Psychological effects of Yi Ren Medical Qigong and progressive resistance training in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus: a randomized controlled pilot study.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies suggest that qigong therapy has physiological benefits for adults with type 2 diabetes; however, information about the psychological benefits of qigong therapy in this population is limited. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this research project was to identify psychological responses to qigong vs control interventions in adults with type 2 diabetes. DESIGN: The research team designed a randomized, controlled, three-arm clinical trial comparing 12 weeks of Yi Ren Medical Qigong (YRMQ), progressive resistance training (PRT), and standard care. SETTING: The study was performed at Bastyr University Research Institute, Kenmore, Washington. PARTICIPANTS: Participants were 13 men and 19 women (N=32) with diagnosed type 2 diabetes, a mean age of 56.3 ± 8.1 (standard deviation) years, glycated hemoglobin > 7.5%, and fasting blood glucose > 7 mmol/dL (126 mg/dL). INTERVENTION: For 12 weeks, participants in the YRMQ and PRT group attended a 1-hour weekly group session that a certified instructor led and were instructed to practice at least twice a week for 30 minutes. PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURES: The research team used the Perceived Stress Scale and the Beck Depression Inventory scores to analyze the data. RESULTS: YRMQ decreased perceived-stress scores by 29.3% (P < .05) and depression scores by 14.3% (not significant [NS]). The active control group, PRT, also decreased stress scores by 18.6% (NS) and decreased depression scores by 50% (P < .03). Stress and depression measures remained unchanged in the standard care group. CONCLUSION: YRMQ and PRT may be beneficial in reducing perceived stress and improving depression in patients with type 2 diabetes, although verification of the clinical significance of these findings requires a longer study with a larger sample size.

Qigong Exercises for the Management of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.

Background: The purpose of this article is to clarify and define medical qigong and to identify an appropriate study design and methodology for a large-scale study looking at the effects of qigong in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), specifically subject enrollment criteria, selection of the control group and study duration. Methods: A comprehensive literature review of English databases was used to locate articles from 1980-May 2017 involving qigong and T2DM. Control groups, subject criteria and the results of major diabetic markers were reviewed and compared within each study. Definitions of qigong and its differentiation from physical exercise were also considered. Results: After a thorough review, it was found that qigong shows positive effects on T2DM; however, there were inconsistencies in control groups, research subjects and diabetic markers analyzed. It was also discovered that there is a large variation in styles and definitions of qigong. Conclusions: Qigong exercise has shown promising results in clinical experience and in randomized, controlled pilot studies for affecting aspects of T2DM including blood glucose, triglycerides, total cholesterol, weight, BMI and insulin resistance. Due to the inconsistencies in study design and methods and the lack of large-scale studies, further well-designed randomized control trials (RCT) are needed to evaluate the 'vital energy' or qi aspect of internal medical qigong in people who have been diagnosed with T2DM.