Cardiac
Qigong training improves exercise capacity
Qigong training can increase the exercise capacity of patients with cardiac impairment. A controlled trial enlisted thirty men and thirteen women, average age 68, suffering from chronic atrial fibrillation. They were randomised to either a 16-week medically assisted qigong training program or to a waiting-list control group. Functional capacity variation was evaluated by measuring how far patients could walk during six minutes, assessed at baseline, at the end of the intervention, and after a further 16 weeks. Patients trained in qigong walked an average 114 metres more (27%) at the end of treatment and 57 metres more (13.7%) 16 weeks later. Control subjects showed no variation in functional capacity.
(Functional capacity after traditional Chinese medicine (qi gong) training in patients with chronic atrial fibrillation: a randomized controlled trial. Prev Cardiol. 2007 Winter;10(1):22-5)
