Xie, Fangfang, You, Yanli, Guan, Chong et al. · Frontiers in medicine · 2022 · DOI
This study tested whether a traditional Chinese exercise called Qigong (specifically the Prolong Life with Nine Turn Method) could help people with ME/CFS feel less tired, sleep better, and experience less anxiety and depression. Ninety patients tried either the Qigong exercise or cognitive behavioral therapy (a talk-based treatment) for 12 weeks, and both groups improved significantly, with Qigong showing slightly better results.
This study provides evidence that traditional movement-based therapies like Qigong may offer an alternative or complementary approach to treating core ME/CFS symptoms including fatigue, sleep dysfunction, and mood disturbances. The differential effects on neuropeptide Y suggest biological mechanisms underlying symptom improvement that warrant further investigation.
This study does not prove Qigong is superior to CBT for CFS, nor does it establish causation—both groups improved, making it impossible to determine which intervention was responsible. The study lacks a true no-treatment control group, so observed improvements could partly reflect placebo effect, natural fluctuation, or increased attention. Additionally, the study measures fatigue and mood but does not assess post-exertional malaise or objective physical capacity, which are central to ME/CFS pathophysiology.
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
Xie, Fangfang, You, Yanli, Guan, Chong, Xu, Jiatuo, & Yao, Fei (2022). The Qigong of Prolong Life With Nine Turn Method Relieve Fatigue, Sleep, Anxiety and Depression in Patients With Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Study.. Frontiers in medicine. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmed.2022.828414
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-xie-2022-qigong-prolong,
author = {Xie, Fangfang and You, Yanli and Guan, Chong and Xu, Jiatuo and Yao, Fei},
title = {The Qigong of Prolong Life With Nine Turn Method Relieve Fatigue, Sleep, Anxiety and Depression in Patients With Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Study.},
journal = {Frontiers in medicine},
year = {2022},
doi = {10.3389/fmed.2022.828414},
note = {PubMed: 35847786},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/xie-2022-qigong-prolong},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-30. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/xie-2022-qigong-prolong
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