Prof. Ernst and colleagues reviewed the evidence and found it insufficient.

First, the details.

• 9 studies were included in the review.
• 3 randomized controlled studies compared qigong + usual care (including drug therapy) vs usual care alone.
  • A randomized controlled study randomly (by chance alone) assigns participants to receive one of several treatments. It’s the standard way to test drugs.

And, the results.

• The quality of the randomized controlled studies was poor.
• The results suggested favorable effects of qigong on A1c, 2-hour blood glucose levels, insulin sensitivity, and blood viscosity.
• 1 study that compared qigong to no treatment failed to show favorable effects of qigong on fasting blood glucose, 2-hour blood glucose levels, A1c, and insulin sensitivity.
• Observational studies reported beneficial effects of qigong on fasting blood glucose, 2-hour blood glucose levels.

The bottom line?
The authors concluded the following about qigong for type 2 diabetes.

• There are few rigorous studies of qigong for type 2 diabetes.
• Studies that are available are of low quality.
• Collectively the evidence is insufficient to suggest that qigong is an effective treatment for type 2 diabetes.

The bottom line is that it’s not worth the time to conduct a poorly designed study. Ultimately, it’s results will be discounted.

7/30/09 21:33 JR