Introduction, and Research Question

[PPagan]

Hi folks,

My handle is PPagan. I just chanced upon this forum and am glad to discover it.

I am male, currently using a 67-yr-old male body, a long-time although poorly disciplined meditator and practitioner; Dzogchen, Taiji, Qigong; also Alexander Technique and Western bodymind therapies. I look forward to learning from you all.

 

I do have one specific question right now and would appreciate any suggestions:

I recently had the good luck to be asked to help set up a research project at a major University (in the States) to investigate the effectiveness of Qigong for cancer patients. We are limited to blood-related cancers: leukemia, lymphoma, and myeloma (these affect respectively the red blood cells, lymph cells, and bone marrow). Symptom picture includes fatigue, fever, weakness, flu-like sypmtoms.

 

We will look at quality of life and survival rates.

 

A big limitation is that subjects will only have 13 weeks training, one lesson of 1 1/2 hours per week; they will also have a 45 minute practice DVD to follow, hopefully twice a day. I am well aware this is pretty inadequate, but it's all we can do.

 

Although I am an adequate Qigong teacher, I am by no means a Master; my question is, what kind of Qigong would be most appropriate for these conditions?

 

The two forms I am aware of that make specific anti-cancer claims are Guo Lin's Walking Qigong, which I think would be too vigorous for most participants; and Master He's version of 5-Element Taiji Qigong, which I only have a general sense of; I understand it emphasizes heat in the tan t'ien, deep breathing, intense internal visualization, meditative quietness, as well as some supplementary standing with spontaneous movement. It seems to me this is on the right track; I think emotional calm and warmth in the tan tien are key. Though I question how much of the latter people will get in 12 weeks. I will need to keep the exercises failrly simple, concentrate on repetitions of the basics--tan t'ien breathiing, sensing the body, visualizing light at the center, maybe some rubbing the belly, pressure on some of the abdominal points.

 

Any suggestions would be gratefully received!

 

Thanks alot

PPagan

[konchog uma]

heres a video of zhineng qigong, which i know nothing about except for this awesome video

 

good luck

 

[konchog uma]

here's a version with english subtitles if you're interested

 

i think i read that they are chanting "dissolve" or "heal" but some users here would be able to say for sure

 

[mrtiger]

here's a version with english subtitles if you're interested

 

i think i read that they are chanting "dissolve" or "heal" but some users here would be able to say for sure

 

 

This is incredible

[PPagan]

Thanks for the replies. I am actually looking for suggestions of Qigong practices for subjects to do. I have no skills in external qigong. And I am not expecting to be able to dissolve tumors; just improved quality of life and possibly increased survival.

 

I think the video you posted is amazing, and I would love someday to be able to be involved in a study of this kind of method.

 

PPagan

[ChiDragon]

PPagan...

It was my dream to get involve with research in helping people to fight cancer. I was thinking how many known Chi Kung practitioners are die of cancer. So far, I heard none. After many years of practicing Tai Ji and Chi Kung. I make some study on my own by some factual materials and came up with a conceptual idea about fighting cancer.

 

I know cancer cells do not like oxygen but love sugar. Based on some biological facts, the body cells use the oxygen that we breath to convert glucose from the foods we took into energy for the body to function. Fortunately, practicing Chi Kung will help us to breathe more oxygen and convert most of the glucose into energy. What that says which gives me the notion that Chi Kung is actually fighting the cancer cells.

 

The idea was cancer cells do not like oxygen but Chi Kung is breathing more oxygen to go against them. In addition, cancer cells like sugar. However, the Chi Kung helps to burn up the glucose for body energy instead of leaving it for the cancer cells. The best of all, the biochemical energy, adenine triphosphate(ATP), was used to manufacture the white blood cells to get rid of cancer cells.

 

The cancer patients are pretty weak to practice any strenuous exercise. It is better for them to do sitting mediation with lots of deep breathing exercise like isometric Chi Kung. Those who are in little better condition is best for them to do some isotonic Chi Kung with slow movements.

Edited August 24, 2012 by ChiDragon

[PPagan]

Thank you ChiDragon, I like your ideas. You are right that many of them will be failrly weak. I too was thinking of emphasizing sitting and breathing.

By "isometric qigong", do you mean breathing slowly while creating a bit of tension on the tan t'ien, pitting the diaphragm and tranverse abdominals against each other? Or perhaps some "moving without moving", like in Yiquan? I would appreciate hearing more about your ideas.

 

Thanks

PPagan

[ChiDragon]

You welcome PPagan:

 

"isometric qigong" means slight muscle contraction like sitting down in any one of the three lotus position. The legs muscles are automatically slightly contracted. Based on this notion, any movement with the arms will contribute an additional effect of the muscle contraction. All movements must be done slowly while breathing slowly. It would be something like having the slow and deep breathing follow the movements of the arms or the movements of the arms follow the breathing. Do not pay any attention to the tan tian because the deep breathing will take care of that by itself. However, If some of the patients cannot do deep breathing, then have them breathe as deep as they can and stop there and then exhale slowly. The object is to breathe as much as oxygen as possible into the lungs for the blood to circulate it to the body cells.

 

The reason for breathing slowly is to allow ample of time for the red blood cells to collect more oxygen. If there was not enough time given for the red blood cells, then the unused port of the oxygen will be exhaled. It would be considered a waste of oxygen from the previous inhalation.

 

The reason for the slow movements of the arms is to have the muscles to contract slightly to speed up the rate of cell respiration or metabolism. In addition, the slow movement is to give the body cells a chance to use up the oxygen for converting the glucose into more ATP energy. Thus, this is the basic function of the human body and this is how Chi Kung works, at least, to me anyway.

Edited August 26, 2012 by ChiDragon