Cultivating Qi and Activating the

Healer Within
An Interview with Roger Jahnke, O.M.D.

Russ Mason, B.S. within us since the beginning of the human race. Both ancient
and contemporary philosophers have pointed to our naturally
occurring self-healing capacity and contemporary science has
Introduction confirmed the spontaneous function of self-repair and self-
restoration.
oger Jahnke, O.M.D., has dedicated his professional life

R helping to launch the powerful ancient healing traditions

of China in North America and Europe. He is the direc-
tor and chief instructor of the Institute of Integral Qigong and Tai
The Interview

Russ Mason: As a result of your involvement with Tradition-

Chi, Santa Barbara, California; the chairperson of the Qi Cultiva- al Chinese Medicine philosophy, t’ai chi and qigong, you have
tion Department at the Santa Barbara College of Oriental a unique perspective on health care. Please share some of your
Medicine; and a cofounder and recent chairperson of the board of insights with us.
the National Qigong Association. Roger Jahnke: In addition to over 25 years in clinical practice
With 25 years of clinical practice as a physician of acupuncture and almost as long in the position of clinical administrator for a
and Traditional Chinese Medicine and eight research tours to complementary and holistic clinical facility, I have had the
China, Dr. Jahnke has emerged as a key spokesperson for t’ai chi amazing opportunity to serve as a consultant in the design of
(Taiji) and qigong (Chi Kung). He is a leading voice in the evolu- complementary and alternative medicine and integrative
tion of complementary and integrative medicine. He has studied medicine programs for hospitals and new clinical startup pro-
hundreds of forms of qigong with master teachers and visited jects. I have had the incredible good fortune to work with
numerous hospitals, institutes, training centers, temples, and numerous multihospital systems as well as small community
sacred sites in China, focusing on the cultivation of qi (Chi). hospitals as they “redesign” health care delivery for the 21st
Dr. Jahnke has had presentations at major conferences on century.
advances in alternative and complementary medicine throughout I have been invited to do presentations on new clinical and
the United States. He has lectured on self-healing and emerging health promotion models as well as t’ai chi and qigong at the
trends in health care and medicine to numerous hospital systems American Hospital Association, American Academy of Health
and health care associations, including the HealthCare Forum; Care Executives, and other organizations. Consequently, I have
the Catholic Health Association; the American Medical Associa- been doing a lot of work within the conventional medical inter-
tion; the National Wellness Institute, Stevens Point, Wisconsin; vention community.
and the American College of Healthcare Executives, Chicago, Illi- The American health care system is collapsing into a critical
nois. He is a contributing author to numerous books on leading- state. It is not a health care system. It is a terribly challenged sys-
edge methodologies for both clinical providers and health care tem of financing medical intervention. There is only one solution
administrators. to what we now recognize as a crisis in both quality (safety) and
The workshops and training sessions that Dr. Jahnke conducts cost. It is actually a simple solution that is well-researched and
at retreat centers such as Esalen Institute, Big Sur, California; the well understood—70 percent of disease is preventable,1,2 and 8
Omega Institute, Rhinebeck, New York; and the Institute of out of 9 causes of disease are preventable.3
Noetic Sciences, Petaluma, California, have inspired health care Through low-cost health enhancing behaviors that require little
professionals and citizens throughout the United States, Canada, special training, heart disease can be reversed,4 risk for diabetes
and, Asia. reduced by 58 percent,5,6 significant reduction in risk for injuries
Dr. Jahnke’s message is simple, striking, and empowering: The from falls in the elderly can be achieved,7 longevity for women
most profound medicine is not at the hospital, pharmacy, or doc- with breast cancer can be extended,8 and more.
tor’s office. It is produced within us through the balance and har- The science on methodologies that are low-cost, group-based,
mony of physiology, mind, and spirit. According to Dr. Jahnke, and incredibly efficient at reducing the need for medical inter-
all of the necessary components of self-healing have been in place vention has helped to increase the budget of the National Center

