MD Anderson’s Integrative Medicine Program Shows Success in Qigong Study Posted Thursday , May 23,2013 The Integrative Medicine Program at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center is a program in which studies are done on integrative medicine for cancer patients. Integrative medicine is one in which the whole-body approach is used to treat a disease, in which some holistic ancient forms of alternative therapies are used in conjunction with traditional western medicine. Dr. Lorenzon Cohen, professor at M.D. Anderson’s Departments of General Oncology and Behavioral Science and director of the Integrative Medicine Program, describes integrative medicine in The Houston Chronicle: “We focus on the relation between the practitioner and the patients, and we are informed by evidence – we don’t want to be prescribing things to our patients for which there is no evidence of safety or of benefit. Also, in integrative medicine we seek to make use of all possible avenues for healing that may work.” This differs from both alternative medicine and complimentary medicine – the former uses holistic treatments in place of traditional medical treatments, while the latter is similar to integrative medicine but uses even unproven types of alternative medicine as long as it does no harm to the patient (such as having a patient maintain a certain healthy diet that is not proven to be effective on healing). By combining only methods of treatment for patients that have been shown to have positive results, they are able to offer a more effective treatment regimen. As stated on the website, the MD Anderson Cancer Center’s Integrative Medicine Program seeks to “engage patients with cancer and their families to become active partners in their own physical, psycho-spiritual, and social health through personalized evidence-based clinical care, exceptional research, and education to optimize health, quality of life, and clinical outcomes across the cancer continuum.” In one recent successful study performed by Cohen and his colleagues, 96 Chinese women in Shanghai with breast cancer were evaluated as they received a course of radiation as well as followed up with over time to determine the true long-term effects of the treatment. The women were randomized and some used Qigong, an ancient Chinese mind-body practice which involves meditation, while the others did not. In the women who practiced Qigong, depression was lessened over time, particularly in those women whose depression was the highest in the beginning. The women who did not practice Qigong saw no difference in their level of depression over time. The results show that this type of integrative medicine can reduce the stress on cancer patients, and this can potentially promote healing. As Cohen says, “It is important for cancer patients to manage stress because it can have a profoundly negative effect on biological systems and inflammatory profiles.” Qigong (meaning in English “energy cultivation” or “working with the life energy”) is a ritual that involves physical exercises and meditative breathing related to tai chi. Its ancient practice is based in the belief that the body is made up of energy (called “qi”) and that regulating this energy can enhance and promote health within the body. The success of this recent study by the Integrative Medicine Program at MD Anderson Cancer Center along with other studies will no doubt lead to encouragement of integrative therapy and a whole-body approach to healing for cancer patients.

The Oncology Support Program of Benedictine Hospital is sponsoring a three-hour workshop on traditional Chinese medicine approaches to healing from breast cancer

Kingston cancer support group hosts alternative medicine workshop Published: February 12, 2013 5:47 PM By NEWSDAY.COM The Oncology Support Program of Benedictine Hospital is sponsoring a three-hour workshop on traditional Chinese medicine approaches to healing from breast cancer starting at 10 a.m. Saturday at Reuner Cancer Support House, 80 Mary's Ave., Kingston. The program will be led by Meg Coons, a trainer for the Breast Cancer Prevention Project, a qigong-based program. She will discuss alternative...

Anticancer GUOLIN QIGONG for better Health

Anticancer GUOLIN QIGONG for Better Health

Ms. Guo Lin, Founder of the New Qigong, a renowned qigong master as well as a teacher of traditional Chinese painting was born in April 1909 in the County of Zhongshan, Guangdong Province. She was diagnosed with uterine cancer at age 40 and had her uterus removed in 1949 while she was in Shanghai, China. In 1959, the cancer was found to have spread to her bladder, so her doctors removed half her bladder. However, this did not help, her cancer remained and spread and after four other operations, the doctors gave up and in 1964, told her she had only six months to live.

She did not give up hope, but she did not know what to do. As she was cleaning up her home, she found ancient Qigong texts left to her by her late grandfather (a Taoist priest) and began to practice these forms. She found them to be very effective. After six months, she found that her cancer had gone into remission.

In 1970 she started teaching other cancer patients in the parks of Beijing. Her style was called New Qigong Therapy and soon, word was spreading that many of her students were benefiting from this “new” qigong. By 1977 she had gained national prominence and was teaching about 400 students daily in Beijing. She worked tirelessly until her death in 1984 at age 75 (of a cerebral hemorrhage), after having survived cancer for over 34 years and after helping thousands recover from the pain and suffering of various ailments. She had travelled throughout China to lecture, teach and demonstrate.

Now her Qigong style is named in her honor, and it has spread to many countries around the world.

There was a TV special on health called “The Healing Heart”. Near the end of the special was a segment on Guo Lin Qigong. It was about the Shanghai Cancer Recovery Club. These people, instead of being passive in their fight with cancer, were out everyday walking, moving, and breathing in a very special way.

All over Shanghai there were people getting together every morning, hundreds of people in dozens of places, to practice these Qigong forms to help fight their cancer. These groups were run solely by cancer survivors who had used this Qigong. At the time the show was taped, in Shanghai alone, there were almost 3,000 people in these cancer recovery clubs, and besides the Qigong classes they also scheduled group trips, met for yearly anniversaries of members survival, and generally supported each other in their fight.

Now, over a million Chinese with a variety of chronic diseases have learned Guo Lin Qigong, and the various groups claim to have an amazing amount of success (over 80%). One must take these types of claims with a grain of salt, since many of the people may not have been medically diagnosed. However, many hospitals that treat cancer in China will recommend Gou Lin Qigong as part of the treatment.

Guo Lin Qigong was credited as an agent in many cases of cancer remission by the Chinese government. These successes inspired the creation of a cancer survivors club in Beijing, then spreading to many other cities. Today, Guo Lin Qigong clubs can be found all over China. There have been studies done, in China, that seem to prove or provide evidence as to this Qigong’s effectiveness.

Guo Lin Qigong has become a social and medical phenomenon in China. No longer passive, the patients are very active in their own recovery which is strikingly different than what usually happens here.

This Qigong form can be used as an addition to any cancer recovery program. It should not be used to replace any cancer therapy prescribed by your physician. We offer no explicit nor implicit opinion or claim on the effectiveness of practicing Guo Lin Qigong for those with cancer or any other ailment. It is our wish to provide information on Quo Lin Qigong so that those interested can learn this style.