A few weeks ago I wrote a post about my flumps (scientific term: palpitations). Specifically, I wrote about my search for a way to get rid of them.
By ‘flump’, I really mean a gigantic big THUMP in my chest or a series of chaotic whirrs, squelches and flutters which take my breath away and do not exactly bestow an overwhelming feeling of peace and calm.
So recently I underwent a series of tests – a 24-hour ECG one week, a treadmill test the next, and finally an ultrasound scan last week.
I don’t know the results yet (I have to wait for the consultant to send their notes to my doctor) but I can reveal the results of a far more intriguing test:
After noticing that my flumps decreased when I practised chi gung for 15 minutes a day, I decided to embark on a highly scientific study in which I would stop chi gung for a week and see what happened, and then start it up again the next week. I promised to publish the results in the world renowned British Journal of Flumpology (yup, this blog).
The results:
Week 1: NO CHI GUNG
I stopped practising chi gung and for the first few days nothing happened. I was more or less flumpless. But gradually, as the week progressed, my flumps got worse. By the end of the week I was having around 5-10 flumps a day (sometimes 5+ in an hour).
Week 2: CHI GUNG
The next week I started practising chi gung again. For the first few days I didn’t really notice any difference. But as the week progressed they got better and better (less frequent and less noticeable) until by the end of the week I was virtually flumpless again (just 1-2 flumps all day).
CONCLUSION
Chi gung seems to have a magical effect on my heart!
Perhaps it soothes the nervous system? Maybe it’s due to one of the movements (‘Heart Opening’) which is supposed to flow chi (energy) right through the heart? Perhaps it’s down to the amount of chi I have stored in my body…or how strongly it’s flowing (the Chinese believe that ill health is caused by blocked chi).
One thing’s for sure – my flumpology research proves the effects of practising chi gung are cumulative. It takes several days to have an effect and this effect continues to grow as the days pass. Equally, if you stop practising, the effect wears off…but in my case, only after a few days.
If you want to try the exercises yourself, I found them in a great introductory book – The Chi Revolution by Bruce Frantzis. This is what Bruce says about the cumulative effect of chi;
“Chi has the power to grow and strengthen inside you exponentially. After a certain amount of practice, which differs for everyone, the effects take hold and begin to grow ever more quickly inside you. A small snowball grows into a large one as it rolls downhill, gathering momentum, size and strength. Likewise, investing $1,000 earns a little interest at first, but after some years the interest and principle compounds and becomes $10,000”
I have only been practising chi gung for a few weeks. So I would say my investment so far is around 2p. That’s a pretty small snowball. I’ll keep practising…
Katherine Bassford 