176
ALTERNATIVE & COMPLEMENTARY THERAPIES—AUGUST 2003 177

for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (formerly the specific schools, styles,
Office of Alternative Medicine) by 57 times from its original $2 and traditions. Much of
million budget in 1992 to $114 million In 2003. 9 Where else in qigong and t’ai chi is eso-
health care research do you see that kind of budget increases late- teric, hard to learn, and
ly? It is obvious to everyone that the concept of safer, more effec- bound up in the politics
tive health care is of immense interest. of religious sects and the
Our presidents, our Congress, our medical providers, and our martial arts in Asia. There
medical insurance companies have all failed to take action on the is too much need for heal-
fact that each citizen produces the most highly refined healing ing in our contemporary
resource within his or her own body. What would happen if we culture to allow some-
took healthy doses of this inner medicine—the healer within— thing so radically won-
each day? This medicine has no side-effects, prevents most dis- derful, useful and cost
eases, and requires no prescription, no doctor, no clinic, no efficient to remain inac-
hospital, no drug store. You can not buy this medicine—it is only cessible. China has given
available for free. qi cultivation to the
Probably the most practical tools for mobilizing this remark- world, it deserves to be
Roger Jahnke, O.M.D., Institute of
able inner elixir are t’ai chi and qigong from China; yoga, their honorably embraced to Integral Qigong and Tai Chi. Photo
sister from India; and meditation, with its roots in every culture heal and empower—that credit: Dawn Mamikunian.
and spiritual tradition. is the Institute of Integral
So, therefore, the solution to the health care crisis is for individ- Qigong and Tai Chi’s
uals to have unrestrained support and information on how to focus.
cultivate and maximize the naturally occurring self-healing Integral means “whole, complete, unified.” In the programs of
resources that are produced spontaneously within the human the Institute of Integral Qigong and Tai Chi, we work from the
system with a minimum amount of daily practice. principles of harmony and balance—the essentials of qigong and
t’ai chi—to unify the traditions, biases, and lineages of many eras
RM: Please give us some details about qigong and t’ai chi. into a highly refined distillation that is easy to learn and use today.
RJ: Though they are often referred to as exercises, qigong and Integral qigong and t’ai chi integrate what Chinese medicine
t’ai chi are more like mindfulness in motion, action meditation, calls the Three Treasures—body, mind/emotions and spirit (Jing,
mindful movement, dynamic meditation, meditation in motion, Qi and Shen in Chinese). The integral model integrates ancient qi
et cetera. This is the radical breakthrough of qigong and its most sciences with contemporary physiologic and quantum sciences.
popular offspring, t’ai chi. The intentful integration of body focus The practices are integrated so that, in the beginning, it is very
and movement, purposeful breath awareness, and meditation easy, accessible, and fun with gentle progress toward deeper
optimize what Norman Cousins called the “healing system,” practice states and more subtle levels of healing. So, the program
which is the integrated function of all body–mind systems— is integrated in many of its components and in many ways.
including the nervous, endocrine, immune, circulatory, and The Three Treasures of cultivation (or the three levels or
digestive systems—with the psyche. stages) start at body healing, progress to longevity and vitality
Qigong and t’ai chi have triggered an outpouring of research enhancement (which science has discovered is largely related to
in Asia, Europe, and the United States. It has become apparent the state of the heart and mind), and, ultimately, evolve to sus-
that these gentle self-healing and health-enhancement method- tained awareness of one’s eternal nature. This is spiritual realiza-
ologies trigger a wide range of natural, physiologic mechanisms tion, the highest form of personal integration, also called
of self-repair that help to restore more healthy function in people “healing,” which was held in high esteem in China even by
with numerous diseases. A recent Wall Street Journal article10 stat- politicians and military leaders, and called “immortality” by the
ed that the National Institutes of Health has funded $500,000 in ancients because it implies that the life of our eternal self is
research on qigong alone. boundless—immortal.
The gentle body–mind practices of qigong and t’ai chi can be
implemented by anyone, even those in wheelchairs or hospital RM: What is the role of the health care practitioner in this
beds. No matter what disease one has, what medicine one takes, emerging new era of medicine?
or what sort of physician is managing the case, mindful and RJ: It is important to recognize two logical, but entirely
relaxed body movement with breath practice and a focus on pre- unmentioned, aspects of health care: the “first party” and the
sent-moment awareness make medicine within. “first resort.” We always hear about the third party and the last
resort. Paraphrasing from conventional health care: “We will
RM: What is the focus of integral qigong and t’ai chi? have to see if the third party (insurance company) will reimburse
RJ: Integral qigong and t’ai chi are only unique in that we for this alternative method as a last resort.” Everybody knows
focus on allowing the simple and the profound to coexist and what the third party is; however, the first party is unknown and
we have carefully distilled and integrated the essence from 5000 unmentioned. It turns out that the first party is the most signifi-
years of history, tradition, and theory along with hundreds of cant participant in health care—the customer, the citizen, the
178 ALTERNATIVE & COMPLEMENTARY THERAPIES—AUGUST 2003

With this said, my response to your question is very direct.

