Chen, Yeung Qigong Therapy for Cancer in China Exploratory Studies of Qigong Therapy for Cancer in China Kevin Chen, PhD, MPH, and Raphael Yeung, BA The authors reviewed more than 50 studies of qigong ther- apy for cancer in China, in 3 categories: clinical studies on cancer patients, in vitro studies on laboratory-prepared can- cer cells, and in vivo studies on cancer-infected animals. Most of the clinical studies involved observation of cancer patients’ self-practice of qigong. Although no double-blind clinical trials were found among patient studies, many had a control. The qigong groups showed more improvement or had a better survival rate than conventional methods alone. In vitro studies report the inhibitory effect of qi emission on cancer growth, and in vivo studies find that qigong-treated groups have significantly reduced tumor growth or longer survival among cancer-infected animals. However, there is much room for improvement in these studies, and some re- quire replication to verify the findings. Qigong therapy is an area that is often neglected by mainstream medicine and research, but our review strongly suggests that qigong de- serves further study as a supplement to conventional cancer treatment. Introduction Qigong (pronounced “ch e gông”) is a general term for a large variety of traditional Chinese energy exer- cises and therapies. There is no consistent definition for qigong in the academic field due to its broad cover- age. Generally, qigong is considered to be the self- training method or process through qi (vital energy) and yi (consciousness or intention) cultivation to achieve the optimal state of both body and mind. 1 Tra- ditional Chinese medicine (TCM) posits the existence of a subtle energy (qi) circulating throughout the entire human body. When strengthened or balanced, it can improve health and ward off or slow the progress of disease. TCM considers sickness or pain a result of qi blockage or unbalanced qi energy in the body. All TCM therapies—herbs, acupuncture, massage, diet, and qigong—are based on this philosophy and per- spective on human health. It is generally known that qigong practice is benefi- cial to human health and can prevent disease. How- ever, it is less known, even in China, that qigong may be an effective way to treat various diseases, including cancer. It is very common for people with no qigong experience to consider all qigong the same. In fact, there are thousands of different forms of qigong in China, and most of them were designed not to heal existing diseases but, rather, to be used as a prophylac- tic and/or a meditative exercise. Although most qigong styles bring health benefits, medical qigong is a small, specialized area of qigong that has been specifi- cally developed for the treatment and cure of disease. Medical qigong refers to the qigong forms used by TCM practitioners with emphasis on using vital energy (qi) to diagnose and take control of or eliminate ill- nesses, as well as prevent their onset. Qigong is mainly a self-training method that includes qi emission or external qigong therapy (EQT). EQT has always been part of the medical qigong practice as an element in the effort to help others regain their health. There are also differences between internal qigong training and EQT in the history and development of medical qigong. Internal qigong training refers to qigong practice or cultivation by oneself to achieve optimal health for both mind and body. This is a major compo- nent in medical qigong practice. EQT refers to the process by which a qigong practitioner directs his intention, or emits his qi energy, to help others break qi blockages and induce the sick qi to leave the body so as to alleviate pain, abate disease, and balance the flow of qi. Most research on qigong therapy for cancer patients has involved teaching patients to practice qigong (internal qigong training), whereas most research on qigong therapy for cancer in animals or culture cells has involved EQT. Qigong and Cancer Treatment Although there might be some cases of cancer recov- ery reported in many qigong forms, most qigong schools or clinics in China generally do not openly Qigong Therapy for Cancer in China INTEGRATIVE CANCER THERAPIES 1(4); 2002 pp. 345-370 345 KC and RY are at the Department of Psychiatry, University of Medi- cine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, New Jersey. Correspondence: Kevin Chen, Department of Psychiatry, Univer- sity of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, 671 Hoes Lane, UBHC-D453, Piscataway, NJ 08854. E-mail: [email protected]. DOI: 10.1177/1534735402238187
Transcript
Chen, YeungQigong Therapy for Cancer in China
Exploratory Studies of QigongTherapy for Cancer in China
Kevin Chen, PhD, MPH, and Raphael Yeung, BA
The authors reviewed more than 50 studies of qigong ther-apy for cancer in China, in 3 categories: clinical studies oncancer patients, in vitro studies on laboratory-prepared can-cer cells, and in vivo studies on cancer-infected animals.Most of the clinical studies involved observation of cancerpatients’ self-practice of qigong. Although no double-blindclinical trials were found among patient studies, many had acontrol. The qigong groups showed more improvement orhad a better survival rate than conventional methods alone.In vitro studies report the inhibitory effect of qi emission oncancer growth, and in vivo studies find that qigong-treatedgroups have significantly reduced tumor growth or longersurvival among cancer-infected animals. However, there ismuch room for improvement in these studies, and some re-quire replication to verify the findings. Qigong therapy is anarea that is often neglected by mainstream medicine andresearch, but our review strongly suggests that qigong de-serves further study as a supplement to conventional cancertreatment.
IntroductionQigong (pronounced “che gông”) is a general termfor a large variety of traditional Chinese energy exer-cises and therapies. There is no consistent definitionfor qigong in the academic field due to its broad cover-age. Generally, qigong is considered to be the self-training method or process through qi (vital energy)and yi (consciousness or intention) cultivation toachieve the optimal state of both body and mind.1 Tra-ditional Chinese medicine (TCM) posits the existenceof a subtle energy (qi) circulating throughout theentire human body. When strengthened or balanced,it can improve health and ward off or slow the progressof disease. TCM considers sickness or pain a result ofqi blockage or unbalanced qi energy in the body. AllTCM therapies—herbs, acupuncture, massage, diet,and qigong—are based on this philosophy and per-spective on human health.
It is generally known that qigong practice is benefi-cial to human health and can prevent disease. How-ever, it is less known, even in China, that qigong maybe an effective way to treat various diseases, includingcancer. It is very common for people with no qigong
experience to consider all qigong the same. In fact,there are thousands of different forms of qigong inChina, and most of them were designed not to healexisting diseases but, rather, to be used as a prophylac-tic and/or a meditative exercise. Although mostqigong styles bring health benefits, medical qigong is asmall, specialized area of qigong that has been specifi-cally developed for the treatment and cure of disease.
Medical qigong refers to the qigong forms used byTCM practitioners with emphasis on using vital energy(qi) to diagnose and take control of or eliminate ill-nesses, as well as prevent their onset. Qigong is mainlya self-training method that includes qi emission orexternal qigong therapy (EQT). EQT has always beenpart of the medical qigong practice as an element inthe effort to help others regain their health. There arealso differences between internal qigong training andEQT in the history and development of medicalqigong. Internal qigong training refers to qigongpractice or cultivation by oneself to achieve optimalhealth for both mind and body. This is a major compo-nent in medical qigong practice. EQT refers to theprocess by which a qigong practitioner directs hisintention, or emits his qi energy, to help others breakqi blockages and induce the sick qi to leave the body soas to alleviate pain, abate disease, and balance the flowof qi. Most research on qigong therapy for cancerpatients has involved teaching patients to practiceqigong (internal qigong training), whereas mostresearch on qigong therapy for cancer in animals orculture cells has involved EQT.
Qigong and Cancer TreatmentAlthough there might be some cases of cancer recov-ery reported in many qigong forms, most qigongschools or clinics in China generally do not openly
Qigong Therapy for Cancer in China
INTEGRATIVE CANCER THERAPIES 1(4); 2002 pp. 345-370 345
KC and RY are at the Department of Psychiatry, University of Medi-cine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Robert Wood Johnson MedicalSchool, Piscataway, New Jersey.
Correspondence: Kevin Chen, Department of Psychiatry, Univer-sity of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Robert Wood JohnsonMedical School, 671 Hoes Lane, UBHC-D453, Piscataway, NJ08854. E-mail: [email protected]: 10.1177/1534735402238187
take patients with cancer due to their high mortalityrate. For example, it has been reported that the largestmedical qigong facility in China—Huaxia Zhi-NengQigong Center—has chosen not to admit any morepatients with cancer after a cancer patient died in theirfacility. However, 2 qigong forms in China have pub-licly challenged cancer: Guo-Lin New Qigong andChinese Taiji Five-Element Qigong.
A late-stage cancer patient, Guo Lin, who attributesher recovery from cancer to her practice of qigong inthe 1970s, created Guo-Lin New Qigong. Guo startedto teach this form of qigong to a number of cancerpatients around the country. It has been said thatmany of them achieved complete remission from can-cer after practicing Guo-Lin qigong. However, mostpractitioners of Guo-Lin qigong have used qigongmainly as a supplementary therapy to conventionaltreatments or other therapies.2 Therefore, its thera-peutic efficacy has not been sufficiently established asa stand-alone therapy, and it has not been fully recog-nized by Western medical doctors.
Taiji Five-Element Qigong was founded by BinhuiHe in response to the fact that modern medicinefailed to provide a cure for many chronic diseases, andthat many of the drugs used to treat these diseases havenegative long-term side effects. The Chinese Society ofQigong Science appointed He as the director of theQigong Anti-Cancer Research Center in 1993 after dis-covering from media reports that late-stage cancerpatients had recovered completely by practicing thisform of qigong alone without any other therapy. Hethen started formal clinical exploration of qigonganticancer therapy in his qigong training center. Manypatients with late-stage cancer (most of whom wereturned away by hospitals due to the lack of any existentmedical treatment available at such a late stage) partic-ipated in He’s intensive medical qigong training. Mostof these patients achieved significant short-termimprovement in their health and/or a recovery fromcancer through qigong practice alone. Furthermore,a large proportion of these patients became cancer-free in the last 5 to 9 years.3,4 In an official assessmentmeeting held in 1996 by the Chinese government,Chinese scholars and experts in medicine and scienceexamined a number of cancer cases and the results ofscientific research with Taiji Five-Element Qigong.They affirmed the positive effect of the five-elementqigong and concluded in their evaluation that it was“an effective way to treat cancer.”5-7
Research on QigongTherapy for CancerMedia reports on cancer recovery by qigong havecaught the attention of many scientists in China. Canqigong practice really have a therapeutic effect on can-
cer? It is well known that some cancer patients may ex-perience spontaneous remissions without any therapy.How do we discern spontaneous remissions fromqigong-induced remissions? Does qigong treatmentprovide merely a placebo, or does it truly provide atherapeutic effect?
Due to considerations of psychological effects andother limitations, most systematic research on qigongtherapy for cancer has been focused on in vitro studyof different cancer cells or in vivo study where cancercells were injected into a live animal to observe theinhibitory effect of qigong therapy. Most clinical stud-ies of patients have been case observations by medicalprofessionals; no double-blind clinical trials could befound in the literature. In an attempt to understandhow qigong therapy affects cancer treatment, thisstudy reviewed more than 50 research studies (exclud-ing case reports) that have a focus on qigong therapyfor treating cancer. All of these studies were per-formed in the past 20 years and were published inChina. These studies fall into 3 different categories:clinical study on human cancer patients, in vitro studyof cancer cells with EQT, and in vivo (animal) study ofcancer cells with EQT. It is hoped that such a reviewwill interest more scientists in this ancient therapy andthat, as a result, more well-designed research on thetherapeutic effect of qigong therapy for cancer andother chronic diseases will be implemented.
MethodsThis preliminary review uses 2 major sources of litera-ture: (1) the Qigong Database of the Qigong Institute,8
which has more than 1600 abstracts and papers fromvarious conference proceedings and publications;and (2) the accessible publications in Chinese, includ-ing some conference proceedings in Chinese. Al-though there is no academic journal devotedspecifically to qigong research, there are many col-lected research works (edited volumes), as well as spe-cific magazines and journals, that publish qigong-related research studies. Most of this literature hasnever been published in English.
Although there are numerous publications onqigong and cancer in Chinese, few truly adhere toWestern academic standards with regard to researchdesign and reporting format. Some were not writtenfor academic exchanges or documentation. Conse-quently, incomplete data reports were a problem inthis review. To fully take advantage of the publishedliterature for future research in this area, we used thefollowing 3 criteria for selecting studies to be includedin this review: (1) it must be a research study with sys-tematic data collection for the purpose of understand-ing the clinical improvement or significant differ-ences between a qigong and a nonqigong group, not
Chen, Yeung
346 INTEGRATIVE CANCER THERAPIES 1(4); 2002
simply case reports or patient testimonies on cancerrecovery; (2) it must involve specific cancer or carci-noma cells with quantifiable results, not simply anexploration on the mechanism of qigong therapy withbiological means or general assumptions of qigongtherapy for cancer; or (3) it must be clinical researchwith an identifiable baseline tumor description or can-cer identification and compatible results, not simplyan obscure outcome study.
Major Research Findings
Clinical Studies of Human PatientsA number of clinical studies have been done onqigong therapy for cancer patients. Most published re-search articles in China on cancer patients have beenbased on observational studies, some without a com-patible control. A total of 21 clinical studies were re-viewed, with the number of observations ranging from42 to 1883. A large proportion of the publicationswere based on clinical studies that used Guo-Lin NewQigong with a combination of other therapies. Al-though no double-blind clinical trial in conventionalmedicine was found in the qigong literature, many ofthe studies did have a control group. Table 1 presentsthe summary of these studies. Following are more de-tailed summary descriptions of some of these studies.
Quite possibly the largest clinical observation ofqigong therapy for cancer treatment was conducted atBeijing Miyun Capital Tumor Hospital by Zhang andcolleagues,9 who combined self-control qigong ther-apy (a modified form of Guo-Lin qigong) with otherconventional methods in the treatment of 1648patients with various cancers over a period of 8 years.This study documented significant improvement for32.4% of patients and some effectiveness for 59.2% ofpatients; only 8.4% reported no effect. More than 500of the cancer patients survived 5 years or longer (> 30%).This is a much better result than other tumor hospitalsin China that have not combined qigong therapy intheir treatment plans. Although Zhang et al also col-lected many data on the patients’ physical health,improvement in immune functions, and other biolog-ical indicators, no control was used or collected in thishospital-based observation, which makes it less possi-ble to discern how well qigong therapy benefits cancerpatients in comparison to other therapies. Table 2presents the results of major immune indicatorsamong 30 cancer patients before and after the qigongtherapy.10 These data provide some insight into howqigong works for cancer patients.
