regaining your breath/energy after the form.

[system]

A Scientific Explanation of Qi?

Goktimus,

As a qualified biochemist I must agree with Abandit. The basic explanation of regaining one’s breath after physical exertion is generally due to the following:

1. You perform a form or short but intense acivity (e.g. run 100 m). Your body mobilises blood glucose.

2. As you perform the activity at hand, your blood glucose level drops.

3. When you finish, your body realises that the blood glucose level is far too low to be considered safe. To raise the blood glucose level to what it should be in the resting state, the body must mobilise and hydrolyze fat. To do so, a lot of oxygen is required and this is why you breath heavily after doing sets or sprinting etc. Now you can suggest a way to minimise this. (P.S. It doesn’t burn much fat - just enough to get you back to 5 mmol Glucose).

In regards to your hypothesis (it is NOT a “scientific” explanation), you may wish to consider a few points. The following conclusions I could draw from your explanation:

1. Mitochondria and ATP are the source of Qi, hence the Tan Tien is actually my liver (has 20% of bodies mitochondria and major source of metabolism). Red muscle contains alot also, hence my arse (glutus maximus) could theoretically generate a sunbstantial Qi field. Not something that I would use in a fight…

2. Young athletes are Qi masters and old Qi masters have the metabolic power of young athletes.

3. Qi is a directly measurable phenomena.

4. I could increase my Qi by ATP injection.

5. Etc

Anyway, please consider the following before labelling something scientific:

1. What aspect of Qi are you explaining. Healing, longevitity. Your explanation merely translates Qi as being Chinese for “energy” - It does not explain what Qi is. Define your hypothesis properly.

2. Consider the full implications of western science (structure, conclusions, is there any correlation? etc). Don’t simply graft 1st year university biology with a general concept of Qi.

3. Review all details. Did you know that a cell can manufacture more mitochondria to cope with increases in exercise? These same organelles disappear as soon as the regular activity ceases. You even allude to genetic considerations in one message - what has this to do with metabolism?

4. Be polite - ancient Chinese texts were not “crude”. On the contrary, the ancient Chinese show great intelligence - Their thinking is highly original and imaginative (insightful, not prone to fabrication). Remember, we all stand on the shoulders of those that came before us.

I think that if you were to do all of this, you’d probably have more text than anyone in this forum could read (I’ve already gone on for way too long).

Have a look at one of Dr Yang Jwing Ming’s books on Qi theory and he lists a few areas where western science cannot offer theories for Qi. It’s a good place to start.

Sorry to everyone else for the lengthy post.

[system]

A Scientific Explanation of Qi?

Goktimus,

As a qualified biochemist I must agree with Abandit. The basic explanation of regaining one’s breath after physical exertion is generally due to the following:

1. You perform a form or short but intense acivity (e.g. run 100 m). Your body mobilises blood glucose.

2. As you perform the activity at hand, your blood glucose level drops.

3. When you finish, your body realises that the blood glucose level is far too low to be considered safe. To raise the blood glucose level to what it should be in the resting state, the body must mobilise and hydrolyze fat. To do so, a lot of oxygen is required and this is why you breath heavily after doing sets or sprinting etc. Now you can suggest a way to minimise this. (P.S. It doesn’t burn much fat - just enough to get you back to 5 mmol Glucose).

In regards to your hypothesis (it is NOT a “scientific” explanation), you may wish to consider a few points. The following conclusions I could draw from your explanation:

1. Mitochondria and ATP are the source of Qi, hence the Tan Tien is actually my liver (has 20% of bodies mitochondria and major source of metabolism). Red muscle contains alot also, hence my arse (glutus maximus) could theoretically generate a sunbstantial Qi field. Not something that I would use in a fight…

2. Young athletes are Qi masters and old Qi masters have the metabolic power of young athletes.

3. Qi is a directly measurable phenomena.

4. I could increase my Qi by ATP injection.

5. Etc

Anyway, please consider the following before labelling something scientific:

1. What aspect of Qi are you explaining. Healing, longevitity. Your explanation merely translates Qi as being Chinese for “energy” - It does not explain what Qi is. Define your hypothesis properly.