About the Institute of Integral Qigong Every health care practitioner is a citizen and an individual—a
first party. Each health care practitioner would optimally model
and Tai Chi
the solution to the health crisis by personally implementing the
Institute of Integral Qigong and Tai Chi first resort. He or she would refine personal nutrition, manage
243 Pebble Beach stress, live a health-enhancing lifestyle, and have a robust health-
Santa Barbara, CA 93117
maximizing practice like qigong, t’ai chi, or yoga as part of a
Phone: (805) 685-4670
Fax: (805) 685-4710 body–mind fitness program.
Web site: www.FeeltheQi.com/ By living in this way, having a personal practice like t’ai chi
Contact: Roger Jahnke, O.M.D. and qigong, health care practitioners become the models for the
solution to waste and error in health care. Such practitioners are
The Institute offers various programs for studying qigong and t’ai in an excellent position to assist their patients in awakening their
chi for professionals as well as public participation programs. For
own healing capacities in conjunction with their chosen medical
information on Levels of Qigong and Tai Chi Study and Professional
Certification visit the above Web site. Some of the programs offered treatment. And, by doing so, they assist in resolving the cost and
include: quality crisis in health care. . .seems rather idealistic but, at their
entry levels, t’ai chi and qigong are amazingly easy to learn and
Enthusiastic Citizen practice.
Many people, when they experience the power of just a little
qigong in their lives, typically from The Healer Within (the Vitality
Enhancement Method), are inspired to share their experience and RM: Are there any drawbacks to t’ai chi or qigong?
understanding with other people. Because the Healer Within RJ: Very few. Just think of the answer to this question: When
Methods are very gentle, these people are encouraged to share the is it contraindicated to activate the naturally occurring mecha-
methods with family and friends and become a part of a nationwide, nisms of self-repair within the human system? Answer: Never
grassroots solution to today’s problems in health care. or almost never. You could argue that some people are too
weak or compromised to do the practices. However, qigong and
Community Practice Facilitator
This is Level One of the Qigong and Tai Chi instructor certification, t’ai chi can be modified and tailored for both bed- and chair-
usually a 7-day intensive course. Participants learn the basic qigong bound practitioners. You could argue that autoimmune disor-
curriculum and are given certification to organize community ders may get worse and certain chemotherapy may be
practice as facilitators but not as professional instructors. neutralized if you enhance the immune system; however, no
studies have shown this and it is just as likely that maximizing
Qigong and Tai Chi Instructor
natural function is just what people with these health chal-
This involves Levels Two and Three of the 200-hour instructor
training. Level Two is the Tai Chi intensive, for which the practice is lenges really need.
modified for specific populations for disease management and wellness, I have observed that self-healing methods do not particularly
including: Tai Chi Qigong; Tai Chi Easy; Tai Chi Three; and Tai Chi help with nail fungus or balding. It is common to say that there is
Chair. Level Three penetrates even deeper into both qi cultivation no panacea. I would simply add that there is never a reason to
and the Transmission of Qi. The participant receives a certificate as neglect the potential for optimizing self-healing, no matter what
an Integral Qigong and Tai Chi Instructor.
the disease.
Advanced Qigong and Tai Chi Instructor
Advanced Qi Cultivation, Medical Qigong, and Qigong Healing RM: You seem to feel that there is not just a clinical benefit
courses are added to the 200-hour program above, with selected to t’ai chi and qigong, but an economic benefit as well. Please
courses in traditional Chinese medical theory to qualify for certification expand on this idea.
from the National Commission for the Certification of Acupuncture RJ: That’s right. Consider these statistics: In the United States
and Oriental Medicine. This is a 500-hour certification that is still
$1.35 trillion dollars (some estimate $1.75 trillion) are spent on
being designed.
medical intervention—usually called health care. The Depart-
The 200-Hour Instructor Certification ment of Health and Human Services, in two Healthy People
This certification is consistent with the professional membership Reports (DHHS 2000 and DHHS 2010), declared that 70 percent
standards of the National Qigong Association (www.NQA.org). It of all disease is preventable! 1,2 This means that 70 percent of
can be achieved through a month-long intensive retreat or as three $1.35 trillion, about $1 trillion dollars, is inappropriately allocat-
week-long intensives. Many participants have experienced significant
ed (we won’t say “wasted”). Obviously, this is an overly simplis-
personal healing at these events and, often, individuals immerse
themselves in this way, even if their intentions were not to become tic scenario but the point is that $1 trillion dollars per year could
teachers. The Institute provides numerous additional professional be reallocated to prevention and eventually to get art back into
programs including Medical Qigong, Qigong Physician, and Daoist schools. The citizens of the United States, by increasing their
Inner Alchemy as well as numerous programs for the public. “intake dosages” of the medicine within, could literally reallocate
$1 trillion or more. This is inspiring.
individual. Everyone has heard of the last resort but what about I have actually had defenders of the medicine of the past [con-
the first resort? What should be the first action in caring for ventional medicine] stand up in my lectures and say, half in jest:
health? How about simply caring for health! “If we apply your ideas it will collapse the American economy.”
ALTERNATIVE & COMPLEMENTARY THERAPIES—AUGUST 2003 179

