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The Effect of Falun Gong

on Healing Illnesses and Keeping Fit

A Survey among Practitioners

From Beijing Zizhuyuan Assistance Center

October 18, 1998

I. The Purpose and Method of This Survey

In order to understand the contribution and effects of Falun Gong on healing illnesses and keeping fit during the national upsurge of health improvement, Beijing Zizhuyuan (a big park in Beijing) Assistance Center conducted a survey in early October 1998. The objects 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 the questionnaires. Altogether 700 questionnaires were sent out. Of the 584 (83.4% of all investigated) responders, 174 were male and 410 female. After classification, statistical study and analytical study by a group of scientists and physicians, the results came out and showed that there were tremendous improvements in the physical conditions of these Falun Gong practitioners after they practiced Falun Gong. 96.5% of all responders reported that their disease symptoms had disappeared or been much released. And the facts also showed that only when those practitioners upgraded their Xinxing (mind nature and moral level) unceasingly, could the effects be remarkable. Now, these practitioners are keeping on morally ascending and physically improving. Good people 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 responders before and after practicing Falun Gong, annual medical expenses before and after the practice and the background information of the responders, 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 on a voluntary basis. Practitioners were asked to complete the questionnaires truthfully. Particularly for some of the important typical cases, in order to guarantee the 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 old-aged retirees and people with poor health and many diseases, making 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 Officials  Scientific, technological, medical people Student Military  

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 biggest is people in scientific and technological, medical, and educational fields (27.7%). Two groups together make up 58.5%. This indicates that intellectuals are the most among the practitioners, which matches the fact that Zizhuyuan is an area with many universities and 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 make up 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 the health declined. This indicates that the significant effect of Falun Gong for promoting health.

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

Average annual medical expense 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 returned 584 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 shows that the average annual medical expense per person before practice was roughly 3500 Yuan and the number after practice was 70 Yuan. Out of these practitioners, 418 had zero medical expense after practice, which make up 87.6% of 477 people who filled this item.

The results of Table 6 (see appendix) showed that in the 1449 cases of various diseases investigated in this survey, the overall symptom disappearance rate was 63.9%. Another 32.6% had been obviously improved. So totally 95.6% of all cases took a favorite turn. 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 Referential Comments and Conclusions

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

2. The principles of Falun Gong specify that a practitioner must take it as the first thing to cultivate his Xinxing. As Master Li Hongzhi requires, "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, P160). Therefore, in the meantime as we surveyed the healing power of Falun Gong, we have also surveyed the effect of Falun Gong on the Xinxing upgrade and morality rise of Falun Gong practitioners.

3. Health is defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) of the United Nation 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 Zizhuyuan Assistance Center was commensurate with the WHO's perspective of health.

4. At the present time, a nationwide public fitness movement is being developed into full swing. All over the world, efforts have been made to explore the ways that can lead mankind to a better health state. The positive results of Falun Gong have indicated that as long as the practitioners follow the requirements of Falun Gong during their cultivation, their body and mind have all undergone a significant and even fundamental changes. 87% of the people polled no longer pay visit to a doctor and/or take any medicine after practicing Falun Gong. Some patients with tough diseases or severe infirmity, who had tried many renowned doctors, but 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 on themselves and lenient on others in their daily lives. They can properly handle all kinds of problems occurring to them, and consciously conduct themselves towards lofty morality. In fact, Falun Gong practitioners embody truly the complete meaning of "health" as defined by the WHO.

5. The survey showed that the number of people learning Falun Gong was growing bigger and bigger. 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 was improved. Their intelligence was enhanced. Their minds were widened and clarified. Their bad habits were quit. Their family lives were in amity. They become compassionate in their hearts. Their relationships with other people were harmonized. Falun Gong has brought new life to a great number of individual practitioners or their family 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. 3) Falun Gong does not resort to any advertisement in newspapers or other media. Only from person to person and from heart to heart does Falun Gong transmit, 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 was originated. The appearance of Falun Gong has enabled those having predestined relationship with Falun Gong to enjoy exceptionally endowed cultivation environment and get access to the cultivation method that is the most convenient, the swiftest and the most direct. As part of the splendid 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 both home and abroad. Falun Gong has been catching more and more attention of the world due to its positive impact and excellent effect in leading mankind towards a sublimed civilization and a better 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
 

Falun Gong Zizhuyuan Assistance Center, Beijing

October 18, 1998

Appendix

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

  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 System 
(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 System 
(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 System 
(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) 
(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 System 
(bronchitis, asthma, etc.)
107 7.4 81 75.7 26 24.3 0 / 0 / 93 86.9 14 13.1 0 /
7 Skin 
(vitiligo, psoriasis, fungal diseases, etc.) 
57 39 40 70.2 16 28.1 1 1.7 0 / 52 91.2 5 8.8 0 /
8 Urinary System 
(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 Diseases 
(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 Disorder 
(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 Diseases 
(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, Parkinson’s 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   926 63.9 472 32.6 50 3.4 1 0.1 1269 87.6 172 11.9 8 0.5