Is qi gong (a traditional Chinese mind-body practice) a healthy practice?

Is Qi Gong Healthy?

Yes, qi gong is a healthy practice with demonstrated benefits for physical and psychological well-being, particularly for managing depression, anxiety, fatigue, and improving quality of life in various populations including cancer patients and those with chronic conditions. 1

Evidence-Based Health Benefits

Mental Health and Mood Regulation

• Qi gong significantly improves depression symptoms, with a 2018 systematic review and meta-analysis of 15 RCTs (n=1,283) showing significant improvement in depression scores (Effect Size = -0.27; P = .001). 1

• For breast cancer patients specifically, a 2021 meta-analysis of 6 studies (n=540) demonstrated significant effects on depression symptoms (SMD -0.32,95% CI -0.59 to -0.04; P = .02). 1

• Qi gong reduces anxiety and improves psychological well-being through mechanisms involving attention to interoceptive sensations, enhanced nonreactivity to aversive thoughts, and restoration of autonomic nervous system balance toward parasympathetic dominance. 2

Cancer-Related Symptom Management

• The Society for Integrative Oncology and ASCO recommend qi gong for people with breast cancer to improve depression symptoms post-treatment (weak recommendation, intermediate quality evidence). 1

• Qi gong reduces cancer-related fatigue, with 4 out of 5 RCTs (N=498) showing significant improvement in fatigue scores compared to conventional care, waitlist controls, or light exercise groups. 1

• Benefits extend to multiple cancer types including breast (34%), colorectal (12%), lung (9%), and prostate cancer (9%), with one RCT (n=162) showing significant improvement in depression domain scores at 10 weeks post-intervention. 1

Chronic Disease Management

• The American College of Rheumatology acknowledges qi gong as a traditional Chinese mind-body practice combining meditation with slow, gentle movements, deep breathing, and relaxation. 1, 3

• Qi gong may improve immune system function, health-related quality of life, functional capacity, and mood in various populations, though more controlled studies are needed in some specific conditions. 1, 3

• The practice demonstrates benefits for strength, balance, fall prevention, depression, and self-efficacy through its holistic mind-body approach. 1, 3

How Qi Gong Works

Physiological Mechanisms

• Qi gong alters the autonomic nervous system by slowing breath frequency, which restores homeostasis, attenuates stress-related hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis reactivity, and modulates autonomic balance toward parasympathetic dominance. 2

• The practice may enhance immune function by increasing activities of phagocytes, improving cardiopulmonary function, and influencing blood biochemistry indices. 4

• Effects on emotion regulation occur through changes in multiple prefrontal regions, the limbic system, striatum, and expression of genes linked to inflammatory responses and stress-related pathways. 2

Mind-Body Integration

• Qi gong combines multiple therapeutic elements: coordinated body posture and movements, deep rhythmic breathing, meditation, and mental focus based on traditional Chinese medicine theories. 5, 2

• The practice shares healing elements with mindfulness meditation, involving anchoring attention to interoceptive sensations related to breath or body parts. 2

Safety Profile

• Qi gong is generally considered safe with minimal risks across multiple clinical trials and systematic reviews. 1, 6

• No significant adverse events are consistently reported in the literature, making it a low-risk intervention suitable for diverse populations. 6

• The practice is widely available in communities and can be practiced for 20-60 minutes, 3-5 times per week, making it accessible for most individuals. 1

Clinical Implementation

Recommended Practice Parameters

• For cancer-related fatigue management, practice qi gong for 20-60 minutes, 3-5 times per week throughout cancer therapy. 1

• For depression symptom improvement, engage in five weekly qi gong exercise sessions over 4 weeks minimum, though longer durations show enhanced benefits. 1

• Qi gong capitalizes on the effectiveness of both mindfulness and exercise, which individually are beneficial for symptom management. 1

Important Caveats

• Evidence quality varies across conditions, with strongest recommendations for breast cancer patients and depression/fatigue management, while evidence for other specific conditions remains limited. 1

• Heterogeneity exists across studies in terms of qi gong styles, session frequency, duration, and comparison groups, which can affect interpretation of results. 1

• Adequate placebo controls for qi gong research are lacking, which may compromise the level of efficacy evidence in some studies, though real-world benefits remain clinically meaningful. 7