Creative Health Tip January 11 2010 How Eight Pieces Brocade builds bone density

I say this without any hint of sarcasm, honest, but I really love it when science catches up with three-thousand year old Chinese medicine. That can be a great motivator to people who want to try a holistic health modality but aren't sure if it works.

I have here a pamphlet sent out as an invitation to subscribe to "Prevention," a magazine dedicated to health and wellness.

One of the articles is titled "The 60-Second Bone Builder." The article does not mention Chinese medicine, but the advice given in how to build bone density is the very essence of one of the movement positions in Eight Pieces of Brocade Qigong, a practice proven to increase bone density!

The article Says, "…..high impact exercises put strain on your bones, stimulating new bone growth." A little further down it says, "You need to subject your bones to more impact than what they're used to," agrees an MD at Stanford University. So if you're inactive, start walking. And if you're already walking, add a simple 60-second jog."

The reason for jogging is that bones, because they are so dense, need the additional impact as resistance. Just as you build muscles with resistance training by lifting weights, you build bone density with resistance of high-impact exercises.

In the Eight Pieces of Brocade Qigong, there is a position that includes exactly this type of high-impact training. (See the end of the article for results of a study of qigong on bone density.)

The practice is this: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, letting your arms hang loosely and naturally at your sides. Rise up on your toes for a count of three and then drop so that your heels hit the ground with a thud. Do this for one minute. When done, stand still and breathe deeply for about a minute.

There you have it: a high-impact, bone-building practice that is so simple you can do it any time and any where.

Osteoporosis drugs linked to heart disease: Another reason to avoid drugs and enjoy qigong!

The following article from the pages of Mercola.com briefly states a terrible side effect from taking Fosamax, a drug designed to offset the bone disease osteoporosis. This is followed by Dr. Mercola's comments, and then my own research into how the practice of qigong can prevent, and has even reversed, osteoporosis.

Osteoporosis Drug Fosamax is Bad for Your Heart

Women who have used Fosamax are nearly twice as likely to develop atrial fibrillation (quivering of your heart’s upper chambers), which is the most common kind of chronically irregular heartbeat.

Fosamax is the most widely used drug treatment for the bone-thinning disease osteoporosis. The FDA approved the first generic version (called alendronate) in February.

The drug was associated with an 86 percent higher risk of atrial fibrillation compared with never having used the drug. Atrial fibrillation can cause palpitations, fainting, fatigue, or congestive heart failure. They can also lead to embolic strokes.

Sources:

Eurekalert April 28, 2008

Archives of Internal Medicine April 28, 2008; 168(8):826-31

Dr. Mercola's Comments:

Osteoporosis affects one in three women and one in five men over the age of 50, largely because many are clueless about what they can do to prevent this common problem.

All in all, it affects more than 25 million Americans. Additionally, close to 1.2 million bone fractures in the United States each year are related to osteoporosis.

Drugs like Fosamax, however, are not the solution.

What’s Wrong With Fosamax?

Fosamax is in the same chemical class (phosphonate) as the cleaners used to remove soap scum from your bath tub.

This is a metabolic poison that actually kills your osteoclasts. Osteoclasts are cells that break down your bone so your osteoblasts can rebuild them.

In normal healthy bone, this breakdown and rebuilding of bone are interconnected processes involved in the normal rejuvenation of bone. In osteoporosis, the net rate of bone resorption (breakdown) exceeds the rate of bone formation, which results in a decrease in bone mass.

It is quite clear that if you kill your osteoclasts your bone will get denser. However, what they don’t tell you is that eventually your bone actually becomes weaker even though it is denser.

Why?

Because bone is a dynamic structure that requires the removal of unhealthy bone and REPLACEMENT with new bone to stay strong. Fosamax does NOT build any new bone. It only kills the cells that break bone down, so your bone is not undergoing its natural regenerative process.

It’s tragic that drugs like Fosamax are allowed to continue being touted as the answer to osteoporosis, when it has so many detrimental side effects.