It is true that health care expenditures represent 13 percent–17

percent of the gross national product of the United States; how-
ever, all of the money we save by being more proactive and more
healthy can eliminate unneeded medical costs and be spent in
other areas of the economy that would improve our society.
For perspective, consider that the estimated cost of America’s
recent war in Iraq was estimated by many sources to average $2
trillion* to be spread over a decade—$200 billion per year for 10
years. Health care costs $1.35 trillion every year and climbs by 10
percent–20 percent every year. Annual health care costs are near-
ly 700 percent more than the annual cost of a war!
If 70 percent of disease is preventable, then we ought to be
ensuring that everyone is given the basic tools to prevent disease.
It is just that obvious. In fact, it is a kind of patriotic act.
Dr. Jahnke engaged in qigong movements in Santa Barbara, California.
RM: Certainly, among allopathic practitioners of convention- Photo credits: Rebecca McLean.
al medicine, there is almost no incentive to encourage their
patients to practice qigong or t’ai chi. How can our society over-
come this disincentive?
RJ: This may be true in the context of old style [conventional]
medicine and 20th-century biases but it is hard to find a sound
reason why any health care provider would neglect to encourage
the best for his or her patients. Given the naturally occurring
capacity of the human system for self-repair, it is embarrassing
that it is not conventional and standard to urge patients to do
self-implemented health care. I imagine that, in the near future, it
will be grounds for malpractice if a physician neglects to urge a
patient to reduce risk for disease while advising surgery instead.
There are now t’ai chi, qigong, and yoga teachers at YMCAs,
community centers, and even hospitals in many communities
around the United States. At the Institute of Integral Qigong and
T’ai chi we are very seriously working with national organiza-
tions like the National Qigong Association to build a training
program to help fill the need for teachers in every community no
matter how small. This is a matter of national importance—and it
is a lot of fun.

RM: How can practitioners get this information for them-

selves and for their patients?
RJ: Number one: It is in the textbooks. The body naturally sus-
tains itself; the science that confirms spontaneous biological reha-
bilitation is completely conventional. Unfortunately, the medical
and pharmaceutical sciences of diagnosis and intervention were
the total focus of health care until very recently. However, we are
in a revolution where there is a dramatic shift to base all medical
activities on evidence and the evidence that reconfirms the capac-
ity to implement and benefit from self-healing strategies is monu-
mental. Number two: The media. Last year, TIME magazine
stated: “Tai Chi is the perfect exercise.”11
The qi matrix. Drawing by: Susan Spellman.
Just last week, I was quoted about qigong and t’ai chi in a
major feature article in the Chicago Tribune. The Internet is a vir-
tual fountain of information on self-healing. True, the Internet
has some terribly biased information; however with t’ai chi and
qigong it is not like promoting fad cures within hype or expen-
*A large number of articles and Web sites were reviewed to arrive at this sive and dangerous weight-loss schemes based on false science.
figure. In t’ai chi and qigong, the individual relaxes, moves the body
180 ALTERNATIVE & COMPLEMENTARY THERAPIES—AUGUST 2003

