Simple Chi Kung_ Exercises for Awakening the Life-Force Energy - Mantak Chia [19]
We have all been told that most people only use 5 to 10 percent of their brains. What this really implies is that the average person uses only 5 to 10 percent of his or her 15 billion brain cells. No wonder that so many people’s immune systems fail to respond appropriately to harmful stimuli. However, an EEG study done in 1996 showed that Chi Kung activates the other 90 percent of the human brain. It suffuses even the deepest layers of the cerebrum with stimulating bioelectric currents. These currents activate long-dormant function and cause measurable electrical excitation of the brain cells that previously showed no activity. So, in a sense, Chi Kung allows the practitioner to tap into more of his or her brain’s potential. Maybe this explains how Chi Kung masters can accomplish amazing feats or connect to an unimaginable source of universal information.
Numerous studies show that practicing Chi Kung increases the level of essential neurotransmitters in the blood, brain, and cerebrospinal fluid—particularly norepinephrine, acetycholine, serotonin, and dopamine. Deficiencies of these neurotransmitters are known to be associated with Parkinson’s Disease, Alzheimer’s, chronic depression, insomnia, and drug addiction, and may be responsible for countless other ailments.
IMMUNE RESPONSE
One of the primary factors in immunity is the activity of white blood cells. Chi Kung stimulates and enhances white blood cell production within the bone marrow, especially through the practices of Bone Breathing and Bone Marrow Nei Kung. (Chinese medicine has recognized the importance of bone marrow for thousands of years, whereas it was only discovered by Western medicine less than a century ago.) Chi Kung also increases phagocytic activity of these scavenger cells in the blood, increasing the power of the immune response.
Blood tests show that Chi Kung can also increase the production of T-cells in the thymus gland, another pillar of human immune response. Thirty minutes of Chi Kung shows an increase in red blood cell count, which enhances the bloodstream’s capacity to carry and deliver oxygen to the cells and improves immune response.
Chi Kung also inhibits secretion of the immunosuppressive hormones adrenaline and cortisol, which are released in response to stress, overexcitement, and hyperactivity. It further helps to keep the endocrine system in balance by regulating pituitary, adrenal, and other glandular secretions as well.
Psychoneuroimmunology
Psychoneuroimmunology is a relatively new term in Western medicine that describes how the mind/emotions and body work together. Psycho refers to our mental and emotional patterns and processes. Neuro refers to how these thoughts and emotions interact with the nervous system and release hormones and chemicals into the body. Immunology describes how the immune system is affected by this process. For example, two people who have just fallen in love have a dramatic boost in their immune systems, increasing immune markers like white blood cell count by 30 percent. On the other hand, a person with depression might experience a huge decline in immune function, and their immune markers might go down 20 to 40 percent.
The most celebrated exploration of psychoneuroimmunology came from Norman Cousins. After enduring the extreme discomfort and debilitating effects of a long medical battle against a crippling spinal disorder, Cousins suddenly decided to switch tactics. He literally laughed himself to a complete cure and full recovery by watching old Marx Brothers and Laurel and Hardy films. He also insisted on moving from the hospital room to a comfortable hotel room, thereby freeing his system from the immunosuppressive effects of the unhealthy energies—and notoriously unhealthy food—to which patients in large medical institutions are subjected. Before long, Western