The fact that it can nearly double your risk of developing atrial fibrillation was, according to the researchers, a “completely unexpected and previously unrecognized adverse effect” of the drug. But many other adverse effects have already been discovered, including:

• Increased risk of ulcers
• Liver damage
• Gastric and esophageal inflammation
• Renal failure
• Skin reactions
• Hypocalcemia (calcium in your blood is too low)
• Osteonecrosis (jaw bone death)
• Serious eye inflammations and possible blindness

I warned about the dangers of Fosamax an entire decade ago, and it STILL makes no sense to take an osteoporosis drug that can literally rot out your jaw bone, give you ulcers, damage your liver, and cause heart failure or stroke. I’m sure Merck’s hope is that you WILL be blind enough not to see the folly.

How to Strengthen Your Bones Safely and Naturally

These simple guidelines can help you maintain, or increase your bone strength safely and naturally, without the use of drugs that might cause you even further harm:

• If you have low bone density, or worry it might become a problem in the future, increase your consumption of vegetables based on your body's unique nutritional type. If you find it difficult to eat the recommended amount of vegetables you need daily, you can also try vegetable juicing.

• Maintain a healthy balance between omega-6 and omega-3 fats in your diet.

• Eat according to your nutritional type. This will ensure that you’re getting enough nutrients for your bones, and will also help correct your omega-6 to omega-3 ratio.

• Consider supplementing with vitamin K if you are not getting enough from food alone. Vitamin K serves as the biological "glue" that helps plug the calcium into your bone matrix.

• Get enough vitamin D, ideally from proper amounts of sun exposure. Vitamin D builds your bone density by helping your body absorb calcium.

• Exercise. Studies show that exercise is just as important to your bone health as eating a calcium-rich diet.

• Consider natural progesterone, which can increase your bone strength and density. It does this by serving as a growth promoter for the osteoblasts (the cells that build bone). However, please note that in general I am not a fan of progesterone creams for a variety of reasons. For more on progesterone, please review Complications Regarding Progesterone Cream.

• Avoid soda and sugar, which can increase bone damage by depleting your bones of calcium.

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Michelle's comments:

It won't come as a surprise to my regular readers that I'm going to advocate the practice of qigong as a drug-free, natural and holistic way to reverse the effects of osteoporosis and build bone density.

The following excerpts are from a recent article on my Be Well with Qigong blog that shares recent research into the efficacy of qigong. To see the full article and the sources of information, click the link: "Qigong can help prevent and reverse osteoporosis."

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Qi Dao Newsletter November/December 2006

The effects of baduanjin qigong in the prevention of bone loss for middle-aged women. Chen HH, Yeh ML, Lee FY., (American Journal of Chinese Medicine. 2006;34 (5):741-7.)

In conclusion, this study demonstrates promising efficacy of Baduanjin in preventing bone loss commonly occurring in middle-aged women. Thus, Baduanjin is valuable for promoting and maintaining the health status of middle-aged women.

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Halting Bone Loss

http://www.worldtaichiday.org/WOMENandTAICHI.html

Studies have shown that QiGong practice raises estrogen levels in women, including those over 45. This is highly desirable because reduced estrogen levels after menopause cause a loss of calcium from the bones and increase the risk of osteoporosis and heart disease.

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BRITTLE BONES/BONE LOSS IN WOMEN

World T'ai Chi & Qigong Day – Medical Research

http://www.worldtaichiday.org/MEDResearchBoneLossOsterperosis.html

Research from the National Institute of Mental Health reports that the stress hormones found in depressed women caused bone loss that gave them bones of women nearly twice their age. T’ai Chi and QiGong are known to reduce depression and anxiety and provide weight-bearing exercises to encourage building bone mass and connective tissue.

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Osteoporosis and Chinese Medicine

http://www.indiadiets.com/diets/dietician/Articles/Article17_Anna.htm

The increase of energy circulation [enhanced by the practice of qigong] within the body enhances the quality of the inner organs and their activity, improves and strengthens the bone marrow, straightens the position of bones and joints, removes the pains and the pathogenic conditions. Day by day, the qigong practitioners become more vital, more capable of working and rejuvenated. The osteoporosis patients who use the method of qigong increase in a natural way their kidney energy and regulate metabolism. Gradually, the bone tissue is replenished and it becomes possible to maintain healthy and powerful bone system.

