NIH COPY  (Copy submitted by Joe Hing Kwok Chu to National Institute of Health for research grant application. The abstract has been published by World Medical Qigong Conference, 1996, Beijing, China)  

A STUDY OF

TREATING ASTHMA

WITH WAI QI AND QIGONG TRAINING

BY AFFECTING

ADRENOCORTICAL HORMONE, cAMP AND cGMP

               Study and written by: Joe Hing Kwok Chu

 Email: [email protected]

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of qigong therapy on asthma, compared to the conventional western methods and traditional Chinese medical methods.

Twenty-one patients who had been suffering from asthma for at least five years participated in this study. Fourteen were male and seven were female. They were interviewed in detail about their eating habits, living and working environments, family backgrounds, emotional issues, and physical complaints. They were then advised to avoid factors that trigger asthma.

The subjects were divided into three categories according to diagnostic methods used in qigong:

(1) shen yang xu group

(2) shen yin xu group

(3) shen yin and yang xi group

According to different body types, different qigong programs were prescribed and appropriate wai qi⁽¹⁾

SUBJECTS SELECTED FOR STUDY

Twenty-one patients, who had been suffering from asthma for at least five years, participated in this study. They were interviewed in detail about their eating habits, living and working environments, family backgrounds, emotional issues, and physical complaints. They were then advised to avoid factors that trigger asthma.

After three weeks of qigong training and wai qi therapy, all of them experienced a significant decrease in symptoms of asthma.

WHAT IS QIGONG ?

QIGONG consists of two Chinese characters:  "qi" and "gong". Qi, a Chinese word pronounced as "chee", when used in qigong, means "signal that controls the function of the body" . Gong means training with time and effort.

Qigong is a term which refers to training and maintaining the qi, to improve the various functions of the body.

WHAT IS WAI QI?

Wai qi means the qi projected by a qigong master to a patient.

Wai qi can be projected from any acupoint to any acupoint or meridian of the recipient.

DEFINITION OF ASTHMA [1]

Clinically, asthma is a disorder characterized by intermittent symptoms that include wheezing, coughing, restriction of the air passageways, shortening of breath and hypersensitivity of the bronchi.

Pathologically there is no clear definition of asthma.

METHODS OF THERAPY

The patients were divided into three categories according to diagnostic methods used in qigong:

(1) shen yang xu group,

(2) shen yin xu group, and

(3) shen yin & yang xu groups.

According to different body types, different qigong programs were prescribed and different appropriate types of wai qi (projected qi from therapist) were applied.

Tests on adrenocortical hormone were done, before and after therapy, through 17-KS/24 hour urine samples.

UNDERSTANDING OF ASTHMA BY QIGONG AND Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), and in qigong theory, asthma is deemed to have both primary and secondary causes:

1. Primary causes:

• shenxu (kidney deficient) 腎虛

• shenyangxu (kidney yang deficient)腎陽虛

• shenyinxu (kidney yin deficient)  腎 陰虛

• shenxu (kidney deficient) with yin and yang deficiency

• pixu (spleen deficient) 脾虛

2. Secondary causes: cold, stress, physical exertions, menstrual periods, incorrect eating habits, food allergies, irritants in the air, e.g., pollens, animal dander, dust, etc.

Many asthma sufferers who are born with a pattern of Shen Yang Xu have low thyroid activity, low epinephrine and norepinephrine activity, and low production of adrenocortical hormone. They also have poor capillary circulation accompanied by low cardiac output.

Asthma sufferers, who are Shen Yin Xu, have higher sympathetic nervous activity that causes over activity of the heart and over constriction of blood vessels.

