Say the word "exercise" to a person with Fibromyalgia, and you will most likely get a negative response. Exercise is a harsh and ugly word. It has become synonymous with pain to most of us. Rare is the Fibromyalgia patient who embraces exercise. Not only does it elicit a pain response in most of us, but it also sends our defenses up. Too, too many times we have heard the unsolicited advice, "If you would only exercise you would feel much better." We could all give examples of some of the insensitive and inaccurate things we have heard, that is not at question here, but what is under … [Read more...]
Fibromyalgia and Qigong
Several weeks ago I wrote about research results which claimed that Qigong can decrease pain levels and improve the quality of life in patients with Fibromyalgia and chronic pain. It took me this long to finally take a class, and after just one session I am convinced Qigong is a compatible and beneficial exercise for me. The Wellness Center I recently joined offers Qigong (pronounced chee-gong) in addition to many other mind and body disciplines. Fay McGrew is the instructor and this is how she describes Qigong: The practice of Qigong is used for stress reduction, to enhance the body's … [Read more...]
Fibromyalgia Pain Breakthrough: Qigong
Last week the Chronicle Herald published an article about the results of a recent Qigong trial done on people living with chronic pain. According to the researcher, Dr. Mary Lynch at Quenn Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre, “their quality of life and their level of pain got better. And this is just through a simple series of gentle, dance-like moves.” What is Qigong? From the Qigong Institute: Qigong (chee-gong) is “Energy techniques” or “Energy Skills,” the ancient Chinese internal arts used for over 5000 years to promote health, emotional happiness and spiritual … [Read more...]