Qigong as a Traditional Vegetative Biofeedback Therapy: Long-Term Conditioning of Physiological Mind-Body Effects

• Type: Article in International Scientific Journal
• Date: 2015

Authors

Luís Carlos Matos (Author) ICBAS; Cláudia Maria Sousa (Author) ICBAS; Mario Gonçalves (Author) ICBAS; Joaquim Gabriel (Author) FEUP; Jorge Machado (Author) ICBAS; Henry Johannes Greten (Author) ICBAS

Journal

Title: BioMed Research International

Vol. 2015

Pages: 1-6

ISSN: 2314-6133

Publisher: Hindawi

Indexing

ISI Web of Knowledge - 22 Citations

Scopus - 23 Citations

Pubmed / Medline

Scientific classification

FOS: Medical and Health sciences > Health sciences

CORDIS: Health sciences > Medical sciences

Other information

Authenticus ID: P-00G-C77

DOI: 10.1155/2015/531789

Abstract (EN): A contemporary understanding of Chinese Medicine (CM) regards CM diagnosis as a functional vegetative state that may be treated by vegetative reflex therapies such as acupuncture. Within this context, traditional mind-body exercises such as Qigong can be understood as an attempt to enhance physiological proprioception, by combining a special state of "awareness" with posture, movement, and breath control. We have formerly trained young auditing flutists in "White Ball" Qigong to minimize anxiety-induced cold hands and lower anxiety-induced heart rate. Functional changes occurred 2-5 min after training and were observed over the whole training program, allowing the children to control their symptoms. In our current work, we report that warm fingers and calm hearts could be induced by the children even without Qigong exercises. Thus, these positive changes once induced and "conditioned" vegetatively were stable after weeks of training. This may show the mechanism by which Qigong acts as a therapeutic measure in disease: positive vegetative pathways may be activated instead of dysfunctional functional patterns. The positive vegetative patterns then may be available in critical stressful situations. Qigong exercise programs may therefore be understood as an ancient vegetative biofeedback exercise inducing positive vegetative functions which are added to the individual reactive repertoire.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific

No. of pages: 6