The Effects of Falun Gong on Healing and Fitness

October 18, 1998

I. The Purpose and Method of this Survey

In order to understand the contribution and effects of Falun Gong on healing and fitness during the national upsurge of health improvement, Beijing Zizhuyuan (a large park in Beijing) Assistance Center conducted a survey in early October, 1998. The subjects of this study were the practitioners from several practice sites around Zizhuyuan. The method used in this study was to ask the randomly chosen practitioners to complete questionnaires. Altogether 700 questionnaires were sent out. Of the 584 (83.4% of all investigated) people who responded, 174 were male and 410 female.

After classification, statistical study, and analysis by a group of scientists and physicians, the results showed that there were tremendous improvements in the physical condition of these Falun Gong practitioners after practicing Falun Gong. 96.5% of all respondents reported that their disease symptoms had disappeared or been greatly relieved. The facts also showed that only when those practitioners upgraded their Xinxing (mind nature and moral level) unceasingly, would the effects be remarkable. Now, these practitioners are continuing to ascend morally and improve physically. Good natures and good deeds are emerging endlessly among these people. So the positive effects of practicing Falun Gong have been obviously demonstrated in the society.

This survey covered the physical conditions of the respondents before and after practicing Falun Gong, annual medical expenses before and after the practice, and the background information of the respondents, including age, occupation, education level, etc. The analytical results of each item were summarized in tables. Legends of each table were also included. The whole process of this survey was done on a voluntary basis. Practitioners were asked to complete the questionnaires truthfully. Particularly for some of the important typical cases, in order to guarantee their reliability, the investigators were required to make an inquiry and verify it personally.

II. The Results and Analysis of This Survey

Table 1: Age

Age	7-20	21-50	51-98	Total
Number	13	167	404	584
%	2.2	28.6	69.2	100

Note for Table 1: The biggest portion of the practitioners are in age group 51-98, most of which are elderly retirees and people with poor health and many diseases, making up 69.2% of the survey population. This portion of people are transitioning from middle age to old age, are getting more and more diseases, and their physical strength is declining. Thus, most of them had need for healing illnesses and keeping fit when they first learned and practiced Falun Gong.

Table 2: Occupation

Occupation	Peasant	Worker	Housewife or unemployed	Officialsá	Scientific, technological, medical people	Student	Militaryáá Service People	Total
Number	7	154	47	180	162	27	7	584
%	1.20	26.4	8.1	30.8	27.7	4.6	1.2	100

Note for Table 2: Officials make the biggest group of the Falun Gong practitioners (30.8%). The second largest group are those who work in scientific and technological, medical, and educational fields (27.7%). The two groups together make up 58.5%. This indicates that the majority of practitioners are intellectuals, which matches the fact that Zizhuyuan is an area with many universities, colleges, and scientific and technological institutes.

Table 3: Education

Education	Illiterate	Elementary school	Middle school	High school or 2-year college	College or university	Master or Ph.D. degree	Total
Number	37	77	116	124	217	13	584
%	6.3	13.2	19.9	21.2	37.2	2.2	100

Note for Table 3: Out of 584 practitioners, the ones with university education or above comprise the biggest portion, 39.4%. The second biggest is the ones with 2-year college or high school education, 21%. These two groups make up 60.4%.

Table 4: Physical health improvement after practice

Condition	Improved	Same	Worse	Not answered	total
Number	527	33	0	24	584
%	90.2	5.7	0	4.1	100

Note for Table 4: After practice, over 90% of people's health had remarkable improvement, and no single case had their health decline. This clearly indicates the significant health benefits achieved through genuine practice of Falun Gong.

