Benefits of Qigong as an integrative and complementary practice for health: a systematic reviewNurses are using various forms of complementary medicine for patients in western health care systems.
The purpose of this article was to review and analyze the literature for the integrative and complementary practice of Qigong with regard to the benefits to the health of adults.
This literature review is an interesting overview of 28 studies ranging from cancer to low back pain and tinnitus. The 28 articles span the years of 2008-2018 and include: cancer; fibromyalgia; Parkinson's disease; Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease; Burnout; stress; social isolation; chronic low back pain; cervical pain; buzz (tinnitus); osteoarthritis; fatigue; depression; and cardiovascular diseases.
It is interesting to note that the researchers included physicians, physical and occupational therapists, a pharmacist, and nurses. The research locations included studies from all over the world. This reinforces the need to strengthen the use of integrative and complementary practices, such as the Qigong, in health care with a view to ensuring comprehensiveness and to improving the health care assistance offered to adults and elderly individuals.
Benefits of Qigong as an integrative and complementary practice for health: a systematic reviewBruna Francielle Toneti, Rafael Fernando Mendes Barbosa, Leandro Yukio Mano, Luana Okino Sawada, Igor Goulart de Oliveira, Namie Okino SawadaRev Lat Am Enfermagem. 2020;28:e3317.doi: 10.1590/1518-8345.3718.3317.Epub 2020 Jul 15. PMID: 32696918 PMCID: PMC7365612 DOI: 10.1590/1518-8345.3718.3317
Objective: to analyze, in the literature, evidence about the benefits of the integrative and complementary practice of Qigong with regard to the health of adults and the elderly.
Method: a systematic review by searching for studies in the PubMed, CINAHL, LILACS, EMBASE and Cochrane Library databases. Randomized and non-randomized clinical trials were included; in Portuguese, English and Spanish; from 2008 to 2018. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses strategy was adopted, as well as the recommendation of the Cochrane Collaboration for assessing the risk of bias in the clinical trials analyzed.
Results: 28 studies were selected that indicated the benefit of the practice to the target audience, which can be used for numerous health conditions, such as: cancer; fibromyalgia; Parkinson's disease; Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease; Burnout; stress; social isolation; chronic low back pain; cervical pain; buzz (tininitis); osteoarthritis; fatigue; depression; and cardiovascular diseases. However, there was a great risk of bias in terms of the blinding of the research studies.
Conclusion: the practice of Qigong produces positive results on health, mainly in the medium and long term. This study contributes to the advancement in the use of integrative and complementary practices in nursing, since it brings together the scientific production in the area from the best research results available.
Full article at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7365612/ Includes a nice list of the articles reviewed.