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Ancient Eastern Exercise Cures Osteoporosis (press release)

http://www.naturalnews.com/020815.html

Thursday, October 19, 2006 by: NaturalNews

Up until the time she was diagnosed with osteoporosis, Joan Foo had lost 40% of her bone density as a result of the disease. After the diagnosis and fed up with living a sedentary life, fate would have her attending a Qi gong class. This was the turning point in her life. After one year of practicing Qi gong, doctors were dumb founded and flabbergasted to see that not only had the condition stopped, it had reversed itself.

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Tai Chi and Women's Health

http://susanamatthews.com/TaiChi-and-Womens-Health.htm

You can increase bone strength by learning how to correct your posture—to become straight in gravity, so that the bones bear the weight. Bones in their natural, plumb position become stronger and joints become more fluid. If the skeleton is out of position, much energy is wasted in work done by muscles that are in tension and in opposition to each other. The person’s balance suffers. Chronic pain sets in. Wear and tear on joints increases. As the skeleton ages, the result of inappropriate articulation and weight-bearing is osteoporosis and osteoarthritis. Exercises to improve bone strength and joint health are on Eight Pieces of Brocade Qigong Practice DVD.

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Michelle here again…..

I have recently learned that Eight Pieces of Brocade Qigong is one of the four qigong practices rigorously researched and proven to be of exceptional health benefit by the Chinese Health Qigong Association, a group founded by the Chinese government's State Sport General Administration. See "The four qigongs sanctioned by the Chinese government for health and healing."

If you don't live in Bend OR and can't join my class or can't find a class near you, you can still begin to enjoy the benefits of this practice: order the DVD of

Eight Simple Qigong Exercises For Health - The Eight (8) Pieces of Brocade (YMAA) DVD

This is a great DVD and includes explanation and instruction for practicing both standing and seated styles of Eight Pieces of Brocade Qigong.

Shaolin Baduanjin Qigong - Video and Be Well with Qigong blog

This qigong video was downloaded from YouTube

Only four minutes long, but a great video!


I'd also like to introduce at this time my new blog: Be Well with Qigong.

It is dedicated to the topic of qigong and features articles and videos about the three qigong styles I teach, The Eight Pieces of Brocade (Baduajin), Eight Healing Sounds of Yin Style BaGua, and Five Animal Frolics, as well as general articles on qi/energy practices, research updates on the healing potential of qigong practice, and testimonials on the efficacy of qigong as a mind-body medicine practice.

Please visit Be Well with Qigong for great self-healing information that is sure to improve your life!

Whole Body Detox (Part 1): Lymphatic Cleansing With Rebound Exercise

The story below is from the pages of Natural News.com (formerly News Target. com)


A while ago I wrote an article on the health benefits of rebouding as practiced in the Eight Pieces of Brocade Qigong: "Baduanjin bouncing…it does a body good!"


Bouncing or rebounding revs your lymph system, and according to Roger Jahnke (a famous qigong expert and author of The Healer Within: Using Traditional Chinese Techniques To Release Your Body's Own Medicine *Movement *Massage *Meditation *Breathing), the lymph system is one of the major ways in which qigong practices help you attain health and wellness.

This article by Mary Laredo gives some additional insight as to why the lymph system is so critical to our health and wellbeing, and how best to use this knowledge to our advantage, avoiding stress and disease, and getting healthy!



Whole Body Detox (Part 1): Lymphatic Cleansing With Rebound Exercise
Tuesday, February 26, 2008 by: Mary Laredo

http://www.naturalnews.com/022716.html

(NaturalNews) With each passing decade since the end of World War II our planet has become silently, yet increasingly, toxic as pollutants from pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, industrial chemicals and other residual offenders choke the land, water and air that sustain us. As our planet becomes dangerously congested with debris so do our bodies, as evidenced by the alarming rate of deaths due to preventable illness and disease. We are neither helpless nor hopeless in this dire state, and just as we can strive to minimize our imprint on the planet, we can also take measures to reduce, eliminate and cleanse toxins from the blood, tissues and organs of our bodies. One of several effective methods of detoxification is through lymphatic cleansing.

