They found that restorative qigong reduced the production of compounds called cytokines, which play a critical role in inflammation. Qigong also stimulated mitochondria, the tiny powerhouses inside cells that convert glucose into the energy essential for cell function and repair. “The bottom line is that there appears to be a suppression of pathways in inflammation and an increase in mitochondrial biogenesis,” helping the muscle adapt to the demands of increased exercise, said the senior author, Dr. Mark A. Tarnopolsky. 

Dr. Tarnopolsky, a professor of pediatrics and medicine at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, said that restorative qigong works quite differently from Nsaids and other anti-inflammatory drugs, which reduce inflammation and pain but may actually retard healing. Many people, for instance, pop an aspirin or Aleve at the first sign of muscle soreness. “There’s some theoretical concern that there is a maladaptive response in the long run if you’re constantly suppressing inflammation with drugs,” he said. “With qigong, you can have your cake and eat it too—qigong can suppress inflammation and actually enhance cell recovery.” 

“This is important research, because it is the first to show that restorative qigong can reduce pro-inflammatory cytokines which may be involved in pain,” said Tiffany Field, director of the Touch Research Institute at the University of Miami Medical School. She was not involved in the study. “We have known from many studies that pain can be reduced by qigong based on self-report, but this is the first demonstration that the pain-related pro-inflammatory cytokines can be reduced.” she said. 

Getting restorative qigong therapy from a qigong master is obviously more expensive than taking an aspirin. But, as Dr. Field points out, qigong techniques can be taught. “People within families can learn restorative qigong and then apply it to each other,” she said. “If you can teach parents to apply basic restorative qigong to their kids, couples to apply to each other. This can be cost effective.” 

Dr. Tarnopolsky suggests that, in the long run, a qigong master may even be a better bargain than a pill. “If someone says “This is free and it might make you feel better, but it may slow down your recovery, do you still want it?” he asked. “Or would you rather spend the 15 bucks for a post-exercise restorative qigong session that also might enhance your recovery?” 

I offer Restorative Qigong therapy by appointment every Tuesday from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m.  Please call 212-2558 or e-mail steve@tai-chi-concho.com for more information or an appointment.  Restorative Qigong should be considered for:

 

Restorative qigong (chi kung) to release muscle tension unquestionably feels good, and it seems to reduce pain and help muscles recover. Many people — both athletes and martial artists – have long contended it eases inflammation, improves blood flow and reduces muscle tightness. But until now no one has understood why restorative qigong has this apparently beneficial effect. Now researchers have found what happens to muscles when a qigong master goes to work on them.

Their experiment required having people exercise to exhaustion and undergo five incisions in their legs in order to obtain muscle tissue for analysis. Despite the hurdles, the scientists still managed to find 11 brave young male volunteers. The study was published in the Feb. 1 issue of Science Translational Medicine.

On a first visit, they biopsied one leg of each subject at rest. At a second session, they had them vigorously exercise on a stationary bicycle for more than an hour until they could go no further. Then they performed restorative qigong on one thigh of each subject for 10 minutes, leaving the other to recover on its own. Immediately after the therapy, they biopsied the thigh muscle in each leg again. After allowing other two-and-a-half hours of rest, they did a third biopsy to track the process of muscle injury and repair.

 Vigorous exercise causes tiny tears in muscle fibers, leading to an immune reaction — inflammation — as the body gets to work repairing the injured cells. So the researchers screened the tissue from the qigong and unqigong legs to compare their repair processes, and find out what difference restorative qigong would make.