Qigong Classes Inspire Patients and Caregivers in Cancer Fight

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Aaron Washington photos

Students at the weekly Qigong class strike a pose.

Cancer patients and their loved ones can often feel powerless during treatment, but at Dana-Farber they're getting the chance to help themselves by heading tor the exercise mat as well as the exam room.

Each Tuesday afternoon at 4:30, around 20 people, including several DFCI staff members, gather on the eighth floor of the Jimmy Fund Building for sessions in Qigong, an ancient Chinese mind-body exercise that combines meditation with movements drawn from disciplines such as kung tu, Tai Chi. and yoga. Patients find the classes provide a physical and mental lift as they undergo chemotherapy or other regimens, and many have become "regulars" at the classes, which are offered through DFCI's Leonard P. Zakim Center for Integrative Therapies.

"The physical benefits were huge in that it kept my body moving and helped my muscles during a period when I wasn't moving or eating as well," says Carmen Staaf, a Hodgkin's lymphoma survivor who first tried Qigong before having radiation and a stem cell transplant at Dana-Farber last year. "At the same time, it gave me something positive that I could learn and integrate into my life while I was undergoing this very challenging experience."

Her disease now in remission, Staaf has continued coming to the classes to maintain her overall good health. She is also, like most attendees, a huge fan of instructor Ramel "Rami" Rones. A former Israeli martial arts champion who has worked withDFCI patients for the past decade, Rones is an enthusiastic, caring teacher who spends one-on-one time with participants at each class and tailors their exercises to allow for physical limitations brought on by different cancer treatments. Describing Qigong as the harmony between a person's five building blocks -body, mind, breath, energy, and spirit - he uses vivid imagery to bring them out.

"Picture yourself as a crane, flapping your wings," he calls out to the group during one exercise designed to build balance and strength. When some struggle while trying to stand on one leg, he turns their nervousness to laughter by quipping, "Hey, we can't all be birds, but we can still connect through our spirit to their spirit."

Instructor Ramel "Rami" Rones (right) takes time to work with each student during weekly Qigong sessions in the Jimmy Fund building.

Although there is no scientific evidence linking Qigong with cancer remission, two separate research studies at Dana-Farber have shown it to be a safe practice that in some instances can improve a patient's quality of life. More definitive research needs to be done, but Rones requires no reassurance.

"Just because all the evidence isn't there yet doesn't mean we're going to wait around for it," says Rones, also author of a new book, Sun Rise Tai-Chi. "When an enemy comes at a warrior who is not grounded in his physical and mental energy, that warrior is going to get knocked over. Cancer is the enemy, and you need to awaken your warrior within to deal with it - whether that means exercise, eating better, or just a simple thing like getting more sleep."

Dana-Farber caregivers who have attended the weekly sessions recommend Qigong to their patients. "Last fall a mother who had lost her child to cancer told me she was worried because she was having night-mares and stopped caring about her health," says Tamara Vesel, MD, a pediatric palliative care physician. "I told her that learning how to meditate and seeing other patients fighting to get better might help. She's been coming to classes regularly for months, and has told me they've really made a difference."

Stretching is important to proper Qigong training.

The Qigong classes also offer a way for care-givers and patients to get a mind-body workout alongside each other. "It's an excellent and unique opportunity to come together as a community," says Elizabeth Dean-Clower, MD, MPH, a public health physician with the Zakim Center and a regular participant. "In this room, we're all students."

"Deeply versed, passionate and informed, Mr. Rones is a committed and caring teacher of the Asian Mind-Body arts including Qigong, Tai Chi, and Yoga." Ted Kaptchuk, Harvard Medical School, Author of The Web That Has No Weaver