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Featured Article
Awaken the Healer Within
NI H Interview with Dr. Roger Jahnke, O M D
How Qigong and Tai Chi - Chinese Mind-Body Wellness Practices - Promote Healthy Function
唤醒体内医者 — 采访Jahnke医生
This brief interview with Dr Roger Jahnke, OMD, director of the Institute of Integral
Qigong and Tai Chi (IIQTC), was published in the In‐house, staff oriented newsletter
of the NIH (National Institutes of Health) in September of 2009. The intent was to
inform NIH employees about strategies for wellness and disease prevention. More
recently Dr Jahnke presented the Co‐Keynote for Washington DC Mind‐Body Week
with Dr. Herbert Benson, MD, the Harvard physician best known as the Father of
Mind‐Body Medicine. Throughout the NIH, there are numerous research trials in
progress that investigate Qigong, Tai Chi and other Yang‐Sheng topics.
NIH Interviewer: Dr. Jahnke, thank you so much for speaking with me. Everyone has their own interpretation
for the meaning of Qi (also Chi). Could you define Qi for us?
Dr. Jahnke: Yes, thank you. First of all, I would note that the most popular definition of Qi is energy. However,
if you ask in China, “What is Qi?”, it’s rare they would define it that way. Typically the Chinese say that Qi is the
dynamic force of a chemical reaction or the dynamic activity of extreme weather. A medical doctor will say Qi is
the capacity of the organs and other systems in the body to function. An artist will say that Qi is creativity. A
psychologist will say that Qi is consciousness and emotions. So now, for myself as a doctor of Chinese medicine
for 30 years, my definition of Qi is really directed mostly by my commitment to developing a definition that
respects the Chinese tradition as well as one that supports the evolution of our thinking in the Western world. Qi
has three equivalents from Western thinking. At the physiological level, Qi is functionality. The presence of
function equals ample Qi. On the energetic level, Qi is equivalent to ion activity in the body and the associated
magnetic field. From the perspective of consciousness or mind, Qi is both information and emotionality. Qi is not
one thing, Qi is a multiplicity that is given one name in the Chinese tradition.
Interviewer: Could you discuss how the practice of Tai Chi and Qi Gong may benefits employees experiencing
stress?
Dr. Jahnke: There are 3 aspects of Qi Gong and Tai Chi. First associated with body function. The second with
mind function and the third with what is referred to in most cultures as “spirit”. Stress is a challenge that is
associated with the mind-body interaction. In our review of the most well designed research literature
(randomized, controlled trials), we’ve found that the largest bodies of research are in the areas of cardiovascular
and psychological investigation. In all of those studies, stress is a major component. The finding is that Qi Gong
and Tai Chi are especially well suited to support people in reducing the negative impacts of stress in their lives –
thus reducing risk for both cardiovascular and psychological challenges. To practice Qi Gong and Tai Chi, one
purposefully relaxes. This triggers a reduction in adrenaline based neurological and neurotransmitter activity,
which significantly reduces activity of most or all physiological pathways that are aggravated by stress.
December, 2011 Yang-Sheng (Nurturing Life) 13