There is little controversy concerning the benefit of qigong when the definition of qigong is limited to a series of physical movements and a set of relaxation exercises. Conflict has arisen when the claims made by proponents of qigong border on the supernatural.[SUP]
[7][/SUP][SUP]
[75][/SUP]
Some researchers have labeled the subject matter of qigong as a
pseudoscience.[SUP]
[76][/SUP] In addition, some claim that the origin and nature of qigong practice has led to misconceptions and misuses,[SUP]
[77][/SUP] including psychiatric problems[SUP]
[16][/SUP] and the formation of
cults[SUP]
[7][/SUP]
Skepticism towards qigong is also applied to the field of
Traditional Chinese medicine, and extended to the broader subject of
alternative medicine. The basic problem is that the information available from those fields does not fit scientific acceptability or medical interpretation. [SUP]
[76][/SUP][SUP]
[77][/SUP][SUP]
[78][/SUP][SUP]
[79][/SUP] [SUP]
[80][/SUP] [SUP]
[81][/SUP] Skeptics contend that most of the benefits derived from Alternative medicine are, at best, derived from a
placebo effect.[SUP]
[82][/SUP] [SUP]
[83][/SUP]
The main arguments from the view of skeptics against the correlation between qigong practices and health-related results are:
- The existence of qi, or any form of vitalism, has not been independently verified in a experimental setting. Such a concept is not recognized in the biological sciences.[SUP][84][/SUP]
- Demonstrations in martial arts such as breaking hard objects with strikes can be fully explained using physics, without reference to the concept of qi.[SUP][85][/SUP][SUP][86][/SUP]
- Reported claims of supernatural abilities appear to be tricks more suited to magic shows than to any genuine scientific discipline.[SUP][7][/SUP][SUP][87][/SUP][SUP][88][/SUP][SUP][89][/SUP][SUP][90][/SUP][SUP][91][/SUP]
- Personal benefits for some qigong masters might have provided them with an incentive to exaggerate their claims [SUP][7][/SUP]