Table 5: Comparison of medical expenses before and after practice for 584 people

á

Average annual medical expense (in Yuan)	Before practice		After practice
	Number	%	Number	%
0	0	/	418	87.6
1-500	135	30.6	40	8.4
501-1000	84	19.1	10	2.1
1001-2000	75	17.0	7	1.5
2001-5000	97	22.0	2	0.4
5001-10000	27	6.1	0	/
10000	23	5.2	0	/
Total	441	100	477	100

Note for Table 5: Out of the 584 returned questionnaires, 441 reported their average annual medical expense before practice, and 477 reported their average annual medical expense after practice. From the numbers in the above questionnaires, the approximate statistics show that the average annual medical expenses per person before practice was roughly 3,500 Yuan, and after practice was 70 Yuan. Out of these practitioners, 418 had zero medical expenses after practice, which make up 87.6% of the 477 people who filled in this item.

The results of Table 6 (see appendix) show that out of the 1,449 cases of various diseases investigated in this survey, the overall symptom disappearance rate was 63.9%. Another 32.6% showed obvious improvement. So in total, 95.6% of all cases showed improvement. The recovery rate of respiratory system diseases reached 75.7%, which was the highest among all kinds of diseases in this survey. Even for the cardiovascular diseases, which had the highest incidence (18.9% of all), the recovery rate had also reached 58%.

III. Several Comments for Reference and Conclusions

1. The results of this survey conducted in Zizhuyuan Assistance Center are, in our opinion, representative and valid in light of the number and/or ratio of the questionnaires returned, in contrast to the total number of questionnaires distributed.

2. The principles of Falun Gong specify that a practitioner must place emphasis on the cultivation of his Xinxing. As Master Li Hongzhi says, "You should always maintain a heart of compassion and kindness." "You should always display compassion and kindness towards others and think of others before doing anything. There will not be any problems if the first thing that you will think of, whenever encountering a problem, is whether others can put up with this matter and if it will hurt anyone. Therefore, you should follow a higher and higher standard for yourself when you practice cultivation." (Zhuan Falun, English Version, p.160). Therefore, as we surveyed the healing power of Falun Gong, we have also surveyed the effect of Falun Gong on upgrading Xinxing and a raising of morality amongst Falun Gong practitioners.

3. Health is defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) of the United Nations as: A state of physical, social and mental well-being, not merely the absence of disease or infirmity (WHO constitution of 1948). Therefore, the survey method used by Zizhuyuan Assistance Center was commensurate with the WHO's perspective of health.

4. At the present time, a nationwide public fitness movement has developed. All over the world, efforts have been made to explore the ways that can lead humans to a better state of health. The positive survey results of Falun Gong have indicated that as long as practitioners follow the requirements of Falun Gong during their cultivation, their body and mind will undergo a significant, and even fundamental, change. A full 87% of the people polled no longer visit doctors and/or take any medicine after practicing Falun Gong. Some patients with tough diseases or severe infirmity, who had tried many renowned doctors in vain, were cured miraculously once they learned Falun Gong. Falun Gong practitioners are guided by the supreme standard of "Zhen-Shan-Ren (Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance)." They are strict with themselves and lenient with others in their daily lives. They can properly handle all kinds of problems that occur, and consciously conduct themselves towards lofty morality. In fact, Falun Gong practitioners truly embody the full meaning of "health" as defined by the WHO.

5. The survey showed that the number of people learning Falun Gong was growing. This was, based on the analysis of the survey, because 1) the practitioners of Falun Gong were able to prove its extraordinary effects through their own practice. After doing Falun Gong their health improved, their intelligence was enhanced, and their minds were broadened and had greater clarity. They rid themselves of bad habits and their family lives were in harmony. They became compassionate in their hearts, and their relationships with others were harmonized. Falun Gong has brought new life to a great number of individual practitioners and to their families as a whole. 2) Falun Gong is a righteous cultivation system in which the exercises are taught free of charge, and the practitioners are absolutely free to come and go as they please. 3) Falun Gong is often passed from person to person through word of mouth, which has enabled it to be propagated quickly and extensively. As Master Li Hongzhi says, "The Great Law is being promulgated far and wide. Those who have heard about it are looking for it. Those who have attained it are delighted with it. Practitioners are increasing day by day and they are countless."

