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QI GONG Ancient Chinese art and science of breath, motion, sound and visualisation to cultivate Qi, the vital force throughout the body [see universal life force].

Translated Qi gong literally means to 'work on qi [chi], and involves the expelling of toxins by forceful breathing; a kind of ultimate physical and spiritual detox. It typically involves the coordination of sound with breath, movement, vibration, visualisation and intention to purify the major organs of the body.
Medical qi gong is often referred to as 'acupuncture with the needles', and qi going doctors allegedly possess remarkable abilities, such as the ability to heal from a distance by projecting intention on acupuncture points.

QUANTUM HEALING a variation of self-healing and mind/body medicine advanced by physician and writer Dr Deepak Chopra. Quantum healing draws its inspiration form the interconnectedness or wholeness of universe, mind and matter suggested by quantum theory.

Deepak Chopra, a respected New England endocrinologist, began his research for explanations when we saw patients in his own practice who had completely recovered after being given only a few months to live. In the mid 1980s he returned to his native India to explore Ayurvedic medicine and immediately began to see connections between Western medicine, neuroscientist, physics and Ayurvedic theory. He put forward the theory that the human body is controlled by a network of intelligence grounded in quantum reality, and that this intelligence can change basic physiological patterns and has the potential to defeat cancer, heart disease and even ageing itself.
According to Chopra, quantum healing is :

"An alleged process of peacemaking wherein one mode of consciousness - the mind - correct mistakes in another mode of consciousness - the body. Quantum healing is healing the body and the mind from a quantum level. That means from a level which is not manifest at the sensory level. Our bodies ultimately are fields of information, intelligence and energy. Quantum healing involves a shift in the fields of energy information, so as to bring about a correction in an idea that has gone wrong. So quantum healing involves healing one mode of consciousness, mind, to bring about changes in another mode of consciousness, body."

QUANTUM THEORY is the theoretical basis of modern physics that explains the nature and behaviour of matter and energy on the atomic and subatomic level and, by so doing, opens up the possibility of interconnection between mind and matter.

In 1900, physicist Max Planck presented his quantum theory to the German Physical Society. While attempting to discover why radiation from a glowing body changes colour as its temperature rises, he made the assumption that energy exists in individual units in the same way that matter does, rather than just as a constant electromagnetic wave [as had been formerly assumed], and was therefore quantifiable. The existence of these energy units became the first assumption of quantum theory. Planck called these individual units of energy 'quanta' and so began a completely new and fundamental understanding of the laws of nature.

Over the next thirty years or so a number of scientists made their own significant contributions to our modern understanding of quantum theory. In 1905, Albert Einstein suggested that not just energy but radiation itself was quantized in the same manner. In 1924, Louis de Broglie proposed that there was no fundamental difference in the makeup and behaviour of energy and matter; or the atomic and subatomic level either may behave as if made of either particles or waves. This theory became known as the principle of wave particle duality. In 1927, Werner Heisenberg proposed that precise, simultaneous measurement of two complementary values, such as the position and momentum of subatomic particle, is impossible. This theory became known as the uncertainty principle.

The two major interpretations of quantum theory's implications for the nature of reality are the 'Copenhagen interpretation' and the 'many worlds theory'. The Copenhagen interpretation of quantum theory suggests that a particle is whatever it is measured to be [for example, a wave or a particle], but that it cannot be assumed to have specific properties, or even to exist, until it is measured. The emphasis here is placed on the act of observation, which alters that which is being measured. The second interpretation of quantum theory is the many worlds theory. This holds that as soon as a potential exists for any object too be in any state, the universe of that object transmutates into a series of parallel universes equal to the number of possible states in which that object can exist, with each universe containing a unique single possible state of that object. Furthermore, there is a mechanism for interaction between these universes that somehow permits all states to be accessible in some way and for all possible states to be affected in some manner.

Quantum physics revolutionized scientific and philosophical thinking by challenging the fundamental Principe of cause preceding effect, and assigning as much importance to the observer as to his observations. It gave reasons to suppose that life is more than just a complex arrangement of physical matter brought about by chance and provides a more optimistic view of things. It opened up many possibilities by suggesting an interconnectedness or wholeness to the universe reminiscent of the teachings of many mystics. In itself it does not postulate the existence of soul or spirit, but it does provide a mechanism in which mind can affect matter, as is the case with ESP and psychokeinesis, and a mechanism in which non physical entities such as ghosts, spirits and other paranormal phenomena could exert their influence upon the physical universe by slightly shifting the probability distribution associated with individual quantum events.