by Jackie Hart, MD
Q: I heard there was a research study looking at the effects of Qi Gong in coronary artery bypass patients. What were the results?
A: The study you mention is still on-going, so there are no results to discuss just yet. But the premise of the study is very interesting.
The University of Michigan Complementary and Alternative Medicine Research Center for Cardiovascular Diseases is one of nine specialty research centers funded by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), which is a division of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). In the fall of 1998, the Michigan center was awarded a grant to study complementary medical approaches for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease. Currently, the research group has initiated three specific research trials (your question refers to #3):
The Michigan study will focus on how the Chinese technique of Qi Gongmay affect pain and overall healing, both physical and mental, following bypass surgery.
The project was inspired by the work of Amy Ai, PhD, a researcher at the Michigan center. Dr Ai published an article in 1997 on the use of prayer, exercise and lifestyle modification following bypass surgery. What Dr. Ai and her colleagues found was that people who pursued any of those practices after the surgery experienced less depression and general distress; depression is common with heart disease and after bypass surgery.
Qi Gong is a healing exercise combining movement with particular breathing practices intended to relax and challenge at the same time. For many, this is a spiritual practice not unlike prayer. The physical movement, stress reduction, and spiritual connection one may experience with Qi Gong seem to combine the practices Dr. Ai and her colleagues used in their earlier study.
I think that we will all anxiously await the results of this more extensive study, but lets not wait with bated breath in the spirit of the Chinese practice, keep your breath moving!
Q: I heard there was a research study looking at the effects of Qi Gong in coronary artery bypass patients. What were the results?
A: The study you mention is still on-going, so there are no results to discuss just yet. But the premise of the study is very interesting.
The University of Michigan Complementary and Alternative Medicine Research Center for Cardiovascular Diseases is one of nine specialty research centers funded by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), which is a division of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). In the fall of 1998, the Michigan center was awarded a grant to study complementary medical approaches for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease. Currently, the research group has initiated three specific research trials (your question refers to #3):
- Hawthorn extract in the treatment of congestive heart failure.
- Reiki treatment for peripheral vascular disease in people with diabetes.
- Qi Gong following coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery.
The Michigan study will focus on how the Chinese technique of Qi Gongmay affect pain and overall healing, both physical and mental, following bypass surgery.
The project was inspired by the work of Amy Ai, PhD, a researcher at the Michigan center. Dr Ai published an article in 1997 on the use of prayer, exercise and lifestyle modification following bypass surgery. What Dr. Ai and her colleagues found was that people who pursued any of those practices after the surgery experienced less depression and general distress; depression is common with heart disease and after bypass surgery.
Qi Gong is a healing exercise combining movement with particular breathing practices intended to relax and challenge at the same time. For many, this is a spiritual practice not unlike prayer. The physical movement, stress reduction, and spiritual connection one may experience with Qi Gong seem to combine the practices Dr. Ai and her colleagues used in their earlier study.
I think that we will all anxiously await the results of this more extensive study, but lets not wait with bated breath in the spirit of the Chinese practice, keep your breath moving!