pay Attention to the Patterns in Your Life
• Consumer Reports: Consider Tai Chi for Back Pain. Evidence suggests these gentle, meditative moves can help alleviate aches and lift your spirits.
• Meditation, Nutrition, Fitness: One 'Party School' Tries To Tame The College Brain
• 5 Mind-Body Practices That Treat Your Telomeres Right - Qigong, Tai Chi, and Meditation.
• Find your calm through tai chi and qigong
• Study finds physical activity is associated with longer telomeres and longer life.
• Should meditation replace detention in schools? A Wisconsin school has replaced detention with meditation and is seeing incredible results. 
• Inclusion of Tai Chi on UNESCO World Heritage List Urged. The Chinese Peasants and Workers Democratic Party (CPWDP) will propose the inclusion of Tai Chi on the UNESCO World Intangible Cultural Heritage List at the upcoming annual Two Sessions, in an effort to protect and promote the traditional sport. CPWDP is now calling for the establishment of a national Tai Chi center, as well as the introduction of martial arts to universities and medical research facilities. Authorities hope these changes can increase academic research on Tai Chi.
• How the Body and Brain Achieve Carpal Tunnel Pain Relief via Acupuncture. "New research describes how acupuncture may achieve local pain-relieving effects in people with carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) while also showing effects of the technique in the brain’s pain centers. The study, funded in part by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health and conducted by a multicenter team of scientists at Massachusetts General Hospital, Logan University, the Korean Institute of Oriental Medicine, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates/Atrium Health, and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, is the first sham-controlled neuroimaging acupuncture study for CTS. It was published in the journal Brain".
• Qigong improves autonomic function and benefits a range of health measures.
• Acupuncture provides long-term reduction in migraine recurrence compared with sham acupuncture.
• The case for Tai Chi in the repertoire of strategies to prevent falls among older people.Tai Chi may be as effective or more effective than other exercise-based strategies for preventing falls among older people who are not frail. Tai Chi may be as cost-effective or more cost-effective to deliver than other fall prevention strategies. Tai Chi may receive higher uptake and adherence rates than other exercise-based interventions to prevent falls. Tai Chi may be as effective or more effective in preventing falls among older people with dementia.
• Tai Chi Exercise for Patients with Chronic Heart Failure: A Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. This study confirms that Tai Chi may be an effective cardiac rehabilitation method for patients with chronic heart failure.
• Qigong in Cancer Care: Theory, Evidence-Base, and Practice. Abstract: Background: The purpose of this discussion is to explore the theory, evidence base, and practice of Qigong for individuals with cancer. Questions addressed are: What is qigong? How does it work? What evidence exists supporting its practice in integrative oncology? What barriers to wide-spread programming access exist? Methods: Sources for this discussion include a review of scholarly texts, the Internet, PubMed, field observations, and expert opinion. Results: Qigong is a gentle, mind/body exercise integral within Chinese medicine. Theoretical foundations include Chinese medicine energy theory, psychoneuroimmunology, the relaxation response, the meditation effect, and epigenetics. Research supports positive effects on quality of life (QOL), fatigue, immune function and cortisol levels, and cognition for individuals with cancer. There is indirect, scientific evidence suggesting that qigong practice may positively influence cancer prevention and survival. No one Qigong exercise regimen has been established as superior. Effective protocols do have common elements: slow mindful exercise, easy to learn, breath regulation, meditation, emphasis on relaxation, and energy cultivation including mental intent and self-massage. Conclusions: Regular practice of Qigong exercise therapy has the potential to improve cancer-related QOL and is indirectly linked to cancer prevention and survival. Wide-spread access to quality Qigong in cancer care programming may be challenged by the availability of existing programming and work force capacity
• Self-Healing Retreat for Cancer Patients. After three successful retreats in 2015 and 2016, the Center for Integrative Medicine at University of Maryland is offering another retreat for cancer patients and their families in April 23-29, 2017. Different from most existing cancer therapies, this mind-body program does not target at cancer or tumor itself, but focuses on improving the inner environment that cultivated cancer growth in the first place, and that will let relapse occur after removal of tumors. This Qigong self-healing retreat will help change the environment that produced cancer (such as perception of stress, emotional disturbance, relationship with others and nutrition), and offer real sense of recovery from cancer.