Sun and Zhao11 of Guang-An-Men Hospital at theAcademy of TCM conducted a clinical study on vari-ous advanced cancers. Among the 123 patients with a
mean age of 47 years, 60 were men and 63 women; allwere diagnosed pathologically with malignant tumor,70 in stage III and 53 in stage IV. The qigong group (n= 97) was treated with conventional drugs plus qigongexercise (2 hours daily for 3 months), whereas the con-trol group (n = 30) was treated with the same drugsalone. At the end of the treatment, the researchersfound that among the qigong-plus-drug group, 82%regained strength, 63% improved appetite, and 33%were free of diarrhea or irregular defecation, whereasthe rates for control group were 10%, 10%, and 6%,respectively (P < .01). They also found that 50.5% inthe qigong group gained 3+ kg in body weight as com-pared to 13.3% in the control group; only 5.4% in theqigong group lost 3+ kg whereas 30% lost weight in thecontrol group (P < .01). The blood tests of the 2groups indicated that in the qigong-treated group, themean phagocytic rate of macrophages increased fromthe previously tested result of 34.7% ± 8.9% to 47.0% ±8.2% after the treatment (a 35% increase); thephagocytic indices were 0.45 ± 0.11 and 0.63 ± 0.13,respectively, before and after the therapy. The meanphagocytic rate in the control group did not elevate,but decreased by 7.8%; the phagocytic indiceschanged from 0.63 ± 0.18 before therapy to 0.50 ± 0.14after therapy. In addition, 24% of patients in theqigong group had normal erythrocyte sedimentationand 21% had normal hepatic function; however, thosewith normal sedimentation and hepatic function con-stituted only 10% and 6.7% in the control group,respectively. In sum, the results suggest that qigongtherapy has some beneficial effect in ameliorating thesymptoms, improving the appetite, strengthening theconstitution, and increasing self-healing ability.
Fu et al12 of Henan Medical University observed 186postsurgery patients of cardiac adenocarcinoma (155men and 31 women; mean age = 59.8 ± 8.8 years) overa period of 3 years. Among them, 7.5% were in stage I,24.7% in stage II, and 67.8% in stage III of various car-diac adenocarcinoma; 44.5% had lymph metastasis.The patients were randomly assigned into 4 treatmentgroups: surgery only (control; n = 48), chemotherapyonly (n = 42), Chinese herbal therapy only (n = 46),and qigong plus herb therapy (n = 50). This lastrequired the patients to practice specific qigong everyday for a specific period of time. The postsurgery che-motherapy was the standard etoposide, doxorubicinand cisplatin (EAP) protocol, 2 courses in the firstyear, 2 courses in the second year, and 1 course in thethird year. After more than 5 years of follow-up study,Fu et al found that the 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival rates forthe control group (surgical only) were 80.1%, 36.5%,and 20.8%; for chemotherapy group were 85.7%,45.2%, and 25.1%; for herbal group were 84.5%,
Qigong Therapy for Cancer in China
INTEGRATIVE CANCER THERAPIES 1(4); 2002 347
text continued on p 352
Chen, Yeung
348 INTEGRATIVE CANCER THERAPIES 1(4); 2002
Aut
hor,
Yea
r
NC
on
trol
Typ
e of
Can
cer
Met
hod
Res
ults
Not
e
Cai
et a
l
2001
20
1883
NV
ario
us ty
pes
and
stag
es o
f
canc
er
Aft
er p
ract
icin
g G
uo-L
in q
igon
g fo
r 2
mon
ths,
blo
od
sam
ple
draw
n on
eac
h pa
tient
for
ana
lysi
s, s
uch
as
RB
C a
nd W
BC
cou
nt, I
gG, I
gA a
nd I
gM le
vels
, NK
cells
and
dif
fere
nt C
D c
ells
cou
nts
wer
e m
easu
red.
Mos
t pat
ient
s sh
owed
rem
arka
ble
impr
ovem
ents
in th
ese
cate
gori
es: i
mm
une
func
tion
impr
oved
aft
er q
igon
g pr
actic
e,
espe
cial
ly W
BC
, CD
20, I
L-2
and
NK
act
iviti
es (
P <
.01)
; 40
.8%
patie
nts
repo
rted
impr
ovem
ent i
n sl
eep;
and
36.
8% r
epor
ted
impr
ovem
ent i
n ap
petit
e.
Con
g et
al
1997
61
120
NL
ate-
stag
e
esop
hary
ngea
l
canc
er
Chi
nese
her
bal c
ompo
und
(Tia
n-xi
an c
apsu
le),
chem
othe
rapy
and
rad
ioth
erap
y, p
lus
Guo
-Lin
sty
leqi
gong
wer
e co
mbi
ned
to tr
eat c
ance
r pa
tient
s. A
num
ber
of p
hysi
cal s
ympt
oms
wer
e ch
ecke
d be
fore
and
afte
r tr
eatm
ent.
Aft
er th
e co
mbi
natio
n th
erap
y, s
igni
fica
nt r
educ
tion
in p
hysi
cal
sym
ptom
s ( P
< .0
1). T
he 5
-yea
r su
rviv
al r
ate
is 3
7.5%
, and
med
ium
sur
viva
l per
iod
2-3
year
s; c
ompa
red
to o
nly
16-2
0%
surv
ival
rat
e in
5 y
ears
, 17
mon
ths
for
the
med
. sur
viva
l per
iod
prev
ious
ly.
Feng
, 199
421
202
NV
ario
us c
ance
rs,
eg e
soph
agea
l,
brai
n tu
mor
, and
othe
rs
Patie
nts
rece
ive
qigo
ng tr
eatm
ent f
rom
qig
ong
mas
ter,
1-2
hou
rs p
er tr
eatm
ent,
trea
ted
betw
een
15-
30 ti
mes
. B
efor
e tr
eatm
ent t
he p
atie
nts
wer
e le
d by
qigo
ng m
aste
r to
pra
ctic
e qi
gong
for
30
min
.
The
num
ber
of p
atie
nts
with
impr
oved
sym
ptom
s w
ere
123,
60.9
% o
f th
e to
tal,
78 p
atie
nts
show
no
impr
ovem
ent (
38.6
%)
and
only
1 p
atie
nts
show
ed w
orse
ned
sym
ptom
s (0
.5%
).
No
qigo
ng f
orm
spec
ifie
d.
Fu e
t al
1996
12
186
YC
ardi
ac a
deno
-
carc
inom
a
Patie
nts
wer
e ra
ndom
ly a
ssig
ned
into
4 tr
eatm
ent
grou
p: s
urgi
cal o
nly
(con
trol
), p
ost-
surg
ical
chem
othe
rapy
(E
AP)
; her
bal,
and
herb
al +
qig
ong.
Mea
n ag
e =
59.
8 ±
8.8
yr.
Surv
ival
rat
es in
yea
r 1,
3 &
5 w
ere:
Sur
gica
l onl
y: 8
0.1%
,
37.5
%, 2
0.8%
; Che
mo:
85.
7%, 4
5.2%
, & 2
5.1%
; Her
bal:
84.
5%,
43.5
% &
26.
1%; q
igon
g +
her
bal:
86%
, 64%
& 3
6%;
P <
0.0
1
b/n
grou
p 1
& 4
in y
ear
3 an
d 5.
The
her
bs a
nd
thei
r co
mbi
natio
n
not e
xpla
ined
.
Hua
ng19
962
136
NV
ario
us ty
pes
of
canc
er p
atie
nts
Guo
-Lin
qig
ong
was
use
d to
impr
ove
the
canc
er
patie
nts’
lung
fun
ctio
n an
d m
icro
circ
ulat
ion.
Spir
omet
er w
as u
sed
to m
easu
re th
e tid
al v
olum
e of
the
lung
, and
nai
l-fo
ld m
icro
circ
ulat
ion
was
als
o
stud
ied.
Aft
er q
igon
g pr
actic
e, th
e sp
irom
eter
sho
wed
incr
ease
in th
e tid
al
capa
city
of
the
lung
. R
espi
ratio
n ra
te in
crea
sed
36.7
9% a
nd
“min
ute
vent
ilato
ry v
olum
e” in
crea
sed
128.
1%.
The
num
ber
of
capi
llary
loop
s in
nai
l-fo
ld in
crea
sed
and
leng
th o
f lo
ops
prol
onge
d.
Kui
et a
l
1996
62
42 (31f
11m
)
NV
ario
us ty
pes
of
tum
ors
and
canc
er
Prac
ticin
g “L
otus
Qig
ong”
(by
mas
ter
Xia
n M
ing
Zen
g) f
or 3
mon
ths,
with
per
iodi
cal e
xter
nal q
i
adju
stm
ent.
The
siz
es o
f tu
mor
wer
e co
mpa
red
afte
r
trea
tmen
t.
27 c
ases
(65
%)
of tu
mor
elim
inat
ion,
15
case
s (3
5%)
of tu
mor
redu
ctio
n ha
ve b
een
repo
rted
. A
n ov
eral
l of
100%
eff
ectiv
e ra
te
was
cla
imed
on
all p
atie
nts
stud
ied.
Onl
y a
shor
t-te
rm
resu
lt w
as
repo
rted
.
Luo
et a
l
1988
15
80 (48m
32f)
YV
ario
us ty
pes
of
canc
er p
atie
nts
Patie
nts
rand
omly
ass
igne
d to
qig
ong
(1)
chem
o (2
)
and
qigo
ng +
che
mo
grou
ps (
3).
Com
pare
d th
e le
vel
of R
BC
, WB
C, s
erum
hem
oglo
bin
and
T-
Aft
er 6
0 da
ys g
roup
1 h
ad a
sig
nifi
cant
ris
e in
WB
C, R
BC
and
seru
m h
emog
lobi
n af
ter
trea
tmen
t (P
< .0
1), w
hile
gro
up 2
had
sign
ific
ant l
ower
ing
( P <
.01)
. G
roup
3 h
ad e
leva
tion
of s
erum
Tab
le1.
Rev
iew
sof
Clin
ical
Stud
ies
ofQ
igon
gT
hera
pyfo
rC
ance
rP
atie
nts*
Qigong Therapy for Cancer in China
INTEGRATIVE CANCER THERAPIES 1(4); 2002 349
lym
phoc
yte
in p
re-
and
post
trea
tmen
t. “
Vita
l Gat
e ”
qigo
ng w
as u
sed.
hem
oglo
bin,
RB
C a
nd p
late
let c
ount
(P
< .0
1), W
BC
leve
ls
rem
aine
d th
e sa
me.
Sun
& Z
hao
1988
11
123
YV
ario
us c
ance
rsD
rug
+ q
igon
g (n
= 9
7) v
s. d
rug
only
(co
ntro
l, n
= 3
0)
grou
p. S
imila
r dr
ugs
in b
oth
grou
ps. A
ll pa
tient
s in
stag
e II
I or
IV
. Sy
mpt
oms,
sig
ns, b
ody
wei
ght a
nd
imm
une
indi
ces
wer
e re
cord
ed b
efor
e an
d af
ter
trea
tmen
t.
Aft
er 3
mon
ths,
82%
pat
ient
s in
qig
ong
grou
p re
gain
ed s
tren
gth,
63%
impr
oved
app
etite
and
33.
3% f
ree
from
dia
rrhe
a or
defe
ctio
n, c
ompa
red
with
con
trol
10%
, 10%
, & 6
% (
P <
.001
).
50.5
% in
qig
ong
grou
p ga
ined
bod
y w
eigh
t by
3+
kg,
5.4
% lo
st
3+ k
g, c
ompa
red
to 1
3.3%
and
30%
res
pect
ivel
y in
con
trol
.
Qig
ong
grou
p re
port
ed in
crea
sed
imm
une
indi
ces
whi
le c
ontr
ol
decr
ease
d.
Wel
l-co
ntro
lled
stud
y.
Wan
g et
al
1993
16
62Y
Var
ious
can
cers
Mid
dle
to a
dvan
ced-
stag
e ca
ncer
pat
ient
s w
ere
rand
omly
ass
igne
d to
two
grou
ps: C
hem
o +
qig
ong
(32)
and
che
mo
only
(30
, con
trol
). T
he c
hem
o +
qigo
ng g
roup
pra
ctic
ed q
igon
g in
add
ition
to th
e
chem
othe
rapy
.
29 o
f 32
in c
hem
o +
qig
ong
grou
p ha
d im
prov
ed h
ealth
with
stab
le W
BC
cou
nt.
12 c
ases
in c
hem
o on
ly g
roup
rep
orte
d
wor
se h
ealth
with
mor
e sy
mpt
oms
and
decl
ined
WB
C (
less
than
4 ×
109 /L
). C
urat
ive
effe
ct o
f +
chem
o.+
qig
ong
grou
p,
com
pare
d w
ith th
e ch
emo.
onl
y gr
oup,
is m
uch
bette
r ( P
< .0
5).
Inco
mpl
ete
conc
lusi
on, a
nd
unsp
ecif
ied
amou
nt o
f tim
e
for
trea
tmen
t.
Wan
g
1988
17
104
YV
ario
us c
ance
rs
(eso
phag
us,
stom
ach,
lung
canc
er e
tc.)
46 p
atie
nts
wer
e st
udie
d fo
r pr
otei
n le
vels
(A
AG
,
AA
T a
nd C
ER
) be
fore
/aft
er q
igon
g (6
to 2
4
mon
ths)
. 58
pat
ient
s fo
r st
udyi
ng c
ell i
mm
une
func
tion
(LA
I an
d A
NA
E)
befo
re a
nd a
fter
qig
ong.
