As the people around the world look out for therapies to find cures to their ailments, a stream of alternative therapies is finding its way into the medical mainstream. Some of the east-world treatment therapies like Yoga, Tai Chi, acupuncture and acupressure are already accepted forms of alternative medicines.
Of late, the American public is seeing an increased enthusiasm towards a yet another alternative therapy from China, Qigong.” Qigong is regarded as a holistic alternative therapy that seeks to improve the overall wellbeing of the person, much as Yoga of India does. A person belonging to any age group can practice it.
Quigong as an alternative medical therapy
The word is pronounced ‘Chee-kung” and it means “energy of life.” This therapy involves following and directing the energy patterns inside the body of a person. The whole idea is to correct the imbalances and release blockages inside the body of the patient by releasing Qi (energy) into the organs.
The therapy seeks to correct and treat the various ailments and their symptoms by correcting these imbalances. For this, the patient is made to lie down on a bed or sit on a chair in a relaxed posture. Then the therapist uses his techniques to correct the wrong energy patterns inside his body.
The whole exercise lasts for up to an hour. For the practitioners of this medicinal field, Qigong is both as science and an art that they much perfect over years before they are able to deliver any real benefits to the patients.
Benefits of Qigong
Those who have undergone treatment by Qigong, swear by its efficacy. During the whole exercise, the patients go into a state of meditation. They experience some strange phenomena like seeing colored lights, feeling vibrations, muscle movement and cold or warm sensations.
The whole experience is relaxing while still being in conscious state. It is as if the emotions buried deep within the organs and the tissues are released. The whole idea is to free the body of negative energy and harmoniously channel energy within the body in right way and in right direction. After the treatment, the patient comes out much lighter and brighter.
The experiences vary in level for all the patients and there is no scale to compare the benefits that they had from the treatment as each person has his own level of experience.
Types of Qigong Therapies
Thousands of Qigong styles exist around the world and a person must find out the most suitable one for himself. Many practitioners have combined in it the elements of spirituality, athletics, medicines and martial arts. Some of these styles are designed for people in general who may not have any particular ailment and aim at improving his overall health and well-being.
Then there are those that target a particular ailment. While athletic and martial Quigong is to improve speed, stamina, power, flexibility, balance and coordination of a person, medical Quigong regulates the working of nervous system, improve immune level, regulate hormones and improve the working of the internal organs by correcting electronic imbalances in the body. Quigong is also divided on the basis of internal and external Quigong, that are quite synonymous to the above discusses types of Quigong.
What conditions is qigong used for?
Quigong therapy is best applied in stress management. The therapy also improves immune system. The other benefits of Qigong are in toning cardiovascular system, improved respiratory problems like bronchitis and asthma, improved blood circulation and controlled blood pressure related problems.
Cured sleep related disorders, reduced pain and stiffness in osteoarthritis related cases and improve bone density, lowered risks of stroke, improve memory, improved digestion, improved kidney function, improved stress and chronic pain, destroyed free radicals in the body are the other benefits derived from this therapy.
Thus, Qigong is a holistic therapy that does not simply target an ailment, but seeks to improve the general working of the body so that the very causes behind get eliminated.
