Qigong as a Therapeutic Intervention With Older Adults

Abstract

The use of complementary therapies in the United States is growing. One complementary therapy that has received little attention in the nursing literature is Qigong. Qigong is the cornerstone of traditional Chinese medicine and consists of gentle flowing body movements, breathing, and quieting the mind. Qigong facilitates the movement of qi, the vital life energy, throughout the body, thereby enhancing health and healing disease. Preliminary research indicates that Qigong may be an effective complementary therapy for promoting health and wellness in older adults and an effective adjuvant intervention for managing chronic conditions in older adults. This article provides an overview of Qigong, reviews the English-language research literature on the therapeutic effects of Qigong, discusses the implications of Qigong as a complementary therapy for older adults, and suggests directions for further research on the use of Qigong as a therapeutic approach for older adults.

Exercise intention, age and stress predict increased qigong exercise adherence

“…Results cannot establish if a correlation also exists for exercisers older than 65 years as the present sample was middle-aged. Previous research has, however, indicated that qigong exercise is also suitable for people above the age of 65 (Jouper et al, 2006;Kemp, 2004). In contrast, very young healthy individuals may prefer more intense activities, and this may explain the lower exercise frequency in the younger participants in this study (cf.…”

“…As suggested (Kemp, 2004), low-intensity mindbody activities such as qigong may be better suited to the needs and abilities of older adults. Our results show that age is positively associated with exercise sessions (r ¼ .40, po.001).…”

“…Qigong exercise performed with a deep concentration on qi-flow has been linked to health improvements (Jouper et al, 2006). Because of the low level of intensity involved, this movement therapy is also suitable for older adults (Kemp, 2004).…”

External Qigong for Pain Conditions: A Systematic Review of Randomized Clinical Trials

“…However, some studies reported that qigong may also be linked to adverse events such as abnormal psychosomatic responses and even mental disorders. 1,12,15,18,26 Relative to those of standard drug treatments, these may be infrequent or even negligible. This systematic review focused on the effectiveness of qigong and thus adverse events were only assessed as reported in the included RCTs.…”

Role of complementary and alternative medicine in geriatric care: A mini review

“…[21] Moreover, there is encouraging evidence which shows that ancient Chinese healing art, qigong, combined with movement exercises, meditation and controlled breathing, may lower BP significantly. [22]…”