Yang - Pain-free joints: 46 simple Qigong movements for arthritis healing and prevention

Until the exceptional journey of Marco Polo in the thirteenth century, Europeans viewed scientific, religious, medical, and philosophical ideas in a very limited manner, perceiving themselves as the worlds, if not the universes, center.

Marco Polo brought to Western consciousness but a tiny fraction of long-accumulated Chinese wisdom, including knowledge of the invention of gun powder, the printing press, rocketry, and, of course, the shocking revelation of a huge civilization already thousands of years old.

Had leaders of thirteenth-century Western thought been sufficiently open to new ideas, Marco Polo could have prepared us for a workable medical system based on the Chinese concept of primary energy, a subtle bioelectric force pervading our every cell, common to us all, and capable of preventing illness, healing when ill, and extending life and its quality.

While a great deal of Chinese wisdom was still locked up in the archives of special teachers (masters) under the seal of secrecy, we would nonetheless have learned much about healing from the vast array of material already available in the thirteenth century: acupuncture, herbology, massage, beneficial breathing techniques, and, most importantly, the many ways to manipulate and to increase the flow of this subtle energy force called qi (pronounced chee).

Apparently, Western consciousness is at last prepared to receive this grand Chinese legacy, because qigong (energy work) knowledge and training have proliferated in Western society in the last few decades. Western medicine has begun to accept, or at least explore, the existence of qi and its circulation in the body.

Yang, Jwing-Ming, PhD, is indeed a master when describing in numerous published volumes the extensive Chinese concept of qi, explaining not just well-known facets of the lore but also revealing long-hidden secret manuscripts previously unavailable to Western readers.

With the guidance of Dr. Yang, the reader will learn many simple exercises that condition the tissues and permit increased blood flow, and thus oxygen and other nourishment, to those parts of the body in need. More importantly, the reader is taught to lead the qi to direct the flow of this primary subtle energy. According to Dr. Yang, In order to use qigong to maintain and improve your health you must know that there is qi in your body, and you must understand how it circulates and what you can do to ensure that the circulation is smooth and strong. All this, and more, is presented in clear language that flows easily from a very patient teacher. Four thousand years of Chinese observation have resulted in many beneficial methods for preventing illness and achieving wellness, and none are more basic to the arthritic than those described in this book.

Perry A. Chapdelaine Sr. (19252015)

Author and past executive director, Arthritis Trust of America