The DOI matches its Crossref record; 125 of the 126 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
A Comprehensive Review of Health Benefits of Qigong and Tai Chi
Open accessAbstract
OBJECTIVE: Research examining psychological and physiological benefits of Qigong and Tai Chi is growing rapidly. The many practices described as Qigong or Tai Chi have similar theoretical roots, proposed mechanisms of action, and expected benefits. Research trials and reviews, however, treat them as separate targets of examination. This review examines the evidence for achieving outcomes from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of both. DATA SOURCES: The key words Tai Chi, Taiji, Tai Chi Chuan, and Qigong were entered into electronic search engines for the Cumulative Index for Allied Health and Nursing (CINAHL), psychological literature (PsycINFO), PubMed, Cochrane database, and Google Scholar. STUDY INCLUSION CRITERIA: RCTs reporting on the results of Qigong or Tai Chi interventions and published in peer-reviewed journals from 1993 to 2007. DATA EXTRACTION: Country, type and duration of activity, number/type of subjects, control conditions, and reported outcomes were recorded for each study. SYNTHESIS: Outcomes related to Qigong and Tai Chi practice were identified and evaluated. RESULTS: Seventy-seven articles met the inclusion criteria. The nine outcome category groupings that emerged were bone density (n = 4), cardiopulmonary effects (n = 19), physical function (n = 16), falls and related risk factors (n = 23), quality of life (n = 17), self-efficacy (n = 8), patient-reported outcomes (n = 13), psychological symptoms (n = 27), and immune function (n = 6). CONCLUSIONS: Research has demonstrated consistent, significant results for a number of health benefits in RCTs, evidencing progress toward recognizing the similarity and equivalence of Qigong and Tai Chi.
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“MM has also been shown to benefit the immune system, both reducing chronic systemic inflammation (Jahnke et al., 2010) and increasing the effectiveness of acquired immune response to infection (Wang et al., 2012).”
From Effectiveness of a Novel Qigong Meditative Movement Practice for Impaired Health in Flight Attendants Exposed to Second-Hand Cigarette Smoke (2017) · cites this paper as Jahnke et al., 2010
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“Studies of qigong have shown positive effects on inflammation as well as AD (Lee et al., 2005; Jahnke et al., 2010)”
From Effectiveness of a Novel Qigong Meditative Movement Practice for Impaired Health in Flight Attendants Exposed to Second-Hand Cigarette Smoke (2017) · cites this paper as Jahnke et al., 2010
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“These results are in line with other studies of the effects of Qigong, specifically on respiratory disease (Ng et al., 2011) as well as on other health factors (Jahnke et al., 2010), supporting the possibility that Qigong may be a useful therapeutic intervention for our target population.”
From Effectiveness of a Novel Qigong Meditative Movement Practice for Impaired Health in Flight Attendants Exposed to Second-Hand Cigarette Smoke (2017) · cites this paper as Jahnke et al., 2010
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Metadata
- Authors
- Jahnke, R., Larkey, L., Rogers, C., Etnier, J., & Lin, F.
- Affiliations
- Arizona State University (US)
- University of North Carolina at Greensboro (US)
- Venue
- American Journal of Health Promotion
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2010-07
- Volume
- 24
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- e1-e25
- ISSN
- 0890-1171 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC3085832
- OpenAlex
- W2132543478
- Cited by
- 592
- References
- 126
- Citations by year
- 2026: 36 · 2025: 31 · 2024: 33 · 2023: 49 · 2022: 43 · 2021: 41 · 2020: 44 · 2019: 63 · 2018: 49 · 2017: 36 · 2016: 28 · 2015: 30 · 2014: 33 · 2013: 34 · 2012: 23
- FWCI
- 2.47
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- American Journal of Health Promotion (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- NC Digital Online Collection of Knowledge and Scholarship (The University of North Carolina at Greensboro) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institute of Nursing Research (F31NR010852)
- National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (U01AT002706)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Complementary and alternative medicine › Biofield Effects and Biophysics
- Social Sciences › Safety Research › Martial Arts: Techniques, Psychology, and Education
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Complementary and alternative medicine › Traditional Chinese Medicine Studies
- Keywords
- qigong, Tai Chi, health benefits, bone mineral density, cardiopulmonary function, physical function, falls, quality of life, self-efficacy, patient-reported outcomes, psychological symptoms, immune function, mind-body exercise
- MeSH terms
- Breathing Exercises, Humans, Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic, Tai Ji
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