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Show Friday, 5. June 1998 8 - The Daily Utah Chronicle Feateire H 5.r to nreserve f I Ut :;::::::v:;X;:;:::::::::v::oxXx:::x': 0 vi tl ) u. c (c$o A living person has it, a dead one docs not. Qi "chi") is the energy that flows through all living things. When harnessed correctly, scientific research has shown qi can fight disease and enhance one's health, "Having an abundance of it, however, doesn't mean one will be healthy," explained Don Stringham, a qigong instructor. "It must be clear, rather than polluted, and flowing clearly, rather than stagnant" Qigong involves working with the life energy learning how to control it and distribute it. to improve the health of the mind and body. There arc many styles and schools in qigong, including tai chi "Qigong is easy to learn, but mastering it d . '' requires perseverance, dedication and understanding the concept of yin-yang,- " Stringham said. Stress, poor health and worry can throw the body into a yin or yang condition. A yang condition occurs when too much qi is found in one area and may result in intense, sharp pain, fever or swelling. A yin condition occurs when qi becomes stagnant or blocked. T H T'AI CHI CHUAN ; bv RoGert A Jone.i A . I. hiii-Iih- ward off right, ward off left, waves come in, waves go out ... Is it a dance? A form of exercise? A martial art? Yes, and a philosophy. Yin and yang. Out of the great void, all things arc created through the interplay of positive and negative forces. The term tai chi meaning "the refers to this primal interaction. supreme ultimate" is the symbol of tai chi, which represents this invioThe lable duality. The light and dark sides represent the two basic forces of the universe. The two sides are inseparably connected by a smaller circle in the center of each representing its opposite. The name tai chi is the philosophy, the way. For Americans tai chi is short for tai chi chuan, which is the exercise. "Chuan" means - yin-yan- g boxing or fist. "Here in America they're interchangeable. If you just call it tai chi in China, it means something entirely different. Here most people know it as tai chi," said University of Utah tai chi instructor Bill Parkinson. Parkinson has been teaching tai chi at the U since 1974. "I saw someone in Reservoir Park doing tai chi in the 1960s and was intrigued by it," Parkinson said. While traveling for business in the late '60s he met others practicing tai chi in Arizona. He came back to Salt Lake looking for someone to teach him. It wasn't until 1970 that he found an instructor, but by 1974 Parkinson was teaching it himself at the U. "I'd been teaching yoga at Westminster for two semesters since I was already a certified yogi with a Sanskrit name, but no one was teaching tai chi at the time," Parkinson said. He approached the U's modern dance department and first began teaching it through the department. He now teaches through the theatre department. Even though he did not yet feel qualified to teach it in 1974, there was a tremendous demand as tai chi was receiving much attention. Parkinson learned as he went since he was the best available, he explained. Tai chi movement is characterized by softness and a yielding quality, and by a continuing flowing of energy, like the waters of see "tai chi" on page 9 Certain types of bruises are examples of a yin condition. "Qigong balances the two conditions and restores homeostasis to the body," Stringham said. For someone to be healthy, he further explained, blood must flow freely and be directed to the whole body. Qi works in the same way, but cannot be measured directly. "However, it is quantifiable," Stringham said, "Though we cannot hold sunlight or wind in our hand, we can experience it. The wrac goes for qi." He said scientists can measure qi through scientific correlates including energy, electricity, light emission and certain chemicals. Endorphins are one type of qi. These brain chemicals are stimulated in response to one's state of mind and aid tn the proper functioning of the immune system. Strmgham said qigong increases the number of endorphins. "The more endorphins you have, the stronger your immune system will be." Because qigong practice increases the amount of endorphins in the body, it can aid in the fight against cancer. In a clinical study combining Eastern and Western medicine philosophies, Chinese physicians administered chemotherapy and radiation therapy to 30 patients in a control group who had malignant cancer. To another group, containing 90 cancer patients through traditional Western medicine, the Chinese physicians administered qigong training and practice for two hours a day for three months. Following treatment, 20 percent of the qigong group, but only 6 percent of the control group, returned to normal liver function. The qigong group's immune system also showed improvement. The rate at which immune cells destroyed harmful cells in the body increased in the qi group, but decreased in the control group. In addition, 63 percent of the qigong group had an increase in appetite following treatment, an amount nearly six times greater than that of the control group. "This study is very powerful in that Eastern and Western medical treatments should be combined," Stringham said. Another qi correlate is called biolumincs-cence- . Bioluminesccnce consists of shooting light through different parts of die body to sec how much gets through. A study performed at the University of Catania, in Italy, showed those who prac-se- e "energy" on page 10 |