The objective of this systematic review was to assess the evidence for the effectiveness of internal qigong as a treatment option for pain conditions. Nineteen databases were searched through to February 2009. Controlled clinical trials testing internal qigong in patients with pain of any origin assessing clinical outcome measures were considered. Trials using any type of internal qigong and control intervention were included. The selection of studies, data extraction, and validation were performed independently by 2 reviewers. Four randomized clinical trials (RCTs) and 3 controlled clinical trials met all inclusion criteria. One RCT suggested no significant difference for low back pain compared with electromyographic biofeedback. Two RCTs failed to show effects of internal qigong in neck pain compared with exercise therapy and waiting list control. One RCT suggested that qigong is inferior to aerobic exercise in patients with fibromyalgia. There are few RCTs testing the effectiveness of internal qigong in the management of pain conditions. Collectively, the existing trial evidence is not convincing enough to suggest that internal qigong is an effective modality for pain management. PERSPECTIVE: This review of controlled clinical trials focused on the effects of internal qigong, a self-directed energy healing intervention involving movement and meditation. Collectively, the existing trial evidence is not convincing enough to suggest that internal qigong is an effective modality for pain management. Future studies should be of high quality with particular emphasis on designing an adequate control intervention.

J Pain. 2009 Jun 24. Lee MS, Pittler MH, Ernst E. Division of Standard Research, Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine, Daejeon, South Korea; Complementary Medicine, Peninsula Medical School, Universities of Exeter and Plymouth, Exeter, United Kingdom.

Although a number of studies on traditional Chinese medicine, such as qi-gong (QG), acupuncture (AC), moxibustion and Chinese herbal drugs, have been reported in recent years, there are few reports on human cerebral evoked potentials (EPs), especially relating only to QG and AC. In the present study, we examined the changes in EPs and electroencephalogram (EEG) by QG, and by AC stimulation to the point called "Zusanli" on the left lower leg, with one healthy male adult. 1. With regard to the effect of QG, significant changes in EP-components originated from the cortex suggest both facilitating and inhibitory effects of QG on the cortex. However, no significant changes in EP-components originated from the subcortex and no significant changes in EEG power% suggest that QG does not affect the subcortex. 2.With regard to the effects of AC, significant changes in EP-components originated from the cortex suggest facilitating and inhibitory effects of AC stimulation on the cortex. Furthermore, it is suggested that AC stimulation has few effects on the somatosensory and the visual pathways up to the cortex, while it has complicated effects on the auditory pathway up to the cortex.

J Med Invest. 1998 Feb;44(3-4):163-71. Xu M, Tomotake M, Ikuta T, Ishimoto Y, Okura M. Department of Neuropsychiatry, University of Tokushima School of Medicine, Japan.

Full Title: Storing of qi gong energy in various materials and drugs (qi gongnization): its clinical application for treatment of pain, circulatory disturbance, bacterial or viral infections, heavy metal deposits, and related intractable medical problems by selectively enhancing circulation and drug uptake.

