Chinese Studies

The formal investigation of qigong and its effects on the body did not occur until the mid-20th century. Once Chairman Mao Tse Tung officially condoned qigong and traditional chinese medicine practices, research began in earnest.

In 1959, 64 qigong research units reported positive findings from studies evaluating the effectiveness of qigong practice on numerous chronic maladies, and in 1980 Dr. Lin Ya Gu of the Shanghai Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine published his initial work on the measurement of external qi.

At the Beijing Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Dr. Fong Li-Da studied the ability of qi emitted from the human body to kill or promote the growth of bacteria. Dr. Fong found that qigong masters emitting positive qi would kill the bacteria, while those emitting negative qi would increase its growth.

These studies led to investigations of the nature of qi itself. Researchers found that qi is composed of mostly low-frequency amplitude modulated infrared radiation, low-frequency magnetic fields, particle flow signals, infrasound, and ion streams. Different qigong masters appear to emit different combinations and quantities of these elements.

The most authoritative Chinese studies have been conducted by scientists investigating the effects of qigong on hypertension, or high blood pressure. One thirty-year study, at the Shanghai Institute of Hypertension, found that qigong combined with blood-pressure medication cut patients' mortality by half.

Over sixty studies have focused on the effects of qigong on tumor activity. Emitted qi has been shown to inhibit growth of implanted malignant tumors in mice and mouse cell cultures. In clinical studies, advanced cancer patients who did qigong exercises over two hours per day for three to six months in combination with their drug therapy demonstrated marked improvement in their strength, appetite, digestion and immune function.

U.S. Studies

The first publicly funded qigong study in the US was Dr. Wen-Hsien Wu's investigation of the effects of qigong practice on patients suffering from reflex sympathetic dystrophy. This illness is a very rare and painful nerve disorder. Within months of practicing daily, patients' once excruciating pain was reduced to a manageable level. At the University of Maryland, patients with chronic back pain showed remarkable improvement after several months of practice. Buoyed by such success stories, alternative researchers like Dr.Wen have found new respect - and funding - from the National Institutes of Health's Department of Alternative Medicine. Current qigong research includes studies on the effects of external qigong on recovery rates of heart surgery patients at the University of Michigan.

For a complete database of qigong research, see Dr. Kenneth Sancier's Qigong Database at qigonginstitute.org.