Among the various functions of the lymphatic system is its ability to carry waste away from the cells and bloodstream to the body's organs of elimination. The system is comprised of veins and capillaries, with one-way valves, that contain a clear fluid called lymph. This fluid also surrounds cells throughout the body and collects cellular debris before draining it into the lymphatic system. Lymph carries the waste on a one-way path toward the heart and passes through many filters (lymph nodes) where special white blood cells attack and eliminate foreign molecules.

Once the lymph fluid approaches the heart it is returned to circulation and makes its way for further cleansing of toxins by the liver and kidneys. The lymphatic vessels are not connected to the blood circulatory system, and unlike blood which is pumped by the heart, lymph fluid relies on bodily movement and exercise to drive it through the lymphatic system. Forceful flushing of the system cleanses lymph nodes, contributes to healthy, clear lymph fluid, and boosts the immune system. Stagnant, slow-moving and thick lymph fluid is due to a lethargic, toxic body and weakened immune system.

When the lymph fluid remains sluggish the lymph nodes become clogged and lose their filtering ability. Without routine flushing of the lymph, debris becomes trapped in the body, creating a toxic overload and contributing to the onset of disease.

Exacerbating the problem caused by lack of exercise is the constant onslaught of toxins from processed, denatured food and exposure to environmental pollutants. Regular exercise will help to offset these offenders.

Rebounding on a mini trampoline is perhaps the most efficient and forceful means of flushing the lymph while stimulating the immune system and defending against cancer and other ailments. During rebound exercise the forces of the upward and downward bounces – acceleration and deceleration – are vertically aligned on the same plane with gravity. It was proven by Albert Einstein in 1911 that the aligned forces of acceleration, deceleration and gravity result in an increased gravitational load (1). What this means for the body is that during rebound exercise cells adjust to the increased load by becoming stronger. Rebounding strengthens virtually every cell of the body at the same time and is equivalent to resistance training for the cells.

It takes only two minutes of rebounding to flush the entire lymphatic system, while cleansing and strengthening cells and lymph nodes. A further benefit to the body is that during this brief time span the white blood cells of the immune system triple in number and remain elevated for an hour. These specialized cells play a major role in the body's defense against illness and disease. For one full hour their activity is increased as they perform their tasks of destroying and eliminating cancer cells and other toxins, expending themselves in the process. An hour after rebounding for two minutes the white blood cell count returns to normal (1, 2, 3).

At this point another two-minute rebound session would increase the demand for white blood cells as the process of cleansing, strengthening, and the flushing away of spent cells and other cancerous debris is repeated. A therapeutic strategy to rebuild health would be to rebound for two minutes every waking hour, or as many times a day as possible. Two minutes of gentle bouncing throughout the day is more effective for healing than one long session. Repeated short sessions sustain an active immune system, oxygenate and strengthen cells, and continuously cleanse the lymph. Therapeutic rebounding has been shown to reduce cancerous tumors and improve or heal a host of other ailments (3).

Those who are too weak to exercise or have difficulty standing can use a stabilizer bar which is available with most quality rebounders, such as the Needak model. This enables the weak individual to feel secure while bouncing gently. It's important to begin slowly, and gradually increase to two minutes.

Rebounding can be performed by healthy individuals for health maintenance and disease prevention. One or more long sessions of aerobic rebounding will help stimulate the immune system, improve digestion, control weight, tone and strengthen the body, and build endurance – especially when done with hand-held weights.

When beginning a program of regular rebounding it's best to gradually increase time and intensity as the body – including bones and internal organs – adjusts to the increased gravitational load and becomes stronger.