they complement any form of

About Qiqong and T’ai Chi medicine by significantly increas-
ing the functionality of numerous
According to the ancient qi (Chi) Masters, qi is the fundamental
energy of the universe, and may be purposefully cultivated by the internal systems. I predict that,
following formula: along with yoga, these moving
Practice + Intention = Inner Harmony = Qi Flow = Health and meditations from China will help
Longevity create a major renaissance in the
new medicine.
Qigong (Chi Kung)
Qigong is one of the four pillars of Traditional Chinese Medicine:
acupuncture, massage, herbal medicines, and qigong. Of these, qigong RM: So, if people have the
is the one that can be most easily self-initiated (and is the least ability to produce a spontaneous
costly). Both massage and herbal remedies can also be done as self- healing resource—a medicine
care, however, qigong is considered to be the mother of Chinese Ming (life). Calligraphy by within—would you say, then,
self-healing. Patients who use qigong faithfully need less medication, Jianye Jiang.
less acupuncture, and heal faster. In Chinese tradition, there are perhaps, they do not require
thousands of methods and practices for self-healing that are called physical medicine or even doc-
qigong and an estimated 100 million Chinese people practice in the tors?
parks every morning. RJ: Of course I am not talking about acute physical trauma. If
you’re hit by a car, you had better get to a hospital. Nor am I
T’ai chi (Taiji)
T’ai chi is one particularly well-known form of qigong. Traditional referring to necessary surgeries for chronic syndromes, as in
t’ai chi consists of 108 separate movements that flow together into a arthroscopic knee work that has helped my son or the amazing
specific order. There are several kinds of t’ai chi, including: Yang titanium prostheses that replaced the damaged bones of my
Style, Chen Style, Wu Style, and others. Most of these schools of t’ai wife’s middle ear. Integrative medicine does not eliminate doc-
chi have created modified short forms that allow for beginners to tors or medicine; complementary medicine coordinates the best
learn more quickly to work toward wellness and master stress, for
elders to have an abbreviated practice that is easier to learn, and for of natural healing with the best of modern medicine. For general,
patients who are ill to practice without too much distracting overall health maintenance, for chronic degenerative diseases,
complexity. and for syndromes aggravated by stress, people can optimize the
healer within. It’s very low-cost. We could easily solve the heath
care crisis by helping t’ai chi and qigong become as common as
slowly in the zone of comfort, Monday Night Football, Starbucks, or good daily hygiene.
and deepens the breath—all
activities that are well-known to RM: What would become the role of the doctor or practitioner?
be safe and to trigger well- RJ: An ancient Chinese medical text states: “The superior
known physiologic mechanisms physician teaches people to sustain their health.” I have always
of self-repair. wanted to be a superior physician. I would suppose that all doc-
tors would claim to want to be superior physicians.
RM: Would you comment on
how these active meditation RM: Being that qigong, t’ai chi, and acupuncture are all
practices can help to resolve based in the energy of the body, the qi, it is important for us to
stress and improve impaired understand qi. Can qi be translated into a concept that is famil-
health? iar here in the West?
Shen (spirit). Calligraphy by
Jianye Jiang. RJ: The body has a tremendous RJ: That is an interesting question. I have discussed this with
capacity for self-healing but stress many Chinese physicians and scientists and there is no short
compromises this function in a answer. The concept is so large, it only becomes a problem to call
number of ways. Stress compro- it something else. For instance people like to say that qi is energy
mises the immune system, shifts the neurotransmitter profile out but, if you ask in China, where the idea was born and is very
of self-repair mode, contracts the blood vessels, and raises blood alive and well today, no one will say that qi is energy. They may
pressure, and more. In order for health-sustaining function or heal- agree that energy is one aspect of qi.
ing to occur, patients (people or, even better, students of health Now, with this stated, I am just as curious as you about this
improvement) need to have support in learning to practice stress and have done a mountain of research on the question through
mastery. Techniques that help to promote relaxation—the active the literature of Chinese medicine and Daoist (Taoist) philoso-
meditations such as qigong, t’ai chi, yoga—are perfect for this. phy, via 8 research trips to China and my own practice of qi culti-
Moving meditation accelerates the delivery of self-healing fac- vation.
tors and accelerates the elimination of metabolic byproducts that Briefly, there are a number of possible equivalents to qi in
can become toxic if they accumulate. What many practitioners, Western science as expressed in the following concepts:
even in alternative and complementary medicine, do not fully • Physio-functional expression—Gland and organ functions, not
realize is that t’ai chi and qigong are extremely powerful and their substance, are aspects of qi.
ALTERNATIVE & COMPLEMENTARY THERAPIES—AUGUST 2003 181

