Boosting Your Immune System
with Qi Gong and Taijiquan
As we are in the midst of a viral pandemic with no known vaccine it is important to keep our immune system and our general health at their peak.
The age group with the most infections and the most deaths is ours(60 – 75+), with Females being slightly more at risk. Of course social distancing should continue to be practised but it is easy to slip up and for those occasions we want to be vital and strong.
Moving the body; walking, gardening, swimming or best of all through Taijiquan and Qi Gong are the best ways to keep our entire bodies refreshed and strong enough to fight off illnesses that may seriously damage of kill others.
Social distancing is great for some and disastrous for others. If you are the kind of person that needs to be with others and become depressed without that social interaction the best way to keep your spirits up, is to move. And remember to move correctly so you don’t hurt yourself.
Exercise is one of the best ways to improve our immune system and general health, along with a good diet, stress relief and sufficient rest.
The Chinese have known for hundreds of years that both Taijiquan and Qi Gong are panacea’s. That is they have a strong general effect on our health and immune systems.
Although some Western doctors have held the opinion that this is more of a placebo effect some recent studies have evaluated the long-held belief that qigong improves immune system functioning, a characteristic that can be measured and quantified.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12856872
The above study showed that qi gong practice increased the quantities of monocyte and lymphocytes, two white blood cell types that make up the majority of the lymphatic immune system.
The above study, performed at UCLA, compared two groups’ immunity to the shingles virus, half of the group went through a tai chi exercise program for 16 weeks, while the other half was given health classes on stress management and exercises for improved immune functioning.
After the 16 weeks, the tai chi group showed an improvement in immunity to the virus similar to the effects of the vaccine. Both groups were then given the vaccine, nine weeks later, the group that had gone through both tai chi and had the vaccine showed a 40 percent increase in immunity over the group that had just had the vaccine.
One more study concluded that a consistent Taijiquan regimen improved T cell helper function for patients with type 2 diabetes.
If you are receiving this message from me you are already a student of Taijiquan or Qi Gong. If so I hope that this message will encourage you to spend more time Warding off disease through your practise.
On my Patreon page I have been posting videos and articles designed to help you get in place simple practises to help get through this state of cancelled classes.
Please join in and keep yourself healthy and safe even into old age.
Gordon Muir