ART OF QI
By Dr AMIR FARID ISAHAK

IN my previous article, I stressed the importance of losing weight (or maintaining normal weight), exercise, nutrient-dense diet, and the need for supplements in the holistic strategy against diabetes. You will need the whole range of nutrients to empower your body to protect and heal itself from the ravages of diabetes. 

There are two special nutrients that I have found to have remarkable benefits in helping diabetics on a nutritional therapy programme. These are silica hydride (the most powerful general antioxidant) and mahogany fruit extract.  

The silica hydride mops up all classes of excess free radicals that are present in abundance in diabetics, while the mahogany fruit’s special phyto-nutrients help open up the clogged small blood vessels (microcirculation). 

But how much can all these measures help? Can they ever be healthy again without having to rely on drugs? Or can they at least reduce their dependence on drugs? Can qigong also help if combined with the other holistic steps? 

Diet and exercise 

There is continued reluctance on the part of mainstream medicine to admit that type 2 diabetes is curable. Although individual doctors and other health professionals have had varying degrees of success in curing diabetes, the absence of valid scientific studies in reputable journals makes such a claim difficult in the age of evidence-based medicine.  

It is unfortunate but surprising that all the large studies are on how well the drugs can control diabetes, but none on how to cure diabetes. Knowing that diabetes is a pandemic that will damage the health and livelihood of hundreds of millions of people in many countries, there is an obvious urgency to prevent those at risk from ever getting it, and to cure those already afflicted by it, instead of accepting and surrendering to the mistaken belief that diabetes is incurable and therefore all diabetics must be on drugs for life. 

Fortunately, studies on curing diabetes have started, although on a small scale, giving breakthrough results that I and many others have known all the time – that type 2 diabetes can be cured (though not all cases). 

Exactly one year ago, the Journal of Applied Physiology (Dec 15, 2005) published by the American Physiological Society, reported that 50% of patients with type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome were cured after only three weeks on a diet and exercise programme.  

A study by the University of Illinois found that healthy seniors who practised qigong and tai chi three times a week experienced significant physical benefits after only two months.

The team studied 31 overweight and obese men (ages 46-76) with diabetes or metabolic syndrome (the metabolic syndrome is a precursor to diabetes and a host of other diseases). The diet restricted certain types of fats and sugar drastically, and was heavily plant-based, although meat was allowed.  

The diet included fruit salads, oatmeal, brown rice and vegetable-rich meat casseroles. This diet, rich in high-fibre whole grains, vegetables and fruits, has been previously shown to decrease blood pressure and oxidative stress, and increase levels of nitric oxide, which in turn improves heart health and blood circulation (reported in the journal Circulation, Vol. 106, pp.2530-2532). The patients also did 45 to 60 minutes of moderate exercise a day (walking on a treadmill). 

“The study shows, contrary to common belief, that type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome can be reversed solely through lifestyle changes, ? at least 50% are no longer clinically defined as diabetic after three weeks, which suggests this disease is reversible,” said lead author Christian Roberts of the University of California, Los Angeles, US. 

Apart from improved glucose levels, their serum also had fewer free radicals and more nitric oxide. These two factors affect how efficient a blood vessel is in widening and clearing clot formation. These factors are known risk factors in heart disease and diabetes. Diabetics are at very high risk of heart disease, and almost all the organ damage of chronic diabetes is due to poor micro-circulation and free radical damage. 

“If you increase production of nitric oxide, or decrease the production of free radicals, the artery will be able to open up more readily and that will increase the delivery of blood flow,” Roberts explained. 

“The results are all the more interesting because the changes occurred in the absence of major weight loss, challenging the commonly held belief that individuals must normalise their weight before achieving health benefits,” Roberts said. Although most of the patients did lose 3 to 6kg, they were still overweight or obese after the three-week study. 

Even then, his conclusion was rejected by others. The disagreement centred on the use of the word “reversible”. For example, a spokesperson for Diabetes UK responded that diabetes could not be cured or reversed: “Through dietary advice and physical activity, weight loss can be promoted. The person then may be able to control his or her blood glucose level by diet alone. This means that there is no longer a need for medication.” 

“The person still has diabetes however. They have just changed their way of controlling the condition. If they were to regain weight or eat an unbalanced diet, then there would be a new need for medication.” 

