What does a medical Qigong practitioner actually do? Well, quite a bit, actually. Much of what we do, however, comes under the headings of purgation, tonification, and regulation. You’re probably asking yourself “what are these things?”. Let’s look.
Qi background
To start, we need to understand what it is that Qi does. Qi moves in eight basic, complementary ways. Qi can
- be gathered and dispersed,
- rise and descend,
- expand and contract, and
- be drawn in or expelled.
It moves along interior and exterior channels within the body, between and through all cells in your body, and within and between the earth, heavens, things of nature. Everything, really.
Sometimes, however, our Qi does not move smoothly. Outside influences, repressed emotions, or injury, etc., all affect the movement of Qi. If it isn’t moving smoothly, instances of excess or deficiency result. In extreme cases, the Qi stagnates, which is a root cause of all disease.
To correct these situation, the medical Qigong practitioner purges, tonifies, or regulates. Your Qi returns to a normal state of flow, eliminating disharmonies and returning you to a state of harmony, health, and vitality.
“Flowing water never stagnates and a busy door with active hinges never rusts or rots.”
— Sun Simiao
Purgation
In a situation of excess, your therapist will purge the extra energy. To illustrate, let’s take a look at fire.
Fire, by its nature, tends to flare up. Excessive liver fire, therefore, can lead to headaches or outbursts of anger, among other upper body issues. For a client presenting with these symptoms, the medical Qigong practitioner works to purge excess energy from the liver. To reinforce the purging, your practitioner prescribes (explains and teaches) a homework exercise.
Tonification
Tonification simply means to strengthen. As deficiency is essentially the opposite of an excess, the practitioner helps strengthen the organs or clear the channels. Subsequently, this increases the flow of Qi into a particular organ, bringing Qi levels back into balance.
Following the treatment, your practitioner will prescribe homework exercises to continue tonifying in the coming days and weeks.
Regulation
Let’s say you’ve seen your practitioner several times and your Qi is more-or-less in a good state.
In session, treatments include those that serve to maintain and reinforce balance and harmony. Next, your practitioner will want to keep things flowing smoothly and will prescribe activities that serve to regulate your Qi.
Conclusion
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the complex relationships between the organs are understood to have far reaching effects on the body. The various situations above are simple examples. The actual cause of a deficiency or excess may not be directly correlated to the organ in which it occurs.
If you’re currently experiencing any irregularities in your health, it’s possible you have some level of disharmony. A good medical Qigong practitioner can help.
Remember, too, that TCM is an adjunct to your Western medical team. If you have an emergency situation, contact your doctor immediately or go to the emergency room.
I hope this article helps you better understand some of what medical Qigong is all about. If you have other questions, let me know in the comments.
As always, wishing you the best as you continue to realize your greatest potential!