• EEG Brain Activity in Dynamic Health Qigong Training: Same Effects for Mental Practice and Physical Training? Mental, as well as physical Qigong training, increases alpha activity and therefore induces a relaxed state of mind. The observed differences in theta activity indicate different attentional processes in physical and mental Qigong training. Mental practice of Qigong entails a high degree of internalized attention that correlates with theta activity.
• Weekly Tai Chi exercise sessions may reduce stroke risk by lowering high blood pressure and increasing the good cholesterol, or high-density lipoprotein (HDL), according to research presented at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference 2017.
• Meta-analysis finds long-term use of mobile phone increases risk of intracranial tumors.
• Symposium for Integrative Health Tai Chi Retreat. This symposium will be held on Sept 8 - 10, 2017 at Maris Stella Retreat Center, Harvey Cedars, Long Beach Island, NJ. The organizers of this new event are looking for academic papers and practitioner presentations on a range of topics including leadership, entrepreneurship, innovation, wellness, integrated healthcare and integrative health practices (including Tai Chi, Qigong, Meditation, Yoga, Pilates, Massage Therapy, Nutrition Therapy, Support Group Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Chiropractic, Reiki, Acupuncture, Alternative/Complementary Medicine). This event will be a mixture of academics, and workshops of all kinds. For the first time, the academic program will include a published conference proceedings. Call for Papers. 
• Medical Yoga Therapy. Abstract: Medical yoga is defined as the use of yoga practices for the prevention and treatment of medical conditions. Beyond the physical elements of yoga, which are important and effective for strengthening the body, medical yoga also incorporates appropriate breathing techniques, mindfulness, and meditation in order to achieve the maximum benefits. Multiple studies have shown that yoga can positively impact the body in many ways, including helping to regulate blood glucose levels, improve musculoskeletal ailments and keeping the cardiovascular system in tune. It also has been shown to have important psychological benefits, as the practice of yoga can help to increase mental energy and positive feelings, and decrease negative feelings of aggressiveness, depression and anxiety.
• Tai Chi can be used as an effective intervention to improve waist circumference and blood pressure in the elderly.
• Indian systematic review finds "evidence linking mobile phone use and risk of brain tumours especially in long-term users (≥10 years). Studies with higher quality showed a trend towards high risk of brain tumour, while lower quality showed a trend towards lower risk/protection.".
• What is proprioception? Proprioception is a key component of the practice of Qigong and Tai Chi. More on proprioception and Tai Chi.
• Stop Back Pain Without Drugs. New guidelines recommend exercise, massage and other nondrug therapies before resorting to painkillers.Non-drug treatments, like exercise, massage, spinal manipulation, and acupuncture, were all recommended in the 2007 guidelines. Tai chi and mindfulness-based stress reduction are new additions.
• American College of Physicians recommends nonpharmacolgic treatments for chronic low back pain that include acupuncture, meditation, tai chi and yoga.
• Canadian systematic review finds Tai Chi and Qigong improve quality of life, reduce pain, and increase physical function in patients with knee osteoarthritis.
• Systematic review finds Tai Chi is effective for preventing falls in older adults.
• Tai Chi and Qigong prevent cognitive decline.
• Preliminary validation of an exercise program suitable for pregnant women with abnormal glucose metabolism: inhibitory effects of Tai Chi Yuttari-exercise on plasma glucose elevation.
• Systematic review finds Tai Chi improves quality of life and functional balance in MS patients.
• Reiki reduces pain, blood pressure, respiration rate, and anxiety in patients undergoing knee replacement.