2. Consider the full implications of western science (structure, conclusions, is there any correlation? etc). Don’t simply graft 1st year university biology with a general concept of Qi.

3. Review all details. Did you know that a cell can manufacture more mitochondria to cope with increases in exercise? These same organelles disappear as soon as the regular activity ceases. You even allude to genetic considerations in one message - what has this to do with metabolism?

4. Be polite - ancient Chinese texts were not “crude”. On the contrary, the ancient Chinese show great intelligence - Their thinking is highly original and imaginative (insightful, not prone to fabrication). Remember, we all stand on the shoulders of those that came before us.

I think that if you were to do all of this, you’d probably have more text than anyone in this forum could read (I’ve already gone on for way too long).

Have a look at one of Dr Yang Jwing Ming’s books on Qi theory and he lists a few areas where western science cannot offer theories for Qi. It’s a good place to start.

Sorry to everyone else for the lengthy post.

Cheers.

[system]

Notions of Qi

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size=“-1”>quote:</font><HR>In regards to your hypothesis (it is NOT a “scientific” explanation), [/quote]

I used the word “scientific” to separate it from the more traditional views of Qigong. Yes, I know I used the term very loosely, but that’s why I put it in “inverted commas.” Sorry if it came across as anything more than that.

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size=“-1”>quote:</font><HR>1. Mitochondria and ATP are the source of Qi, hence the Tan Tien is actually my liver (has 20% of bodies mitochondria and major source of metabolism). Red muscle contains alot also, hence my arse (glutus maximus) could theoretically generate a sunbstantial Qi field. Not something that I would use in a fight…[/quote]

I’m personally not convinced about the general notion of “Qi generation.” IMHO, Qigong is a way to control one’s metabolism through mitochondrian manipulation.

>2. Young athletes are Qi masters and old Qi masters have the metabolic power of young athletes.

Well, the human body does tend to wear out in old age. As far as physical vitality is concerned, a younger body is superior. Now, that’s NOT saying that a young fighter is necessarily better than an older one. There are many other determining factors to consider other than just sheer physical stamina. Skill and experience is one of them. And the practise of Qigong certainly does tend to lead to extremely good health in later life.

I have seen documentary footage of an 80 year old Shaolin monk do a somersault. Now, for a person MY age, that’s not a big deal. But I would love to be able to do that when I’m 80!! In Australia, you’re lucky if you can see senior citizens jogging down a street – but more often than not, they’re hobbling /w canes and walking frames and driving really slowly on roads.

So I’m be NO means undervaluing older masters. After all, even if you’re the most physically fit olympic athletes in the world, tend to be trained by older, seemingly less fit coaches. So who is the superior athlete?

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size=“-1”>quote:</font><HR>1. What aspect of Qi are you explaining. Healing, longevitity. Your explanation merely translates Qi as being Chinese for “energy” - It does not explain what Qi is. Define your hypothesis properly.[/quote]

I was (trying to) explaining what I see as being the fundamental nature of Qigong. Which promotes better fitness, which then leads onto enhanced healing and longevity.

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size=“-1”>quote:</font><HR>You even allude to genetic considerations in one message - what has this to do with metabolism?[/quote]

I was speculating that perhaps data from the genome project may give us a better understanding of how respiration and circulation functions.

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size=“-1”>quote:</font><HR>4. Be polite - ancient Chinese texts were not “crude”. On the contrary, the ancient Chinese show great intelligence - Their thinking is highly original and imaginative (insightful, not prone to fabrication). Remember, we all stand on the shoulders of those that came before us.[/quote]

I was saying that it’s only relatively “crude” by modern standards, but considering the time that Qigong texts were written, I think they’re BRILLIANT! Centuries before the Dutch invented the microscope, the Chinese were able to gain a basic understanding of energy production and circulation. It was described in a very poetic way of course, but if you read ancient Chinese literature, you’ll realise that the Chinese described EVERYTHING in a poetic fashion.

