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Since it is best used for staving off disease and treating chronic conditions or disabilities, Qigong may not be the most suitable treatment for acute illness or medical emergencies. It can be used as a compliment and supplement to conventional medical practices. If one decides to try Qigong during the course of treatment of an existing illness, it is advisable that do so under the guidance of a Qualified Trained Teacher. Professional supervision is strongly suggested for all students.

Preventing Disease

In addition to its curative potential, by preventing the onset of disease, Qigong can significantly reduce the amount of suffering and financial burden experienced by many patients due to long- term health care. Qigong increases physical strength, heightens resistance to infectious diseases and premature senility, and helps ensure a long life. Practicing this method can greatly reduce the likelihood of stroke. It can improve blood sugar levels for diabetics. Because it normalizes the level of sex hormones, it helps ward off sexual impotence and frigidity. In fact, Qigong?s stress relieving attributes may improve one's overall sex life -both quantity and quality. Practicing this discipline can hasten recovery from surgery, as well as from sports and other injuries by up to 50% (McGee w/Chow 1994:17-9). Qigong offers individuals a way to achieve a relaxed, harmonious state of dynamic equilibrium. It typically improves overall health, allowing them to maintain a pain-free life full of vigor and grace.

How does Qigong Work?

Breathing and meditation are an important part of Healing Qigong. In a Qigong meditative state, one is fully relaxed, yet not in a trance. One can increase qi and direct it to any area of distress. Anxiety and self-doubt are replaced with peace of mind and increased confidence. Gradually, all distractions, worries, and hints of depression begin to dissipate. Meditation fosters feelings of happiness, which, in turn, stimulate circulation of blood and qi. This therapy contributes to the healing of those who are already ill, as well as increasing the vitality of healthy individuals. People of all ages can develop and maintain internal vigour and good health through Qigong.

Practicing Qigong lowers blood pressure, pulse rates, metabolic rates, lactate production, and oxygen demand. It raises the endocrine system's capabilities. It also has a regulating effect on the substances cyclic adenosine monophosphate and cyclic guanosine monophosphate, which play important roles in proper respiratory function and the delivery of oxygen to the body's cells. The sense of serenity the exercise produces is the result of slightly elevated body temperature and an increased rate of oxygen absorption. Qigong activates qi, improves blood circulation, and balances yin and yang. It bolsters the immune system, and stimulates the conductivity of the meridians and channels through which qi flows.

In Chinese medical theory, many diseases come from adverse environmental conditions such as:

Heat, cold, wind, dryness and humidity; wrong diet; spoiled food; worms and microbes; poisoning and pollution; trauma and accidents. Internal conditions can arise from excess or deficient emotions of anger, joy, sympathy, grief or fear [and] inappropriate mental attitudes and beliefs. There are also maladies of the spirit that [sic] can cause serious problems. These factors can cause one's chi (qi) to become excessive, deficient, stuck, blocked, congested or stagnant, and thereby cause all manner of problems.

The goal of Qigong is to encourage the circulation of qi throughout the body. This helps the body resist or overcome imbalances or blockages, and the resulting disharmonies. It shares similar objectives with some other disciplines such as acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine.

A primary aim of Qigong is to maintain or restore balance and harmony of mind and body, while becoming aware of the human body's place within nature's oneness. As a Qigong practitioner becomes more conscious of the state of his or her body, he or she gains a greater resistance to the imbalances and blockages affecting qi. This sensitivity aids in the balance of the yin and yang, the two opposing forces of Universal Order. In the seventeenth century, Descartes? postulate, (which most Westerners still accept today) stated that the mind and body are separate entities. The Qigong student will contend that such a notion is a fallacy. It is in this context that we are able to understand the philosophy of Qigong, where qi is the force that integrates the relationship between body (matter, structure) and mind (process, function).

We practitioners gain more than improved health. We learn another way of viewing and experiencing the dynamic unity of life, an attitude far removed from the feelings of disenchantment and alienation common in Western civilization. Students of qigong learn to achieve their potential as highly successful members of our species.

In order to fully benefit from Qigong training, one must apply time, patience, commitment, determination and persistence. This art involves more than simple physical training. It requires retraining one's breathing and thought processes. Learning the basics can take from three months to a year . As with any other human endeavour, some people will prove more adept at the art than others, and so will progress more quickly. However, anyone with enough motivation can learn adequate skills to make a positive impact upon one's quality of life. While there are no shortcuts, there are also no limits to how far one may progress.

Some Caveats

Although Qigong has numerous invaluable benefits, there are a few pointers for the novice that will make every experience a positive one:

• Because Qigong thins the blood and increases circulation, pregnant and menstruating women, persons with internal bleeding, persons suffering from acute infectious diseases, and those recovering from oral surgery or trauma should avoid the practice until the condition disappears.

• Avoid exercising if you are prone to dizziness. See your teacher for adjustment.
  

•  Qigong is not for severely disturbed mental practioners.
  

• . Because of the elevation of energy levels, people may find the temptation to slight one?s nutritional needs while utilizing this program. Fasting (bigu) does have a place in the discipline; however, a genuine fast should only be performed under the strict supervision of a Master Teacher well versed in Root Tradition Qigong.
  

• People with anorexia should exercise caution.

• Do not eat or drink, especially alcohol, within an hour and a half before a session. Avoid sexual intercourse for at least one hour before and after a session as well. When exercising, face either North or South, in line with the earth's magnetic field. Exercise at the same time of day and the same days through the week.

For neophytes, it is exhilarating to take in energy from the universe. People often prematurely try to emit external qi like a Qigong Therapist through the eyes, fingertips or palms. Doing this can dangerously deplete one?s own vitality. One should not attempt to do so until after many years of practice, and only then under close supervision of a Trained Qigong Therapist

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