Medical Qi Gong

Medical qi gong practices combine the three main principles of qi gong with additional practices including needle-free acupuncture. In China, the practices associated with medical qi gong have been recognized as standard techniques since the late 1980s. In addition, the Chinese government formally began regulating the practice of medical qi gong in 1996 and allows for it to be offer to all who are covered by the county’s National Health Plan.

Medical qi gong focuses on the way in which energy flows through the human body. As it flows, it encounters various areas called acupuncture points. When a blockage occurs at one of these points, it causes a disruption in the body’s overall flow of energy. That disruption can then lead to pain or illness. There are thought to be many reasons that blockages can occur, including underlying illnesses and stress. When you study medical qi gong as a massage therapy student, you will learn that by releases the blockages that collect at these acupuncture points, pain can be relieved and overall physical health can be restored.

Many people are familiar with the use of acupuncture needles to release pressure at acupuncture points. Medical qi gong operates under the same principle, but with the danger of needles. Instead, qi gong practitioners learn how to direct the flow of energy, or a patient’s qi, in order to both find and remove blockages. This can involve light massage techniques but at times requires no physical touching at all.

In addition to practices that help to clear obstructions from acupuncture points, medical qi gong also calls upon practices that include improved breathing techniques, improved posture and improved mental focus. Through these three areas, it is possible for qi gong practitioners to not only restore their patient’s to health but to also bolster their overall immune system. Medical qi gong is sometimes practices alongside more traditional Western medical techniques so that patients can receive the benefit of a variety of treatments.

As a massage therapy student, you will learn a great deal about anatomy and physiology. In your studies, you will be taught that incorrect posture can lead to far more ailments than simply aches and pains in your back. Instead, by helping your patients to improve their overall posture, you can be helping them to fight off disease and cure pains that they may have suffered for years.

Similarly, incorrect breathing practices that leave your lungs unfulfilled or working too hard to supply oxygen to the human body can lead to a variety of unpleasant physical ailments. Qi gong practitioners can evaluate the way in which their patients breathe and take corrective action to attain improvements.

Finally, as a qi gong practitioner, you can learn how to help your patients to improve their mental focus. This can help to eliminate stress factors that could lead to physical ailments. Through improved focus, patients can achieve improved health. Posture, breathing and focus techniques are often given to patients to do as homework in between sessions that help to improve the flow of energy.

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