Som
e su
gar
prot
ein
(AA
T &
AA
G)
show
ed a
dra
mat
ic d
rop
afte
r
qigo
ng (
P <
.001
). B
ut C
ER
incr
ease
d af
ter
trea
tmen
t (P
> .0
5).
LA
I de
crea
sed
( P <
.01)
whi
le A
NA
E in
crea
sed
afte
r qi
gong
prac
tice
(P
< .0
5)
Won
g
1988
63
345
NB
reas
t, lu
ng,
colo
n an
d na
so-
phar
ynge
al
canc
er
Guo
lin q
igon
g pr
actit
ione
rs w
ere
stud
ied
for
effe
cts
afte
r qi
gong
pra
ctic
e. T
he e
ffec
t was
mea
sure
d by
body
str
engt
h (i
ncre
ased
app
etite
, im
prov
ed s
leep
,
less
hea
lth p
robl
em);
nor
mal
ized
blo
od c
ount
s; le
ss
side
eff
ects
of
chem
o or
rad
ioth
erap
y an
d ch
arac
ter
of lu
mp/
tum
ors
Aft
er q
igon
g pr
actic
e, th
e ef
fect
ive
rate
for
bre
ast c
ance
r (n
= 9
3)
is 8
3.6%
; lun
g ca
ncer
(n
= 1
15)
75.1
%; c
olon
can
cer
(N =
72)
68.2
%; a
nd n
asop
hary
ngea
l can
cer,
64.
4%.
Mos
t pra
ctiti
oner
s
also
rep
orte
d fe
wer
sym
ptom
s or
eve
n re
mis
sion
of
othe
r he
alth
-
rela
ted
prob
lem
s.
No
cont
rol f
or
com
pari
son.
Xu
et a
l
1990
19
229
YV
ario
us c
ance
rsM
easu
red
the
Cu-
Zn
SOD
act
iviti
es a
nd le
vels
in th
e
RB
C in
229
pat
ient
s (1
24 in
qig
ong,
105
in c
ontr
ol
grou
p) w
ith c
ance
r by
col
or im
mun
olog
ical
pla
te
reac
tion
with
enz
yme.
Aft
er q
igon
g pr
actic
e, th
e C
u-Z
n SO
D a
ctiv
ity in
RB
C is
399.
7"48
.3 µ
g/gH
b vs
. 356
.8 ±
22.
3 µg
/gH
b w
ithou
t pra
ctic
ing
qigo
ng (
P <
.001
). Q
igon
g pr
actic
e ra
ised
the
Cu-
Zn
SOD
activ
ity.
For
m o
f qi
gong
was
not
expl
aine
d.
Xu
et a
l
1988
18
272
YV
ario
us c
ance
rsF
ive
grou
ps: 1
. hea
lthy
peo
ple
wit
h qi
gong
(72
); 2
.
heal
thy
peop
le w
/o q
igon
g (5
0); 3
. peo
ple
who
kee
p
bees
(50
); 4
. Can
cer
pati
ents
wit
h qi
gong
(50
); 5
.
canc
er p
atie
nts
w/o
qig
ong.
All
canc
er c
onfi
rmed
by
path
olog
ical
bio
psy.
Blo
od s
ampl
e dr
awn
from
eac
h
pers
on to
test
T-l
ymph
octy
te le
vel b
y A
NA
E (
alph
a-
napt
hyl a
ceta
te e
ster
ase
stai
ning
).
The
val
ue o
f m
ean
± S
D o
f A
NA
E d
eter
min
atio
n of
the
1st g
roup
was
74.
9 ± 1
1.6%
, vs.
65.
6 ±
8.9
% f
or 2
nd g
roup
(P
< .0
1).
The
4th g
roup
was
69.
2 ±
12.
8% v
s. 4
2.8
± 7
.1%
for
5th
gro
up
(P <
.01)
. T
he 3
rd g
roup
(a
spec
ial c
ontr
ol)
was
76.
8 ±
11.1
%.
The
eff
ect o
f
qigo
ng o
n T
-
lym
phoc
yte
leve
ls
both
in n
orm
al
peop
le a
nd c
ance
r
pati
ents
.
(con
tinue
d)
Chen, Yeung
350 INTEGRATIVE CANCER THERAPIES 1(4); 2002
Xu
1989
80
NV
ario
us c
ance
rsA
ran
dom
ized
tria
l to
stud
y hu
mor
al im
mun
ity;
seru
m I
gG, I
gA a
nd I
gM c
ellu
lar
imm
unity
; LA
I;
activ
e E
ros
ette
for
mat
ion
and
AN
AE
bef
ore
and
afte
r qi
gong
.
The
val
ue o
f A
NA
E in
nor
mal
indi
vidu
als
doin
g qi
gong
was
74.9
%, v
s. o
nly
65.5
% f
or th
ose
not d
oing
qig
ong
( P <
.001
).
The
avg
. val
ue o
f L
AI
for
canc
er p
atie
nts
befo
re q
igon
g 72
.6%
,
vs. 5
2.2%
aft
er q
igon
g. (
P <
.01)
. A
ctiv
e E
ros
ette
als
o
impr
oved
fro
m b
efor
e qi
gong
24.
1% to
29.
7% a
fter
qig
ong.
No
cont
rol t
o
com
pare
.
Ye
et a
l
1992
14
98Y
Var
ious
can
cers
A r
ando
miz
ed tr
ial w
ith 3
gro
ups:
nor
mal
con
trol
(34)
, che
mo.
gro
up (
32)
and
Guo
Lin
qig
ong
(33)
.
The
rat
e of
uns
ched
uled
DN
A s
ynth
esis
(U
DS,
exci
sion
rep
air)
was
mea
sure
d be
fore
and
aft
er th
e
trea
tmen
t.
UD
S ra
te a
fter
3-m
onth
trea
tmen
t: N
orm
al p
re: 7
6.9
± 1
4.0,
pos
t
76.6
±14
.6; C
ance
r co
ntro
l, pr
e 27
.5±
17.4
*; P
ost:
7.1
±17
.6*;
Can
cer
with
qig
ong,
pre
27.
5±
15.8
*; p
ost:
42.1
±18
.5**
;
(*P
< .0
01 c
ompa
red
to n
orm
al *
* P <
.01
com
pare
d ±
to
canc
er
con
trol
).
Rel
ativ
ely
smal
l
grou
p.
Yu
et a
l
1993
10
30N
Var
ious
can
cer
cell
s fr
om
hum
an p
atie
nts
Che
mot
actic
mov
emen
t, ph
agoc
ytic
rat
e,
bact
erio
cida
l fun
ctio
n of
neu
trop
hils
mea
sure
d by
nbt p
ositi
ve r
ate,
lym
phoc
yte
tran
sfor
mat
ion
rate
of
the
patie
nt’s
imm
une
syst
em w
ere
mea
sure
d be
fore
and
afte
r qi
gong
pra
ctic
e (A
= b
efor
e an
d P
= a
fter
).
Che
mot
axis
of
neut
roph
ils m
easu
red
by a
gar
plat
e
met
hod.
Che
mot
actic
mov
emen
t (di
stan
ce)
A=
1.75
±0.
53m
m v
s P
= 2
.35±
00.7
7mm
(P
< .0
1).C
hem
otac
tic in
ex: A
= 2
.09
±0.
55 v
s. P
=
2.83
±0.
95 (
P <
.01)
. Pha
gocy
tic r
ate
A =
32.
5±
9.2%
, P =
51.
3 ±
12.2
% (
P <
.01)
. Bac
teri
ocid
al f
unct
ion-
nbt p
ositi
ve r
ate:
A=
23.1
± 6
.9%
, P =
40.
2±
10.8
% (
P <
.001
). L
ymph
ocyt
e
tran
sfor
mat
ion
rate
: A =
5 4
.4%
±14
.9%
vs
P =
64.
5 ±
10.
3% (
P <
.01)
Zha
ng
1995
9
1,64
8N
Var
ious
can
cers
Self
-con
trol
qig
ong
+ c
onve
ntio
nal t
hera
pies
to tr
eat
adva
nced
can
cer
patie
nts
for
8 ye
ars.
Com
preh
ensi
ve
phys
ical
hea
lth a
nd im
mun
e fu
nctio
ns w
ere
mea
sure
d fo
r im
prov
emen
t.
32.4
% a
chie
ved
sign
ific
ant i
mpr
ovem
ent,
59.2
% s
how
ed s
ome
effe
ctiv
enes
s, o
nly
8.4%
no
effe
ct.
Som
e la
te-s
tage
pat
ient
s
repo
rted
com
plet
e tu
mor
rem
issi
on, 5
yr
surv
ival
rat
e m
ore
than
30%
. Pa
tient
s ’ C
3b r
ate
of r
ed b
lood
cel
ls, t
he ly
mph
ocyt
e
tran
sfor
mat
ion
and
phag
ocyt
ic f
unct
ion
all h
ad s
igni
fica
nt
impr
ovem
ent (
P <
.01)
.
The
larg
est
repo
rted
tum
or
hosp
ital s
tudy
wit
h qi
gong
with
out c
ontr
ol.
Zha
ng e
t al
1996
65
106
NV
ario
us c
ance
r
case
s
A s
elf-
cont
rol q
igon
g tr
eatm
ent (
mod
ifie
d G
uo-L
in
qigo
ng)
for
all c
ance
r pa
tient
s as
sess
ed b
y pr
e an
d
post
mea
sure
s of
imm
une
indi
cato
rs a
nd p
hysi
cal
heal
th.
Red
blo
od c
ell,
prio
r: X
SD
= 8
.4 ±
4.68
; pos
t 12.
4 ±
3.93
(P <
.001
). R
ed b
lood
cel
l im
mun
e m
ixtu
re f
lora
l loo
p ra
te:
prio
r: 1
0.9
±4.
6, p
ost:
6.4
±2.
7 (P
< .0
01).
Rev
ersi
on o
f
lym
phoc
yte
rate
: Pre
54.
3 ±
14.9
; pos
t: 64
.5 ±
10.3
(P
< .0
1).
Als
o, p
atie
nts ’
sym
ptom
s w
ere
relie
ved
afte
r pr
actic
e an
d si
ze o
f
tum
ors
decr
ease
d.
Smal
l stu
dy
grou
p.
Zha
ng e
t al
1995
66
48N
Var
ious
can
cers
Prac
tice
of G
uo L
in Q
igon
g, im
mun
e fu
nctio
ns a
nd
the
sym
ptom
s as
soci
ated
with
can
cer
are
mea
sure
d.
Aft
er p
ract
icin
g qi
gong
, maj
ority
had
incr
ease
d im
mun
e
func
tions
, les
s sy
mpt
oms,
bet
ter
heal
th, m
ore
ener
gy, a
nd s
ome
wei
ght g
ain,
etc
.
No
cont
rol t
o
com
pare
.
Zha
o &
Bia
n
1993
67
122
YV
ario
us c
ance
rsH
ospi
tal c
ance
r pa
tient
s tr
eate
d by
Int
ellig
ence
Qig
ong
(IQ
G)
prac
tice —
22 d
ays
of tr
aini
ng c
lass
,
Aft
er 2
2 da
ys o
f tr
eatm
ent,
man
y pa
tient
s sh
owed
cur
ativ
e ef
fect
in r
educ
ing
sym
ptom
s an
d pa
in a
ssoc
iate
d w
ith c
ance
rs, w
heth
er
et a
l 64
±
Tab
le1.
(con
tinu
ed)
Qigong Therapy for Cancer in China
INTEGRATIVE CANCER THERAPIES 1(4); 2002 351
plus
ext
erna
l qi t
reat
men
t. A
mon
g th
em 7
1 pa
tien
ts
had
beni
gn tu
mor
s, 5
1 m
alig
nant
can
cers
, am
ong
thos
e w
ith
canc
er 2
5 ne
ver
took
oth
er th
erap
y
(qig
ong
alon
e).
beni
gn o
r m
alig
nant
. No
stat
isti
cal d
iffe
renc
e in
cur
ativ
e ef
fect
betw
een
qigo
ng a
lone
and
qig
ong
plus
oth
er c
ompr
ehen
sive
ther
apie
s.
Zhe
ng e
t al
1990
13
100
YV
ario
us c
ance
rs,
incl
udin
g li
ver,
lung
and
stom
ach
100
vari
ous
late
-sta
ge c
ance
r pa
tien
ts p
arti
cipa
ted
in
qigo
ng th
erap
y an
d th
eir
1 an
d 5
year
sur
viva
l rat
e
com
pare
d w
ith
the
cont
rol g
roup
(no
qig
ong
trea
tmen
t).
Aft
er q
igon
g tr
eatm
ent,
the
1- a
nd 5
-yea
r su
rviv
al r
ates
wer
e 83
%
and
17%
for
lung
can
cer
pati
ents
( 7
% f
or c
ontr
ol in
5 y
ears
);
83%
and
23%
for
sto
mac
h ca
ncer
pat
ient
s (c
ontr
ol w
as 7
% in
5
year
s).
Med
ian
surv
ival
per
iod
for
live
r ca
ncer
pat
ient
s w
as 2
0.7
mon
ths
in q
igon
g gr
oup,
in c
ompa
riso
n w
ith
3.5
mon
ths
in
cont
rol g
roup
(P
< .0
1)
*Ran
dom
izat
ion
was
notm
entio
ned
inm
osts
tudi
esun
less
othe
rwis
esp
ecifi
ed.
43.5%, and 26.1%; and for the qigong-plus-herbgroup were 86.0%, 64.0%, and 36.0%, respectively.The differences between the qigong-plus-herb groupand the control group were statistically significant (P <.01) (Figure 1). The median survival period was 30months for the control group, 36 and 36.5 months forchemotherapy and herbal groups, and 48 months forqigong-plus-herb group. Unfortunately, the herbs andtheir combination were not specified in the report.
