A preliminary study of the effect of external qigong on lymphoma growth in mice

The use of biofield energy therapy as complementary and alternative medicine in human health care system: a narrative review and potential mechanisms

INTRODUCTION

There has been accumulating interest in the application of biofield therapy as complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) to treat various diseases. The practices include reiki, qigong, blessing, prayer, distant healing, known as biofield therapies. This paper aims to state scientific knowledge on preclinical and clinical studies to validate its potential use as an alternative medicine in the clinic. It also provides a more in-depth context for understanding the potential role of quantum entanglement in the effect of biofield energy therapy.

CONTENT

A comprehensive literature search was performed using the different databases (PubMed, Scopus, Medline, etc.). The published English articles relevant to the scope of this review were considered. The review gathered 45 papers that were considered suitable for the purpose. Based on the results of these papers, it was concluded that biofield energy therapy was effective in treating different disease symptoms in preclinical and clinical studies.

SUMMARY

Biofield therapies offer therapeutic benefits for different human health disorders, and can be used as alternative medicine in clinics for the medically pluralistic world due to the growing interest in CAM worldwide.

OUTLOOK

The effects of the biofield energy therapies are observed due to the healer's quantum thinking, and transmission of the quantum energy to the subject leads to the healing that occurs spiritually through instantaneous communication at the quantum level via quantum entanglement.

Integrative Approaches in the Treatment of Patients Affected by Lymphoma

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Lymphoma is the most frequent hematological malignancy with wide disease spectrum of watchful waiting period, active treatment, survivorship, and palliative care. All these steps impose unmet needs in terms of prevention, symptom alleviation, or prognosis. Complementary and integrative medicine (CIM) is widely used by patients with lymphoma to cope with such issues. Here, we describe the different CIM modalities that may be effective and safe for the management of patients with lymphoma.

RECENT FINDINGS

Low inflammatory diet and ginseng seem effective for lymphoma prevention. Pain and neuropathy may be improved using acupuncture, touch therapy and specific dietary supplements. Nausea/vomiting, fatigue, and insomnia may be relieved by acupuncture, mind-body, touch therapy, and certain dietary supplements. Vitamin D, curcumin, and some traditional medicine herbs may positively impact lymphoma prognosis. Finally, safety issues should be considered especially for the concomitant use of dietary supplements and lymphoma-directed therapies. CIM may be beneficial along the continuum of lymphoma management although safety concerns should be considered when used concomitantly with conventional therapy.

Bioenergy and Breast Cancer: A Report on Tumor Growth and Metastasis

As many as 80% of the 296,000 women and 2,240 men diagnosed with breast cancer in the United States will seek out complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) treatments. One such therapy is Healing Touch (HT), recognized by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) as a treatment modality. Using a multiple experimental groups design, fifty-six six- to eight-week-old Balb/c mice were injected with 4T1 breast cancer tumor cells and randomly divided into intervention and positive control groups. Five days after tumor cell injection, mice in the intervention groups received HT either daily or every other day for 10 minutes by one HT practitioner. At 15 days after tumor cell injection, tumor size was measured, and metastasis was evaluated by a medical pathologist after necropsy. Tumor size did not differ significantly among the groups (F(3,52) = 0.75, p value = 0.53). The presence of metastasis did not differ across groups (chi-square(3) = 3.902, p = 0.272) or when compared within an organ (liver: chi-square(3) = 2.507, p = 0.474; lungs: chi-square(3) = 3.804, p = 0.283; spleen: chi-square(3) = 0.595, p = 0.898). However, these results did indicate a moderate, though insignificant, positive impact of HT and highlight the need for continued research into dose, length of treatment, and measurable outcomes (tumor size, metastasis) to provide evidence to suggest application for nursing care.

