Qigong, used to complement COVID-19 and cancer treatment, a mental ‘game-changer’

In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, reports emerged of a novel method for managing mild cases of the disease.

In field hospitals in Wuhan, patients were encouraged to practise Qigong — an ancient Chinese form of exercise incorporating focused breathing and gentle movement.

But while eyebrows may have been raised among some Westerners, Albert Yeung, an Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School with a major in epidemiology, said Qigong was a helpful recovery tool for a range of diseases.

“First, to put this in context, Qigong wasn’t the sole treatment for people with COVID-19,” Yeung said.