Acute Physiological and Psychological Effects of Qigong Exercise in Older Practitioners

Hindawi Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine Volume 2018, Article ID 4960978, 10 pages https://doi.org/10.1155/2018/4960978 Research Article Acute Physiological and Psychological Effects of Qigong Exercise in Older Practitioners Chun-Yi Lin,1,2,3 Tze-Taur Wei,4 Chen-Chen Wang,2 Wan-Chen Chen,3 Yu-Min Wang,3 and Song-Yen Tsai 5 1 School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Fu Jen Catholic University, No. 510, Zhongzheng Rd., Xinzhuang District, New Taipei City, Taiwan 2 Research Assistant Center, Show Chwan Memorial Hospital, No. 542, Sec. 1, Chung-Shan Rd., Changhua, Taiwan 3 Department of Nuclear Medicine, Show Chwan Memorial Hospital, No. 542, Sec. 1, Chung-Shan Rd., Changhua, Taiwan 4 Society of Chinese Bioenergy Medical Qigong, No. 130-1, Nanyuan St., North District, Tainan City, Taiwan 5 Naturopathic Medicine Research Center, Changhua Christian Hospital, No. 135 Nanhsiao Street, Changhua City, Taiwan Correspondence should be addressed to Song-Yen Tsai; Received 3 November 2017; Revised 8 February 2018; Accepted 26 February 2018; Published 2 April 2018 Academic Editor: Oliver Micke Copyright © 2018 Chun-Yi Lin et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Qigong is a gentle exercise that promotes health and well-being. This study evaluated the acute physiological and psychological effects of one session of qigong exercise in older practitioners. A total of 45 participants (mean age, 65.14 years) were recruited. Meridian electrical conductance, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), heart rate variability (HRV), and Short Form 36 (SF-36) were evaluated and compared before and after one session of qigong exercise. The results revealed that the electrical conductance of all meridians, except spleen and bladder meridians, increased significantly (𝑝 < 0.05). Compared with baseline values, upper to lower body ratio and sympathetic/vagal index were significantly improved and closer to 1 (𝑝 = 0.011 and 𝑝 = 0.007, resp.). STAI-S and STAI-T scores decreased significantly (𝑝 < 0.001 and 𝑝 = 0.001, resp.). The RR interval of HRV decreased significantly (𝑝 = 0.035), a significant positive correlation was observed between kidney meridian electrical conductance and SF-36 physical scores (𝑟 = 0.74, 𝑝 = 0.018), and a positive correlation was observed between pericardium meridian electrical conductance and SF-36 mental scores (𝑟 = 0.50, 𝑝 = 0.06). In conclusion, one session of qigong exercise increased meridian electrical conductance, reduced anxiety, and improved body and autonomic nervous system balance. These findings provide scientific evidence for acute physiological and psychological effects of qigong exercise in older practitioners. 1. Introduction Qigong, an ancient Chinese healing practice that was originally a martial art, has been developed and used to improve physical fitness and strength in China for 7000 years [1– 4]. The word “qigong” involves two theories: “qi,” the vital energy of the body and “gong,” the training or cultivation of qi [5]. Concentration, relaxation, meditation, breathing regulation, and body posture and movements are the basic components of qigong [1, 2]. In contrast to conventional exercise, qigong aims to achieve a harmonious flow of qi in the body and cultivate a spirit of systematic training exercise to improve physical fitness and overall well-being through the coordination of rhythmic movements, regulated breathing, and meditation [6]. There are essentially two types of qigong: internal and external. Internal qigong or qigong exercise is self-directed and involves the use of movements, meditation, and controlled breathing patterns, whereas external qigong is typically performed by experienced practitioners who use their hands to direct qi onto patients for healing or treatment [1, 7–9]. Typically, qigong can be classified into dynamic and static qigong. Dynamic qigong involves the coordination of movements and meditation, whereas static qigong focuses on mental concentration and body relaxation without physical movements [1, 2]. Meridians are associated with the underdifferentiated, interconnected cellular networks that regulate growth and physiology. The meridian theory explains the distribution 2 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine and nonspecific activation of organizing centers, acupuncture points, and the high electrical conductance of the meridians [10–13]. In the human body, meridian theory deals with physical regulation and pathological changes [14, 15]. The condition of the meridian system can be measured by its electrical characteristics which have been studied since the 1950s. Acupuncture points have been widely accepted as areas of low electrical impedance and high conductance [16– 20]. Skin conductance response is typically measured by applying a small direct current signal through two electrodes placed on the skin [13, 21]. Nakatani identified 12 channels of high electrical conductance on the left and right sides of the body (24 in total) and developed the Ryodoraku theory according to the philosophy of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) [16]. Skin electrical conductance varies with the activity of a subject’s autonomic nervous system and has been used to investigate mood changes and the mechanisms of the autonomic nervous system [22, 23]. The properties of meridians reflect the conditions of certain organs when their mutual relations and changes with microelectrical current are analyzed and compared [24]. The electrical information mapping transforms associated with various medical syndromes, signs, symptoms, and diseases were reported in a previous study [13]. The meridian electrical conductance investigates the meridian energy. Meridian energy analysis devices can reflex the conditions of certain organs through analysis of the symmetrical Yuan points. Changes with microelectrical currents represent the physiological phenomena of the relevant meridian [24, 25]. The electrical conductivity has been reported to monitor the effects of qigong workshop in the previous study [5]. Heart rate variability (HRV) is used as a sensitive index of autonomic nerve activity. The analysis of HRV provides quantitative information on autonomic control mechanisms [26]. It has been reported that five minutes of Tai Chi Qigong was found to improve HRV in nasopharyngeal cancer patients [27]. The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) is a psychological inventory based on a 4-point Likert scale. It consists of forty questions on a self-report basis. These questionnaires are a highly reliable measure of stress and anxiety [28]. Qigong exercise significantly relieved anxiety and reduced stress among healthy people were reported in the previous study [29]. The SF-36 health survey is a self-report survey commonly used as a generic health questi (...truncated)