Dr. Roger Jahnke, of The Institute of Integral Qigong and Tai Chi, shares Eastern medicine as interpreted for the Western approach to medicine. What is Qi? Can it be explained in terms of functionality for Western science? In the video below, Dr. Jahnke proposes that the Eastern concept of Qi is the equivalent of the combined functionality of blood, bones, fluids, organs, and nerves.
All the body’s systems interact with each other using chemical reactions. The bones and connective tissues support shape and movement of the body. Body fluids, the lymphatic system and interstitial fluids, provide the foundation of the elimination system for body wastes. The nervous system supports or restrains body functions. Organs are focal for interactivity of Qi with all the systems. Qi provides the energy channel through which the systems interact.
According to Dr. Jahnke, the current Western definition of Qi is the interaction of chemicals in any of the body’s systems.
“Breath, movement, mind focus and self-massage all combine to enhance the efficiency of inner chemical activities. Body functions and interactions are enhanced in the state of alert Qi.” The Relaxation response generated by Qigong and Tai Chi enhances the capacity for functional renewal and restoration–even in the telomeres of the DNA.
Dr. Jahnke offers food for thought: Can we actually feel the Qi pulsing through our body? Does the Qi field extend from the internal to the external? Are we connected to the energy of the whole universe?
Video courtesy of:
Dr. Roger Jahnke, OMD,The Institute of Integral Qigong and Tai Chi (IIQTC.org)
Our knowledge of fascia is beginning to expand rapidly. Until recently, it was viewed simply as extra tissue surrounding organs in the body. It was the “stuff” that surgeons cut through to reach the targeted organs. Now researchers are realizing there is more significance to the matrix of fascia that pervades our body.
What is Fascia?
Close-up of muscle fascia.
Fascia exists throughout the body as a web of tissue made of collagen, elastin and a gel-like viscous inner substance. It appears to exist in at least three different layers: a superficial layer, a deeper layer beneath the fat cells, and an even deeper layer in the body, called epimysial fascia, that surrounds muscles and organs. However, all the layers are continuous and interconnected. The thin layers under the skin ultimately connect with the thicker layers surrounding muscles and bones. According to the Fascia Nomenclature Committee, “the [fascia] layers are bound to one another in a 3-D matrix that gives the body structure and helps it function in an integrated manner.”
Fascia surrounds every element of the body, the muscles, organs, bones, brain, and nerve cells. It is frequently referred to as our “organ of form.” It holds and supports the body against the pull of gravity. The most appropriate model of fascia to date is illustrated by 3-D tensegrity.
Researchers now recognize that the fascia network is one of our richest sensory/communication organs. The surface area of this network is endowed with millions of endomysial sacs and other membranous pockets with a total surface area that by far surpasses that of the skin or any other body tissue.
Fascia is embedded with both the body’s vascular and nervous systems. Compared to these other systems, however, communication in the fascia network is faster: at 1,160 km / h vs. the nervous system, which is only 240 km / h .
We can see from the tensegrity model that if one node on the structure is touched, manipulated or stretched, the repercussions are felt throughout the structure almost immediately. Stress in the hip may be felt in the shoulder. Fascia allow the body to feel position and to change shape–hence, it can be thought of as allowing the body to shape-shift.
Fascia and Our “Inner Ocean”
The fascia also hold the cells and organs apart, forming a barrier to maintain a fluid extra-cellular matrix (ECM). This (ECM) is like the inner ocean of our bodies. All the cells in our body require space around them and this space is filled with an inert fluid that protects, cushions and holds the cells and tissues in place. The ECM has several substances that allow for cellular repair to take place, but its essential job is to facilitate the smooth action and functioning of the cells, muscles, and organs.
How to Maintain the Fascia
There is currently a lot of debate about how to maintain the fascia. It is unclear whether fascia needs to be “released” or, if this is even possible. Massage and stretching relax muscle tissue, but fascia is slow to respond to stretching.
What we do know, is that healthy fascia require two things:
First, adequate hydration to maintain the extra-cellular matrix, as well as the gelatinous core of the fascia tubules. Fascia can become crystallized and stiff without adequate moisture.
And second, daily regular movement through a wide range of motion without extensive stretching. The enemy of fascia health is extended sitting. Movement, like that in Tai Chi and Qi Gong, is likely to maintain the health and flexibility of fascia well into old age.
Studies over the past two decades show that the brain can grow and make new connections over our lifetime and that exercise can promote this process.
Recent meta-analysis of 20 studies on Tai Chi and cognition indicate that “Tai Chi appears to improve executive function—the ability to multitask, manage time, and make decisions—in people without any cognitive decline. In those with mild cognitive impairment, tai chi slowed the progression to dementia more than other types of exercise and improved their cognitive function in a comparable fashion to other types of exercise or cognitive training.”
The practice of Tai Chi out performs other forms of intervention such as walking or social interaction in improving cognitive ability and increasing brain volume.
After a fall, many Seniors feel apprehensive about resuming their normal activities for fear of falling again. Curtailing normal activities and exercise results in a loss of balance and strength, which only makes a person more vulnerable to another serious fall.
The National Council on Aging recognizes 14 exercise programs that may help people regain their lost balance and reduce the chances of falling again. One of the most effective is Tai Chi.
Part of the benefit of many fall prevention programs is the exercise they provide. But not all exercise is equal. In a study of 670 adults age 70 or older who had fallen at least once in the last year, tai chi adapted for fall prevention was more effective than a generic exercise program or a stretching routine. Adults who practiced tai chi 2 hours per week for 6 months were 31% less likely than those in the exercise group to fall again and 58% less likely to fall than those in the stretching group.
According to Peter Harmer, PhD at Willamette University, “Tai Chi Chuan starts to reactivate the neuromuscular pathways that underpin your ability to control your body as it falls through space. ”
People looking to “get back into” exercise would benefit from starting with Tai Chi. Practicing Tai Chi for 1 hour, one to three times a week can help strengthen unused muscles, increase body awareness in space, and prevent falls.
In a review “of [the] 507 studies included in the 2015 review, 94.1 percent found positive effects of tai chi. These included 192 studies involving only healthy participants, 142 with the goal of health promotion or preservation and 50 seeking better balance or prevention of falls. ”
From Elizabeth Trout’s comment on Brody’s article:
The main thing I want to share with you is that everything, EVERYTHiNG I do, I do better because of Tai Chi.
