Qigong's Potential towards Breast Cancer Patients

Mickey Carls^*
*Correspondence: Mickey Carls, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Maryland, USA, Email:

Editorial

Qigong is a technique of coordinated bodily posture and movement, breathing, and meditation practised for health, spirituality, and martial arts training. With roots in Chinese medicine, philosophy, and martial arts, qigong is historically seen as a practise to cultivate and balance qi (pronounced roughly as "chi" or "chee"), which translates as "life energy." Qigong practise often consists of slow-flowing movement, deep rhythmic breathing, and a quiet meditative frame of mind. Qigong is used throughout China and the world for recreation, exercise, relaxation, preventative medicine, self-healing, alternative medicine, meditation, self-cultivation, and martial arts training. With roots in ancient Chinese culture dating back more than 4,000 years, a wide range of qigong forms have evolved within various segments of Chinese society: in traditional Chinese medicine for preventive and curative functions; in Confucianism to promote longevity and moral character; in Daoism and Buddhism as part of meditative practise; and in Chinese martial arts to improve self-defense abilities.

Qigong is a bioenergy therapy that has a long history of being used to treat a variety of ailments, including cancer. Preliminary research and a study of the literature indicate that qigong may enhance the outcome of cancer patients. None of this research, however, has been validated in the peer-reviewed Western scientific literature. Although it is doubtful that EQT will result in large reductions in tumour size, patients are increasingly using qigong as a supplemental strategy, and in some cases in place of traditional medication; it is therefore critical that we assess whether this therapy modality has any worth. Qigong's popularity expanded dramatically throughout the Deng and Jiang regimes following Mao Zedong's death in 1976 until the 1990s, with estimates ranging from 60 to 200 million practitioners across China. Along with popularity and state approval came controversy and concerns, including claims of supernatural abilities, pseudoscience explanations to enhance credibility, a mental illness known as qigong deviation, the formation of cults, and masters exaggerating claims for personal gain. To govern the nation's qigong denominations, the state-run National Qigong Science and Research Organization was founded in 1985. Qigong is a broad range of activities based on Chinese philosophy that coordinate the body, breath, and mind. Moving and quiet meditation, massage, chanting, sound meditation, and non-contact treatments are all practised in a variety of bodily postures.

Qigong is typically divided into two categories:

1) Dynamic or active qigong (dong gong), which involves gradual flowing movement, and

2) Meditative or passive qigong (jing gong), which involves static positions and inner movement of the breath.

In the last ten years, the usage of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) has skyrocketed in the United States. This tendency is most visible when looking at the usage of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) by cancer patients. Patients with cancer, like the general population, usually employ Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) modalities in addition to conventional cancer treatments. Patients frequently desire a comprehensive approach to disease management and prevention. Although the majority of patients will combine alternative and conventional care, some patients will refuse curative traditional treatments in favour of less harmful alternative approaches. Qigong is one such therapy that patients employ in addition to or instead of traditional medication. While most research to far have failed to establish that qigong has a direct effect on cancer, with one probable exception, multiple studies have found that this practise has a good impact on persons living with cancer's well-being and quality of life. Several studies have revealed that qigong has a good influence on mood and stress levels in cancer patients. According to one study, qigong can help with the psychosocial symptoms of persons undergoing chemotherapy. Qigong appears to reduce cancer tiredness in patients who have cancer or are undergoing cancer therapy [1-5].

References

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