Overview

The term Qigong refers to various systems of breathing exercises and physical postures that are thought to improve general health by following the principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine. More precisely, this is internal Qigong, or Qigong practiced by a person for his or her own benefit. Expert Qigong practitioners may also use their training to treat other people, a practice called "external Qigong," or, alternatively, "Qi Therapy."

Internal Qigong is said to increase one's overall vitality and health by facilitating the free flow of Qi in the body. The term "Qi" refers to a supposed underlying "energy" in the body, as conceptualized in the ancient medical systems of East Asia. (There is no scientific evidence for the existence of Qi.) Those who practice External Qigong claim to have developed so much mastery of Qi they can project it into others.

Methods related to modern Qigong are mentioned in Chinese texts dating back more than three millennia. Qigong bears a close relationships to the martial arts traditions of East Asia, but, like Tai Chi, it has been adapted primarily for health rather than fighting. Qigong also has strong historical connections with metaphysical and religious traditions, but it has become popular more recently as a purely secular exercise. This evolution is similar to that of yoga.

Cults may form around practitioners of external Qigong. The present-day Qigong master Li Hongzhi can, reportedly, turn invisible, levitate, teleport himself through space, and control people's thoughts. His tens of millions of followers, known collectively as the Falun Gong, have achieved sufficient political power in China to have been banned.

What Is the Scientific Evidence for Qigong?

Mainstream scientists do not accept the concept of "Qi," but internal Qigong can be seen merely as a form of exercise and studied as such. External Qigong, however, does not strike most scientists as plausible; it has nonetheless undergone some study.

To date, all of the research published on either type of Qigong suffers from significant flaws. This is to some extent the fault of researchers who may possess a type of personal devotion to Qigong that impairs scientific objectivity. However, even with the best of intentions and the most implacable dedication to objectivity, a researcher will find it difficult to properly study Qigong. This results from a problem intrinsic to the treatment: it is difficult, if not impossible, to conduct a true double-blind, placebo-controlled study of Qigong.

For the results of a study to be truly reliable, some participants must receive real treatment (the "active group"), while others receive placebo treatment (the "control group"). In addition, both participants and researchers must be kept in the dark ("blind") regarding which group is which. Without blinding, the placebo effect and other confounding factors will inevitably and significantly skew the results. (For detailed information on how this occurs see Why Does This Database Rely on Double-blind Studies?)

When conducting studies of herbs, supplements, or drugs, it is relatively easy to achieve blinding: some participants receive the real treatment in a capsule, while others receive a fake treatment in an identical capsule, and neither researchers nor participants know which is which. The capsules are coded, and the code is not broken until after the study has been completed. With Qigong exercises however, as with many other alternative therapies, there is no simple equivalent.

Consider internal Qigong. While some participants can be assigned fake Qigong exercises, it is difficult to make sure they do not know that the exercises they are practicing are fake. One would need to first train a group of people to teach the fake exercises, and do so without letting them know the exercises are fake; in turn, they would teach the participants in the placebo group. However, the duped participants and duped teachers would have to be prevented from learning about real Qigong, because if they gained such knowledge it would destroy the necessary deception. Such a complex feat would be challenging to achieve! Perhaps it would be more practical to compare Qigong exercises against an equally impressive but ineffective intervention, such as fake ultraviolet laser acupuncture or fake ultrasound treatment. However, a review of the literature failed to find any such study of Qigong.

External Qigong presents a somewhat different but related challenge. Since Qi is said to be invisible, a practitioner of external Qigong could simply convey Qi to certain participants and only pretend to convey it to others. However, practitioners would know what they themselves were doing, and the history of medical research tells us that by subtle, even unconscious cues these practitioners would convey emotional confidence when providing real therapy and lack of confidence when providing fake therapy. In turn, this "confidence differential" would create placebo effects and other confounding factors. One proposed method to overcome this problem involves using actors to confidently provide a fake therapy; however, again, no such study could be found in the published literature.

Given the above caveats, here is a summary of the evidence as it exists so far:

Safety Issues

Qigong, when practiced in moderation, is most likely generally safe. However, people with severe heart or lung conditions may put themselves through excessive stress by attempting vigorous breathing exercises.

There are numerous anecdotes in which practitioners of Qigong have developed serious mental problems ("Qigong Psychosis") as a result of practicing the method to an extreme, and/or with insufficient or inept guidance. However, it has been reasonably suggested that some people with latent mental illnesses have been drawn to extreme forms of Qigong, rather than that the Qigong practice itself caused the mental illness.¹⁷