Chan, Jessie S M, Ng, Siu-Man, Yuen, Lai-Ping et al. · International review of neurobiology · 2019 · DOI
This study tested whether Qigong, a gentle Chinese exercise and meditation practice, could help people with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). Two separate trials involving about 137 and 150 participants found that people who practiced Qigong for at least 30 minutes on at least 3 days per week experienced improvements in fatigue, depression, sleep quality, and certain biological markers related to cellular health.
Since CFS lacks approved cures and many patients remain undiagnosed, identifying accessible self-management interventions is clinically important. This study suggests Qigong may offer meaningful symptom relief and potentially influence biological markers of cellular aging and metabolic function, making it relevant for both symptom management and mechanistic understanding.
This study does not prove Qigong is superior to other forms of exercise or physical therapy for CFS. The participants had CFS-like symptoms without confirmed clinical diagnosis, limiting generalizability to formally diagnosed ME/CFS populations. Additionally, the lack of active control groups (e.g., standard exercise) means observed improvements could reflect placebo effects, attention, or general physical activity rather than Qigong-specific mechanisms.
About the PEM badge: “PEM required” means post-exertional malaise was an explicit required diagnostic criterion for participant inclusion in this study — not that PEM was studied, observed, or discussed. Studies using criteria that do not require PEM (e.g. Fukuda, Oxford) are tagged “PEM not required”. How the atlas works →
The first block is for the primary paper and is the citation you should use in research work. The atlas-snapshot line only applies if you are specifically referring to this atlas’s reading of the paper on the date shown.
Primary citation
Chan, Jessie S M, Ng, Siu-Man, Yuen, Lai-Ping, & Chan, Cecilia L W (2019). Qigong exercise for chronic fatigue syndrome.. International review of neurobiology. https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.irn.2019.08.002
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-chan-2019-qigong-exercise,
author = {Chan, Jessie S M and Ng, Siu-Man and Yuen, Lai-Ping and Chan, Cecilia L W},
title = {Qigong exercise for chronic fatigue syndrome.},
journal = {International review of neurobiology},
year = {2019},
doi = {10.1016/bs.irn.2019.08.002},
note = {PubMed: 31607352},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/chan-2019-qigong-exercise},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-27. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/chan-2019-qigong-exercise
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