For two years the authors worked in a specialised centre at Pistoia in Tuscany, under the scientific direction of Dr Giampaolo La Malfa, psychiatrist and neurologist, head of the Psychiatry Unit in the Careggi University Hospital (Florence), professor at the School of Specialization in Psychiatry, Florence University, founding member and president of the Società Italiana per lo Studio del Ritardo Mentale (SIRM), and board member of the European Association of Mental Health in Mental Retardation. This collaboration is ongoing. A number of indications can be drawn from this experience. Practical results: prompt diagnosis, regular therapy (at least once a week), parental involvement. Implications for research: verification of the therapy’s incidence on general metabolic equilibrium and on the metabolism of minerals; testing of hormonal release in states of anxiety from stress not dominated by the adaptive phase.
Response of Common Paediatric Diseases to Child Tui Na Massage: Three Case Studies
Dr Hongchun Yin EJOM Vol. 7 No. 3 (2013)
Tui na massage, one of the main forms of therapy in traditional Chinese medicine, has been widely used in the treatment of paediatric diseases. In this article, the author presents three cases of common paediatric diseases: eczema, insomnia and facial paralysis which responded well to tui na massage. In case 2 the insomnia was treated using a unique tui na technique passed down from Mr Zhang Xizhen, i.e. massaging with egg white on the three yang channels. As tui na massage is safe and promising, it is worthy of further study.
The classics tell us qi creates movement, it protects and brings warmth and it moves fluids such as blood. There are also numerous references that when qi and Blood are not harmonised disease will appear. With such descriptions we can see qi is synonymous with movement, and harmonises the yin nature of Blood by its yang nature. Qi and movement can be seen as two aspects of the same reality. In such a relationship we can see that movement in our life is crucial for harmony of body/mind, Blood and qi, shen, Spirit and Essence. Movement then is at the heart of our existence yet often we pay little attention to it. When we work with movement we can begin to inhabit and awaken our bodies again, helping us feel more alive and in tune. The process that is initiated through working with our inner movement awareness can awaken our life energy to experience, as we did as children, that feeling of being totally at ease in our body, expressing ourselves exuberantly without inhibition. We can experience ourselves and the world about us in an immediate and refreshing way that enhances our lives.
Qigong: Its History, Functions and Related Benefits as Remedial Exercise and Ongoing Practice Part 2
Paul Lundberg EJOM Vol. 5 No. 5
The author presents a personal description and interpretation of traditional guidelines and inner principles of qi gong that he has come to recognise and appreciate through his own learning and practice. These are: the principles of posture; the principles of breath, emotional feeling and expression; and mental principles. In all styles and forms, the application of these principles will contribute to the practitioner’s health and wellbeing. The viewpoint of traditional medicine helps us both describe and understand their elements and attributes.
Qigong - Its History, Functions and Related Benefits
Paul Lundberg EJOM Vol. 5 No. 4
Qigong is a part of the oriental healing tradition that is slowly becoming more well-known and accepted by the public. Increasingly it is being incorporated into the training programmes of shiatsu and acupuncture schools, even if only at the margins. This article discusses Qigong's history, general applications and benefits, indicating its relevance and its significance in training and its place in medicine and healing.
Qigong - The Original Root of Classical Chinese Medicine
Zhongxian Wu EJOM Vol. 4 No. 6
This article, structured in a question-and-answer style similar to that used in the Nei Jing, highlights the importance of daily qigong practice and the significance of the Three Treasures (san bao) – jing, qi and shen – and their refinement through qigong practice. Qigong as a therapeutic practice is discussed and its place at the very root of classical Chinese medicine is emphasised.