Zheng et al13 of the Shanghai Qigong Instituteapplied a comprehensive qigong therapy (qigongtechnique not specified) to 100 various late-stage can-cer patients and compared their survival rate withthose who had other therapies but no qigong therapyin the same hospital. They found that 1- and 5-year sur-vival rates were 83% and 17% for lung cancer patients(the control was 7% in 5 years) and 83% and 23% forstomach cancer patients (the control was 12% in 5years). The median survival period for liver cancerpatients was 20.7 months in qigong group comparedto with 3.5 months in the control group (P < .01).Huang5 reports that a study at Jiangxi Medical Schoolalso applied qigong with conventional therapy to 20cancer patients and reported much better 3- and 5-year survival rates among these patients (80% and45%) compared to the average of similar patients inthat hospital (65% and 34%).
Ye et al14 of the Shanghai Qigong Institute studiedthe effect of qigong exercise on unscheduled DNAsynthesis (UDS) of peripheral blood lymphocytes in aclinical trial of 65 various cancer patients, plus a nor-mal control. The cancer patients were randomlyassigned into either qigong (n = 33) or chemotherapy(control) group (n = 32) after surgery. After baselinemeasures were taken, the qigong group practicedGuo-Lin qigong for 3 months before the follow-upmeasurements were taken. Table 3 presents the resultsof UDS rates before and after the treatment. Theqigong group had significant improvement in theirDNA repair rate (P < .001), whereas the control(chemo) group had no change. Although both cancergroups had a lower UDS rate than a normal group, theUDS rate of the qigong group was significantly higherthan that of the control group after the 3-month treat-ment period (P < .01).
Luo et al15 of the Zhejiang Institute of TCM con-ducted a clinical trial with 80 cancer patients who were
at stage I or stage II of the disease and who had previ-ously received radiation or chemotherapy. Thepatients were randomly assigned to qigong (n = 30),chemo (n = 25), or qigong-plus-chemo (n = 25) groups.The counts of red blood cells (RBCs), white bloodcells (WBCs), serum hemoglobin and T-lymphocyteswere measured pre- and posttreatment. Vital gateqigong was used in this study. After 60 days of treat-ment, only the qigong group had a significant rise inWBCs, RBCs, and serum hemoglobin (P < .01),whereas the results of the control group were signifi-cantly reduced (P < .01). In the qigong-plus-chemogroup, the patients had an elevation in serum hemo-globin, RBCs, and platelet count (P < .01), but WBClevels remained the same. A similar finding wasreported by Wang et al16 in their trial of 60 late-stagecancer patients: 29 of the 32 patients in the chemo-plus-qigong group had improved health and a stableWBC count, whereas 12 of 30 patients in the chemo-only group reported worse health with more symp-toms, and all controls reported a decline in WBCs (lessthan 4 × 109/L) (P < .05).
At the Teaching Hospital of Nanjing College ofTCM, Wang17 explored the antitumor mechanism ofqigong therapy in a study of 104 different cancerpatients (mainly comprising esophageal, stomach,rectal, and lung cancer). These patients were taught topractice qigong during their inpatient care, and con-tinued doing so after surgery and leaving the hospital.The duration of qigong practice ranged from 6 to 24
Chen, Yeung
352 INTEGRATIVE CANCER THERAPIES 1(4); 2002
0
10
20
70
60
80
90
100
40
30
50
Year(s)S
urv
ival
Rat
e(%
)
Post-SurgeryChemotherapy
Surgery Alone
Post-Surgery Herbal
Post-SurgeryQigong+ Herbal
1 2 3
Figure 1 One, 3-, and 5-year survival rates under various types ofcancer treatment. Data from Fu et al.12
Table 2. Changes of Immune Indicators Among 30 Cancer Patients After Qigong Therapy
Immune Indicator Before After P Value
Chemotactic movement (distance) by agar plate method 1.75 ± 0.53 mm 2.35 ± 0.77 mm < .01Phagocytosis of neutrophils by India ink phagocytic test–phagocytic rate 32.5% ± 9.2% 51.3% ± 12.2% < .01Nbt-positive rate (bactericidal function of neutrophils) 23.1% ± 6.9% 40.2% ± 10.8% < .001Lymphocyte transformation rate 54.3% ± 14.9% 64.5% ± 10.3% < .01C3b rosette rate of red blood cells 8.4% ± 4.7% 12.4% ± 3.9% < .001
months before the follow-up exam. The levels of theproteins α1-acid glycoprotein (AAG), α1-antitrypsin(AAT), and ceruplasmin (CER) were studied among46 patients, and the cell immune function (leukocyteadherence inhibition [LAI] and α-napthyl acetateesterase [ANAE]) was studied among 58 patientsbefore and after qigong. Results are summarized inTable 4. The study showed that the proteins (AAT andAAG) dropped dramatically after qigong (P < .01) butthat CER increased after qigong treatment (P > .05).As to immune indicators, LAI decreased (P < .01)whereas ANAE increased after qigong practice (P <.05). In general, the qigong practice improved thecancer patients’ immune function toward the direc-tion of normal levels.
Xu and colleagues18 at the Jiangsu Provincial Insti-tute of TCM conducted a series of studies to explorethe mechanism of qigong antitumor therapy. In one ofthe studies, subjects were divided into 5 groups: (1)healthy people using qigong (n = 72), (2) healthy peo-ple not using qigong (n = 50), (3) beekeepers (n = 50),(4) cancer patients using qigong (n = 50), and (5) can-cer patients not using qigong. All of the malignanttumors were identified and confirmed by pathologicalbiopsy. A blood sample was drawn from each person totest his or her T-lymphocyte level by ANAE staining.The ANAE determination (x ± SD) in the first groupwas 74.9% ± 11.6% versus 65.6% ± 8.9% in the secondgroup (P < .01), and in the fourth group was 69.2% ±12.8% versus 42.8% ± 7.1% for the fifth group (P <.01). The third group (a special control group) was76.8% ± 11.1%. The people who had practiced qigong(whether they were healthy or a cancer patient) hadsignificantly higher levels of ANAE than those who didnot. In another study, Xu et al19 measured the copper-zinc superoxide dismutase (Cu-Zn SOD) activities inRBCs among 229 cancer patients (124 in qigong, 105in control group) by color immunological plate reac-tion to the enzyme. They reported that qigong prac-tice raised the Cu-Zn SOD activity: after practicingqigong, the Cu-Zn SOD activity in RBCs is 399.758 ± .3µg/gHb versus 356.82 ± 2.3 µg/gHb without practic-ing qigong (P < .001).
Recently, Cai et al20 of Shanghai Fangyi Hospitalreported changes in the immune indicators and
physical health among 1883 cancer patients after prac-ticing Guo-Lin qigong. After practicing Guo-Linqigong for 2 months, a blood sample was drawn fromeach patient; the RBC and WBC count, immune pro-tein IgG, IgA, and IgM levels, natural killer (NK) cells,and different cluster designation (CD) cell countswere measured. Cai et al reported that most patientsshowed remarkable improvements in these categoriesand that their immunity levels were raised after qigongpractice, especially WBC, CD20, interleukin-2 (IL-2),and NK activities (P < .01). In addition, 40.8% patientsreported improvement in sleep and 36.8% reportedimprovement in appetite.
Among the clinical studies reviewed, althoughsome lacked a valid control group, it seems that thereis a consistent tendency that the group treated withqigong therapy in combination with conventionalmethods had more significant improvement and/or abetter survival rate than the group treated with con-ventional methods alone. Some studies reported com-plete remission from late-stage cancer or metastasizedcancer, which is considered an impossible resultthrough the use of conventional medicine alone.More extensive reviews of in vitro and in vivo studies ofqigong therapy for cancer may change our stereotypeof this ancient energy therapy.
In Vitro Studies With EQTTo effectively exclude the potential psychological ef-fect of qigong therapy in cancer treatment, scientistsin China have paid special attention to the in vitrostudy of various cancer cells with the application of ex-ternal qigong therapy in order to understand howqigong treats various cancers. The typical in vitro studyhas involved randomly dividing the laboratory-prepared cancer cells or other cultures into differentgroups with at least 1 group being treated with exter-nal qi by a qigong healer, plus 1 or 2 control groups.Sometimes, 1 group was treated by sham qigong (per-son without qigong training but simulating qigongmovement) for the same amount of time. The cancercells being studied varied tremendously, including hu-man breast cancer (BC) cell lines, erythroleukemia(K562), promyelocytic leukemia, nasopharynglioma,nasopharyngeal carcinoma (CNE-2), SGC-7901 gas-
Qigong Therapy for Cancer in China
INTEGRATIVE CANCER THERAPIES 1(4); 2002 353
Table 3. Effect of Qigong Therapy on the Unscheduled DNA Synthesis (UDS) of Cancer Patients
UDS Rate (%)
Group n Mean Age Before 3 Months Later
Normal control 34 36.3 ± 10.6 76.9 ± 14.1 76.6 ± 14.6Cancer control 32 48.5 ± 12.0 27.5 ± 17.4* 27.1 ± 17.7*Cancer with qigong 33 48.2 ± 9.4 27.5 ± 15.6* 42.1 ± 18.5†
*P < .001 compared to normal control.†P < .01 compared to cancer group and before treatment.
tric adenocarcinoma, spleen cells of mice, lung tumorcell line (LA-795), and so on. Table 5 presents somemajor findings of these studies.
Feng and colleagues21-23 at the Chinese Immunol-ogy Research Center (Beijing) is one of the firstresearch groups to conduct studies on the effects ofthe emitted qi by qigong on human carcinoma cells.They used the techniques of tissue culture,cytogenetics, and electron microscope to study theeffect of external qi on HeLa cells and SGC-7901human gastric adenocarcinoma cells. They repeatedthe same HeLa cell experiment 20 times under identi-cal conditions (treatment sample exposed to externalqi for 20 minutes) and found that the survival rate ofthe HeLa cells in the qigong cultures was on average69.3% of that of control cultures; that is, 30.7% of thecells were killed in the 20-minute exposure to externalqi. The electron microscope showed that degenera-tion and swelling took place in some of the cellsexposed to emitted qi. The experiment with humangastric adenocarcinoma cells was repeated 41 timesunder the same condition (1-hour exposure to exter-nal qi by a qigong master), in which the average sur-vival rate of the SGC-7901 cells was 74.9% of that ofcontrols; that is, the average destruction rate was25.02% (P < .01). The total abnormality rate of thechromosomes in the qigong cultures (5.39%) was sig-nificantly higher than that in the control cultures(1.40%).
Chen and colleagues24 of the Zhongshan Universityof Medicine have been involved in many studies in thisarea. In one of their studies, a qigong practitioner wasinvited to emit external qi toward the human CNE-2cell line to observe the cell growth inhibition and(3H)-thymidine ([3H]-TdR) incorporation inhibi-tion. Compared to the nontreatment control, theinhibitory rates for CNE-2 growth in 4 separate qigongexperiments were 43%, 33%, 60%, and 36% (P < .05)(Figure 2). The [3H]-TdR incorporation inhibitoryrates in 6 different experiments of external qi rangedfrom 22% to 53% (P < .01). Chen et al subsequentlyrepeated this line of both in vitro and in vivo researchand had similar findings.25,26 These data suggest that
external qi can inhibit the cell growth and DNA syn-thesis of the CNE-2 cells. Cao et al27 of the CancerInstitute at Sun Yat-Sen University of Medicine repli-cated Chen et al’s findings on the inhibitory effect ofEQT on CNE-2 growth. They compared the numberof CNE-2 cells cloned after 3 types of treatment—EQTonly, gamma (G) ray only, and EQ + G ray—and foundthat the number of cells cloned in the G ray + EQT cul-tures was 9.2 ± 2.5, significantly lower than the G raycultures (15.8 ± 2.4; P < .001). The kinetic studyshowed that the number of cells cloned in the EQTcultures was 16.5 ± 2.2, close to the level of G ray cul-tures, but that it had started to increase after 48 hours,whereas the G ray cultures continued to decline after48 to 96 hours of cultivation.
Guan et al28 of the Guangzhou College of TCMused similar techniques—[3H]-TdR incorporationand tissue culture—to study the effect of EQT on thegrowth of human lymphocytes and tumor cells(erythroleukemia, K562). They found that the sameexternal qi had different effects on the 2 kinds of cells.The EQT promoted the growth of normal human lym-phocytes (counts per minute [cpm] = 6032.4 4 ± 937.0in the qigong-treated cultures and 3970.4 ± 3722.7 inthe control cultures; P < .05) but inhibited the growthof K562 cells (cpm = 9340.8 in the qigong group vs10760.2 in the control group; P < .01). Yu et al29 of theFirst Central Hospital of Tianjing also used [3H]-TdRincorporation and tissue culture methods to study amalignant mouse lung tumor cell line (LA-795) andnormal cells (L-929) in mice and found that the malig-nant cells were markedly destroyed or killed afterexposure to EQT. Compared to the control group, thekill rates in 2 EQT groups (n = 6 each) are 26% ± 6.9%and 21% ± 8.5% (P < 0.01 in both studies), whereas thenormal cells that had undergone the same treatmentremained intact.