Nontouch biofield therapy: a systematic review of human randomized controlled trials reporting use of only nonphysical contact treatment

OBJECTIVE AND CONTEXT: This review was designed to assess the quality and review the outcomes of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of biofield therapies (external qigong, Healing Touch, Johrei, Reiki, and Therapeutic Touch) that report using only nonphysical touch forms of treatment. RCTs of nonphysical contact biofield therapies have the potential to contribute to an evidence base for health-promoting effects mediated through mechanisms outside the present understanding of biomedicine.

METHODS

Articles meeting inclusion criteria were identified from database and reference list searches and evaluated for a range of reporting and design items. Data were extracted to determine the range of protocol parameters and treatment outcomes. The final set of included RCTs were evaluated via a modified 5-item Jadad scale as well as by a set of 20 criteria that included items relevant to the early-phase nature of the trials and to the examination of nonphysical touch biofield therapy interventions.

RESULTS

Of 90 RCTs that assessed effectiveness of a biofield therapy in humans, 28 trials involving 1775 participants met additional inclusion criteria (most importantly a clearly reported use of only nonphysical contact treatment). The research designs of these 28 trials revealed marked heterogeneity in regard to condition treated, number and duration of treatments, nature of the control/comparison group, and outcome measures. Finally, 10 trials were excluded on the basis of low quality assessment scores. Twelve of the remaining 18 trials (7 Therapeutic Touch, 3 external qigong, 1 Reiki, and 1 Healing Touch) reported at least one primary outcome with statistically significant beneficial treatment outcomes.

CONCLUSIONS

The pilot study nature of essentially all the identified nonphysical contact biofield therapy RCTs, as reflected by low sample sizes alone, precludes drawing robust conclusions. Given this perspective, the finding that two thirds of the higher-scoring trials demonstrated at least partial effectiveness favors a continued research effort, especially in light of the translational value of biofield clinical trials for studies exploring the nature and physiologic basis of biofield healing.

Effects of external qigong therapy on osteoarthritis of the knee. A randomized controlled trial

The objective of our study was to assess the efficacy of external qigong therapy (EQT), a traditional Chinese medicine practice, in reducing pain and improving functionality of patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA). One hundred twelve adults with knee OA were randomized to EQT or sham treatment (control); 106 completed treatment and were analyzed. Two therapists performed EQT individually, five to six sessions in 3 weeks. The sham healer mimicked EQT for the same number of sessions and duration. Patients and examining physician were blinded. Primary outcomes were Western Ontario MacMaster (WOMAC) pain and function; other outcomes included McGill Pain Questionnaire, time to walk 15 m, and range of motion squatting. Results of patients treated by the two healers were analyzed separately. Both treatment groups reported significant reduction in WOMAC scores after intervention. Patients treated by healer 2 reported greater reduction in pain (mean improvement -25.7 +/- 6.6 vs. -13.1 +/- 3.0; p < 0.01) and more improvement in functionality (-28.1 +/- 9.7 vs. -13.2 +/- 3.4; p < 0.01) than those in sham control and reduction in negative mood but not in anxiety or depression. Patients treated by healer 1 experienced improvement similar to control. The results of therapy persisted at 3 months follow-up for all groups. Mixed-effect models confirmed these findings with controlling for possible confounders. EQT might have a role in the treatment of OA, but our data indicate that all EQT healers are not equivalent. The apparent efficacy of EQT appears to be dependent on some quality of the healer. Further study on a larger scale with multiple EQT healers is necessary to determine the role (if any) of EQT in the treatment of OA and to identify differences in EQT techniques.

Biofield therapies: biophysical basis and biological regulations?

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is increasingly popular in biomedical health care. One area of alternative medicine, biofield therapies, claims to manipulate individuals 'energy field' in order to enhance healing and wellbeing. This article reviews some recent studies addressing the characterization of endogenous energy fields and the way they affect the physiologic processes.

Beneficial effects of the Nishino breathing method on immune activity and stress level

OBJECTIVES

Immunologic activity and stress level in practitioners of the Nishino breathing method were assayed before and after 90 minutes of an exercise class, in order to assess the value of the method.