A healthy existence can only be sustained when we recognize the correlation between our toxic planet and our polluted bodies and become conscious stewards of both. One means toward this end is through daily rebounding combined with an alkaline diet to detoxify the body and profoundly contribute to optimum healing.

Future reports will cover the effectiveness and physiology of fasting, enemas and infrared sauna use for therapeutic detoxification.

References:

1. Brooks, Linda: Rebounding and Your Immune System. Urbana, OH: Vitally Yours Press, 29; 33-46, 2003

2. Brooks, Linda: Cancer – A Simple Approach. Urbana, OH: Vitally Yours Press,
33-6, 2002

3. Brooks, Linda: Rebounding to Better Health. Sixth Printing, KE Publishing, 51-2; 39-56; 71-6, 2006

About the author

Mary Laredo is an artist, educator and gallery curator who lives and works in Detroit, MI. As a breast cancer survivor who shunned conventional treatment, she is writing a book about her experience with natural therapies and nutritional healing. Visit http://marylaredo.blogspot.com/

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Here are some resources to get you started!


Rebound Exercise book



Rebounder:
I would have liked to recommend a rebounder, too, but the product reviews were so inconsistent, that I hesitate to advise you to purchase online. You may be better off at a local merchant so you can really see (any maybe even test) one before you buy. And, if you have trouble with the product, it's usually easier to return to a local merchant.

Eight Pieces Brocade (Baduanjin) and Eight Healing Sounds Qigong Research Updates

Here are some interesting research updates I found in the past issues of Qi Dao newsletter.

Although I am teaching the Eight Healing Sounds, I imagine the results would be similar to those of the Six Word Practice which is also a healing-sound qigong.

Two of the research reports are on Baduanjin (Eight Pieces of Brocade), one is on healing sounds, and one is about the benefits of mental relaxation and slow, regulated breathing.



If you have a chronic health condition that isn't getting any better, I hope you will find the nearest qigong class and jump-start your self-healing capabilities! Practicing with like-minded people is very beneficial to your health, too! (See my earlier article on Qigong Group Practice.)


Without further ado, here are the excerpts from the Qi Dao newsletters:

July 2006

Six-Word-Practice:

Six-Word-Practice is a unique method of Qigong as people make sounds in the practice. Compared with Standing Posture Qigong, the number of heartbeats will increase when making sounds. The figures show that making sounds are closely related with abdominal respiration. Potential value of R point in cardiogram has not apparent changes when people keep still. However, the value increases significantly with sounds in practice of Six-Word-Practice. Blood flow through neck artery increases with making sounds. The flow of blood is not corresponding to the strength of sound. Increase of blood flow is not very significant for "He". The third word "Hu" is not stronger than "He", but the increase of blood flow is much higher. For "Chui", both the sound and the increase of blood flow are high.

Additionally, the maximum blood pressure in practice of Six-Word-Practice is over 160 mmHg, higher than that of Standing Posture Qigong. Although the maximum blood pressure is higher than that of Standing Posture Qigong, the duration of increase of blood pressure in shorter, which will not bring addition load for aged people. The examination of Six-Word-Practice shows shat oxygen density in blood of end blood vessels keeps decreasing. The decreasing happens in practice of "Chui" and "Xi", showing that the load is much higher in the short time. Cycle change of respiration is synchronized with cycle change of oxygen density in blood of end blood vessels, meaning that level of practice may reflect the coordination level of inner respiration and outer respiration.

The Effect of Baduanjin to the Function of Human Cardio-Vascular -- Li Yuhuan, Li Dongjun, Zhang Haibo, Hou Beichen (Institute of Acupuncture and Moxibustion , Beijing University of Chinese Medicine

We recruited some college students and trained them to practice Baduanjin. Then we monitored systematically six kinds of physical indications. They were blood pressure, electrocardiogram, pulse pressure, degree of oxygen saturation of blood, temperature of the limbs ending skin, the delaying time between heart beat and pulse, and do some contrast experiments, using multi-parameters recording device. At last, we got the data that Baduanjin could improve the body's cardio-vascular function and discuss its effect to the human's cardio-vascular function made by practicing Baduanjin. The result has showed that after 10 weeks' concentrative training, there were some effects to the students in the experimental group, such as the electrocardiogram, the degree of blood oxygen saturation, the temperature of the ending skin, the delaying time from the heart beat to pulse. Statistical significance could be found in these data (P<0 .05="">

