Medical Research
and Spring Forest Qigong

Two new research studies, one by researchers from the University of Minnesota and the Mayo Clinic, have found that external qigong can help patients' chronic pain. The external qigong treatments were provided by Chunyi Lin. A brief synopsis of each study is below.

External Qigong for Chronic Pain,
Results from a peer-reviewed, randomized, controlled, clinical study
Ann Vincent, Brent A. Bauer, et al Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota
Jamia Hill, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Objective:

"Chronic pain is highly prevalent in the general population. Adequate clinical management of chronic pain is an ongoing challenge and a purely pharmaceutical approach has proven inadequate. We investigated the efficacy of external qigong [Spring Forest Qigong technique] as an adjunctive treatment for chronic pain."

Conclusions:

"Subjects with chronic pain who received external qigong experienced reduction in pain intensity following each qigong treatment. This is especially impressive given the long duration of pain (>5 years) in the most of the participants," writes lead author Ann Vincent, MD, MBBS, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota.

The "External Qigong for Chronic Pain" study* by researchers from the University of Minnesota and the Mayo Clinic is published in the American Journal of Chinese Medicine, Vol. 38, No. 4, 695-703. Read the study abstract on the AJCM website.
© 2010 World Scientific Publishing Company
Institute for Advanced Research in Asian Science and Medicine

*The research findings should not be construed as an endorsement of external qigong or Spring Forest Qigong by the University of Minnesota or the Mayo Clinic. The Mayo Clinic does not make such endorsements. The research findings speak for themselves.

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Utilizing Spring Forest Qigong as a Self-Directed Treatment for Chronic Pain & Emotional Distress*
Jane F. Coleman, R.N., PhD
Professor Emerita, Gustavus Adolphus College, St. Peter, MN

Study Findings:

There was a significant decrease in the perception of physical pain and emotional distress for the majority of participants during the study timeframe.  Also, symptom variables (sleep, concentration, decision-making, appetite, loss of interest) improved in the majority of subjects.

Conclusion:

Both the active exercise and meditative aspects of Spring Forest Qigong proved to be effective self-care modalities for persons with perceived chronic physical pain and/or emotional distress. Subjects demonstrated significant improvement both anecdotally and statistically during the study period.

*Dr. Coleman's study has been accepted for publication in the Journal of Holistic Nursing.

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Spring Forest Qigong has been found effective in the treatment of depression and bipolar disorder: 

Spring Forest Qigong Depression Study