At the Shanghai Institute of TCM, Chen30 studiedthe effect of EQT on the human liver cancer cell line(BEL-7402) and lung cancer cells (SPC-A1). Levels ofadenosine triphosphate (ATP) and alpha-fetoprotein
Chen, Yeung
354 INTEGRATIVE CANCER THERAPIES 1(4); 2002
Table 4. Comparison of Cellular Immune Function in Cancer Patients Before and After Qigong Therapy
Indicator Normal Reference Pretreatment Posttreatment Improvement
(AFP) of the cancer cells were measured 24 hoursafter EQT (40 minutes in 2 treatments) to determinethe activity of the cancer cell lines as compared to theiractivity after sham treatment. Compared to the sham-treated control group, the level of ATP in the EQTgroup increased significantly after EQT. Meanwhile,the AFP levels in the EQT group decreased. Repeatedexperiments confirmed similar results for EQT effect:AFP levels decreased.32 Examination under the elec-tron microscope found that compared to the shamcontrol, the EQT group had some visible changes,such as increase in cytoplasmic vacuolation, somelight points in the cytoplasm and the nucleus, cellmembrane broke degeneration, disappearance of cellnucleus, and cell swelling and death. In general, theSPC-A1 in the EQT group lost the characteristics of acancer cell.30,31
Recently, we conducted a pilot study to explore theeffects of EQT on the expression of preprotachykinin-I (PPT-I, an immune/hematopoietic modulatorgene) expression in 4 types of BC cells by inviting aChinese qigong healer to work with us. In our study, 4BC cell lines (BC-123, BC 125, BC-HT-20, and BC-T47D) were grown to confluence in four 6-well plates,1 plate for each treatment condition: external qigongtreatment, sham treatment, incubator control, androom temperature control. The Chinese qigonghealer emitted qi directly to the cell culture plates for10 minutes. The incubator control plate was kept in anincubator in the lab, and the room temperature platewas left on a lab bench in the same lab. The sham treat-ment was performed by an individual who had notraining in qigong but, rather, imitated the move-ments of the qigong healer. After the designed treat-ment, all plates were reincubated for 16 hours. TotalRNA was extracted by using the standard procedureand used in quantitative reverse transcriptase-
polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) to determine thelevels of β-PPT-I. The technician who did the extrac-tion and counted the cell growth was blinded to theplate identity. The results showed no significant differ-ence between the controls (the sham-treated, incuba-tor, and room temperature plates). However, therewas a consistent and obvious downward trend amongthe BC cells treated by qigong. Except for the BC-T47D cells, qigong-treated cells have a consistentlylower cell growth rate than any other groups.Compared to sham-treated cells, the closest control inthis design, in all 8 observations (4 different BC cells in2 separate trials), the qigong-treated cells had theslowest growth. This could have occurred by chanceonly at P = .0038 in a cumulative binomial probabilitydistribution. Figure 3 presents the result of 4 treat-ments for BC-HT-20 cells in 2 separate trials. Unfortu-nately, a follow-up study 5 months later with the sameqigong healer did not replicate these results due tolaboratory contamination.
Other similar in vitro studies of EQT on cancer cellsinclude that of Cao et al32 on the effect of EQT on IL-2,interferon-r (IFN-r), and lymphocyte transformationfrom spleen cells of C57BL mice; Hu et al33 on theeffect of EQT on human promyelocytic leukemia cellline (HL-60); and Ye et al42 on EQT killing rate ofhuman peripheral blood lymphocytes. Due to limita-tions in space, we will not discuss these in vitro studiesin detail. In short, most of the published in vitro stud-ies have used a design similar to that reported above,and demonstrated a significant inhibitory effect ofexternal qigong on the growth of the studied cancercells in comparison to control and sham-treated cells.This strongly suggests that the effect of qigong therapyfor cancer is not purely psychological.
In Vivo Studies ofQigong Therapy for CancerThe in vivo studies of qigong therapy for cancer treat-ment are more sophisticated and more closely resem-ble those of human application. The typical study ofthis type involved the injection of tumors or cancerouscells into mice or rats, then randomly dividing the ex-perimental animals into various groups with 1 groupbeing treated by qigong for a set period of time. Thecontrol group could be either nontreatment or shamtreatment. The major results of these studies were con-centrated on the survival rate of the animals them-selves or the rate of tumor size reduction. Thesummary findings from 18 published in vivo studiesare presented in Table 6. In general, most studies re-ported that the qigong-treated group had significantlyreduced tumor growth and/or longer survival livesamong the cancer-infected animals.
Chen, Yeung
358 INTEGRATIVE CANCER THERAPIES 1(4); 2002
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Trial 4
ControlQigong
Figure 2 Inhibitory effect of external qigong therapy on nasopha-ryngeal carcinoma-2 cells. Data from Chen et al.24
One of the largest studies of this type was con-ducted at Xuanwu Hospital of Capital Medical Collegeby Zhao and colleagues,35 who chose gliomas in mice(G422, a very stable and malignant tumor model) as theexperimental model and conducted a total of 25 trialsor studies. Each trial had a treatment and a controlgroup. Zhao et al used 11 qigong healers, 2 nonqigongpractitioners, and 494 mice with induced gliomas. Inmost trials, the mice were transplanted with gliomasbefore they were randomly assigned into eitherqigong treatment or a control group. The mice weresacrificed around 12 days after the transplantation inorder to remove the tumors for various examinations.Among the 25 separate studies, they observed aninhibitory effect on the qigong group in 16 (64%). Ofthese, 11 had an inhibitory rate greater than 20%whereas 4 had an inhibitory rate greater than 40%.However, in 8 of the 25 studies, the qigong-treatedgroup had a larger tumor than the nontreatment con-trol, including 5 studies with qigong healers and 3 withnonqigong practitioners. The studies with increasedtumor growth usually had a shorter period of timebeing exposed to external qi (3 to 10 minute a dayinstead of 60 minutes a day in other studies) and a dif-ferent style of qigong (different healers or nonprac-titioners). This result suggests that not all qigong canproduce the same inhibitory effect on tumors and thatthe amount of time exposed to qigong may play a sig-nificant role in the healing (dosage effect).
Using funds from the Chinese National ScienceFoundation, Li and colleagues36 of the Xiyuan Hospi-tal of the China Academy of TCM examined the effectof EQT on the gliomas in mice (G422) treated withEQT. In their studies, tumor-implanted mice weredivided into 4 groups: normal control, tumor control(no treatment), EQ 1 (once a day), and EQ 2 (onceevery other day). Eight different qigong healers emit-ted EQT to different mice 10 minutes daily or everyother day. After 11 days of qigong treatment, micewere sacrificed in order to weigh the lymph nodes and
spleens. Blood samples were obtained, lymphocytesuspensions were prepared, and the activities of NKcells and killer (K) cells were measured. Li et al foundthat the tumor growth in EQT groups was significantlyslower than that in the control (P < .05); the NKcell and K cell activities in the normal control and theEQT groups were significantly higher than in thetumor control group (see Table 7).
Qian et al37 examined the effect of external qi oncancer growth, metastasis, and survival time of thehost. Tumor models were formed in 114 mice by trans-plantation of U27 or MO4 cells into their subcutane-ous tissues. The tumor-infected mice were randomlydivided into 2 treatment groups for 3 separate studies:qigong group (exposed to external qi 10 to 30 minutesdaily for a period of time) and control group (no treat-ment). In study 1, mice in both groups were sacrificedon day 20 after the transplantation. The averagetumor volume in the qigong group was significantlylower than that in the control group (2.25 ± 5.35 vs6.32 ± 10.02 cm3; P < .001). In study 2, the mice weresacrificed on day 23 and all axillary lymph nodes andthe lungs were taken out individually to be examinedhistopathologically for metastasis. The metastatic ratein the qigong group was significantly lower than thatin the control group (1/16 vs 6/15; P < .05). In study 3,the mice were allowed to live out their lives and thetime of death was recorded for each. The average sur-vival time in the qigong groups (n = 10) was signifi-cantly longer than that in the control group (35.4 vs30.5 days; P < .01). The same authors performed simi-lar studies in different settings, and all reached thesame conclusion.38,39
To explore the effect of external qigong emissionon transplanted hepatic cancer in mice, Chen andcolleagues40 at the Zhongshan University of Medicineinvestigated the anticancer efficacy of external qi froma master of Chinese Taiji Five-Element Qigong ontransplanted liver cancer in mice. Thirty mice that hadbeen injected with hepatocarcinoma were randomlyassigned to 3 groups: control (no treatment), sham (anonqigong person imitating the qigong master’smovement), or qigong (treated by a qigong master).The qigong treatment involved the qigong masteremitting EQT toward the mice at a distance of 10 to 15cm for 10 minutes from day 3 of transplantation, everyother day, for a total of 4 sessions. The mice were thensacrificed on day 10 or 11. The liver cancer was sepa-rated out, measured, and weighed in a blind fashion.The results of 3 repeated experiments of this descrip-tion are presented in Figure 4. Compared to the con-trol group, the tumor growth inhibitory rates of theqigong-treated group were 70.3%, 79.7%, and 78.7%,respectively (P < .0001). The inhibitory rates of the
Qigong Therapy for Cancer in China
INTEGRATIVE CANCER THERAPIES 1(4); 2002 359
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
Control 1 Control 2 Sham Qigong
Treatment
Co
un
t o
f M
ole
cule
s o
f to
tal R
NA
Trial 1Trial 2
Figure 3 Effect of external qigong therapy on preprotachykinin-Iexpression of BC-HT-20 cells (10-minute exposure).
text continued on p 364
Chen, Yeung
360 INTEGRATIVE CANCER THERAPIES 1(4); 2002
Aut
hor,
Yea
rN
cont
rol
Typ
e of
Can
cer
Met
hod
Res
ults
Not
e
Cao
et a
l
1988
43
12Y
C57
BL
mic
e
inoc
ulat
ed w
ith
B16
mel
anom
a
tum
or c
ells
Aft
er in
ject
ing
mel
anom
a ce
lls in
to C
57B
L m
ice
tails
,
the
exp.
gro
up r
ecei
ved
qigo
ng to
obs
erve
the
rate
of
inhi
bitio
n an
d su
rviv
al ti
me.
Lun
gs w
ere
late
r
harv
este
d to
mea
sure
the
num
ber
of m
etas
tatic
tum
or
nodu
les
on th
e lu
ng s
urfa
ces.
Em
itted
qi d
ecre
ased
B16
mel
anom
a pu
lmon
ary
met
asta
ses
nodu
les
in th
e ex
p. g
roup
(40
.18
± 11
.93)
,
com
pare
d to
con
trol
(87
.4 ±
15.5
3) (
P <
.01)
. T
he s
urvi
val
peri
od o
f th
e qi
gong
mic
e (3
1.4
±5.
27 d
ays)
was
muc
h
long
er th
an c
ontr
ol (
21.4
±2.
7 da
ys)
( P <
.01)
Tum
or
nodu
le s
izes
als
o re
duce
d.
NB
M
Che
n et
al
1997
40
90Y
Hum
an
hepa
toca
rcin
-
oma
tran
s-
plan
ted
in m
ice
30 m
ice
inje
cted
with
hep
atoc
arci
nom
a w
ere
rand
omly
assi
gned
in 3
gro
ups:
con
trol
, sha
m a
nd r
eal E
Q.
EQ
grou
p ex
pose
d to
qi 1
0 m
ins
a da
y fo
r 4
days
. M
ice
wer
e sa
crif
iced
72
hrs
afte
r tr
eatm
ent t
o is
olat
ed th
e
tum
or. T
umor
gro
wth
inhi
bito
ry (
TG
I) r
ate
was
estim
ated
in c
ompa
riso
n w
ith th
e tu
mor
wei
ght o
f
cont
rol g
roup
. T
he s
ame
desi
gn w
as r
epea
ted
3 tim
es.
The
TG
I ra
tes
of E
Q g
roup
wer
e 70
.3%
, 79.
7%, a
nd 7
8.7%
resp
ectiv
ely
( P <
.000
1) in
3 s
tudi
es w
ith th
e sa
me
desi
gn.
The
TG
I ra
tes
of s
ham
gro
up w
ere
9.5%
, 2.6
%, a
nd 2
.5%
resp
ectiv
ely
( P >
.05)
. E
lect
ron
mic
rosc
opy
show
ed th
e
mor
phol
ogic
al c
hang
es in
tum
or c
ells
am
ong
EQ
gro
ups:
decr
ease
d ce
ll vo
lum
e, n
ucle
ar c
onde
nsat
ion,
nuc
lear
frag
men
tatio
n, d
ecre
ased
rat
io o
f nu
cleu
s an
d cy
topl
asm
.
The
stu
dy w
on a
natio
nal s
cien
tific
rese
arch
aw
ard
in
1996
.
Chu
& J
iang
1989
44
88Y
C57
BL
mic
e
with
lung
tum
or
Aft
er in
duct
ion
with
ure
than
e (1
mg/
g of
bod
y w
eigh
t),
mic
e w
ere
rand
omly
div
ided
into
2 g
roup
s: c
ontr
ol (
48)
and
exp.
gro
up (
40; e
xpos
ed to
qig
ong
mus
ic f
or 2
hr/d
ay, 6
day
/wee
k fo
r 4
mon
ths)
. T
he tu
mor
indu
ctio
n an
d m
ean
tum
or n
umbe
r w
ere
mea
sure
d
befo
re a
nd a
fter
trea
tmen
t.
The
lung
tum
or in
duct
ion:
exp
erim
enta
l gro
up 8
7.5%
, vs
cont
rol g
roup
100
% (
P <
.05)
. T
he m
ean
lung
tum
or
num
ber
in th
e ex
p. g
roup
was
2.7
3 ±
2.18
per
mou
se;
cont
rol n
umbe
r w
as 4
.35
±2.
61 p
er m
ouse
(P
< .0
1).
NB
M
Feng
Zha
o
1988
45
?Y
DB
A m
ice
with
L12
10 c
ells
of
leuk
emia
Aft
er in
ject
ion
with
L12
10 c
ells
(0.
2 m
L, 4
.7-3
1 m
illio
n
cells
/mL
) in
to th
e ab
dom
inal
are
a, th
e m
ice
wer
e
rand
omly
div
ided
into
2 g
roup
s: Q
igon
g an
d co
ntro
l.
In a
per
iod
of 1
0 da
ys, t
he q
igon
g gr
oup
rece
ived
exte
rnal
qig
ong
for
10-4
0 m
in. d
aily
bef
ore
sacr
ific
e.
The
num
ber
of L
1210
cel
ls w
as c
ount
ed.
The
avg
. val
ue o
f L
1210
cel
ls in
the
cont
rol g
roup
is
200
× 0.
5 m
illio
n ce
lls, w
hile
in th
e ex
p. g
roup
is 6
6.5
× 0.
5
mill
ion
cells
(P
< .0
1).