• Bio-energetics—Ions activate and

control many functions in the Books and Video by Dr. Roger Jahnke
body and flow in “preferential
ion conductance pathways”; Books
this is an aspect of qi. The Healer Within: The Four Essential Self-Care Methods For Creating
• The biofield—The flow of ions Optimal Health
anywhere in nature, including San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1997
in humans, causes the genera- The Healing Promise of Qi: Creating Extraordinary Wellness Through
tion of a magnetic field; this is Qigong and Tai Chi
an aspect of qi. New York: Contemporary Books (a division of McGraw-Hill),
• Quantum physics—there is good 2002
research that suggests that our
Video
“self” may have an aspect that Qi (Chi). Calligraphy by Jianye
Qigong—Chi Kung: Awakening and Mastering the Medicine Within
is boundless in distance and Jiang.
eternal in time; whatever this is Health Action Productions (800-824-4325)
may be one of the ways that qi
is or acts. remarkable osteopath, Dr. Ernest
Shearer. I am currently seeing
RM: Do you feel that qi will have an influence on our culture fewer patients, helping medical
and in medicine. practices and hospitals redesign
RJ: Qi and prana, its sister from India, and all of the other invis- their service lines, teaching the
ible forces that are referred to by ancient cultures and spiritual public and professionals qigong
traditions, are going to have a transformative effect on our cul- and t’ai chi, and lecturing quite a
ture. Science figured out nearly 100 years ago that the Newtonian bit on these areas of health care.
model of mechanics for physics including the physics of our-
selves, was not the fundamental model. RM: Did you have any interac- Xin (heartmind). Calligraphy
by Jianye Jiang.
Our fax machines, telephones, and televisions are all based on tion with allopathic physicians
the new quantum worldview. All of society and medicine will during this time?
catch up with this eventually. Complementary medicine, includ- RJ: Yes. I have always been
ing Chinese medicine, qigong, and t’ai chi are having a radical involved in integrative medicine. I have always sustained peer-
effect on health care right now. based relationships with the best M.D. physicians in my commu-
It is imminent that science and culture will be transformed by nity. As a consultant to hospitals, insurance companies,
all this. Why? Because a science of medicine, or even of eco- corporations, and communities over a 15-year period, I have
nomics, that is based on a view of the world and its function that always gotten to know the best, brightest, most complementary
has been evolved and updated to a new framework, will have to thinking physicians.
evolve. My focus has been to assist these organizations and institutions
Our medicine and our culture are, without question, due to in creating clinical and wellness programs based on the fact that
evolve to embrace the reality of quantum interactions, connectiv- the “first party” is intelligent and capable and that the “first
ity, probability, and the relativity of what we call time. Interest- resort” is to maximize the naturally occurring self-healing capaci-
ingly, the people who have been evolving qigong and t’ai chi ty.
didn’t just come to understand this 100 years ago. The Chinese Frequently, but not always, these new programs include t’ai
system has been based on this kind of framework for 3000 or chi and qigong. Health Action has another program, The Circle
even 5000 years. Quigong is literally a personal practice of align- of Life, which is a powerful, low-cost, group-based component in
ing with our deepest nature that has been refined and enhanced the design of integrative and complementary programs. Physi-
for millennia. cians love these programs because they provide a low-cost way
to provide what the public perceives as holistic or natural healing
RM: Tell us about your clinical practice. to complement medical treatment.
RJ: I have practiced Chinese medicine clinically for 25 years.
My practice in Santa Barbara, California—the Health Action Clin- RM: It sounds like the need for qigong and t’ai chi teachers
ic—has included three massage therapists, a physical therapist, will continue to expand. Does the Institute of Integral Qigong
two acupuncturists, and an occupational therapist who facilitated and t’ai chi train instructors as well as training members of the
support groups and conducted educational classes. We devel- public?
oped a very comprehensive, holistic model that I now help other RJ: The Institute of Integral Qigong and Tai Chi has three key
clinics and hospitals to implement. objectives: teach and inspire the public through learning materi-
To some extent, I modeled this practice after the Beechwold als, workshops/retreats, and the Internet; train and certify
Clinic in Columbus, Ohio, which was started in 1942 by a instructors; and contribute to research by helping to design and
182 ALTERNATIVE & COMPLEMENTARY THERAPIES—AUGUST 2003