In the process of evaluating the effects of external Qi Gong on inanimate substances by the Bi-Digital O-Ring Test, Qi Gong energy was shown to have a polarity which the author designated for convenience sake (+) or (-), where (+) increases the strength of muscles and (-) weakens them. Depending upon how external Qi Gong is applied and from which part of the body it emanates, the polarity changes. In general, it was found that, when (+) polarity is applied to the painful area or spastic muscles or arteries in vaso-constriction it often reduced or eliminated the pain, spastic muscles or circulatory disturbances. The author succeeded in storing part of the Qi Gong energy in inanimate materials, such as papers, metals (such as a sheet of aluminum foil), glass, stone, band-aids, clothes, drugs, etc. in bi-polar (one end of the same material becomes (+) polarity and the other end of the same material becomes (-) polarity) form in one material or uni-polar, i.e., the entire material either has pure (+) polarity or (-) polarity. Water, EPA, vitamins, antibiotics and other drugs were also converted to (+) polarity. When the material has a bi-polar state, it becomes possible to eliminate one of the polarities by applying certain changing electrical fields. The effect of placing (+) polarity Qi Gong energy stored material was compared with direct application of the Qi Gong on pain, spastic muscle and spastic vertebral arteries. The therapeutic effects of these 2 methods were quite similar for the identical time duration but a more predictable effect was often obtained in the former. As our previous study indicates that acupuncture, electrical stimulation (1-3 pulses/sec.), as well as Qi Gong not only improved the microcirculatory disturbance and relaxed spastic muscles and vaso-constrictive arteries but also reduced or eliminated the pain and also selectively enhanced drug uptake to the area where drugs could not be delivered due to existing circulatory disturbances, by placing (+) Qi Gong stored material, such as a sheet of paper or aluminum foil, band-aid or clothes. Bi- Digital O-Ring Test evaluation indicated that not only did it produce all the beneficial effects of Qi Gong but also enhanced the drug uptake selectively in the area where it is necessary for the drug to be delivered for effective treatment, and reduced lead deposits in tissue.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Acupunct Electrother Res. 1990;15(2):137-57. Omura Y. Heart Disease Research Foundation, New York, N.Y.

"Qi Gong" (QG) is a meditation exercise known for thousands of years in China and has always been widely practiced. It has been claimed to have a variety of healing and other health benefits. To provide an understanding of the effect of QG on brain structures along the whole neural axis from the periphery to the cerebral cortex, we have monitored short-latency auditory brainstem evoked response, middle-latency response, and long-latency cortical auditory evoked potentials, before, during, and after QG. Our results showed that QG caused an enhancement of brainstem auditory evoked response with a concomitant depression of cortical responses. These observations may be related to the healing and other health benefits of QG.

Am J Chin Med. 1990;18(3-4):95-103. Liu GL, Cui RQ, Li GZ, Huang CM. Department of Physiology, Beijing College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, China.

Full Title: Unique changes found on the Qi Gong (Chi Gong) Master's and patient's body during Qi Gong treatment; their relationships to certain meridians & acupuncture points and the re-creation of therapeutic Qi Gong states by children & adults

Changes taking place in both Qi Gong Masters and their patients during Qi Gong treatment were evaluated using the Bi-Digital O-Ring Test. During the Qi Gong state, on the Qi-Gong Master's body, as well as the body of the patient being treated, acupuncture points CV5 (Shi Men) and CV6 (Qi Hai)-- located below the umbilicus-- show changes from +4 in the pre-Qi Gong state to between -3 and -4 during the Qi Gong state. Before and after the Qi Gong, there is a normal +4 response to the Bi-Digital O-Ring Test at these acupuncture points. Similar changes were also observed on acupuncture points CV17 (Shan Zhong), CV 22 (Tian Tu), Yin Tang (at an area just between the eyebrows: the pituitary gland representation area, colloquially known as the "third eye") and GV20(Bai Hui), the entire pericardium meridian & triple burner meridian, their acupuncture points, the adrenal glands, testes, ovaries and perineum, as well as along the entire spinal vertebrae, particularly on and above the 12th thoracic vertebra, medulla oblongata, pons, and the intestinal representation areas of the brain located just above and behind the upper ear. Using these findings as criteria for evaluating the effectiveness of reaching the Qi Gong state, we were able to reproduce during the experimental trials similar changes in ourselves and the patient being treated with therapeutic effects comparable to those of the Qi Gong Master. Beneficial effects of external Qi Gong treatment given by a Qi Gong practitioner 1 to 3 times for 10-20 seconds each (although most Qi Gong masters take 3-20 minutes per treatment) often resulted in improvement of circulation and lowering of high blood pressure, as well as relaxation of spastic muscles, relief of pain, and enhanced general well-being, all of which resemble acupuncture effects. In order to reproduce the same procedure with others, we selected 4 children ranging between 8 and 11 years of age who had no knowledge of Qi Gong or Oriental medicine. One of these four children, the 8 year old, was able to consistently reach the same Qi Gong state after less than a half day and another child, 11, after less than 2 days. Within a week, the other two were sometimes able to reproduce the Qi Gong state but not always. Using the Qi Gong state thus obtained, it was found that this type of Qi Gong energy is directed to specific directions from the hand and can even penetrate wooden or metal doors.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Acupunct Electrother Res. 1989;14(1):61-89. Omura Y, Lin TL, Debreceni L, Losco BM, Freed S, Muteki T, Lin CH. Heart Disease Research Foundation, New York, NY.