The
num
ber
of L
1210
cel
ls in
ject
ed
into
mic
e w
as r
emar
kabl
y re
duce
d af
ter
exte
rnal
qi,
and
qi
coul
d in
hibi
t L12
10 c
ells
in m
ice.
NB
M
Feng
et a
l
1996
46
20Y
Sarc
oma
cells
in
Kun
min
g
spec
ies
mic
e
Mic
e di
vide
d in
to c
ontr
ol, E
Q o
nly
and
EQ
+ h
erb
grou
ps.
3.8
× 10
6 sar
com
a ce
lls w
ere
inje
cted
in th
e
ingu
inal
reg
ions
of
the
mic
e. A
fter
14
days
of
EQ
and
herb
trea
tmen
t mic
e w
ere
auto
psie
d. T
he tu
mor
siz
e,
tum
or s
uppr
essi
on r
ate,
and
pha
gocy
tic r
ate
are
Com
pare
d to
the
cont
rol,
the
tum
or s
uppr
essi
on r
ate
for
the
qigo
ng +
her
b is
37.
6%, a
nd 2
8.6%
for
qig
ong
only
gro
up.
The
% o
f ph
agoc
ytos
is in
the
cont
rol i
s 11
.5 ±
4.3
,
com
pare
d w
ith 1
9.0
±6.
4 in
the
qigo
ng o
nly
grou
p an
d
Her
bal c
ombi
nati
on
and
the
form
of
qigo
ng a
re n
ot
spec
ifie
d. N
BM
Tab
le6.
Rev
iew
sof
InV
ivo
Stud
ies
ofE
xter
nalQ
igon
g(E
Q)
The
rapy
for
Can
cer
inA
nim
als*
Qigong Therapy for Cancer in China
INTEGRATIVE CANCER THERAPIES 1(4); 2002 361
dete
rmin
ed.
19.0
± 7
.3 in
the
qi +
her
bs. (
P <
.01)
.
Lei
et a
l
1991
41
32 + 30
YA
sciti
c
Sarc
oma-
180
and
Ehr
lich
asci
tes
carc
inom
a in
NIH
mic
e
To
exam
ine
the
anti-
tum
or e
ffec
t of
exte
rnal
qi (
EQ
)
and
cycl
opho
spho
mid
e (C
Y),
and
thei
r ef
fect
on
the
NK
act
ivity
, mac
roph
age
med
iate
d tu
mor
cyt
olys
is
(MT
C)
activ
ity a
nd in
terl
euki
n-2
(IL
-2)
prod
uctio
n
leve
l. M
ice
wer
e in
ject
ed w
ith 0
.1m
l (3
× 10
7 cel
ls/m
L)
tum
or c
ells
into
the
righ
t axi
llary
reg
ion,
and
then
divi
ded
rand
omly
into
CY
gro
up (
inje
ctio
n of
CY
dai
ly
at 4
0mg/
kg),
con
trol
gro
up, q
igon
g on
ly g
roup
(E
Q
twic
e a
day)
, and
CY
+ E
Q g
roup
.
Aft
er E
Q o
r C
Y tr
eatm
ent,
the
aver
age
tum
or w
eigh
t of
EA
C w
as 1
.79g
for
con
trol
, but
0.9
1g f
or E
Q, 0
.47g
for
CY
, and
0.3
5g f
or C
Y+
EQ
(P
< .0
1).
The
tum
or g
row
th
inhi
bito
ry r
ate
of S
-180
TB
M w
as 6
5.7%
for
EQ
gro
up a
nd
90.3
% f
or C
Y+
EQ
(P
< .0
1). T
he N
K a
ctiv
ity f
or E
Q o
nly
is 1
7.4
±7.
1; 2
0.1
±5.
7 fo
r C
Y+
EQ
, vs
8.4
± 3
.7%
for
cont
rol (
P <
.01)
. M
TC
act
ivity
for
CY
+E
Q is
11.
0
±5.
6%, v
s 23
.1±
7.33
% f
or c
ontr
ol.
IL-2
leve
ls w
ere
0.34
±0.
03 v
s 0.
30±
0.02
% f
or c
ontr
ol (
P <
.01)
.
Med
ical
sch
ool s
tudy
publ
ishe
d in
acad
emic
jour
nal.
NB
M
Li e
t al
1990
36
24 + 29
YM
ice
impl
ante
d
with
G-4
22
neur
oglio
ma
cells
Tum
or-i
mpl
ante
d m
ice
wer
e di
vide
d in
to 4
gro
ups:
norm
al c
ontr
ol, t
umor
con
trol
, EQ
1, a
nd E
Q 2
. Eig
ht
diff
eren
t qig
ong
heal
ers
emitt
ed q
i to
diff
eren
t mic
e
once
a d
ay.
Aft
er 1
1 da
ys o
f qi
gong
trea
tmen
t, m
ice
wer
e sa
crif
iced
to w
eigh
the
lym
ph-n
ode
and
sple
en.
Blo
od s
ampl
es o
btai
ned,
lym
phoc
ytes
sus
pens
ion
prep
ared
, and
act
iviti
es o
f N
K a
nd K
cel
ls m
easu
red.
The
tum
or g
row
th in
EQ
gro
ups
was
sig
nifi
cant
slo
wer
than
con
trol
(P
< .0
5). T
he N
K c
ell a
ctiv
ities
in n
orm
al
cont
rol,
tum
or c
ontr
ol a
nd E
Q 1
+ 2
gro
ups
wer
e ( x
±SD
):
62.1
±23
.3, 5
4.8
±17
.0, 6
6.0
± 14.
2 an
d 68
.8
– 21.6
resp
ectiv
ely.
NK
cel
l act
iviti
es f
or 4
gro
ups
are
18.1
± 5.
7,
12.2
±10
.8, 4
7.5
±21
.9 a
nd 1
9.7
±16
.5 r
espe
ctiv
ely.
EQ
may
hav
e an
ti-
tum
or im
mun
olog
ical
surv
eilla
nce
in
orga
nism
. N
BM
Lin
et a
l
1989
47
?Y
Mam
mar
y
(MA
37)
& lu
ng
aden
ocar
cino
ma
of m
ice
Tum
or ti
ssue
and
cel
l sus
pens
ions
are
inoc
ulat
ed in
to
mic
e su
bcut
aneo
usly
. Inb
red
mic
e T
A2,
T73
9, a
nd
T61
5 ar
e us
ed. T
reat
men
t gro
up r
ecei
ved
EQ
for
15
to
20 d
ays,
30
min
. per
day
. C
ontr
ol g
roup
rec
eive
d no
EQ
trea
tmen
t.
The
inhi
bito
ry r
ates
of
tum
or w
eigh
t rel
ated
to th
ree
exp.
resu
lts o
f th
e m
ice
mam
mar
y ad
enoc
arci
nom
a ar
e 58
.1%
,
51%
, and
44
%, r
espe
ctiv
ely.
T
he in
hibi
tory
rat
es f
or lu
ng
aden
ocar
cino
ma
in 2
exp
erim
ents
are
34.
7% a
nd 2
3.8%
,
resp
ectiv
ely.
NB
M
Lu
et a
l
1996
70
16,
8/8
YM
ice
with
H22
asci
tes
liver
canc
er
Mic
e w
ith tu
mor
str
ain
wer
e di
vide
d in
to E
Q a
nd
cont
rol g
roup
: exp
gro
up tr
eate
d w
ith E
Q f
or 7
-10
days
, the
n m
easu
red
the
diff
eren
ce in
tum
or s
ize.
The
body
wei
ght,
abdo
min
al w
idth
, asc
ites
volu
me,
and
liver
wei
ght o
f th
e gr
oup
wer
e m
easu
red.
Als
o
mea
sure
d: th
e de
ath
rate
, tum
or in
hibi
tion
rate
.
Bod
y w
eigh
t, ab
dom
inal
wid
th, a
scite
s vo
lum
e an
d liv
er
wei
ght i
n E
Q d
ecre
ased
by
43.5
% (
P <
.05)
, 15.
7%
(P <
0.0
2), 3
8.4%
(P
< .0
5) a
nd 2
4.6%
(P
< .0
1).
Dea
th r
ate
of a
scite
s ca
ncer
cel
ls o
f m
ice
trea
ted
with
EQ
was
2.4
7±
0.56
, and
thos
e no
t tre
ated
by
EQ
was
1.8
5 ±
0.7
4, a
nd th
e
inhi
bitio
n ra
te w
as 3
3.5%
. M
ice
trea
ted
by E
Q li
ved
3.5
days
long
er.
Det
aile
d m
easu
res
on
liver
siz
e, w
eigh
t and
tum
or in
hibi
tion
rate
.
but r
elat
ivel
y sm
all
stud
y gr
oup.
NB
M
Lu
et a
l
1990
71
?N
Tum
or-
eryt
hroc
yte
rose
tte
Mic
e of
IC
R s
trai
n w
ere
expo
sed
to q
igon
g fi
eld
(gro
up q
igon
g le
ctur
e) f
or 7
day
s, a
nd th
en a
naly
zed
for
thei
r bo
dy w
eigh
t and
tum
or f
orm
atio
n ra
te.
Tum
or
cells
wer
e pr
etre
ated
with
fre
sh s
erum
. A
com
pari
son
of b
efor
e an
d af
ter
the
expo
sure
.
Aft
er e
xpos
ure
to q
i fie
ld, t
he tu
mor
cel
ls in
mic
e w
ere
adhe
red
by r
ed c
ells
, and
the
% o
f ro
sette
-for
min
g w
ere
incr
ease
d fr
om 5
.67
±3.
75 to
11.
06±
5.25
in d
ay 2
, and
to
27.8
±3.
6 in
day
7 (
P <
.01)
. T
he w
eigh
ts o
f th
e m
ice
wer
e
redu
ced.
The
% o
f tu
mor
cel
ls n
ot p
retr
eate
d w
ith s
erum
Sim
ilar
find
ings
in
hum
an s
tudy
as
wel
l.
NB
M
±
(con
tinue
d)
Chen, Yeung
362 INTEGRATIVE CANCER THERAPIES 1(4); 2002
was
dec
reas
ed f
rom
63.
2% to
27.
6% (
P <
.01)
.
Qia
n &
She
n
1993
38
17,
17,
and
20
YM
ice
with
MO
4
tum
or c
ells
.
Mic
e w
ith M
O4
wer
e ra
ndom
ly d
ivid
ed in
to th
e E
Q
and
cont
rol g
roup
. T
hree
exp
erim
ents
wer
e do
ne b
y
inje
ctin
g m
ice
with
the
MO
4 ce
lls in
all
grou
ps; t
he
leng
th o
f su
rviv
al ti
me
was
mea
sure
d.
In e
xp. 1
and
2, t
he v
olum
e of
the
intr
a-ab
dom
inal
tum
ors
wer
e di
ffer
ent b
etw
een
EQ
and
con
trol
gro
up (
P <
.01)
,
but t
he s
urvi
val p
erio
d an
d th
e vo
lum
es o
f th
e bo
dy a
scite
s
did
not d
iffe
r si
gnif
ican
tly.
In
exp.
3, t
he s
urvi
val p
erio
d
and
avg.
tum
or v
olum
e pe
r da
y ha
d a
sign
ific
ant d
iff.
betw
een
EQ
and
con
trol
(P
= .0
2 fo
r su
rviv
al,
P =
.01
for
tum
or v
olum
e).
But
the
end
volu
me
of th
e tu
mor
did
not
diff
er s
igni
fica
ntly
(P
= .1
5).
Det
aile
d da
ta n
ot
prov
ided
. NB
M
Qia
n et
al
1993
37
114
YM
ice
impl
ante
d
wit
h U
27 o
r
MO
4 tu
mor
cells
Mic
e w
ere
impl
ante
d U
27 o
r M
O4
tum
or c
ells
into
arm
pit,
then
div
ided
ran
dom
ly in
to tr
eatm
ent g
roup
-
trea
ted
with
EQ
eve
ryda
y (2
0 or
33
days
) or
no
trea
tmen
t (co
ntro
l). I
n ex
p. 1
, the
mic
e w
ere
exam
ined
for
thei
r tu
mor
vol
umes
. In
exp
. 2, o
n 33
rd d
ay th
e m
ice
wer
e ki
lled
and
axill
ary
node
s an
d lu
ngs
wer
e ta
ken
out
and
exam
ined
his
topa
thol
ogic
ally
. In
exp
. 3 th
e m
ice
of b
oth
grou
ps d
ied,
and
thei
r su
rviv
al ti
me
afte
r
tran
spla
ntat
ion
was
cal
cula
ted.
In e
xp. 1
, the
avg
. tum
or v
olum
e of
EQ
gro
up w
as
sign
ific
antly
low
er th
an c
ontr
ol (
2.25
±5.
4 cm
3 vs
6.32
±
10.0
cm
3 ; P <
.001
). I
n ex
p. 2
, the
met
asta
tic r
ate
of th
e
lym
ph n
odes
in E
Q g
roup
(1/
16)
was
sig
nifi
cant
ly lo
wer
than
the
cont
rol (
6/15
) ( P
< .0
5).
In
exp.
3, t
he a
vg.
surv
ival
tim
e (3
5.4
days
) of
mic
e in
EQ
gro
up w
as lo
nger
than
the
cont
rol (
30.5
day
s) (
P =
.002
).
Qi m
ay in
hibi
t the
tum
or g
row
th a
nd
prol
ong
surv
ival
time.
NB
M
Qia
n et
al
1998
39
31Y
U27
can
cer
in
mic
e
Mic
e w
ith tr
ansp
lant
ed U
27 c
ance
r w
ere
divi
ded
into
EQ
and
con
trol
gro
up.
EQ
gro
up r
ecei
ved
qigo
ng 1
0-
30 m
in. p
er d
ay; a
nd b
oth
grou
ps w
ere
then
aut
opsi
ed
for
anal
ysis
on
day
23 o
r da
y 33
.