• Mindful Aging: The Effects of Regular Brief Mindfulness Practice on Electrophysiological Markers of Cognitive and Affective Processing in Older Adults. Results indicate that engaging in mindfulness meditation training improves the maintenance of goal-directed visuospatial attention and may be a useful strategy for counteracting cognitive decline associated with aging.
• The Effects of Exposure to Low Frequency Electromagnetic Fields in the Treatment of Migraine Headache. The number and severity of migraine headaches were correlated significantly with an increased use of mobile phones during day and Wi-Fi per week. 
• World's first Chinese Medical Qigong Museum to open in Xuzhou in mid-March, 2017. Anyone wishing to go to the opening of the museum with a group are invited to contact Effie Chow (eastwestqi@aol.com) who will be going for 7 to 10 days arriving in Xuzhou on March 23. Dr. Wang Yan is spearheading the effort to establish the museum. He writes: "In China, six cities have proposed to establish “Chinese Medical Qigong Museum” for me as follows: Xu Zhou ,where I grew up; Shanghai, the world intangible cultural heritage inheritance base; Mount Huang in Anhui Province; Mount Xian Yu; Mount Wu Yi in Fujian Province and Lake Wolong near Nanjing. I have now started to set up the museum in Xuzhou that was a grant from the government. It is a very beautiful traditional building located at the shore of Lake Pan On. "
• The role of touch in acupuncture treatment. "Achieving the appropriate de qi sensation appears to be fundamental to the therapeutic outcome following acupuncture treatment. In the affective dimension, the acupuncture procedure typically includes gentle manual touch stimulation, which induces feelings of calm and well-being, perhaps by activating C tactile fibres. Because acupuncture is a 'therapist intensive' and complex intervention, it is necessary to understand the role of social touch between the practitioner and patient. Both sensory-discriminative and affective-social touch aspects play an important role in the therapeutic effect of acupuncture treatment in clinical practice."
• Group Qigong for Adolescent Inpatients with Anorexia Nervosa (AN): Incentives and Barriers. The authors conclude that "Qigong appears to be an interesting therapeutic tool that may potentiate psychotherapy and contribute to the recovery process of patients with AN."
• National Qigong Association Qi Talks with Solala Towler Thursday, February 9, 2017 8:30pm Eastern - Practicing the Tao Te Ching: 81 Steps on the Way. Solala Towler is past president and founding board member of the NQA and has practiced the Taoist arts for over 25 years. He is author of Tales From the Tao, The Tao of Intimacy and Ecstasy, and more. He has been editor of The Empty Vessel: The Journal of Taoist Philosophy and Practice since 1993 and teaches qigong, sacred Taoist gongfu tea ceremony, and sound healing at conferences and workshops around the country. He also leads tours to China to study in the sacred Taoist mountains of Wudang. For more information on Solala’s programs visit www.abodetao.com. Most people think of the Tao Te Ching as a book of philosophy or a treatise on leadership. Yet there is a little known treasure hidden deep within the familiar passages of Lao Tzu’s work: step-by-step practical guidance for the spiritual journey. In this new work from Solala Towler, he pairs a practice to each of the 81 chapters of Lao Tzu’s work, thereby allowing the reader/student to grasp each chapter, not with their mind, but with their chi body. In this talk, we will be focusing on how the Tao Te Ching can be used as a manual for self-cultivation.
• National Qigong Assocation Research and Education Committee releases the second installment in a series of short papers on understanding Evidence-Based Practice (EBP). This the second installment of a series of short papers on understanding Evidence-Based Practice for the Qigong instructor/clinician issued from the NQA Research and Education Committee. The purpose of the series is to better inform interested members on how to use emerging research to validate and market practice to potential clients, referring health providers, and third-party payers. This installment: The Proof, explores basic concepts of causal research within the scientific method. 