Qi-gong relaxation exercise was used for treatment of pregnancy induced hypertension(PIH). Patients exercised 3 times a day until labor. In this study, there were two groups with 60 cases of PIH who had delivered in each group, they were treated by Qi-gong for one group and by medicine for another used as control. The clinical efficacy was evaluated according to PIH combined scores showed effective for 54 cases (90.0%) in Qi-gong group and 33 cases (55.0%) for the control group (P less than 0.01). Meconium stain in amniotic fluid was present in 12 cases (20.0%) in Qi-gong group and 29 cases (48.3%) in the control group (P less than 0.05). The incidence of abnormal hematocrit (greater than 35%) before treatment was 52.4% and decreased to 23.8% (P less than 0.05) in Qi-gong, while in the control group was 35.7% before treatment and 45.2% after treatment (P greater than 0.05). The mean value of blood E2 by RIA showed increased from 22.97 +/- 13.16 micrograms/ml to 33.74 +/- 34.01 micrograms/ml after Qi-gong treatment in 29 cases. The microscopical observation of finger nail capillaries showed various degrees of improvement of microcirculation after Qi-gong exercise for 17 cases and after a course of Qi-gong treatment for 11 cases in Qi-gong group. While for the control group, there was no changes after sit-still for some time.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Zhong Xi Yi Jie He Za Zhi. 1989 Jan;9(1):16-8, 4-5. Zhou MR, Lian MR.

Spontaneous EEGs recorded with 12 channels (International 10-20 system) on the scalp were analyzed by statistical brain topographic mapping (t-test and correlation coefficient topographic mappings) to reveal changes of the electrical activity in the brain during Qi Gong state. The control subjects and two groups of masters and beginners in accordance with the time and the skilled degree practising Qi Gong were compared. The changes of EEGs of the Qi Gong masters during the Qi Gong state were clearly different from those recorded during the resting state with closed eyes. The EEG alpha activity occurred predominantly in the anterior half, and occurred silently in the posterior half of the brain during Qi Gong state. The peak frequency of EEG alpha rhythm during Qi Gong state was slower than resting state without practicing Qi Gong. The results of the t-test and correlation coefficient topographic mappings showed this finding quantitatively and statistically significant. The changes in EEG between resting and Qi Gong state for Qi Gong masters appear to be opposite. This findings indicates that Qi Gong state is a special and unusual state and this state is not an inherent state existing in each person. The occurrence of this phenomenon of EEG depends on the duration and the skilled degree of the practising Qi Gong.

Int J Neurosci. 1988 Feb;38(3-4):415-25. Zhang JZ, Li JZ, He QN. Computer Laboratory, Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, China.

Full Title: EEG findings during special psychical state (Qi Gong state) by means of compressed spectral array and topographic mapping

Wallace first reported the changes in EEG during transcendental mediation [6]. Banquet [1] observed, on the basis of spectral analysis of the EEG, that the mediation state was a unique state of consciousness, and separate from wakefulness, drowsiness or sleep. The Qi Gong of China is not the same as either transcendental mediation or the Yoga Gong. The EEG during Qi Gong state is clearly different from those recorded during the resting state. The changes in the EEG during the Qi Gong have not been reported previously. The EEG alpha activity during the Qi Gong state occurs predominantly in the anterior regions. The peak frequency of EEG alpha rhythm is slower than the resting state. The change of EEG during Qi Gong between anterior and posterior half is negative correlation. These changes are statistically significant.

Comput Biol Med. 1988;18(6):455-63. Zhang JZ, Zhao J, He QN. Computer Laboratory, Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, China.