EQ
gro
up h
ad o
nly
1 ly
mph
nod
e m
etas
tasi
s (1
/16)
, 2
lung
met
asta
sis
(2/1
6), a
nd th
e av
g. tu
mor
vol
ume
1.82
cm3 .
In c
ontr
ol g
roup
, 6 h
ad ly
mph
nod
e m
etas
tasi
s (6
/15)
and
3 ha
d lu
ng m
etas
tasi
s (3
/15)
, and
the
avg.
tum
or
volu
me
6.75
cm
3 (P
< .0
1).
NB
M
Shao
et a
l
1990
48
30Y
S180
sar
com
a
cells
impl
ante
d
into
mic
e
Lig
ht a
nd e
lect
roni
c m
icro
scop
y us
ed to
obs
erve
mic
e
with
impl
ante
d S1
80 s
arco
ma
trea
ted
with
qig
ong.
Cha
nges
in th
e nu
mbe
r of
nuc
leol
us o
rgan
izin
g re
gion
s
(NO
R)
in th
e sa
rcom
a w
ere
inve
stig
ated
usi
ng th
e
argy
roph
il (A
g-N
OR
) te
chni
que.
In th
e E
Q-t
reat
ed m
ice
sarc
oma,
the
avg.
dia
met
ers
of c
ells
and
nucl
ei, t
he r
atio
of
nucl
eus
to c
ytop
lasm
and
the
num
ber
of tu
mor
cel
ls d
ivis
ion
phas
e an
d A
g-N
OR
cou
nts
in th
e nu
clei
all
wer
e m
uch
less
than
thos
e in
the
cont
rol
grou
p (P
< .0
01).
Len
gth
of q
igon
g
appl
icat
ion
was
not
give
n. N
BM
Zha
ng e
t al
1990
42
YA
nti-
tum
or
lym
phok
ines
in
imm
uno-
supp
ress
ed m
ice
The
imm
unos
uppr
esse
d m
ice
indu
ced
by c
yclo
pho-
spha
mid
e (C
Y)
wer
e ra
ndom
ly d
ivid
ed in
to 3
grou
ps: C
Y g
roup
, CY
+E
Q a
nd c
ontr
ol g
roup
. C
Y +
EQ
gro
up r
ecei
ved
qigo
ng f
or 2
0-25
min
a d
ay f
or 8
days
. O
n da
y 8,
spl
enoc
yte
susp
ensi
ons
(5 ×
106 /m
L)
wer
e m
ade
into
sev
eral
par
alle
l por
tions
for
indu
cing
IL-2
, IFN
-r, a
nd L
T.
Thy
mus
inde
x an
d sp
leno
cyte
Aft
er th
e tr
eatm
ent,
the
thym
us in
dex
of C
Y g
roup
was
2.30
±0.
42, t
he c
ontr
ol 3
.91
±0.
57 a
nd th
e C
Y +
EQ
2.9
7±
0.54
. T
he s
plen
ocyt
e sp
onta
neou
s pr
olif
erat
ion
rate
in
cont
rol a
nd C
Y g
roup
is lo
w, t
he c
pm v
alue
s w
ere
3062
.5
and
3294
.0 r
espe
ctiv
ely;
the
CY
+ E
Q g
roup
was
hig
her,
7261
.7 ±
3744
.2 (
P <
.05)
. IL
-2 a
ctiv
ity o
f C
Y g
roup
CY
sup
pres
sed
imm
une
func
tion
of
mic
e, b
ut q
igon
g
appe
ared
to a
llevi
ate
the
supp
ress
ion.
NB
M
Tab
le6.
(con
tinu
ed)
Qigong Therapy for Cancer in China
INTEGRATIVE CANCER THERAPIES 1(4); 2002 363
natu
ral p
rolif
erat
ion
rate
wer
e ob
serv
ed.
was
low
er th
an c
ontr
ol (
P <
.025
), b
ut C
Y+
EQ
gro
up is
high
er th
an C
Y o
r co
ntro
l gro
up (
P <
.001
).
Zha
o et
al
1991
35
494
YG
liom
as o
f m
ice
Mic
e in
duce
d w
ith g
liom
as w
ere
divi
ded
rand
omly
into
EQ
and
con
trol
gro
up.
A to
tal o
f 25
tria
ls w
ere
run
with
13
qigo
ng m
aste
rs a
pply
ing
thei
r E
Q to
red
uce
the
size
of
glio
mat
a. T
he im
mun
e fu
nctio
ns o
f m
ice
wer
e
exam
ined
and
com
pare
d.
Aft
er a
pply
ing
EQ
by
13 m
aste
rs, 6
4% (
16 g
roup
s, 1
60)
of
the
mic
e sh
rank
in g
liom
ata
size
, but
32%
(8
grou
ps)
actu
ally
had
big
ger
glio
mat
a th
an th
e co
ntro
l gro
up.
In
EQ
gro
up th
e W
BC
cou
nt, l
ymph
ocyt
e co
unt,
the
wei
ght
of s
plee
n, a
nd f
unct
ion
of ly
mph
ocyt
es a
ll ha
d po
sitiv
e
chan
ges
(sta
tistic
ally
sig
nifi
cant
– s
ee te
xt f
or d
etai
ls).
Not
all
qig
ong
mas
ters
can
pro
duce
the
sam
e re
sult
on
tum
or. N
BM
Zha
o et
al
1988
72
20Y
Asc
itic
canc
er
cells
(E
AC
)
inje
cted
in m
ice
with
asc
itic
canc
er f
luid
s
In e
xp. 1
, asc
itic
flui
d w
as a
spir
ated
fro
m m
ice
that
had
been
tran
spla
nted
with
EA
C f
or 7
day
s. T
hen
the
flui
d
was
div
ided
into
con
trol
and
EQ
gro
up (
qigo
ng 1
hr
a
day)
. T
he r
emai
ning
cel
ls w
ere
stai
ned
in tr
ypan
blu
e
(aft
er 1
2 an
d 24
hrs
) so
as
to c
ount
sur
viva
l. I
n ex
p. 2
,
20 m
ice
inje
cted
with
EA
C f
luid
(27
× 1
06 cel
ls/m
L)
and
divi
ded
into
4 g
roup
s. 3
EQ
gro
ups
rece
ived
qi f
or 2
0
min
/day
for
7 d
ays.
Mic
e w
ere
then
sac
rifi
ced
for
asci
tic f
luid
cel
l cou
nt.
In e
xp. 1
, the
con
trol
gro
up’s
sur
viva
l rat
e of
can
cer
cells
is
high
er th
an th
e E
Q g
roup
. T
he n
umbe
r of
can
cer
cells
dim
inis
hed
in th
e E
Q w
as a
bout
20%
, 6.6
tim
es a
s hi
gh a
s
that
in th
e co
ntro
l (P
< .0
1).
In e
xp. 2
, EQ
gro
up s
how
ed
sign
ific
ant d
rop
in c
ance
r ce
ll co
ncen
trat
ion
num
ber,
1612
.2 ×
10
8 , com
pare
d to
263
9.9
× 10
8 in th
e co
ntro
l
grou
p (P
< .0
1).
Bot
h ce
llul
ar a
nd
anim
al s
tudy
is d
one
to v
erif
y th
e qi
gong
resu
lts.
NB
M
Zho
u et
al
1990
25
80Y
The
EA
C tu
mor
cells
Mic
e w
ere
divi
ded
rand
omly
into
6 g
roup
s an
d
sepa
rate
d in
to 3
exp
s. T
he e
ffec
t of
EQ
(1)
on
surv
ival
time
of E
AC
tum
or m
odel
in m
ice,
(2)
on
peri
pher
al T
lym
phoc
yte
cell
quan
titie
s an
d (3
) on
SO
D le
vel i
n
mic
e. A
ll 3
exps
. hav
e co
ntro
l gro
ups.
Mic
e w
ere
inje
cted
with
tum
or c
ells
and
EQ
was
adm
inis
tere
d 50
ft a
way
fro
m th
e m
ice.
Qig
ong
prol
onge
d th
e su
rviv
al ti
me
(89%
) of
the
mic
e
with
EA
C tu
mor
. It
als
o in
crea
sed
the
num
ber
of
peri
pher
al T
-lym
phoc
yte
mic
e w
ith E
AC
tum
or.
SOD
leve
l in
mic
e w
ith E
AC
tum
or in
crea
sed
mar
kedl
y
(318
.4 ±
41µ/
mL
) as
com
pare
d to
con
trol
(24
9.0
±31
µ/m
L).
Qig
ong
may
incr
ease
the
leve
ls o
f SO
D
and
num
ber
of T
lym
phoc
yte
cells
in
mou
se b
lood
. NB
M
*Ran
dom
izat
ion
notm
entio
ned
inm
osts
tudi
esun
less
othe
rwis
esp
ecifi
ed.N
BM
=no
bind
ing
men
tione
d.
sham-treated group were 9.5%, 2.6%, and 2.5%,respectively (P > .05). Morphological alterations inqigong-treated mice include decreased cell volume ofmost cancer cells; nuclear condensation; nuclear frag-mentation; decreased ratio of nucleus and cytoplasm;swollen mitochondria with poorly organized mito-chondrial cristae, some vacuolated; and manyapoptotic bodies in extracellular space. These resultsindicate that Chinese Taiji Five-Element Qigonginhibited the growth of transplanted hepatocarci-noma in mice.
In addition to the consideration of psychologicaleffect in qigong therapy, a major problem in the previ-ous qigong research has been reproducibility. Manyqigong healers could not effectively repeat what theydid in a prior study, which raised concern about thereliability, and sometimes the validity, of the effects ordifferences observed in qigong research. The Chenet al40 study achieved very good stability and repro-ducibility. The 3 separate experiments showed verysimilar results, which demonstrated the inhibitorypotential of qigong therapy on cancer.
Lei and colleagues41 at Tongji Medical Universityexamined the in vivo antitumor effect of EQT on theimmunologic functions of tumor-bearing mice(TBM). They investigated the effects of both EQT andcyclophosphamide (CY) on splenic NK activities,macrophage-mediated tumor cytolysis (MTC) activity,and IL-2 production level of different groups of TBM.The TBM inoculated with Ehrlich ascites tumor(EAC) or sarcoma-180 (S-180) were randomly dividedinto 4 groups: tumor control, qigong only, CY only,and CY plus qigong. The qigong group was exposed toEQT twice a day for 2 weeks, and the CY group wasinjected with CY daily at 40 mg/kg. The results showthat EQT had significant tumor growth inhibition ratein both models (Table 8). The NK activity was 17.4% ±7.1% for EQT only, 20.1% ± 5.7% for CY plus EQT, and8.4% ± 3.7% for control (P < .01). The MTC activity forCY plus EQ was 11.0% ± 5.6% versus 23.1% ± 7.3% forcontrol (P < .01). IL-2 levels were 0.34% ± 0.03% forEQT versus 0.30% ± 0.02% for control (P < .01).
A similar in vivo study of the effects of EQT and che-motherapy on antitumor lymphokines was done byZhang et al42 at the Beijing College of TCM. In this
study, CY-induced immunosuppressed mice were ran-domly divided into CY, CY + EQT, and control groups.The CY + EQT group received qigong for 20 minutes aday for 8 days. Splenocyte suspensions (5 × 106/mL)were then made into several parallel portions forinducing IL-2, IFN-r, and lymphocyte transformation.After the treatment, the thymus index of the CY groupwas 2.30 ± 0.42, of the control group was 3.91 ± 0.57,and of the CY + EQT group was 2.97 ± 0.54. Thesplenocyte spontaneous proliferation rate in the con-trol and CY groups was low (3062.5 and 3294.0, respec-tively), but the CY + EQT group was as high as 7261.7(P < .05). IL-2 activity of the CY group was lower thanthat of the control group (P < .025), but of the CY+ EQT group was higher than that of the CY and con-trol groups (P < .001).
There are many similar in vivo studies in the litera-ture. For example, Feng and colleagues investigatedthe inhibitory effects of EQT on L1210 cells of leuke-mia and sarcoma cells in mice. Cao et al at Second Mili-tary Medical College and Chu et al at the ShanghaiCancer Institute examined the effect of EQT on B16melanoma tumor cells and lung cancer cells in C57BLmice. Lin et al at Tianjin Medical College explored theeffect of EQT on mammary (MA37) and lungadenocarcinoma in mice. Shao et al at Nanjing NavyMedical School studied the effect of EQT on S-180cells implanted in mice. Zhou et al at First MilitaryMedical College examined the effect of EQT on EAC
Chen, Yeung
364 INTEGRATIVE CANCER THERAPIES 1(4); 2002
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3
Control
ShamQigong
Figure 4 Inhibitory effects of external qigong therapy on hepato-carcinoma in mice. Data from Chen et al.40
Table 7. Natural Killer Cell and Killer Cell Activities Among 4 Groups of Mice With Gliomas, Measured by Hemoglobin-EnzymeRelease Assay Method
Group n Natural Killer Cell Activities Killer Cell Activities
tumor model in mice in 3 separate trials. All were well-designed in vivo studies with valid controls, and eachreported a significant inhibitory effect or prolongedsurvival time from EQT among tumor-bearing mice.
Discussion and ConclusionCancer is the second leading cause of death in theUnited States. Half of all men and one third of allwomen in the United States will develop cancer dur-ing their lifetimes. Most current treatments for cancerare effective in controlling the symptoms or prolong-ing patients’ lives to varying degrees, but all come withsignificant drawbacks, including toxicity, costs, andpotential harm to both mental and immune function.Therefore, an effective nonpharmacological therapyfor cancer with less cost and no side effects could havea major impact on cancer treatment. Qigong therapyfrom TCM shows promise in treating cancer, and pre-liminary studies report immediate improvement with-out side effects, even recording complete remission inpatients who engaged in ongoing practice ofqigong.7,49 This form of medicine involving energy hasthe potential to become a powerful alternative to, orcomplementary therapy for, the conventional treat-ment of cancer. However, there is a need for better-designed clinical trials that systematically apply thistherapy in human patients to determine its efficacy andapplicability so that more people can benefit from it.