In my opinion, that statement is redundant. Anyone who has recovered from any “chronic lifestyle disease” through a change in lifestyle will be at risk of becoming re-afflicted if he returns to his old ways. 

Most doctors, and therefore their patients, believe that diet and lifestyle changes can, at best, only reduce the risk of complications developing, but not totally reverse or cure the disease. What is more surprising is that such an improvement could take place in just three weeks rather than months or years, as most would have expected.  

Imagine if the study had continued for much longer, and the healthy diet and exercise becomes the everyday lifestyle of the patients. We can certainly expect even better results. 

Whatever the controversy, the fact is it is possible for some type 2 diabetics to go off drugs with a diet and exercise programme. (For the full on-line report, please go to http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=35973.) 

There are many natural/nutritional therapists who are successfully treating their diabetic patients, with some of these patients being cured (or have their diabetes “reversed”). However, since they do not have the funds to conduct formal studies, their success is not generally known. Medical studies are very expensive, and only large pharmaceutical companies and universities or research centres have the funds to do them. 

I must advise that whatever therapy you choose, you must still be monitored by a medical doctor, to ascertain that whatever improvements you achieve are real. If the nutritional therapist himself is a medical doctor, then it is better. 

Can qigong fight diabetes? 

I have made many claims that qigong can prevent many diseases, but then these claims are mainly based on personal knowledge, with little back-up in terms of valid scientific studies. So it is with delight that I report a recent study from my own alma mater, the University of Queensland in Australia, that showed that by practising qigong and tai chi, participants significantly improved several indicators of the metabolic syndrome, including HbA1c, blood pressure, bodyweight and waist circumference.  

Since the metabolic syndrome is a precursor of diabetes and other chronic diseases, it is reasonable to say that practising qigong and tai chi can help prevent these diseases. I hope that in future, studies on those already with diabetes will be done. 

The pilot study, called the Diabetes Queensland Qigong Program, involved only 11 people for three months, and will hopefully be followed by a larger study. The participants reported many health benefits from the programme, including increased flexibility, more energy, and better sleeping patterns.  

Most impressive was the significant reduction in waist circumference/central obesity, which is recognised as a very important risk factor for developing diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.  

Researcher and qigong practitioner Liu Xin said that the spiral movements of the special qigong exercises could stimulate the muscles more than conventional exercises, leading to greater uptake and utilisation of glucose.  

The Slimming Dragon Qigong (see www.superqigong.com) is very similar to the exercises they did. Those of you with big bellies, metabolic syndrome, and overt diabetes can certainly benefit from it.  

In the Amazing Qigong Walk, diabetics walk with their fingers towards the ground, as this will stimulate the meridians that govern the body’s metabolism to lower the blood sugar. Doing the Amazing Qigong Walk at a faster pace can also burn calories, and reduce weight and waistlines drastically, as some of my students have found. The benefits are far more than can be expected from brisk-walking. 

Although not specific to diabetes, another study by the University of Illinois, US (presented recently at the North American Research Conference on Complementary & Integrative Medicine) found that healthy seniors who practised qigong and tai chi three times a week experienced significant physical benefits after only two months. The participants demonstrated noticeable improvements in balance, lower body strength and stance width.  

So indeed qigong can be a valuable tool in the overall fight against diabetes, and most other diseases as well. Combined with weight control, regular exercises, a nutrient-dense diet and appropriate supplements, diabetics can look forward to better control of their disease with less or no drugs, and less or no long-term complications.  

It is time that there is a paradigm shift in the thinking of health policy-makers, doctors and other health practitioners in our fight against diabetes. If we continue to fail to contain the problem as we have so far, our country as a whole will suffer the consequences.  

• Dr Amir Farid Isahak is a medical specialist who practises holistic medicine and has been teaching qi gong for more than 10 years. He is the former president of the Guolin Qi Gong Association, Malaysia. You can e-mail him at starhealth@thestar.com.my. The views expressed are those of the writer and readers are advised to always consult expert advice before undertaking any changes to their lifestyles. The Star does not give any warranty on accuracy, completeness, functionality, usefulness or other assurances as to the content appearing in this column. The Star disclaims all responsibility for any losses, damage to property or personal injury suffered directly or indirectly from reliance on such information.