August/September 2006

Effects of mental relaxation and slow breathing in essential hypertension. Kaushik RM, Kaushik R, Mahajan SK, Rajesh V. (Department of Medicine, Himalayan Institute of Medical Sciences, Swami Rama Nagar, P.O. Doiwala, Dehradun 248140, Uttaranchal, India), Complement Ther Med. 2006 Jun;14(2):120-6.

OBJECTIVES: To compare mental relaxation and slow breathing as adjunctive treatment in patients of essential hypertension by observing their effects on blood pressure and other autonomic parameters like heart rate, respiratory rate, peripheral skin temperature, electromyographic activity of the frontalis muscle and skin conductance.

METHODS: One hundred patients of essential hypertension either receiving antihypertensive drugs or unmedicated were selected randomly. Various parameters were recorded during the resting state and then during mental relaxation and slow breathing for 10 min each, separated by a quiet period of 15 min. All parameters were recorded again after mental relaxation and slow breathing. Changes in various parameters observed after mental relaxation and slow breathing were analyzed and compared. RESULTS: Both mental relaxation and slow breathing resulted in a fall in systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory rate and electromyographic activity with increase in peripheral skin temperature and skin conductance. Slow breathing caused a significantly higher fall in heart rate (p<0 .05="">0.2) observed with both the modalities.

CONCLUSIONS: Even a single session of mental relaxation or slow breathing can result in a temporary fall in blood pressure. Both the modalities increase the parasympathetic tone but have effects of different intensity on different autonomic parameters.

November/December 2006

The effects of baduanjin qigong in the prevention of bone loss for middle-aged women. Chen HH, Yeh ML, Lee FY., (American Journal of Chinese Medicine. 2006;34 (5):741-7.)

Abstract: This study aimed to assess the efficacy of a 12-week Baduanjin qigong training program in preventing bone loss for middle-aged women. An experimental design was adopted, and subjects were assigned randomly into an experimental group (n = 44) and a control group (n = 43). The experimental group received a 12-week Baduanjin qigong training program, whereas the control group did not. Interleukin-6 (IL-6) and bone mineral density (BMD) were measured before and after the intervention. The results showed significant differences in IL-6 (t = -5.19, p < t =" 1.99," p =" 0.049)">

In conclusion, this study demonstrates promising efficacy of Baduanjin in preventing bone loss commonly occurring in middle-aged women. Thus, Baduanjin is valuable for promoting and maintaining the health status of middle-aged women.

January/February 2007

Qigong exercise with concentration predicts increased health. Jouper J, Hassmen P, Johansson M. Am J Chin Med. 2006; 34(6):949-57

Regular physical activity has many positive health effects. Despite this, approximately 50% of all adults are not exercising enough to enjoy better health and may, therefore, need an alternative to vigorous physical exercise.

Qigong offers a gentle way to exercise the body. A questionnaire sample of 253 participants was collected and correlations with the variable health-now were analyzed. Results showed that health-now was positively correlated with number of completed qigong courses (p <>

Teeth and the acupuncture channels

Recently, I was reading the Alternative Health section of "New Connexion: Pacific Northwest's Journal of Conscious Living" and came across an article that really caught my interest. It was about Whole-Body Dentistry.

That in itself is an interesting topic because it recognizes that we humans are our own, individual ecosystem; having dental work on one tooth can affect many other parts of the body than just the mouth. I rather like this enlightened quote from the author, Mark A Breiner, DDS: "In fact, both physicians and dentists have been trained to overlook almost entirely the fact that attached to every tooth is a person." He does not make this mistake!

