Hong Kong 101 Project - Alternative therapy to 'maintain a balanced body'

Alternative therapy to 'maintain a balanced body'

Written by SUSAN YUAN SUJUN
Tuesday, 06 May 2008
Apart from the mainstream Western and Chinese medical treatments, more people in Hong Kong now opt for various kinds of therapy to cure their diseases. Mr Si is one of those who preferred an alternative way. Mr Si is now 70 years old and he has suffered from a severe disease in his vertebra for years. His doctor once urged him to have an urgent operation. However, having considered the risk he might bear during the operation, Mr Si turned down the idea. He has been learning Chinese medicine for about 10 years and once read some books about Medical Qigong. So he then tried to practice it, and his vertebra disease started to recover. "In fact, you have to learn Chinese Medicine theory before practicing Medical Qigong," said the 70-year-old. "People have to learn some Chinese Medicine to control the process," said Mr. Si, "I have been practicing Medical Qigong for more than five years and I do feel a balanced state in my mind." In fact, Medical Qigong is a combination of Qigong and tradition Chinese Medicine. Traditional Qigong is a physical therapy to promote a person's well-being, while traditional Chinese Medicine is a curative treatment to achieve longevity. Liu Tianjun, a renowned professor who specializes in Medical Qigong in Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, said Medical Qigong aimed to balance a person's body, mind and breath. "Unlike Western and Chinese medicine, all Medical Qigong gives is a balanced state, it is based on the concepts of Ying, Yang and also the five element cycles in your body," said Professor Liu. "People have diseases because they are physically unbalanced. Medical Qigong is a therapy which helps you to achieve a balanced state during body movement and aspiration," he said. Professor Liu has also opened a medical Qigong training base in Central. He said medical Qigong is, in fact, quite new in Hong Kong. Therefore, it may take some time for local people to accept the concept. "As a matter of fact, Medical Qigong has a long history and it is one of the branches of traditional Chinese Qigong," said Professor Liu. In January 2008, he delivered a lecture on Medical Qigong in Duke of Windsor Social Service Centre in Wan Chai. The lecture attracted around 200 people, mostly elderly. During the lecture, people asked about the difference between medical Qigong and other kinds of Qigong and also questioned the scientific explanation of the therapy. "Actually, it is very complicated and difficult to explain. Medical Qigong is still under further research in Beijing," explained Professor Liu. However, he said it might take at least 10 to 20 years for a scientific authentication. According to Professor Liu, everyone shares the ability to balance our body-mind-and-breath condition. Yet due to certain factors, people break the balance. That is why our bodies develope different kinds of illnesses. Medical Qigong is a therapy which helps our body to return to a balanced state. "Medical Qigong is not a drug for a specific disease," he said. Professor Liu also said it will be more effective for women to learn Medical Qigong. "Women are more sensitive and patient, while Medical Qigong needs good understanding and patience to practice well," said Professor Liu. Though Medical Qigong is a recent medical idea in Hong Kong, it has drawn some positive responses in our city. Monica Romeo, a meditation teacher and author, has showed strong interest in Medical Qigong. She once worked as a social worker in the welfare sector in Australia. "In my career, I usually dealt with issues like grief, domestic violence,suicide and poverty. Most of them were crisis work and about community develop ment," she said. "The experience let me see the best and worst of human nature, and also made me feel stressful," said Ms Romeo. "I teach meditation now because I believe we all have the wisdom to achieve what we need and want. In my experience, wisdom can be accessed when we create moments of stillness in our lives," she said. Ms Romeo also favored the idea of medical Qigong and she has also done some research on this Chinese therapy. "I believed they make sense. It looks at a disease in a holistic way," she said. However, as mentioned by Professor Liu, Medical Qigong is a new therapy in the territory, it may need some more time for his Medical Qigong training centre in Hong Kong to attract flocks of people. According to the centre's spokesperson, they did not want to draw much media attention until they had finished training their first group of members. "We hope Medical Qigong will bring health to Hong Kong people," she said. Edited by JOEY KWOK WAI-YING Comments (0) Show/Hide comments Write comment Show/Hide comment form Name Email Comment Write the displayed characters
Last Updated ( Tuesday, 06 May 2008 )