Qigong helps reduce drug intake & saves lives

Qigong, a relaxing form of Tai Chi, has been found to have important therapeutic health benefits for three different medical conditions. Studies were taken from the Qigong Bibliographic database reviewing 1300 cases from China, the United States, and Europe.

Researchers at the Qigong Institute, California, USA combined qigong exercises with drug therapy in hypertension, respiratory disease and cancer. All of the patients were using drug therapy for their illness. Dividing them into two groups, for research purposes, only one of the groups of patients practiced qigong exercises alongside taking their regular medication.

Patients suffering with hypertension and practising qigong showed a lower incidence of stroke and mortality, and were also able to reduce the dosage of the drugs required to maintain their blood pressure. The asthma patients using the combination therapy were able to reduce their intake of drugs, had less sick leave and spent less time in hospital, therefore lowering the cost of their treatment. Cancer patients reported reduced side effects of the cancer drugs. In addition, the report also showed that practicing qigong helped to rehabilitate drug addicts.

The study suggests that practicing qigong exercises may significantly affect many functions of the body allowing for a reduction in the amount of drugs the patients were taking. The report concludes that greater health benefits were ascertained from the use of drug therapy alone, although some of the cases studied may not meet the standard protocol used when carrying out surveys.

Source : Therapeutic benefits of qigong exercises in combination with drugs.
Sancier KM. J Altern Complement Med, 5:383-9, 1999 Aug

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