Qigong for movement disorders: A systematic review

✍ Scribed by Myeong Soo Lee; Edzard Ernst

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2009
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 289 KB
• Volume: 24
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0885-3185
• DOI: 10.1002/mds.22275

✦ Synopsis

Parkinson's disease (PD) or other types of movement disorders occur worldwide in all ethnic groups and socioeconomic classes. 1,2 Because of the chronic and debilitating symptoms of PD or other types of movement disorders patients often use complementary medicine. [3][4][5] One such treatment option is qigong. Qigong is a form of traditional Asian medicine, which incorporates exercise for posture, coordination of different breathing patterns, movement, and meditation. It has been reported that qigong has beneficial effects in improving psychological health, reducing high blood pressure and pain, and modulating neurohormone and immune systems. 6-9 It, therefore, seems pertinent to evaluate the effectiveness of qigong for movement disorders. The objective of this systematic review is to summarize and critically assess the evidence of qigong for treating movement disorders.