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Daoyin Qigong: For the Prevention of Diabetes

Diabetes is amongst the top 10 major killer diseases in the west, and this set is for anyone who wishes to prevent its onset.

These exercises are based on the Traditional Chinese Medical (TCM) perspective of the causes and treatment of diabetes, which differs from the Western perspective:

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Chinese Perspective on Diabetes:

The main symptoms are excessive thirst, over-eating (excessive hunger), and excessive urination – sometimes accompanied by weight loss and disorders of the urine which can be sweet or fatty.

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The disease falls into 3 categories:

Higher, middle, and lower diabetes - referring to various areas of the body.

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Higher (Shang Xiao): Great & excessive thirst due to excess heat in the Lungs which damage the body’s organic liquids. Therefore need to reduce Heat/Fire in the Lungs.

Middle (Zhong Xiao): Excessive hunger due to excess heat in the Stomach causing digestion to be too rapid. Therefore need to reduce Fire in the Stomach.

Lower (Xia Xiao): The principal symptom is thirst accompanied by abundant urine (sweet or fatty). This is due to deficiency of Kidney Yin which has lost its function of ‘maintaining’ or stabilizing the urinary system. This causes the essence gained from food and liquids to be lost - in effect all the nutrients are washed through the body, which is why the urine is sweet or fatty. Therefore it is necessary to nourish the Yin of the Kidney and reinforce it. 

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The exercises have been found to have a positive effect on regulating the metabolism and cholesterol levels. It is possible that regular practise could lead to weight-loss.

However, anyone who is on medication for diabetes should always continue with their medication; this set of exercises is not a cure, and does not replace any medication.

To get the benefit, the set should be practised 3 times a day and 5 times a week. The pulse rate at the end of the exercise added to the age of the practitioner should not exceed 170 – (unless the practitioner is 90 years old).

If you are using the set simply for maintenance of good health, once a day is excellent, or at least not less than 4 or 5 times a week.  Less than that and the benefits are minimal.