January 28, 2002 – Qigong may help heroin addicts undergoing drug treatment to clear withdrawal symptoms more quickly and effectively than other commonly used methods. This is what reveals a clinical study carried out in China and published in Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine.1
The clinical trial compared three groups of men in rehab. The first group participated in Qi Gong sessions of about two hours a day as well as an energy adjustment by a Qigong master for about a quarter of an hour. More than 1000 different forms of Qigong are practiced in China and the choice fell on the Pan Gu, a very simple form, easy to learn for people in withdrawal, not very patient, and whose anxiety rate is high.
The second group took lofexidine-HCl, a drug commonly used for detoxification, which was gradually reduced in dose. The third group served as a control group and received only the basic care needed to treat acute withdrawal symptoms. The main measures related to withdrawal symptoms, anxiety and the presence of morphine in the urine. The results show that Qigong significantly speeds up the detoxification process, reduces withdrawal symptoms and decreases anxiety.
Qi Gong (pronounced tchi kong) is a combination of exercises using visualization, breathing and movement. The term itself is made up of the words qi which means “breath of life” or “vital energy” and gong “Ability to work with”. Qigong is used as an adjunct therapy in several diseases such as AIDS, Parkinson’s disease, diabetes, hypertension, etc.2, but it does not address any specific symptom or disease. Rather, it acts globally by restoring the balance of energy by removing existing blockages.
There are no specific Qigong exercises to treat drug addiction and it is not known how Qigong works on withdrawal symptoms. However, according to the researchers, it seems unlikely that the placebo effect alone could explain the difference between the group treated with conventional drugs and the one practicing Qigong. The researchers conclude that further research is essential to better understand the process because the design of the study made it difficult to measure the part of the placebo effect or that attributable to the Qigong master.
Élisabeth Mercader – PasseportSanté.net
According to InteliHealth, January 24, 2002
1. Li M, Chen K, Mo Z. Use of Qi Gong therapy in the detoxification of heroin addicts. Alternative Therapies. 2002 Jan-Feb Vol.8, No.1, p.50-59.
2. The Golden Flower T’ai Chi Association International. Evidence indicates that T’ai Chi and / or Qi Gong may provide highly effective adjunct therapy for: [Consulté le 24 janvier 2002]. http://www.goldenflower.org/reflib/articles/tc_as_treatment.shtml
