Reducing of depression symptoms with Qigong

Women with breast cancer get benefit from Qigong. Especially depressive symptoms go back, as reported an international research team.

That qigong can improve quality of life. That fact already known and has already been proven by various studies. The Chinese concentration, movement and meditation technique can be specifically targeted against depression in breast cancer patients. Now a team of researchers from China, the US and Dresden has examined this.

About 96 participating women with breast cancer were shortly removed before the trial, and them involved in radiotherapy over five to six weeks. Half of the women took a part in regularly Qigong exercises, while the other half came on a waiting list; they were also allowed to the study of qigong program.

The stronger depressive symptoms, the greater the benefits you get from Qigong.

The exercises were conducted on five days per week by 40 minutes each, under the guidance of a trainer. In addition, to the women were given a DVD with exercise instructions which they also should apply at home. All participants regularly filled questionnaires with questions about quality of life, depression, fatigue and insomnia.

It turned out, that the depressive symptoms in the qigong group were significantly reduced, while they remained roughly the same in the control group. The fatigue could be reduced with Qigong. But this is especially true for patients who were significantly depressed at baseline of research. Differences are reflected in the quality of life. Again, the effect was significant only in the group of depressed women. Totally most of women who take a part in Qigong program, showed a clearly pronounced reducing of depressive symptoms