Wang, Rui, Huang, Xueyan, Wu, Yeqi et al. · Frontiers in medicine · 2021 · DOI
Researchers reviewed 16 studies testing whether Qigong exercise (a traditional Chinese practice combining movement, breathing, and meditation) helps reduce fatigue in patients with various illnesses, including chronic fatigue syndrome. They found that people who did Qigong showed meaningful improvements in their fatigue levels compared to control groups, though the effect was modest. However, Qigong did not clearly improve overall quality of life in the studies reviewed.
For ME/CFS patients, this review is important because it specifically examines fatigue interventions in a subset of CFS studies and suggests that structured mind-body practices may offer symptom relief. Understanding non-pharmacological approaches like Qigong could expand treatment options for patients with ME/CFS, though more rigorous research specific to this condition is needed.
This review does not prove that Qigong is an effective treatment for ME/CFS specifically—only 2 of 16 trials focused on CFS, and the meta-analysis pooled heterogeneous conditions together. The modest effect size and lack of consistent quality-of-life improvements suggest Qigong may be a supplementary tool rather than a primary treatment. Additionally, the study does not clarify whether fatigue improvement is due to Qigong's specific mechanisms or general benefits of exercise and mindfulness.
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
Wang, Rui, Huang, Xueyan, Wu, Yeqi, & Sun, Dai (2021). Efficacy of Qigong Exercise for Treatment of Fatigue: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.. Frontiers in medicine. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmed.2021.684058
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-wang-2021-efficacy-qigong,
author = {Wang, Rui and Huang, Xueyan and Wu, Yeqi and Sun, Dai},
title = {Efficacy of Qigong Exercise for Treatment of Fatigue: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.},
journal = {Frontiers in medicine},
year = {2021},
doi = {10.3389/fmed.2021.684058},
note = {PubMed: 34239889},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/wang-2021-efficacy-qigong},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-26. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/wang-2021-efficacy-qigong
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