From modern point of view:

shenyinxu (kidney yin deficient)  腎陰虛 patients can have

• high levels of cAMP

• relatively low levels of cGMP[2]

• normal to high levels of adrenocortical hormone[3]

• relatively high levels of epinephrine & norepinephrine

• low levels of electrolyte of potassium

• over active sympathetic nervous system

• under active parasympathetic nervous system

shenyangxu (kidney yang deficient)腎陽虛 patients can have

• low levels of cAMP

• relatively high levels of cGMP[2]

• low levels of adrenocortical hormone[3]

• low levels of epinephrine & norepinephrine

• incorrect levels of electrolyte, low level of sodium

• over active parasympathetic nervous system

• under active sympathetic nervous system

• low levels of thyroid hormone

• low levels of plasma adrenocorticotropic hormone

• low levels of thyroid hormone, low or slow reaction to TRH test⁽³⁾

• circadian rhythms of 11-OHS abnormal ⁽⁴⁾

shenxu (kidney deficient) with yin and yang deficiency patients can have

• unstable levels of cAMP

• unstable levels of cGMP[2]

• unstable levels of adrenocortical hormone[3]

• unstable levels of epinephrine & norepinephrine

• unstable levels of electrolyte

• unstable activities of the sympathetic & parasympathetic nervous system.

Pi xu patients can have

• low function of the pancreas in secreting amylase

• low cAMP

• low in baseline and peak HCl secretion

• under active sympathetic nervous system

• over active parasympathetic nervous system

• low levels of E-ROSETTE

• low result of PHA skin test⁽⁵⁾

• high levels of IgG

• low levels of IgA

OBSERVATIONS

 cAMP and cGMP are second messengers. Together they assist the functioning of norepinephrine, epinephrine and the production of adrenocortical hormone. These hormones play an important role in the blood circulation that in turn affects the distribution of oxygen in the body. Incorrect levels of cAMP and cGMP of Shen Xu sufferers affect the activities of norepinephrine, epinephrine, and adrenocortical hormone. Adrenocortical hormone insufficiency causes poor capillary circulation and lowers the ability of the body to combat inflammation.

Anaerobic metabolism elevates the levels of the histamine production. High levels of histamine cause the bronchi to constrict and cause local blood vessels to dilate. The over-dilation of the blood vessels causes excessive seepage of fluid from the blood vessels which leads to inflammation of the bronchi and sinus area. When this happens, the airflow into the lungs becomes restricted, thus inducing the body to produce more histamine. This can become a vicious cycle and produces severe symptoms of asthma.

CONCLUSION

Correct qigong training and accurate wai qi application can help to achieve yin-yang equilibrium, which balances the second messengers cAMP and cGMP, which help regulate the balance of hormones, and help balance the autonomic nervous system, and enhance circulation, thus improving the oxygen distribution and relaxing the bronchi, thus solving the problem of asthma.

Conventional hormone therapy in asthma using prednisone, fluticasone propionate,  hydrocortisone or adreno-corticotropic hormone causes excessive water retention and full moon face. Long term side effects include atrophy of the adrenal glands, atrophy of the thymus, risk of osteoporosis, yeast infections and memory impairment possibly caused by the atrophy of the hippocampal dendrites and speeding up Alzheimer' disease. . The practice of using steroid treatments on shen yin xu asthma sufferers is questionable because they usually do not show insufficiency of adrenocortical hormone. The incriminate uses of drugs that enhance cAMP on shen yin xu patients can also cause over active sympathetic nervous system which might lead to heart and blood vessel problems.

METHODS USED IN THERAPY

1. Qigong practice

Fang song gong[4] was used by all 3 groups.

Qi Xia Yong Quan Gong[5] was used primarily by the Shen Yin Xu Group.

Fan Zhou Tian Gong[6] and Ji San Gong was used primarily by the Shen Yang Xu Group.

Shen Yin & Yang Both Xu group was monitored closely and prescribed Fang Song Gong, or Fan Zhou Tian Gong, or Qi Xia Yong Quan Gong and other qigong methods as required.

Adjustments of training methods were made for Spleen Xu, Heart Qi Xu, and Liver Yang hyperactivities. (physical conditions classified by methods commonly used in qi gong).

2. Wai qi[7] (projected qi from therapist) application

Wai qi was being applied according to the conditions of patients.

Bu[8] (enhancing qi) methods were usually used in cases of shen yang xu.

During asthma attacks, xie[9] (purging qi) methods and bu methods were used.

Adjustments of wai qi application were also made for Pi Xu[10], Xin Qi Xu[10],

and Gan Yang Hyperactivities[10].

RESULTS OF 24 HOUR URINE SAMPLE TESTS AFTER 3 WEEKS OF THERAPY

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