title: Qigong as a Traditional Vegetative Biofeedback Therapy: Long-Term Conditioning of Physiological Mind-Body Effects.
abstract: A contemporary understanding of Chinese Medicine (CM) regards CM diagnosis as a functional vegetative state that may be treated by vegetative reflex therapies such as acupuncture. Within this context, traditional mind-body exercises such as Qigong can be understood as an attempt to enhance physiological proprioception, by combining a special state of "awareness" with posture, movement, and breath control. We have formerly trained young auditing flutists in "White Ball" Qigong to minimize anxiety-induced cold hands and lower anxiety-induced heart rate. Functional changes occurred 2-5 min after training and were observed over the whole training program, allowing the children to control their symptoms. In our current work, we report that warm fingers and calm hearts could be induced by the children even without Qigong exercises. Thus, these positive changes once induced and "conditioned" vegetatively were stable after weeks of training. This may show the mechanism by which Qigong acts as a therapeutic measure in disease: positive vegetative pathways may be activated instead of dysfunctional functional patterns. The positive vegetative patterns then may be available in critical stressful situations. Qigong exercise programs may therefore be understood as an ancient vegetative biofeedback exercise inducing positive vegetative functions which are added to the individual reactive repertoire.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar (ICBAS), Universidade do Porto, Largo Professor Abel Salazar 2, 4099-030 Porto, Portugal.
authors.forename: Luís Carlos
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Matos
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar (ICBAS), Universidade do Porto, Largo Professor Abel Salazar 2, 4099-030 Porto, Portugal.
authors.forename: Cláudia Maria
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Sousa
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar (ICBAS), Universidade do Porto, Largo Professor Abel Salazar 2, 4099-030 Porto, Portugal ; German Society of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Karlsruher Straße 12, 69126 Heidelberg, Germany ; Heidelberg School of Chinese Medicine, Karlsruher Straße 12, 69126 Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Mário
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gonçalves
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Engenharia Mecânica, Faculdade de Engenharia da Universidade do Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, s/n, 4200-465 Porto, Portugal.
authors.forename: Joaquim
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gabriel
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar (ICBAS), Universidade do Porto, Largo Professor Abel Salazar 2, 4099-030 Porto, Portugal ; Porto Biomechanics Laboratory (LABIOMEP), University of Porto, Rua Dr. Plácido Costa 91, 4200 450 Porto, Portugal.
authors.forename: Jorge
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Machado
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar (ICBAS), Universidade do Porto, Largo Professor Abel Salazar 2, 4099-030 Porto, Portugal ; German Society of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Karlsruher Straße 12, 69126 Heidelberg, Germany ; Heidelberg School of Chinese Medicine, Karlsruher Straße 12, 69126 Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Henry Johannes
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Greten
mesh_terms: D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000628:therapy; D001676:Biofeedback, Psychology; D001945:Breathing Exercises; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008516:Medicine, Chinese Traditional; D064906:Qigong; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*