• Tai Chi practice results in neck pain improvement due to increased postural awareness. Neck pain improvement was significantly associated with changes in postural awareness in subject with chronic non-specific neck pain independent of treatment characteristics. Training of postural awareness might be an important mechanism of action of different exercise-based interventions for chronic neck pain.
• The Fundamental Reasons Why Laptop Computers should not be Used on Your Lap. Using laptop computers on the lap adversely affects the male reproductive health.
• Auricular acupressure relieves nausea and vomiting caused by chemotherapy among breast cancer patients.
• Baduanjin Mind-Body Intervention (Qigong) Improves the Executive Control Function.
• Salute to the sun: a new dawn in yoga therapy for breast cancer. The evidence supports the use of yoga therapy to improve the physical and psychosocial Quality of Life for breast cancer patients with a range of benefits relevant to radiation therapy. 
• 12-week Tai Chi class improves kidney disease quality of life and physical functioning in hemodialysis patients.
• Breathing as a Fundamental Rhythm of Brain Function. Ongoing cortical activity is driven by proprioceptive and interoceptive inputs. In addition, it is partially intrinsically generated in which case it may be related to mental processes. Here we argue that respiration, via multiple sensory pathways, contributes a rhythmic component to the ongoing cortical activity. We suggest that this rhythmic activity modulates the temporal organization of cortical neurodynamics, thereby linking higher cortical functions to the process of breathing.
• Experimental Research in the Application of Qigong (Deep Breathing) Exercises to Restore Intelligence for Mentally Handicapped Children. 2000 CIA report: "Practical results prove that Qigong intelligence recovery therapy can alter the state of low functional ability of the cerebral brain cells of mentally handicapped children. It only requires enough time for such Qigong intelligence restoration therapy, and the intelligence of feeble-minded children can be raised even to normal levels".
• Acupuncture for chronic pain and depression in primary care: a programme of research. Acupuncture was more effective than both usual care and sham acupuncture for chronic pain. Acupuncture is one of the more clinically effective physical therapies for osteoarthritis and is also cost-effective.
• Qigong helps non-Hodgkin's lymphoma patients. The findings of this study indicate that the 21-day Chan- Chuang qigong can reduce fatigue intensity and fatigue interference, and improved white blood cell counts, haemoglobin levels, sleep quality, and quality of life for patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma who had undergone the first course of chemotherapy.
• Effects of tai chi qigong on psychosocial well-being among hidden elderly, using elderly neighborhood volunteer approach: a pilot randomized controlled trial. The pilot study confirmed that tai chi qigong with elderly neighborhood volunteers is a safe and feasible social intervention for hidden elderly. Its potential benefits in improving social and psychological health suggest the need for a full-scale randomized controlled trial to reveal its empirical effects.
• The potential yield of Tai Chi in cancer survivorship. Tai Chi is an understudied but promising tool to increase light physical activity levels with additive meditative benefits in cancer survivors and thus improving survival outcomes (e.g., reduction in cancer recurrence, improved psychosocial health and cognitive function). The mechanisms of such impact and the potential of scaled-up Tai Chi implementation in cancer survivors are largely unknown. Given the likelihood for high acceptability of Tai Chi among this particularly vulnerable population, with their distinctive challenges and the potential positive impact on survival, research is urgently needed to uncover and understand mechanistic pathways for Tai Chi to improve cancer survival and to ultimately become part of routine care.
• Bone Mineral Density, Balance Performance, Balance Self-Efficacy, and Falls in Breast Cancer Survivors With and Without Qigong Training. Hong Kong study finds Qigong improves the balance performance and balance self-efficacy of breast cancer survivors.
• Prevalence of Mindfulness Practices in the US Workforce: National Health Interview Survey. This survey includes Qigong and Tai Chi. Reported yoga practice prevalence nearly doubled from 6.0% in 2002 to 11.0% in 2012; meditation rates increased from 8.0% in 2002 to 9.9% in 2007. Mindfulness practice was significantly lower among farm workers and blue-collar workers than among white-collar workers. According to the survey, the rates of engagement in the "lesser-known practices of tai chi and qigong" did not substantially change from 2002 to 2012.