It’s similar to how many early astronomers thought that the Sun and Moon revolved around the Earth. By today’s standards, it’s an inaccurate description, but still, ancient peoples understood that the heavenly bodies did move and that it affected weather here on Earth (thus were able to time agricultural planting and harvesting seasons).

Uuuh, am I still making sense here?

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size=“-1”>quote:</font><HR>Have a look at one of Dr Yang Jwing Ming’s books on Qi theory and he lists a few areas where western science cannot offer theories for Qi. It’s a good place to start. [/quote]

What’s the name of the book? I’ll look up his name next time I’m at the library.

“Wit is educated insolence.” - Aristotle (284-322 BC)

[system]

Food for thought

Goktimus,

I think it could be a lengthy and dry discussion to relate Qigong and metabolism.

I cannot relate the two. What I believe is that the topic is very complex. What I did try to point out, is that your explanation has too many exceptions and simplifies both aspects (Qi and Metabolism). I offer as food for thought:

1. Certain individuals (usually male, good apetites, never put on weight, scrawny as) have something like ATP shunting. What you might refer to as efficient metabolism. How is this explained in terms of Qi.

2. What is the role of hormones?

3. How are the control of systemic functions influenced by metabolism?

4. Qi is about life. Do other forces, such as those that hold an atom together have a place in relating Qi to scientific knowledge.

These I don’t expect you to answer, but please do look at a broader picture.

BTW, to give the anology of early astromomers is misleading. I wouldn’t compare observing the seasons to describe the Chinese who developed the theory of Qi. I would say it was more akin to Galileo percieving the concept of friction (before him nobody could have imagined the posibility). It had nothing to do microscopes or technology - Science is not technology or a physical sophistication, it’s a way of thinking.

Cheers,

[system]

great stuff guys

in “chinese medicine: the web that has no weaver” by Ted J. Kaptchuk, he describes Qi as energy that follows the body fluids ( blood, lymph, sperm etc) and the breath…sort of a “life force” that goes along with the physical substance, and is at the same time something more.(apologies to Ted, i’m writing from memory and may have stuffed it up a bit)
from this viewpoint it’s my opinion that a lot of the physiological happenings described above may occur “with” qi, but still not really explain what it is.
agree with above, a different paradigm of thought is not necessarily wrong just because it isn’t scientific.

also, Goktimus from my experience (limited i’ll admit) there’s a lot of value in the general/traditional notion of Qi. practise it more with an open mind…you may be very surprised.( not bagging you…a genuine suggestion)

[system]

Goktimus,

I think the title of the book was “Qigong for health and martial arts”. There the site for Dr Yang’s books:
Dr Yang’s Martial Arts Association

Tigerfork,

No beef with thought paragidm that chooses not to be scientific. Anything labelled as scientific should be open to question though.

[system]

Chi Power

I’ve seen amazing things with Chi. When I was in Tibet last year, the monks could still crush stones with their bare hands.

However, much of this art is sadly lost as people like “Ego” are less open to Eastern ideas.

Monks that we call masters today would be considered as young apprantice in the times of old. That was the extent of the power possessed by the ancient monks who had thousands of generations to develop their art.

Even now, the Shaolin Temple in Northern Tibet where my father grew up is mostly deserted. Most of the monks have left for the city to do office work - it pays better. After all, it takes 3 years to get a degree from university but a life time of dedicated training to become a master in Chi Kung.

However, there are still a hand fullof devoted practitioners at the temple. They have no choice but to find new ways of raising money - as the Chinese government don’t give us much support at all.

A few young musicians have formed a rock band - “Chi Power” that mixes traditional chinese instruments with techno. The aim is to raise money for the up keep and restoration of the temple. Even then, their good deeds are met with critism from some of the old masters (whome the musicians are trying to help).

I have meditated on this and it is my believe that the old must adopt some of the ways of the young. But the young should resperct the knowledge of the old. That achieved, we will be in harmony. But sadly, we are a long way off from the ideal.

I am donating a large portion of my income from the Chi Realingment Clinic in New Orleans to this cause. In time I hope to set a Franchise where great masters of Kung Fu and Medicine can practice under the banner of Dr. Fu Manchu.

Do you share my vision?