Medical Applications of Qigong
Whether it's de-stressing after a long day's work or enhancing your stamina, Qigong offers a wide selection of benefits related to your physical and mental well-being. But there are several medical applications of Qigong, too. In fact, experts suggest that practicing Qigong comes along with healthier living and longevity. Here are some important Qigong medical applications to know:

Hypertension

High blood pressure or hypertension is a chronic condition that impacts millions of Americans each year.

According to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, an estimated 75 million adults in the United States have high blood pressure. But only 54 percent of people in the United States with hypertension manage this dangerous yet common health issue.

While blood pressure medications are often a solution to control hypertension, research suggests that Qigong plays a role in helping you manage high blood pressure, too.

Research from the Shanghai Institute of Hypertension revealed that Qigong provides both short and long-term benefits when it comes to managing high blood pressure.

The study reveals that patients who practiced the Qigong exercise Yan Jing Yi Shen Gong were better able to relax their bodies and calm their minds and suggested it helped to delay senility.

Research also indicates that when you practice Qigong exercises, you may help lower your blood pressure. That is because Qigong is a series of relaxing techniques that help to calm the body.

While blood pressure can be impacted by a variety of causes, it’s also important to have practices in place to help keep the mind and body calm. As a result, Qigong shows promise for helping to improve hypertension.

Stroke and Mortality

One of the leading causes of death in the United States is a stroke.

When your blood pressure is high consistently, you increase your chances of developing a stroke and shortening your life. So, it’s crucial to take measures to manage your blood pressure to prevent getting a stroke.

While drug therapy is a common way to manage your blood pressure, research suggests that combining Qigong with medication is beneficial in managing hypertension.

One study involving 242 patients with hypertension revealed that practicing Qigong helped patients with hypertension to lower their chances of getting a stroke and decreased their mortality rate.

The control group that did not practice Qigong exercises twice a day for at least 30 minutes did not display these health improvements.

Sex Hormone Levels

Research also suggests that practicing Qigong may positively impact the effects of aging. When you age, your sex hormone levels typically decrease.

Women experience a decrease in their levels of prolactin and estrogen while men may experience a significant drop in testosterone levels as they get older.

A decrease in estrogen levels may lead to painful intercourse, depression, hot flashes and irregular periods in women.

Men may also experience hair loss, infertility, loss of muscle mass, a lower sex drive, and sleep disturbances like insomnia when their testosterone levels drop.

However, research indicates that practicing Qigong may help improve sex hormone levels. For instance, one study revealed that male patients between ages 50 to 69 who practiced Qigong for one year saw an improvement in the rate of impotence, insomnia and hair loss.

Another study that included 77 men and women with hypertension suggested improvement in estradiol plasma levels after these patients practiced Qigong for two months.

Estradiol is important to prevent sperm cell destruction in men and control the distribution of fat in women. With an improvement in plasma levels, women

Bone Density

As you age, your bones naturally lose its density. The level of estrogen in women decreases with age and can lead to weak bones. This may also increase your chances of experiencing bone fractures and developing osteoporosis.

Research suggests that practicing Qigong potentially improves bone density. A study involving men ages 50 to 69 revealed that the men who practiced Qigong improved their bone density levels surpassing men of the same age who did not practice Qigong.

Experts also believe that practicing Qigong may also have the same impact on women by helping to improve women’s bone density.

Senility

Cognitive impairment impacts more an estimated 22.2 percent if Americans who are 71 years old or older. But research also suggests that practicing Qigong may improve senility by improving cognitive impairment.

For instance, Qigong’s ability to promote relaxation suggests that practicing this meditative exercise is beneficial for lowering blood pressure, depression and anxiety, which all can impact your mental health.

Research also indicates that practicing Qigong exercises helped improve the mood of obese women in a 2009 study and improvement in visual span of a study of individuals with dementia.

Research further revealed improvement in the self-esteem and mood of patients who practiced Qigong after experiencing a traumatic brain injury and reduced balance impairments in patients with Parkinson’s Disease.

Medical Applications of Qigong: Final Thoughts

From improving conditions with hypertension to enhancing sex hormone levels, Qigong provides several benefits when applied medically.

While medication and modern therapies offer a solution to managing hypertension, mental health conditions and other ailments, Qigong’s medicinal applications show potential for an alternative and supplementary form of improving the healing process and managing a variety of health conditions.