• Promoting Healthy Transition to College through Mindfulness Training with 1st year College Students: Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial. Mindfulness-based programs may be an effective strategy to enhance a healthy transition into college.
• Yoga helps kids with ADHD.
• A comparison of the effects of medical Qigong and standard exercise therapy on symptoms and quality of life in patients with advanced cancer.
• Randomized controlled trial finds that oscillatory whole-body vibration improves exercise capacity and physical performance in pulmonary patients. Whole-body vibration is a form of Spontaneous Qigong.
• Meditation and Music Improve Memory and Cognitive Function in Adults with Subjective Cognitive Decline: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.
• Qigong helps relieve facial tension and paralysis in Bell's palsy patients.
• Tai Chi improves postural stability in healthy older adults.
• 4-week whole-body vibration improves bone mineral density. Whole-body vibration is one form of spontaneous Qigong.
• Functional Genomic and Neurological Correlates of Mind-Body Therapies. Mind-body practices elicit changes in sympathetic nervous system activation of gene transcription factors involved in immune function and inflammation and create persistent changes in neural function and morphology associated with these practices. Mind-body therapies are immunomodulatory, with effects on leukocyte transcription and function related to inflammatory and innate immune responses, and neuromodulatory, with effects on brain function and morphology relevant for attention, learning, and emotion regulation.
• One month meditation retreat yields improvements in mindfulness, well-being, and personality, even in experienced meditators. Non-attachment might facilitate psychological improvements of meditation.
• Whole-body vibration (a form of spontaneous Qigong) benefits older adults.
• World Tai Chi and Qigong Day 2017 T-shirts: Long-sleeve t-shirts can now be ordered until January 15th. After January 15th only short sleeve will be available. Order 10 or less. Order 11 - 49.
• Take a Deep Breath: Inhaling the Right Way May Improve Your Memory. Qigong breathing improves brain funciton.
• Systematic review reports that traditional meditation retreats are moderately to largely effective in reducing depression, anxiety, stress and in ameliorating the quality of life of participants. No real surprise here, but it's nice having the confirmation.
• Hey Mister Tambourine Man, Play a Drug for Me: Music as Medication.
• Interoception, Contemplative Practice, and Health. Interoception is a fundamental component of Qigong practice. Well-being is deeply rooted in the body, a continuous flow of feelings denoting comfort or distress. Interoception, the representation of the body's internal state, is a growing target of scientific research, buoyed by a growing respect for contemplative traditions relating interoceptive awareness to the cultivation of well-being. An emerging interoception literature cuts across studies of neurophysiology, somatic anthropology, contemplative practice, and mind-body medicine.
• Home-based tai chi chuan may reduce fall rate compared to lower extremity exercise training in older adults with history of falls.
• NCCIH reports that Tai Chi helps Parkinson's patients.
• Systematic review finds meditation slows grey matter atrophy and neurodegeneration
• Whole-body vibration improves fall risk factors in people living with multiple sclerosis. Whole-body vibration is one form of Spontaneous Qigong. 
• Qigong and exergaming produce similar motivational and physical benefits.
• Tai Chi Qigong improves psychological well being of older adults.
• Simplified Tai Chi more effective in improving the physical function in older adults when compared to the traditional Tai Chi modality, particularly for improving balance.
• Tai Chi increases parasympathetic control of the heart and brain activities more than general exercise at a similar intensity.
• Qigong decreases depressive symptoms.
• Healing Sound: Stimulation of Protein Expression Through the Harmonic Resonance of Frequency-Specific Music. Exposure to 'music' that was designed through assigning a musical note for every single one of the twenty unique amino acids, produced both an analytical and a visible shift in protein synthesis, making it as potential tool for reducing procedural time uptake. This research provides some insight into how the various types of healing sound Qigong might work.
