Externe Qigong bij chronische pijn

Externe Qigong is een vreemde vorm van heling, omdat een zogenaamde Qi-master door middel van de handen, die niet in contact komen met het lichaam van de patient, symptomen tracht te beinvloeden. Externe Qigong is een onderdeel van de medische Qigong. Het wordt als volgt omschreven:

Medical Qigong is a traditional complementary intervention used to pre- vent and cure disease, to improve health, and to strengthen the vital energy through practice or by receiving it from practitioners.

Medical Qigong is divided into two types, internal and external.

Internal Qi-training refers to Qigong practice or to the cultivation of oneself to achieve optimal health in btith mind and body, Extemal Qi-therapy refers to the process by which Qigong practitioners direct or emit their Qi-energy with the specific intenlion of helping patients clear Qi-blockages and move the bad Qi out of the body to relieve pain, or to balance the Qi-tlow within the body and to remove disease.[1]

Externe Qigong is dus een behandeling waarbij de therapeut de Qi van de patient in beweging brengt. Hoe dat werkt begrijpen we niet. Het past niet in ons denkraam. Er zijn wel een paar studies gedaan naar de effecten van externe Qigong, waarbij werkzaamheid bleek. In een recente meta-analyse vond men meer dan 100 studies, waarvan er enkele voldeden aan alle criteria van goede methodologie.[2] De conclusie van die meta analyse was:

This review of clinical studies focused on the efficacy of qigong, an energy-healing intervention used to prevent and cure ailments. A meta-analysis shows that evidence for the effectiveness of external qigong is encouraging, though further studies are warranted.

De methode wordt in een lang artikel uit 2005 als volgt omschreven:

1. The Qi-Master centered herself, making a conscious effort to help the patiicipanl become mentally aware of himself or herself as being one with the cosmos

2. The Qi-master moved her hands about 3 to 10 cm from the participant’s body in a pattern from head to toe, becoming aware of changes in sen- sory cues in her hands

3. The Qi-master redirected Qi in areas of accumulated tension in the partieipant’s body by moving her hands

4. The Qi-master concentrated attention in a specific direction of energy flow (sensory cues), and finished by holding the participant’s feet

5. The participant turned over and received the same procedure for 10 min on the other side of his or her body.  

In die studie bleek de externe Qigong effectief te zijn bij de behandeling van chronische pijn bij oudere patienten. Het design was gerandomisaeerd,  maar er was geen placebo groep, alleen een controle groep. Ondanks het feit dat we dus met een placebo-effect moeten rekenen meenden de auteurs te kunnen concluderen dat externe Qigong werkzaam is. 

The authors examined the effects of Qi-thcrapy on chronic pain and mood state in elderly residents. Our results showed that the Qi-therapy significantly reduced pain levels and increased mood states in elderly participants with chronic pain.

Mood state improved with tlie duration of therapy in the Qi- therapy group but not in a general care control group. The Qi-therapy group improved on all the mood stale suhscales measured in this study.

These results suggest that Qi-lhcrapy could play an impoilant role in managing pain and the psychological symptoms associated with pain in elderly residents.  

 

Bronnen

Lee, M. S.. Huh. H, J,. Hong, S. S.. Jang. H, S., Ryu. H., Lee. H, S.. & Chung. H. T, (2001a). Psychoneuroimmunological effects of Qi-therapy: Preliminary study on the changes of level of anxiety, mood, cortisol and melatonin and cellular function of neutrophil and natural killer cells. Slre.ss and Health. 17. 17-24.

Lee, M. S.. Yang, K. H,, Huh, H, J.. Kim. H. W., Ryu, R, Ue, H. S., & Chung. H. T, (2()0!b). Qi therapy as an intervention to reduce chronic pain and to enhance mood in elderly subjects: A pilot study, American Journal of Chinese Medicine. 29(2), 237-245.

Lee, M. S,. Jeong, S. M., Jang, H, S,. Ryu. H,, & Moon. S. R. (2002). Acute effects of CbunDoSunBup Qi-training on venous blood gases and pH, Journal of Inler- nationcil Sociely of Life Informciiion Science. 211. 396-397,

Lee. M. S., Jang. H. S.. Woo. W. H,. Kim. H, J., & Moon. S, R, (2(X)3a). Effects of extemal Qi-lherapy on cardiac autonitniic tone: a rantlomi/.ed placebo controlled study. FACT. S. 512.

Lee. M. S,. Jang, J, W.. Hang. H. S.. & Moon. S. R. (2003b). Effeets of Qi-therapy on blood pressure, pain and psychological symptoms in the elderly: A random- ized controlled pilot trial. Complenientaty Therapies in Medicine. II. 159-164.

Lee. M, S., Hong. S. S.. Lim. H, J,. Kim. H, J.. Woo. W H,. & Moon. S, R. (2003c). Retrospective stirvey on therapeutic eftlcacy of Qigong in Korea, Amencan Journal of Chinese Medicine. .U{$h 809-815.

Sancicr. K, M. (1996). Medieal applications of qigong. Allemalivc Therapies in Health and Medicine. 2{ 1). 40-46,

Sancier, K. M.. & Hole, L, C, (2(K)I). Qigong and neurologic illness. In M. I. Weintraub (Ed.). Allernarive and complementary treatment in neurologic illness (pp. 197- 220,), Philadelphia: Churchill Livingstone.

Shin. M. S, (2(K)2), Brief view of chi and alternative therapy, Orienlal Pharmacy and Experimental Medicine. 2. 1-16,  

Gerelateerde artikelen