BACKGROUND

The Nishino Breathing Method was developed by Kozo Nishino, a former ballet choreographer and a master of martial arts, in the 1970s in an attempt to develop Ki (an internal life energy or a spiritual energy). Although he developed his method independently of the Chinese qigong practice, there are certain similarities between them, in that both involve visualization of internal energy flow, slow body movements, and the emission of life energy from one's hand.

METHODS

Twenty one (21) practitioners were tested. Their blood was withdrawn before and after a class, and the activity of natural killer (NK) cells and their cell numbers were assayed. The level of stress was also measured using the Lorish face scale method. The heart rate was also monitored.

RESULTS

The NK cell activity of 17 of 21 (76%) subjects increased after attending a class. The mean NK cell activity of the whole group of subjects increased after the practice (p < 0.03). The mean stress level was significantly reduced after the class (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

These results demonstrated that the Nishino Breathing Method can effectively enhance the immunoregulatory system and reduce stress even after one class. This indicates that the method would help improve the health of its practitioners if they continue to practice it.

Growth inhibition of cultured human liver carcinoma cells by Ki-energy (life-energy): scientific evidence for Ki-effects on cancer cells

'Ki-energy' (life-energy) is believed to increase the immune activity of its practitioners. It has also been shown to cause neuropsychological effects. We undertook this study to obtain objective and scientific evidence as to whether or not a 'Ki-effect' could inhibit the growth of cultured cancer cells. Cultured human liver carcinoma cells, HepG2, were used. A Japanese Ki-expert held his fingers toward the cells in culture dishes for 5 or 10 min. After culturing for 24 h, we measured cell numbers, protein concentration per cell, certain mRNA expressions and the synthesis of regucalcin. The results were compared with those for control cells (non-treated cells). We found that the number of cells in the Ki-exposed groups were less than those in the controls by 30.3 and 40.6% with 5 and 10 min Ki-exposure, respectively. The protein content per cell in the Ki-exposed groups (5 and 10 min) was higher than that in the control groups by 38.8 and 62.9%, respectively. These results were statistically significant. Using RT-PCR, we found that the mRNA expression for c-myc, a tumor stimulator gene, was decreased, while that for regucalcin, which suppresses DNA synthesis, was increased. Our molecular biological studies and mathematical model analysis demonstrated that Ki-energy inhibited cancer cell division. The data also indicate that the Ki-effects involve some form of infrared radiation from the human body. This study suggests the possibility that Ki-energy may be beneficial for cancer patients because it suppresses cancer cell growth, and at the same time, it stimulates immune functions of the patients.

Benefits of External Qigong Therapy on Morphine-Abstinent Mice and Rats

OBJECTIVE

To exclude possible psychological effects of qigong therapy in the treatment of addiction effectively, morphine-dependence models need to be established in mice and rats.

METHOD

The effects of external qi on withdrawal syndrome were examined in naloxone-precipitated mice and rats in three randomized control experiments: naloxone-precipitated test in morphine-dependent mice (n = 100 in 5 groups, 20 mice each group); conditioned position preference test in morphine-abstinent mice (n = 30 for 3 groups, 10 each); and naloxone-precipitated test with paired box in morphine-dependent rats (n = 40 for 4 groups, 10 each).

RESULTS

These experiments showed that morphine-dependent mice, after external qigong (EQ) therapy, had decreased incidence of jumping and lower jumping frequencies, and attenuated loss of body weight. After EQ therapy, morphine-dependent rats had reduced withdrawal scores and body weight loss was inhibited. In the conditioned place preference test, the time spent in the drug-paired box was significantly shorter for the qigong group than for the morphine group.

CONCLUSION

These results suggest that qigong might have an inhibitory effect on withdrawal syndrome, and reduce the dependence potential in mice. Three different designs confirm that the impact of qigong therapy on morphine-abstinent mice and rats is reliable and substantial. Further research on the effectiveness and the mechanism of qigong therapy on addiction is warranted.