• Dance and music share gray matter structural correlates. Qigong involving movement is a healing dance and a sensorimotor skill. This research highlights the beneficial effects of both dance and music on brain plasticity.
• Adding movement to mindfulness improves present moment awareness and self-regulation. Some Brazilian researchers discover Qigong (meditative movement) but don't call it Qigong.
• Literature review finds therapeutic touch helps patients with dementia.
• The Neural Mechanisms of Meditative Practices: Novel Approaches for Healthy Aging. The authors conclude that mind-body practices can target different brain systems that are involved in the regulation of attention, emotional control, mood, and executive cognition that can be used to treat or prevent mood and cognitive disorders of aging, such as depression and caregiver stress, or serve as "brain fitness" exercise. Benefits may include improving brain functional connectivity in brain systems that generally degenerate with Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and other aging-related diseases.
• Exploratory outcome assessment of Qigong/Tai Chi Easy on breast cancer survivors.
• Tai Chi proves feasible and beneficial for vets with PTSD.
• Tai Chi Chuan found to be an effective nonpharmaceutical means of improving anxiety and poor sleep quality in young adults.
• Qigong reduces depression in college students.
• Human Energy Field: A Concept Analysis. The Human Energy Field (HEF) is defined as a luminous field of energy that comprises a person, extends beyond the physical body, and is in a continuous mutual process with the environmental energy field. It is a vital energy that is a continuous whole and is recognized by its unique pattern; it is dynamic, creative, nonlinear, unpredictable, and flows in lower and higher frequencies. The balanced HEF is characterized by flow, rhythm, symmetry, and gentle vibration.
• A selective review of dharana and dhyana in healthy participants.
• Pain Perception Can Be Modulated by Mindfulness Training: A Resting-State fMRI Study.
• Qigong found superior to drugs for relieving symptoms of Parkinson's Disease.
• Electro-acupuncture as effective as drugs for sleep quality of breast cancer survivors.
• Yogic Breathing Helps Fight Major Depression, Penn Study Shows. Controlled Breathing Practices Show Promise in Patients Who Don’t Fully Respond to Antidepressants. The Ujjayi breathing of Sudarshan Kriya Yoga is essentially the same as Qigong deep diaphragmatic breathing. Ujjayi or “Victorious Breath” involves experiencing the conscious sensation of the breath touching the throat. This slow breath technique (2–4 breaths per minute) increases airway resistance during inspiration and expiration and controls airflow so that each phase of the breath cycle can be prolonged to an exact count. The subjective experience is physical and mental calmness with alertness (Sudarshan kriya yoga: Breathing for health).
• Tai Chi improves cognitive function and reduces physiologcal fall risk in older adults.
• Tai Chi as good as jogging for neuromuscular activity in older people.
• Pushing for Peace program. Using mindfulness and tai chi to decrease youth violence.
• This Holistic Healing Practice Works Like A Painkiller. Here's Why People Are Paying $3,000 For It. Around the world, reiki practitioners are scrubbing in for major operations. Is the alternative therapy beneficial or bunk?
• Deep Breathing Practice, e.g. Qigong, Facilitates Retention of Newly Learned Motor Skills.
• Acupuncture modulates the brain's default mode network.
• Tai Chi aids Alzheimer's patients.
• Systematic review finds EFT, a form of energy therapy, more effective than antidepressant drugs or psychotherapy for treatment of depression. More on Energy Psychology.
• Meditation Vs. Detention: Switching Punishment For Mindfulness Exercises Better For School Kids.
• Breathe. Exhale. Repeat: The Benefits of Controlled Breathing. The NY Times discovers Qigong.
• Effects of T'ai Chi on Serotonin, Nicotine Dependency, Depression, and Anger in Hospitalized Alcohol-Dependent Patients.
• Effect of Community-Based Social Skills Training and Tai-Chi Exercise on Outcomes in Patients with Chronic Schizophrenia: A Randomized, One-Year Study.