implement studies. We have created an education and research this kind of discussion and have a realization about the simple
nonprofit, The Healer Within Foundation, to support these objec- and profound truth that a powerful medicine is produced within
tives. the human body with very little effort or expense, they become
Our 200-hour Integral Qigong and Tai Chi Instructor course is very excited and eager. Then, when they experience t’ai chi and
implemented as a month-long training retreat or as a series of 3- particularly some of the more simple and dynamic forms of
week-long intensive retreats. We have trained doctors, nurses, qigong, these people actually can feel their inner resources circu-
social workers, acupuncturists, massage therapists, psychothera- lating and are inspired to share with others. Good news spreads
pists, counselors, teachers, ministers, and program coordinators fast. This good news can really help our culture. Thanks for help-
from all kinds of social service agencies. We have had trainees ing to inform people about qigong and t’ai chi. ■
from Europe, Canada, Central and South America, and Asia.
Also, it is very common for people from other fields who want
new careers in the exciting new arena of complementary References
medicine to quit their former jobs, train to be instructors, and 1. DHHS 2000, Department of Health and Human Services. Healthy Peo-
ple 2000: National Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Objectives.
return to their communities and create whole new lives and Washington, DC, Pub.# 91-50213, 1991. Online document at:
careers for themselves. It is a marvel really. We do some sort of odphp.osophs.dhhs.gov/pubs/HP2000/midcrs1.htm [online version
training almost every month throughout the year. We usually do includes 1995 midcourse revisions].
the instructor trainings and the workshops for the public in beau- 2. DHHS 2010, Department of Health and Human Services. Healthy Peo-
tiful, natural settings with really healthy food. It is life-transform- ple 2010: Understanding and Improving Health. Washington, DC, Pub.#
No. 017-001-00550-9, 1/2000. Online document at: www.healthy
ing for the participants. I love this work; it is so inspiring. people.gov/Document/tableofcontents.htm#under
3. Fries JF, Koop CE, Beadle CE, et al. Reducing health costs by reducing
RM: So, would you recommend that every person, well or the need and demand for medical services. N Engl J Med 1993;329:321–325.
unwell, do t’ai chi or qigong on a regular basis? 4. Ornish DL, et al Effects of stress management training and dietary
RJ: I know it seems rather simplistic, but yes, absolutely! changes in treating ischemic heart disease. JAMA 1983;249:54–59.
5. The Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) Research Group. The Diabetes
Unless a person already has both a meditation and exercise prac- Prevention Program (DPP): Description of lifestyle intervention. Diabetes
tice, qigong or t’ai chi are perfect—easy to learn; low-cost; effec- Care 2002;25:2165–2171
tive; and engage body, mind and spirit. These dynamic 6. Knowler WC, Barrett-Connor E, Fowler SE, Hamman RF, Lachin JM,
meditation methods are showing up everywhere—schools, Walker EA, Nathan DM. Reduction in the incidence of type 2 diabetes with
churches, corporations, community-service agencies—and even lifestyle intervention or metformin. N Engl J Med 2002;346:393–403.
7. Wu G. Evaluation of the effectiveness of t’ai chi for improving balance
prisons. and preventing falls in the older population—a review. J Am Geriatr Soc
2002;50:746–754.
RM: In prisons? 8. Spiegel, DJ Bloom JR, et al. Effect of psychosocial treatment on survival
RJ: Yes. I was invited to present at Folsom Prison, a maximum- of patients with metastatic breast cancer. Lancet: 1989;ii:888–891.
security facility, basically full of what we call criminals—bad 9. Online document at: nccam.nih.gov/about/appropriations/index.htm
10. Spencer J. Giving up on perfect: Boomers embrace qigong. Wall Street
people. They are doing qigong and t’ai chi there! Journal, May 3, 2003.
11. Anonymous. The perfect exercise. TIME, August 5, 2002.
RM: Your optimism about the complementary and integra-
tive medicine and the benefits of qigong and t’ai chi is exciting.
Thank you for taking the time to talk with us today. Any final To order reprints of this article, write to or call: Karen Ballen, ALTERNA-
thoughts to share with us? TIVE & COMPLEMENTARY THERAPIES, Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., 2
RJ: Thank you for your interest. When people are exposed to Madison Avenue, Larchmont, NY 10538-1961, (914) 834-3100.