6. China is where Falun Gong originated. The appearance of Falun Gong has enabled those having a predestined relationship with Falun Gong to enjoy an exceptionally endowed cultivation environment and attain the most convenient and effective cultivation method. As part of the Chinese traditional culture, as well as a cultivation method for simultaneous enhancement of body and mind, Falun Gong has been well received by an ever-increasing number of people not just in China, but also all over the world. Falun Gong has been receiving more and more attention due to its positive impact and excellent effects in leading humans towards a higher moral standard and a better state of health.

A list of the experts and medical professionals participating in this survey and statistical analysis:

Wang Qi, Chief Physician, General Hospital for Armed Police

Li Naiyuan, Chief Physician, Stomatological Hospital of the Beijing Medical University

Zheng Lihua, Deputy Chief Physician, People's University of China Hospital

Qu Zengqiu, Pharmacist, People's University of China Hospital

Tian Xiulan, Managing Physician, Beijing Hospital of Nuclear Industry

Jing Lianhong, Physician, Dongshi Hospital for Women and Children

Appendix

Table 6. The change before and after practice in terms of disease symptoms and medicine taking

á

á	Type of disease	Total cases	%	Disease curing status								Medicine taking
				Cured		Improved		No change		Worse		Stopped		Reduced		Keeping
				Case	%	Case	%	Case	%	Case	%	Case	%	Case	%	Case	%
1	Cardiovascular Systemá (coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure, hypertension, etc.)	274	18.9	159	58.0	106	38.7	9	3.3	0	/	225	82.1	46	16.8	3	1.1
2	Digestive System (gastritis, enteritis, ulcers, liver and gallbladder diseases, etc.)	252	17.4	167	66.3	78	31.0	6	2.3	1	0.4	224	88.9	26	10.3	2	0.8
3	Musculoskeletal Systemá (spinal and joint disease etc.)	234	16.2	146	62.4	82	35.0	6	2.6	0	/	209	89.3	25	10.7	0	/
4	Nervous Systemá (brain arteriosclerosis, brain ischemia, stroke, etc.)	164	11.3	113	68.9	44	26.8	7	4.3	0	/	149	90.9	15	9.1	0	/
5	ENT (Ear, Nose, Throat)á (glaucoma, cataract, sinus and ear disease, etc.)	124	8.6	83	66.9	24	19.4	17	13.7	0	/	115	92.7	9	7.3	0	/
6	Respiratory Systemá (bronchitis, asthma, etc.)	107	7.4	81	75.7	26	24.3	0	/	0	/	93	86.9	14	13.1	0	/
7	Skiná (vitiligo, psoriasis, fungal diseases, etc.)á	57	39	40	70.2	16	28.1	1	1.7	0	/	52	91.2	5	8.8	0	/
8	Urinary Systemá (kidney, bladder, and prostate diseases, etc)	54	3.7	30	55.6	24	44.4	0	/	0	/	45	83.3	9	16.7	0	/
9	Gynecological Diseasesá (uterine, breast, and menstrual diseases, etc)	48	3.3	35	72.9	13	27.1	0	/	0	/	44	91.7	4	8.3	0	/
10	Endocrine and Metabolism Disorderá (diabetes, hyperthyroidism, etc.)	33	2.3	14	42.4	16	48.5	3	9.1	0	/	26	78.7	4	12.1	3	9.1
11	Hematological Diseasesá (anemia, platelet dysfunction, etc.)	20	1.4	14	70.0	6	30.0	0	/	0	/	15	75.0	5	25.0	0	/
12	Diseases incurable by conventional medicine (cancer, lupus, Parkinsons disease, pemphigus)	9	0.6	6	66.7	3	33.3	0	/	0	/	7	77.8	2	22.2	0	/
13	Other symptoms (rheumatological disorder, edema, fatigue, etc.)	73	5.0	38	51.2	34	46.6	1	1.3	0	/	65	89.0	8	11.0	0	/
Total		1449	á	926	63.9	472	32.6	50	3.4	1	0.1	1269	87.6	172	11.9	8	0.5