In his article, Dr. Breiner also talked about the relationships between each individual tooth and the corresponding acupuncture channel, saying "Seemingly unrelated physical illnesses can be caused by dental problems … because of their effect on the body's energetic meridians." I had heard that such correspondences existed, but before now had not actually seen the chart that displayed the tooth-by-tooth details.

What does this have to do with stress? (Remember, you are an ecosystem!)

Stress can cause a person to grind their teeth or clench their jaw, often during sleep. Grinding leads to the wearing away of tooth enamel leaving you exposed to decay. If you wake with a sore jaw and don't know why, you may be a tooth grinder or jaw clencher. Additionally, the vibrations this sends along the various acupuncture channels into your body could eventually cause organ stress and malfunction.

Changes in your body chemistry caused by stress – often excess acid – can weaken tooth enamel and lead to tooth decay. Traumatic childhood events have even been known to leave identifiable lines in the tooth enamel. (Source)

Below is a chart of the associations between each tooth and the parts of the body linked by acupuncture channel. For drawings of the channels, check my Acupuncture Charts topic tag

To reduce stress, practice Eight Pieces of Brocade qigong! It will restore your health and wellness by balancing the energies of your body through the acupuncture channels as it reduces stress, enabling you to achieve a calm, meditative state of mind. There is much information on this style of qigong in the articles included in my Eight Pieces of Brocade topic tag.


To learn more about the fascinating and human-body, eco-friendly topic of whole body dentistry, read Dr. Breiner's book:



Dental chart courtesy of Natural World Healing.

Qigong Group Practice: It Does A Body Good!

A group of people in China practice qigong together outside.













I've been advocating qigong for almost a year now, first mentioning it on August 9, 2006 and introducing Eight Pieces of Brocade on November 6, 2006. Speaking holistically, there is no better practice than qigong to aid in your surgery and illness recovery, strengthen your immune system, restore flexibility to your joints and muscles, and eliminate your anxiety and stress.

Qigong does this by restoring, correcting, or improving the natural function of your body systems so that you may effect your own healing. This is known as "reaction medicine." The "action medicine" approach to healthcare means introducing an agent that is directed at the control of symptoms and forces the body into compliance with a desired effect, for example a drug to control heartbeat that has very dangerous side effects. The "reaction medicine" approach would be to employ herbs, nutrition, or techniques like massage or acupuncture to restore health to the affected area, and that restoration of health will naturally eliminate symptoms of disease. It turn out there are additional benefits as well.

I take this opportunity to quote from a previous article on holistic healing and how this method helps the body react to an agent by returning to health.

Briefly quoting two paragraphs from pages 110 – 111, Additional Benefits of Reaction Medicine from Healing Power Of Acupressure and Acupuncture (Avery Health Guides) by Matthew Bauer, L.Ac.:

• One of the most important and often overlooked strengths of reaction medicine is the potential to provide benefits for problems other than those being treated; that is, to cause good side effects. Because of the nature of holistic interconnections and the fact that reaction medicine takes advantage of these connections in helping the body to help itself, helping one problem with reaction medicine often helps others as well.

• Finding that other health conditions improve in the process of treating the primary problem is common occurrence in the practice of Chinese medicine. Often these additional benefits go unnoticed by the patient at first. Because reaction medicine helps the body to better adjust and heal itself naturally, many people do not realize that the cause of their sleeping better, catching fewer colds, experiencing more energy, and so on is the treatment they have been having for other problems. If someone continues to be treated with reaction medicine approaches over long periods of time, the improvements in overall body balancing they experience can also help to prevent future health problems.

You can see by this that all true healing is self-healing, the return of your body to working in its unique and natural order.

There is an outside component that can enhance your self-recovery through qigong, and that is practicing with a group or in a class of people.

If you can't join a class, certainly doing qigong along with a video or through the instruction in a book will be beneficial, but there is a special synergy that increases every participant's personal energy when like-minded people with similar goals come together.

The energy of each person in the group becomes stronger, clearer, more focused. It is the personal energetic equivalent of 1 + 1 = 3, or the group energy being greater than the sum of its parts.

