To the mind steeped in Western science, the concept of Ki (also spelled chi or qi), of life energy, can seem archaic and even superstitious. Isn’t Ki just an Asian myth? Hasn’t it been disproved by Western science? Such questions are natural, and it is important that you know the facts about this ancient concept before proceeding…If you are skeptical, that is good. Open-minded skepticism is a sign of wisdom.
The concept of Ki includes the idea that all living beings contain a circulating life energy that flows through the body along meridians. From the viewpoint of traditional Asian medicine, disease and distress are largely the results of imbalances of positive and negative energies. Ki is the foundation of all traditional Asian medical practice. But is it real, or merely a metaphor appropriate only to Chinese, Japanese, and Korean folk medicine?
Some scientists are quick to dismiss Ki as a concept that does not fit into any accepted models of how the body or brain works. However, tightly controlled experiments have begun to demonstrate that Ki is a real force with real effects. A rigorous experiment carried out in 2001 and published in the American Journal of Chinese Medicine shows that Ki masters and Ki trainees can produce changes in human blood cells. Other experiments have demonstrated the fact that Ki energy can be measured. A growing body of evidence shows that Ki is a very real force.
-In Full Bloom by Ilchi Lee and Jessie Jones, PHD.
