A homeopathic approach to autism treatment

Qi (also known as chi) is defined as the circulation life energy that in Chinese philosophy is thought to be inherent in all things. Within this philosophy, it is believed that when the negative and positive forms balance in the body that particular person has achieved good health. This concept of Qi is also what is being used in the up and coming Qigong (pronounced 'Chee Gong') Massage Therapy being practiced on young children with autism. On Saturday, April 10, Western had the unique opportunity to host an event revolving around the use of Qigong Massage Therapy to help children with autism. A documentary film about Qigong Massage and autistic children was shown first, followed by a discussion between the audience and a panel with professional doctors as well as parents of the autistic children that went through the therapy. The event began around two in the afternoon with Jon Killoran, Director of Western's Teaching Research Institute, explaining how Western and Qigong Massage are interlinked. Killoran explained that the Teaching Research Institute, which performs strictly educational research, has just recently begun to look at children with autism after focusing on deaf and blind children and children with traumatic brain injuries. Dr. Luisa Silva, the lead researcher and trainer of Qigong Massage, has been doing research on children with autism with colleague Mark Schalock at the Teaching Research Institute here at Western. "Many of us initially look at Qigong as something very different than what we got trained as Western scientists in…It's been really interesting to watch my own perception as well as the perceptions of my colleagues change as they see the research and the efficacy [of Qigong Massage]," Killoran said. During the discussion after the film, Bonnie Zwang commented on the resistance that she has seen from some of her colleagues, stating "People look at me like I'm from a different planet when I say I can facilitate this child by massage." After Killoran's explanation and a brief speech from Donna Read, director of the film "Helping Families with Autism: Qigong Massage," the film commenced. This documentary was a film displaying direct evidence of how effective Qigong Massage is for children with autism. The film followed four families over a span of six months and it showed the behavioral progress of each individual child with autism. One of the highlights of the film, which was also commented on by not only the narrator Read but also one of the parents in the film, was that each of the four children had a different form of autism. Throughout the film it is said that autism is a disease that is on a spectrum and the behavioral issues are different from child to child. It is also mentioned more than once in the film that even though autism is an increasingly prevalent disease, doctors still have no definitive way of treating it. Dr. Sudge Budden, the Medical Director of the Pediatric Development Department at Legacy Emmanuel Children's Hospital said that recently she has been working much more with autistic children and she has not seen much development in the field. "In terms of when we talk about drugs and medical intervention we really haven't changed the behaviors of children a lot. And anything that changes behavior either puts them to sleep or has other adverse affects… Part of the reason I believe this [Qigong Massage] is the way to go is because: one it does not cause any serious adverse affects, two its noninvasive intervention, and three the parents are definitely involved in what to do with their child," Dr. Budden said. One of the families during the panel discussion commented on the fact that when they were told their child had autism, all the doctor had to say was "'yeah, he's on the autistic spectrum and good luck.' That's it… Nobody can give you any answers. You ask questions… and you never get any answers." Following the premiere of the film, the 11 members of the panel took the stage, giving the audience the opportunity to ask questions not only about the documentary that was just shown but also about the ideology behind it. Killoran began the discussion asking every panelist at least one question, and then he opened up the questioning to the audience. When questioned about the major changes that she has seen in autistic children's development, Silva once again reverts back to the concept of autism as on a spectrum, "so it is varying in all different areas of how it affects the child." She went on to explain that after the Qigong Massage Therapy a child with very severe autism will begin to eat, toilet train and sleep more, and that will be as far as they get. A child with less severe autism will actually begin to reciprocate speech, begin to socialize and communicate. "Out of all of the children what you get is… they are more integrative, they are calmer, they sleep better, they have less tantrums," Silva said, concluding that in general the child's nervous system is more relaxed and more open to learning. The parents of one family that was on the panel explained to the audience how difficult it was to see their child in pain, and not be able to ask him what it was that was hurting him because of his lack of communication skills. Then once they got their son to the doctor, the first question is always: what seems to be the problem, and the child's parents couldn't tell the doctor what it was. The parents from the second family explained to the audience how difficult even the trivial task of cutting their child's hair was before and after he went through the therapy: "It would be me, another barber and another barber holding him down to give him a haircut… During the five month therapy of Qigong he actually would calm down and was sitting on my lap and letting the barber cut his hair without him moving." One of the panelists, who did the Qigong therapy with her two autistic children about four years ago said, "You can't tell that they [my children] have autism. They blend in perfectly."