氣功之謎 它到底有哪些健康功效大綱

The Claim: Qigong, a Chinese health practice based on gentle movements, meditation and breathing, has wide-ranging benefits, including improving balance, lowering blood pressure and even easing depression.

主張：氣功，中國的一種健身運動，動作輕柔，注重冥想和吐納，功效廣泛，比如改善身體協調能力，降血壓，甚至還有緩解抑鬱的功能。

The Verdict: Increasingly popular in the U.S., qigong (pronounced chee-gong) has been found in recent studies to improve quality of life in cancer patients and fight depression. Other studies have found improvements in balance and blood pressure. But so far, there aren't enough large, well-designed studies to constitute solid proof of any benefits, scientists say.

定論 ：氣功在美國越來越流行，近來不斷有研究發現，氣功能夠改善癌症患者的生活質量，抗擊抑鬱。還有研究發現氣功能改善身體協調能力、降低血壓。不過科學家說，迄今爲止，尚沒有規模足夠大、設計足夠嚴密的研究來可靠地證實氣功的任何益處。

Qigong, with its roots in traditional Chinese medicine, is a close cousin to the better-known tai chi. Unlike that practice, qigong isn't based in martial arts. Instead, it uses a variety of gentle movements, says Stanwood Chang, who teaches qigong classes at the Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. Because its motions are simple and repetitive, qigong is more accessible to many people than tai chi, which has long sequences that need to be memorized, Mr. Chang adds.

氣功的理論基礎在中醫學，與更爲知名的“太極”關係密切。與太極不同的是，氣功並不以武術爲基礎。相反，波士頓麻省總醫院(Massachusetts General Hospital)本森-亨利身心醫學研究所(Benson—Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine)教授氣功課程的Stanwood Chang說，氣功運用的是一系列舒緩的動作。他還補充說，因爲動作簡單，多有重複，氣功比太極更適合多數人修習，太極套路很長，需要記憶。

Traditionally, qigong is described as a practice that cultivates 'qi, ' or life energy. Qi can't be measured objectively, says Shin Lin, a professor of cell biology at the University of California, Irvine. But his studies of qigong and tai chi practitioners have found a boost in both alpha brain waves, suggesting relaxation, and beta waves, indicating strong focus. 'It has the dual benefit of relaxing you, but also sharpening your mind, ' says Dr. Lin.

從傳統上來說，氣功是一種聚“氣”（或曰生命的能量）的功法。加州大學歐文分校(University of California, Irvine)的細胞生物學教授林欣說，氣無法客觀地觀測到。但他通過對氣功和太極修習者進行研究發現，氣功不但能提振腦α波（表明放鬆），還能提振腦β波（表明專注）。林欣說，它有雙重功效，既能讓你放鬆，還能增強腦力。

Some studies have found improvement in balance from qigong. At least one cites the fact that participants are taught to take a wider, more stable stance when standing.

有些研究已經發現氣功能改善身體協調能力。至少有一項研究引述了這樣一個事實：氣功修習者被教導在站着的時候要採取雙腳距離更大、更穩定的站姿。

Earlier this year, a three-month, 14-person study of depressed Chinese-Americans, who were offered one-hour qigong classes twice a week and encouraged to practice at home, found that 60% of those who took at least 15 classes saw a significant improvement in depression based on a standard rating scale. 'One theory is that qigong helps people to relax and combat stress, ' which tends to aggravate depression, says study co-author Albert Yeung, associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School in Cambridge.

今年早些時候，14名情緒抑鬱的美籍華人蔘加了一項爲期三個月的研究項目，這些人每週上兩次氣功課，每次一個小時，並且他們被鼓勵在家也進行氣功練習。研究發現，那些上了至少15次課的人當中，60%的人的抑鬱情形有顯著改善（按照標準等級衡量）。這項研究的共同作者、劍橋市哈佛大學醫學院(Harvard Medical School)的精神病學助理教授Albert Yeung說，一個理論是，氣功能幫助人們放鬆，對抗壓力，而壓力往往會加重抑鬱。

The study was too small to be conclusive, adds Dr. Yeung, a senior consultant at the Benson-Henry Institute. But he's excited enough about the potential that he already recommends qigong to patients with mild and moderate depression, and in combination with medication to patients with severe depression.

Albert Yeung也是本森-亨利身心醫學研究所的資深顧問。他說，這項研究的規模也是太小，得出的結論也不具有決定性。但他對結果感到很興奮，他已經向中度和輕度抑鬱患者推薦氣功療法，並建議重度抑鬱患者可以在服用藥物的同時練習氣功。

For cancer patients, qigong can be done sitting and lying down if a person has physical constraints or is in pain, says Yang Yang, a kinesiologist and researcher, who teaches qigong at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York.

人體運動學專家、研究人員楊洋（音）說，對於癌症患者來說，如果患者身體方面存在侷限，或是劇烈疼痛，可以採用坐姿或臥姿練習氣功。楊洋在紐約的斯隆-凱特琳癌症中心(Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center)教授氣功。

In a study of 96 women getting radiation therapy for breast cancer, published earlier this year, a team of Chinese scientists and researchers at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston found reduced depression in women who took five weekly classes of qigong, compared with a control group that didn't take the classes. Among those depressed at the start of the trial, fatigue was lessened and overall quality of life improved.

在今年早些時候發表的一項研究針對96名因乳腺癌接受放射治療的女性。休斯敦的得克薩斯大學(University of Texas)安德森癌症中心(MD Anderson Cancer Center)的一組中國科學家和研究人員發現，每週上氣功課上了五週的女性患者相比沒有上氣功課的對照組患者來說，抑鬱程度有所減輕。在那些試驗伊始就有抑鬱症狀的病人當中，疲勞程度有所減輕，整體生活質量得到改善。

Many people take qigong group classes, which typically cost $10 to $20 an hour, or practice at home after learning the exercises in a class or from a qigong DVD or online video.

很多人蔘加集體氣功課程，費用一般在每小時10美元到20美元之間，或是在課上學了之後回家接着練習，也有人跟着氣功DVD或在線視頻學習氣功。