Xie, Fangfang, Dong, Wenjun, Guan, Chong et al. · Complementary medicine research · 2023 · DOI
This study tested whether Yijinjing, an ancient Chinese exercise practice with 12 movements, could help patients with ME/CFS. Forty patients either practiced Yijinjing six times per week for 12 weeks or received cognitive behavioral education. The Yijinjing group showed greater improvements in fatigue, sleep quality, and quality of life compared to the education group.
This study adds evidence for a potential non-pharmacological intervention that may help ME/CFS patients manage core symptoms including fatigue and sleep disturbance. The comparison to cognitive behavioral education rather than a true control strengthens the clinical relevance of findings for patients seeking complementary treatment options.
This study does not prove that Yijinjing causes long-term symptom improvement beyond 12 weeks, nor does it establish whether benefits persist after intervention stops. The small sample size (n=40) and lack of a no-treatment control group limit generalizability. Additionally, the study cannot determine whether improvements are due to the specific movements, exercise frequency, expectancy effects, or structured activity itself.
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, Dong, Wenjun, Guan, Chong, & Yao, Fei (2023). Effects of Yijinjing Qigongin Alleviating Fatigue, Sleep Quality, and Health Status on Patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: A Randomized, Controlled, and Parallel Group Clinical Study.. Complementary medicine research. https://doi.org/10.1159/000528827
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-xie-2023-effects-yijinjing,
author = {Xie, Fangfang and Dong, Wenjun and Guan, Chong and Yao, Fei},
title = {Effects of Yijinjing Qigongin Alleviating Fatigue, Sleep Quality, and Health Status on Patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: A Randomized, Controlled, and Parallel Group Clinical Study.},
journal = {Complementary medicine research},
year = {2023},
doi = {10.1159/000528827},
note = {PubMed: 36657408},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/xie-2023-effects-yijinjing},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-28. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/xie-2023-effects-yijinjing
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