It is true that there is room for improvement inthese preliminary studies, and the studies in generalneed to be replicated by more laboratories and clinicsin order to verify their findings. Nonetheless, it is nothard to draw a general picture that qigong therapy forcancer treatment deserves further study. Unfortu-nately, this is an area that is often neglected by main-stream medicine and research. A deeper understand-ing of this mode of therapy is required for it to becomemore widely accepted in the medical community.
Possible MechanismsMost of the studies we reviewed have simply attemptedto prove a principle: that qigong therapy for cancercould be effective, and that it is more than just a psy-chological effect. This is an important first step to get
more research scientists interested in this area.However, some studies have also offered scientific ex-planation for the results that touch on some of themechanisms of qigong therapy for cancer. We areplanning a separate review specifically on this topic,especially on how qigong therapy might affect the hu-man immune system. The following is an outline ofthe major scientific findings on the possible mecha-nisms of qigong therapy for cancer.
Qigong therapy may improve immune functions. Thehuman body has a powerful immune system, but mostcancer patients experience some form of immunedeficiency that makes it possible for cancer cells to out-live normal cells, and that leads to numerous clinicalproblems and reduces quality of life. Many researchstudies suggest that qigong therapy and/or qigongpractice may help cancer patients improve theirimmune function. For example, Feng et al22 foundthat external qi from the qigong healer could enhancethe phagocytosis of peritoneal macrophages andincrease the activity of acid phosphatase. From theirclinical studies of cancer patients, Zhang9 reportedthat qigong practice significantly increased cancerpatients’ C3b rate of red blood cells, the rate of lym-phocyte transformation, and phagocytosis. Studiesshowed that increases in NK cells and many othercomponents of the immune system can significantlyreduce the chances of infection or tumor growth.20,23
Some studies also reported the rise in the level ofT lymphocytes with enhanced immune function afterqigong.17,18,50,51 Other components of the immune sys-tem, such as the activity of macrophages and bacteri-cidal functions of neutrophils, also improved as thepatients practiced qigong and/or received qi from aqigong master.52 Given the fact that most conventionalcancer therapies tend to damage or destroy thepatient’s immune functions, which in turn reducesoverall capability of self-recovery, the indication ofimprovement in the immune system from qigongtherapy warrants further in-depth research.
Qigong therapy may increase the microcirculation func-tions. Microcirculation refers to the blood circulation
Qigong Therapy for Cancer in China
INTEGRATIVE CANCER THERAPIES 1(4); 2002 365
Table 8. Inhibitory Effects of External Qigong Therapy (EQT) and/or Cyclophosphamide (CY) on the Tumor Growth of EhrlichAscites Carcinoma (EAC) or Ascitic Sarcoma-180 (S-180) in Tumor-Bearing Mice
EAC = S-180
Average Tumor Tumor Growth Average Tumor Tumor GrowthTreatment Group n Weight (g) Inhibition Rate (%) n Weight (g) Inhibition Rate (%)
I. Control 8 1.79 8 3.50II. Qigong only 8 0.91 49.2 8 1.20 65.7III. CY 8 0.47 73.7 7 0.65 81.4IV. CY + qigong 8 0.35 80.4 7 0.34 90.3
I vs II, P < .01; III vs IV, P < .05.
between microartery and microvein (capillary).Qigong practice has been reported to improve thepractitioner’s microcirculation, changing the viscosityof blood, increasing elasticity of blood vessels, andcontrolling the concentration of platelet. One study inthis area measured the skin temperature before andduring qigong practice and found an increase in backsurface temperature and greater infrared radiationfrom the palm.53 Another study reported significantincrease in microcirculation of nail wrinkles among 19subjects, from a mean of 8.2 lines/mm prior to qigongto 12.6 lines/mm after qigong (P < .001).53 It was con-cluded that qigong therapy could adjust themicrocirculation function to an optimal state by accel-erating blood flow, raising the skin temperature, andincreasing the number of micro blood vessels, whichin turn increases the oxygen and blood supplies to thetissues and cells, strengthens the metabolism, andchanges the pathological state to a normal physiologi-cal state to achieve the antitumor effect or maximizethe efficacy of chemotherapy. Huang2 also reportedincreased microcirculation of lung among cancerpatients who practiced Guo-Lin qigong.
Qigong therapy may raise the pain threshold. In the early1980s, psychologists in China started to explore thepossibility of qigong therapy raising the pain thresh-old, and they achieved some positive findings. Forexample, Wang et al54 at the China Academy of Sciencetested the pain threshold of different locations on thebody among 59 cancer patients and found that thepain threshold at the right inner joint increased from122.2 g before to 164.07 g during qigong practice (P <.01) and the pain threshold at the left inner jointincreased from 100.0 g to 125.76 g during qigong prac-tice. Zhang and colleagues55 at Zhong Shan MedicalUniversity also reported the analgesic effect of exter-nal qi in a placebo-controlled study and found thatEQT could increase human skin pain threshold, mea-sured by the method of potassium-mediated pain.Yang et al56 reported the analgesic effect of emitted qion rats, decreasing the probability of a purely psycho-logical effect on pain.
Many other explanations with regard to the interac-tion between the qi (vital energy) and the physicalbody have not been completely verified by research.Qigong’s therapeutic properties may also lie in its reg-ulation of the respiratory system, the metabolic sys-tem, activity of the cerebral cortex, the central nervoussystem, and the cardiovascular system, as well as itseffect in correcting abnormal reactions of the organs,the massaging effect on the organs of the abdominalcavity, and its effect on self-control over the physical
functions of one’s body.51 There is not yet enoughresearch or data to sufficiently document these effects.According to TCM, qigong may work to benefit thepractitioners through 3 different channels. (1)Increased qi flow strikes against the location of illnesssuch as a tumor. According to TCM, good health is theresult of a free-flowing, well-balanced qi (energy) sys-tem, whereas sickness and pain are the results of qiblockage or unbalanced energy in certain areas of thebody. Once the supply of qi to the cells becomesblocked, blood flow to that area will change, the cellsor related organs might start to malfunction, and dis-ease or pain may occur. One possible mechanism ofqigong therapy for pain relief and symptom reductionis through motivating qi and energy within the body,breaking the qi blockage, and balancing the energysystem. From a research perspective, the in vitro stud-ies suggest that qi energy may have a direct inhibitoryeffect on tumor growth, or even kill cancer cells. (2)Cultivation of Yi (consciousness and intention) andthe emphasis of “empty mind without desire” inqigong practice may help the practitioners tostrengthen the power of their intention and to releasesuppressed emotions and/or mental disturbances. Itis said that qigong training of the mind (or intention)helps practitioners to release themselves from the“socialized self” (the source of all stress) and returnthem to the “original self.” The source of cancerscould be related to some mental/emotional distur-bances and social pressures (such as ongoing stress)that over time lead to a malfunction of the immunesystem. Qigong practice may lead to the release ofthese mental/emotional disturbances or twists, whichmay be the real source of the cancer in the first place.This may also help patients tolerate the ongoing stressrelated to their disease or its conventional treatments.(3) Qigong may rapidly reveal or uncover the body’spotential self-healing capability, including theincreased immune functions (as described above), theself-repair capability, and the self-regeneration capa-bility. For example, the relaxed and tranquil stateachieved during qigong practice can relieve stress,build up vital energy, and rapidly increase the body’simmune function. We have observed some patients ofqigong therapy who have completely recovered frommultiple, complicated diseases or symptoms in a shortperiod of time without any medications. There arereports of regenerated lost physical parts, such as newhair growth and new tooth growth among adults andseniors. In this sense, qigong therapy has challengedthe current medical practice’s tendency to depend onthe use of pharmaceutical drugs that treat a specificsymptom only with many known and unknown sideeffects.
Chen, Yeung
366 INTEGRATIVE CANCER THERAPIES 1(4); 2002
Problems and LimitationsAlthough qigong may be one of the most powerful al-ternatives for traditional Western medicine and ther-apy on cancer treatment, current research gearedtoward qigong and its therapeutic effect may havemany deficiencies and limitations. To recognize theseproblems is a necessary step of more in-depth investi-gation into qigong therapy.
Lack of a sophisticated research design and com-patible control groups undermines the results of manyclinical studies. Observational studies are a good firststep to interest more doctors and scientists to focus onthis therapy, but they are not enough to determine theactual effectiveness of qigong therapy for differenttypes of cancer. Although traditional double-blindclinical trials may be difficult to apply to qigong studydue to a lack of a compatible sham qigong, in reality areasonably large sample size with a compatible controlis crucial for examining such an alternative therapy.
For any scientific study of a new therapy or treat-ment, a large amount of time and resources areneeded for an accurate account of effectiveness, doseresponse, and side effects. However, most studies ofqigong therapy have been done by Chinese scientistswho were confronted with the problems that comewith a lack of support and resources. Some studieswere actually conducted by qigong practitioners oramateurs, and some studies were simple minded andvery preliminary due to lack of experience and/orsupport from health care professionals. Although wellintentioned, these studies have often attracted criti-cism with regard to their quality and reliability.
Qigong therapy is a practice that uses qi, the vitalenergy of the body, to treat diseases and maintainone’s health. Although the physical existence of qi isstill under debate in Western medicine, like acupunc-ture, it is widely accepted by qigong practitioners thatqi is a form of energy that circulates through the“meridian” and that any blockage of the qi flow in aparticular area of the body is considered the pointwhere the disease has originated. The qigong practi-tioner may use his qigong to break the qi blockage soas to relieve the pain or disease. However, the mecha-nism of how qi works and its interactions with the bodyremain mostly unknown. Although some research hasexplored its mechanism, there is no general consen-sus on qi and how qigong works, which is a majorobstacle for health professionals to make use of thisseemingly effective therapy.
As previously pointed out, qigong comes in manyforms, and not all qigong forms are effective in treat-ing cancer; nor can all “qigong masters” effectivelyemit external qi for cancer study. As reported in Zhaoet al,35 some qigong healers produced more tumor
growth in the treatment group compared to the con-trol group, possibly due to their lack of propertechnique in the emission of qi. To add to this com-plexity, many “qigong masters” claim their form ofqigong is superior to others in terms of the therapeu-tic effect. Without any physical or biological measure-ment of qi and its effects, and the lack of general inter-est in understanding the qigong effect from theresearch community, it is extremely difficult to mea-sure effectiveness or success of one type of qigong overanother. Many studies of qigong therapy for cancerdid not specify what forms of qigong were used andhow they differed from each other, making the reviewsand evaluations even more problematic. Therefore, itis necessary to pay more attention to what type and for-mat of qigong is used during the treatment andexplore the common and/or various mechanisms fordifferent kinds of qigong.
If one plans to conduct research on externalqigong therapy for cancer, one should be prepared toexperience some failures in the beginning. Not allresearchers have had positive findings in their qigongexplorations. First, it is hard to locate a qualifiedqigong healer to collaborate in research, as there aremany more well-meaning but ineffective “masters” orunqualified qigong practitioners than practitionerswith real and testable ability. Even if one obtains somepositive findings with the right healer(s), it may not bepossible to repeat the same result even with the samehealer, as the results of each study are highly related toa variety of factors such as the presence of others, theenvironment, the healer’s subjective feeling, and phys-ical and psychological well-being. When discussingexternal qi therapy, we are talking about the effect ofconcentrating human intention and subtle energy,which may vary tremendously as different elementscome into play. Many of the published studies were theresult of perseverance after a number of failures orinsignificant effects in the previous (unpublished)studies. We found some reports on the absence of aneffect from external qigong therapy in the literature.57
It is a great challenge to conduct high-quality researchon qigong therapy, especially without support in fund-ing and resources.
ConclusionsThe very existence of human subtle energy has been achallenge for modern medicine and modern sciencein general, since we have no effective means to mea-sure it and we know nothing more than simple obser-vations of various phenomena so far. Therefore, thegeneral tendency of the scientific community hasbeen to ignore its existence, sometimes labeling it asplacebo effect and avoiding any study of it. However,
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INTEGRATIVE CANCER THERAPIES 1(4); 2002 367
the therapeutic effect of this subtle energy on cancermay change this tendency. Much evidence suggeststhat qigong therapy for cancer is more than just a psy-chological effect. Studies on qigong and its curative ef-fect on cancer have demonstrated consistent resultsfor its inhibitory effect on cancer growth and metasta-sis in both in vitro and in vivo studies, as well as in clini-cal observation. It is possible to reach a generalconclusion that qigong therapy for cancer treatmentmay be a powerful alternative to what we are using to-day in treating cancer.
There is much room for improvement in thesestudies, and some need to be replicated by more labo-ratories and clinics in order to verify the findings.Additionally, qigong therapy is an area that is oftenneglected by mainstream medicine and research. Ourreview suggests that this therapy be seriously exam-ined and be considered as an important supplementto the conventional treatment of cancer and otherchronic diseases.
Chinese scientists are not alone in proving the ther-apeutic effect of human subtle energy in cancer treat-ment. Fahrion and Norris,58 Bengston and Krinsley59
in the United States, and Sherstnev and Gruden60 inRussia have all independently verified the inhibitoryeffect of human subtle energy on tumor growth.Hopefully, more scientists around the world will followtheir steps and put their efforts together in this chal-lenging area.
Although qigong research poses difficulties andproblems in explanation and replication, qigong ther-apy can provide an invaluable alternative to modernWestern medicine. Unlike other alternative medi-cines, which are only able to cope with symptoms,qigong therapy focuses on the entire body and itshealth system. Our review suggests that qigong ther-apy may actually stop and prevent cancer growth, andhelp patients recover from many different diseases atthe same time. We hope that more studies andresearch will be done in this area and that this reviewwill serve as an introduction to the world of qi andqigong research.
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