You have experienced this at sports rallies or games – though to a greater degree and sometimes unpleasant degree – when groups of people cheer for their team. The energy of the crowd is much greater than it would be if the individuals were not concentrated in one area and in close contact with each other.

For example, 10,000 people could be at home watching the same game and cheering for the same team to win, but the energy would be much different if those 10,000 people were together in the stadium.

Practicing qigong with a group of people won't be as exuberant as being in a sports arena with hundreds of screaming fans – it isn't supposed to be! – but the same energetic principle will be at work, enhancing your energy and the energy of your surroundings. It will be very beneficial and rewarding to your health and wellbeing!

Furthermore, when you become familiar with the routine of the form, you will find that you relax into a meditative state when practicing. This may take some time, but every repetition of the form brings you that much closer to knowing it without thinking about it. Upon reaching that level of knowledge, after a couple months of practice, when you do qigong, you may feel like you do when you are daydreaming, your body and mind both relaxed and in the moment.

When this happens, the body emits energy in the form of a bio-magnetic field that is often in the frequency range defined as that which can promote healing in a variety of soft and hard tissue. P. 83 of Energy Medicine: The Scientific Basis by James Oschman Ph.D.

This is the same energy you experience when you say "vibes" in the context of the feeling you get in the presence of another person. Without that person doing or saying anything, you often get a feeling about a stranger when you are near them, getting "bad vibes" or "good vibes" as the case may be. Bad vibes make you feel nervous and uncomfortable, good vibes make you feel relaxed, open, and friendly.

You know that you do well when you are surrounded by people who have good feelings toward you, who want you do succeed. You learn better, you perform your job better, and in good surroundings, you also heal better.

Put those "good vibes" to work for you in the form of a class; join a group of people all interested in good health, all wanting to experience the benefits of practicing qigong, all feeling good being with a group of people who have the same goals. You will experience an unbeatable combination of enhanced internal and external "good vibes" producing a stronger, faster, and even more beneficial stress-reducing and healing experience through your qigong practice.

Baduanjin qigong: Pericardium and Triple Burner Channels

Supporting The Sky With Both Hands Regulates All Internal Organs is particularly beneficial for the energy channels associated with the Pericardium (yin) and Triple Heater (yang).

Internal Health Benefits of this position: massages all internal organs, promotes circulation and oxygenation of blood, beneficial for back and spine, improves posture, and relieves tiredness.

Exercise and Relaxation Benefits of this position: works muscles of upper back, neck, shoulders, arms, wrists, fingers; promotes circulation and oxygenation of blood, beneficial for back and spine, improves posture, relieves tiredness.

Mental and Emotional Benefits of this position: promotes interactions and behaviors that are timely and suitable to the context and the situation; supports showing respect, being thoughtful, and offering to be of help at the right time; promotes the ability to clearly communicate through precise word choice; supports short-term memory; seat of consciousness, self-awareness, and connection to and living in harmony with the world. (Same as Heart )

Mental or emotional unbalance could manifest as insomnia, anxiety, discomfort in being around people, inappropriate or strange behaviors. (Same as Heart)

Acupuncture charts courtesy of Pedro Bernardy and RyuBuKan Dojo. For informational purposes only.

Average Customer Review: based on 17 reviews.

Eight Pieces Brocade (Baduanjin) qigong class in Bend, Oregon

I'm pretty excited about being able to share what I know about healing, qi/energy, and qigong with people who attend my Eight Pieces of Brocade (Baduanjin) and Eight Healing Sounds Qigong classes.

November 2008 updates

I have dropped the Eight Pieces of Brocade for a while and will be offering the Eight Healing Sounds along with a 30-minute healing Chinese Five Element Guided Meditation for Purification.

March 2018 updates! 

Ten years later....! I no longer live in Oregon, but there are many wonderful teachers there who offer qigong classes. Try searching for 'Central Oregon Internal Arts Association' - this was a list of teachers and classes available in the central Oregon area. 

Meanwhile, here are two excellent video classes to get you started. They both are easy and fun, and offer many health benefits. 

Eight Pieces Brocade


Five Animal Sports