Impact of Yan Xin Qigong on promoting women's health: An evidence-based study on traditional medical care programs

Introduction: Studies have shown that traditional medicine is more likely to be accepted as a health promoting method among women. Yan Xin Qigong (YXQ) is a component of Traditional Chinese Medicine and wellness Qigong. In the 1990s of the last century, agencies of the Chinese government recommended YXQ to the public as a safe and effective Qigong method. It was introduced to North America in the early 1990s and has been gaining popularity among highly-educated individuals. Survey studies demonstrated that women practitioners received significant health benefits. The effects of YXQon treating diseases have been well documented in academic case reports and covered by mass media. Long-term clinical observations have shown that patients with chronic or severe medical conditions have received significant beneficial effects from YXQ. Over the past 20 plus years, more than one hundred papers about YXQ have been published in peer-reviewed journals, such as the International Journal of Biochemistry & Cell Biology, or academic conferences to explore the healing mechanism of YXQ.

Purpose: We investigate the effect of YXQ on promoting women's health at the population level using survey data collected in 2001. A longitudinal medical claims data in the North American is also studied to explore topics such as: (1) examining impact of practicing YXQ on improving women's health, and (2) examining the impact of YXQ on women's medical care utilization and expenditure.

Method: Two datasets are used in this study. One is a survey data collected in Canada, which includes self-reported information about 1,155 participants' health status, disease condition, YXQ practicing behavior, and socio-demographic characteristics. A special section of the survey is contributed to explore the impact of practicing YXQ on women's premenstrual syndrome. The other dataset is a 7-year longitudinal medical claims data provided by the Ministry of Health of British Columbia, Canada. The claims data collects 188 YXQ practitioners' medical claims history records between 1995 and 2002. We compare women's health status, life style, disease condition, medical care utilization and spending before and after practicing YXQ. Statistics models are used to identify the effect of YXQ.

Results: Among the sampled population, there is a significant improvement in women's health status, particularly in improving premenstrual syndrome after practicing YXQ. Women's average monthly medical care utilization and spending fall significantly after practicing YXQ. Health benefits of YXQ are positively associated with the length of learning time.

Conclusion: Findings are consistent with previous studies on YXQ.