When we study the classical Chinese traditions without attempting to truly comprehend their original meanings, do we convey and protect them, or do we damage them? Of all the classical Chinese traditions, qi gong, in particular, is not the kind of knowledge that can be learned from books or teachers alone. In this article the author attempts to explain the original meanings of the Pure Yang Mudra, how to make the mudra and to understand the importance of its cultural roots. He also discusses the cultural background of the Pure Yang Mudra and its relationship to Yijing science, internal alchemy and Classical Chinese Medicine. In guiding the reader to an understanding more about the original meanings of the Pure Yang Mudra he hopes that the reader will follow the authentic traditional way of practising classical style of qi gong in order to gain oneness with the universe.
Boost and Harmonise Your Qi with Tai Chi and Qi Gong
John X Zhang EJOM Vol. 4 No. 2
In this article the author share his experience of practising tai chi and qi gong.He also provides some suggestions on how to practise tai chi. He introduces in detail 12 qi gong movements and some meditation techniques which are easy to follow and which have beautifully named movements, e.g. To touch the sun, The playing tiger, Hands in the clouds, Fly in the moonlight.
This is written by a practitioner who feels passionate about treating children, and which is very much from the perspective of personal experience. She encourages the use of acupuncture, acupressure, tui na, herbs, moxa, cupping and other adjunctive therapies. Examples of three case studies show how these techniques can be used in practice, as well as how to involve parents in the use of simple techniques at home to help their children maintain their health. Read the whole article
Tui Na in the Treatment of Children
Rosey Grandage EJOM Vol. 3 No. 6
The author outlines the advantages of tui na treatment for children by highlighting its non-invasive nature, and that specific massage techniques can be taught to parents to do at home. A number of case studies illustrate the combination of massage and qi gong used in treatment.
At birth we breathe in and at death we breathe out, and in between we are born and die millions of times. This is the continuous flow of life that manifests through our being. Breath is our vital link to the universe, the inside and the outside of our lives. The way we breathe, the connection we have with our breath, can open the pathway to reconnect us to a greater sense of self that we often lose sight of. Breath is the key to the eastern techniques of meditation, martial arts and ki-movement, including the Seishin Kitaido system. This understanding lies at the heart of both Chinese medicine theory and these eastern practices. A theme common to all three aspects is the link between movement and stillness. The Lung ki has a special role in this through the rhythm and flow of breath, infusing Heaven into Earth, enabling the exchange of the invisible and the visible, the finite and the infinite.
As qi gong is such an inherent part of Chinese culture, the author argues that it should not be practised just as a series of exercises to maintain health but as a way of understanding the basis of Chinese science and philosophy, from which the Chinese developed their medicine, art, astronomy, music and literature.
Tuina and Chinese Herbal Medicine in the Treatment of Childhood Anorexia
Hao Zhen and Wang Engui EJOM Vol. 1 No. 5
Hao Zhen and Wang Engui, of the Department of Paediatrics at the Affiliated Hospital of Beijing College of Acu-moxibustion and Orthopaedics, discuss their treament, which combines tuina (massotherapy) and herbal medicine. They illustrate points on the hand which are massaged to stimulate spleen and stomach activity and give their herbal treatments for specific problems. Translated by Chao Baixiao.
The Gateway Clinic Experience: The Treatment of HIV and AIDS using TCM
John Tindall EJOM Vol. 1 No. 3
The Gateway Clinic has five levels of approach to sufferers of drug abuse, HIV or AIDS. Relaxation and outreach starts a detoxification programme. A general balancing of the patterns of ill health presented follows this. Level 3 looks at specific procedures for acute episodes that invariably characterise the conditions. At the fourth level difficult patterns are dealt with - infections, complications, a variety of medical conditions. Level 5 involves the practice of qi gong. All levels depend on Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) analysis. The aim is to create optimum levels of health, physically, mentally and spiritually, regardless of the stage at which the client might present. Read the article as a PDF file (562Kb)
The Cultivation of Shen with Qi Gong
Wang Zhixing EJOM Vol. 1 No. 1
Wang begins by explaining different meanings of the word shen. He looks at the importance of cultivating shen qi, or 'wholeness of concentration', through which the mind becomes peaceful and empty, at one with one's circumstances. He describes some exercises for rooting the shen in dan tian.
