Programme for natural healing

Qigong

If the very idea of a fitness routine leaves you feeling exhausted and you shiver of jogging round the park in the winter wind, then Qigong might be just the form of exercise you are looking for.

The new gentle form of oriental gymnastics is composed of a system of meditative exercises which involve standing in a series of postures for up to half an hour a day, or combining simple movements with breathing exercises. Although this type of exercise does not build muscles, it is quickly growing in popularity as it is considered to be a good way of reducing stress, stimulating the circulation and strengthening the body’s immune system.

Qigong, literary translated, means training your energy, and has been compared to acupuncture without needles. According to Chinese beliefs, qi is vital energy which circulates within a human body and throughout nature. Qi is thought to flow along a system of bodily canals, similar to the way that sap flows through a tree. Consequently, Qigong is based on the hypotheses that illness and pcychological problems are caused when the natural energy flow is blocked or deficient. Qigong directs energy to the trouble spot, and can be used to alleviate allergies, asthma, hypertension, insomnia and rheumatism. This method has also been shown to be successful in treating obesity; one patient who weighted 230 kg was able to lose 70 kg. Another Dutch patient weighted 168 kg when her father took her to Qigong practitioner two years ago. ’I was very skeptical’ she says. ‘I tried so many diets, but I always put weight back on again’. Once she started Qigong routine her weight began to drop, despite only minor modifications to her diet. In six months she lost 50 kilos. ’It’s not difficult at all. Since I started doing the exercises I haven’t been so hungry and I’ve had more energy, so I am more active’.

Chinese practitioners have found it difficult to persuade the western mind of the powers of Qigong. But although conventional medicine can not explain it, governments keen to cut rising healthcare costs are endorsing it. In Germany, for example, Qigong is available on the national healthcare system. And many doctors are prescribing it for aches, swellings and allergies. Many patients who have suffered from allergies for years have found that, since starting Qigong, they haven’t been ill at all, or only suffer from very slight allergic reactions.

In Europe, for the most part, it has been used to treat relatively minor conditions, but recently Qigong has achieved dramatic results with more serious conditions. In one case a French air stewardess was told by her doctor that she only had a few months to live because she had a cancer. Conventional treatment, including chemotherapy, had been unsuccessful. It made her so ill that she nearly died. After starting Qigong, however, the patient immediately began to feel better. Subsequently, the doctors could not find no further traces of the disease and the patient was able to return to work. While this may sound like a miracle, one should point out that Qigong may not necessarily cure everyone, as it depends on how much you exercise and on the individual’s psychological motivation. Nevertheless, even if it does not cure you, it has the potential to prolong your life.

Programme for natural healing

Everyone worries about their health. For some it’s about losing a bit of weight, others that they’ll inherit diseases which afflicted their parents. But what if someone told you in just two short months you could be feeling on the top of the world! That’s exactly Andrew Weil has to say in his latest book, 8 Weeks to Optimum Health. Weil – a doctor and bestselling author of Spontaneous Healing –

Believes we can all optimize the functioning of the body’s natural healing system, not just on a day-to-day basis but also in responding to everyday illnesses and more serious medical conditions. He has drawn up a programme which makes simple changes to our lifestyle in terms of diet, exercise, supplements and mental and spiritual development, in turn prompting ‘long-lasting and dramatically beneficial effects for our health’. Of course, everyone is different so Weil also provides specific guidance for men and women, pregnant women, people under 20 and over 50 and over 70, those who are overweight, people at risk from cardiovascular disease and cancer and those who have young children. There are even sections devoted to the health of those who live in big cities and who travel frequently.

So how does it work? Weil says it has much to do with the body’s own healing system. ‘Health is wholeness and balance, an inner resilience that allows you to meet the demands of living without overwhelmed. If you have that kind of resilience, you can experience the inevitable interactions with germs and not get infections, you can be in contrast with allergens and not suffer allergies and you can sustain exposure to cancinogens and not get cancer’.

Week one begins with a general cupboard clearance – out must go all unhealthy foods like oils and artificial sweeteners - and an introduction to vitamin C, walking and eating more broccoli – nutrient and fibre-rich vegetable. Breath observation – pay attention to your breathing patterns – also starts now.

As the weeks progress. So Weil steps up the demands. Week two calls for an increase in your consumption of whole grains and an end to drinking chlorinated water. He also suggests attempting a one day ‘news-fast’. With each week comes the adoption of new supplements and fresh dietary habits. Exercise is increased and more mental and spiritual tasks are set. Alongside each chapter he includes true stories of those ‘healed’ by the plan, plus various healthy recipes. But he warns: “Perfect health is not possible – beware of persons and products that promise it. Health is not static: it is normal to lose it periodically in order to come back to it in a better way”.

Weil says the eight-week programme gives users the information needed to keep their healing system in working order. “It shows you how to build a lifestyle that will protect you from premature disability and death and it teaches practices and skills that will enable you to prepare body, mind and spirit for eventual health crisis you may face. Start it now and reap the benefits for the rest of your life. “