Qigong for cancer: self-healing practice

Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients, July, 2005 by Daniel Ko

Qigong (pronounced Chee Gung) has been said to be one of the most powerful healing traditions ever developed in human history. It is China's 3000-4000 year-old system of self-healing, which integrates simple focused movements or Qigong allows one to cultivate this energy for health maintenance, healing, and postures, breath, and mental intention to balance and unify body, mind, and spirit. Based on the concept of Chi--internal energy--the life force--practicing increased vitality. By strengthening the mind-body connection, Qigong can influence the course of chronic disease. (1) Millions of people in China practice Qigong every day to help relieve a range of maladies such as diabetes, asthma, cancer, poor circulation, internal organ problems, arthritis, nerve pain, bad backs, joint problems, hypertension, autoimmune disorders, and other physical diseases. (2) I agree that this gentle form of exercise can be highly effective in reducing stress and increasing energy, but my question as a healthcare professional is whether there is any proof of its benefit for serious illnesses. For example, one style called Guo Lin's Cancer Recovery Qigong became so popular within China that it was adopted in hospitals and healthcare centers across the country. To investigate this matter I decided to focus on studies examining the relationship between Qigong and cancer and to interview prominent experts in this field.

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Scientific evidence

A literature search revealed several articles on Qigong. However, most of the studies indicate further research is necessary to prove that Qigong is a useful adjunct in the practice of medicine.

One interesting case report documented the story of a 58 year-old Caucasian man with a series of chronic conditions. He had a high prostate specific antigen (PSA) level, but not a confirmed cancer, high blood pressure, atrial septal defect, asthma, allergies, multiple injuries following an automobile accident, and edema in his legs. After an intensive Qigong workshop and receiving 10 external Qi healing sessions, the patient discontinued the eight medications he was taking, his blood pressure dropped from 220/110 to 120/75, his pulse rate dropped from 88 beats per minute (bpm) to 68 bpm in the morning and 55 bpm in the evening, the leg edema and asthma and allergy symptoms disappeared, and his PSA level dropped from 11 to 4 ng/mL. The investigators concluded that this kind of simultaneous recovery from multiple conditions couldn't be explained by any known medical theories. (3)

Another intriguing report documented Qigong's effects on recurrent breast cancer with postsurgery metastasis to bone (BCMB). Clinically, there has been no effective therapy available for patients with this condition. The authors noted that after a Qigong-based comprehensive anticancer program together with other complementary therapies, many stage IV (regarded as beyond the reach of medical treatment) BCMB patients experienced dramatic improvement. When the tumors in 12 of 18 patients disappeared and clinical indicators normalized, the subjects were considered to have completely recovered. (4) However, it is important to note the comprehensive anti-cancer program consisted of several components in addition to Qigong such as positive psychology, rebuilding confidence in recovery, and modifying daily lifestyle habits.

In another study, Qigong was prescribed as therapeutic exercise for 123 patients diagnosed with advanced cancer. The investigators found that patients practicing Qigong had between four and nine times greater improvement in strength, appetite, diarrhea-free days, and weight gain than the control group. Moreover, the phagocytic rate, a marker of immune function, increased in the Qigong exercise group, while it decreased in the control group. (5)

Studies in mice injected with lymphoma cells have demonstrated that those treated with Qigong had less tumor growth than the control group. The authors concluded that these are preliminary results which need to be replicated. (6) Another study on tumor-bearing mice showed that Qigong markedly improved the compromised immune system of the host. (7)

In 2002, researchers at the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Jersey reviewed over 50 studies on Qigong therapy for cancer. Their analysis revealed that patients who practiced Qigong showed more amelioration or had a better survival rate than patients using only conventional methods. (8)

"Physicians should allow patients to try Qigong because it will only increase the effect of their conventional therapies, resulting in benefits to both patient and doctor," says principal investigator Kevin Chen, PhD, MPH, associate professor, Department of Psychiatry, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey. He cautions however, that the quality of the studies his team reviewed could be improved upon.

Therefore, with some scientific proof that Qigong can help cancer patients, the next prudent step would be to ensure that there are no known interactions between the recommended intervention and any medications taken by the patient.

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Qigong for cancer: self-healing practice

Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients, July, 2005 by Daniel Ko

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