How Does Qigong Work:  The New "Way"

The Way of Longevity   The Old "Way"   The New "Way"  The "Secret" (Qigong Therapies)
"...Numerous diseases are accelerated in the anaerobic state....in contrast, that mild fitness practices increase immune system capacity...."
This second observation is provided by this quote from  Roger Jahnke, and presented in his book, "The Healer Within".......Jahnke seeks to understand and prove the old "way", by explaining it in the new "way".

"In the vigorous Western practices it is not unusual for the body to have to cross outside of its zone of comfort and safety. One way to describe this is to say that the body crosses its "anaerobic threshold." The general activities of health maintenance and self-healing are fueled by oxygen in the human system. This is an "aerobic" process, meaning "with oxygen." When under stress the body pushes the limits of its abilities; the system needs more oxygen than it is able to process. The system transits from healthy aerobic activity to unhealthy anaerobic activity, meaning "lacking oxygen." The transition point is the "anaerobic threshold."
There is a certain wisdom built into the human system. When there is not enough oxygen, the system chooses which functions to fuel with oxygen and which to starve, based purely on which ones it needs to survive. It is unfortunate that the system's wisdom doesn't help us choose to stop the exercise so that it can restore its oxygen balance. But even if our inner wisdom does send those signals, they are usually overridden by the desire to be buff, be beautiful, or escape a dangerous threat. It is possible to operate in the anaerobic zone for brief periods. For people who are healthy, this is not really a major problem. However, for those who are unwell or out of balance, it can be devastating.
Numerous diseases are accelerated in the anaerobic state. The immune system, frequently compromised in people with health disorders, is particularly disabled by lengthy periods of exercise that is too vigorous. One study, "Effect of Acute Exercise on Natural Killer Cell Activity in Trained and Sedentary Human Subjects," published in die Journal of Clinical Immunology (Brahmi, 1985) found that it took hours for the immune system to rehabilitate when subjects pushed into the anaerobic zone for even a few minutes. This study and numerous others also found, in contrast, that mild fitness practices increase immune system capacity.
Another unique point that differentiates the two kinds of fitness practices is that the mild self-healing type methods are all done in a purposeful state of relaxation.