• Acupuncture (PDQ®): Health Professional Version. This PDQ cancer information summary for health professionals provides comprehensive, peer-reviewed, evidence-based information about the use of acupuncture in the treatment of people with cancer. It is intended as a resource to inform and assist clinicians who care for cancer patients. It does not provide formal guidelines or recommendations for making health care decisions. This summary is reviewed regularly and updated as necessary by the PDQ Integrative, Alternative, and Complementary Therapies Editorial Board, which is editorially independent of the National Cancer Institute (NCI). The summary reflects an independent review of the literature and does not represent a policy statement of NCI or the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
• The Effects of Tai Chi on Cardiovascular Risk in Women.
• Tai Chi benefits functional fitness in Parkinson's patients.
• Body Composition Outcomes of a Qigong Intervention Among Community-Dwelling Aging Adults.
• Chronic neck pain study shows equivalency between Tai Chi and conventional exercises.
• Long-term Tai Chi helps prevent muscle strength loss with aging.
• The electromagnetic basis of social interactions.
• Music therapy found to be an effective nonpharmacological approach to managing distressing symptoms in palliative care patients. The findings also suggest that group music therapy may be a cost-efficient and effective way to support staff caring for palliative care patients.
• Types of Control in Acupuncture Clinical Trials Might Affect the Conclusion of the Trials: A Review of Acupuncture on Pain Management.
• Evaluating Exercise Prescription and Instructional Methods Used in Tai Chi Studies Aimed at Improving Balance in Older Adults: A Systematic Review.
• The relation between wuji, taiji, and qigong.
• Attentional orienting and executive control are affected by different types of meditation practice.
• MEDITATION KEEPS EMOTIONAL BRAIN IN CHECK. “Our findings not only demonstrate that meditation improves emotional health, but that people can acquire these benefits regardless of their ‘natural’ ability to be mindful,” said Yanli Lin, an MSU graduate student and lead investigator of the study. “It just takes some practice.”
• Systems Biology Research Study Reveals Benefits of Vacation and Meditation. "It's intuitive that taking a vacation reduces biological processes related to stress, but it was still impressive to see the large changes in gene expression from being away from the busy pace of life, in a relaxing environment, in such a short period of time...Based on our results, the benefit we experience from meditation isn't strictly psychological; there is a clear and quantifiable change in how our bodies function," said Rudolph Tanzi, PhD, the Joseph P. and Rose F. Kennedy Professor of Neurology at Harvard University, and Director of the Genetics and Aging Research Unit at Massachusetts General Hospital. "Meditation is one of the ways to engage in restorative activities that may provide relief for our immune systems, easing the day-to-day stress of a body constantly trying to protect itself. The prediction is that this would then lead to healthier aging."
• Tai Chi Qigong is a useful nonpharmacological approach for improving sleep quality in older adults with cognitive impairment.
• This school replaced detention with meditation. The results are stunning.
• Qi Talks. Bernard Shannon. Topic: Teaching through Direct Experience: Making the Intangible Tangible. Thursday, October 13, 2016 8:30pm Eastern. Bernard Shannon is an internationally recognized teacher of Medical Qigong therapy, Daoist cultivation, alchemical and mystical practices, and martial concepts. Executive Director of the International College of Medical Qigong and Abbot of the Temple of Peace and Virtue, he served for seven years, as the Executive Director of the International Institute of Medical Qigong, as master instructor and curriculum developer. He is also licensed as a Doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine as well as of Medical Qigong through the People's Republic of China. He is the Vice Chairman and Executive Director of the World Academic Society of Medical Qigong (China) and served as Chairman of the Board with the National Qigong Association (USA).
• Call for Papers. National Qigong Association 2017 Conference. Friday, July 21 - Sunday July 23, 2017. ROBERT TREAT HOTEL. 50 Park Place, Newark, New Jersey.