Nope, this is BS! There is no burden of proof required to explore, debate possibilities, exchange ideas, insights and special case experience, exercise curiosity, walk down a path to discover where it leads, double back and take another turn. You are not interested in anything close to a reasonable discussion, you have your certitudes & have already decided you knew it all... Worst of all, you will use any means possible to derail the thread so others cannot have this discussion. This is bullying! Balance of probabilities............ hummmmmmm, per your probability estimate, you've made your choice and taken your bet and will defend the position with every trick in the book... You do not know better than others; they may be wrong, but in your case, you have forfeited your chances to learn. By my estimate of probabilities, based on what I know from other domains and what I can benchmark to this case, there is a very very high probability that there is more to it than what we currently comprehend... But hey, sorry, I am done holding the candle to modern obscurantists. Osu!
I would rely on the clinical trials that show it has an effect that is better than placebos and is consistent across the board in terms of it's effects (both positive and negative) on an individuals physical health. That is the whole thing we are arguing about - TCM et al offers little beyond anecdote and "possible links" or "possibly helps" type research (i.e very poor)
You assume too much - I thought you were leaving anyway Like I said, this is about extraordinary claims and I am not even requiring extraordinary proof. I am asking for something- anything - to show that this phenomena called chi/qi/whatever has any basis for the claims it makes. I say it is an archaic term used to describe relaxed body function and certain breathing methods that can be duplicated easily and far more quickly when you ditch all the mystic nonsense, recognise it as a physical skill and practice with that in mind. I have students of mine utilising tai chi "sails" in drills and sending people flying. Chi? No - good technique. Does this invalidate chi gung? how many times do i have to repeat it NO,NO,NO - if you feel good doing it then knock yourself out...but don't paint it as something it isn't because it just does not wash
If I hadn't already researched its effects myself? Yes. I wouldn't be such a dumbass to put stuff in my body without first knowing what it does.
I'd ask the same question of any fitness consultant/flexibility expert who has undergone hip replacement surgery before age 30. .
Oh, you mean the hip I had replaced because I got injured serving my country in Iraq? The replacement which was delayed by several years because the flexibility methods I teach increased the longevity of the original injured joint? The methods which let me do a full side split without a warm up after I had said hip replaced when most people can't do it with two healthy joints? Sure, you go right ahead and ask.
I would go to a physician, and I know there is research on how it works. As well as the drug interaction "facts" and data pages. The consumer is well informed on how a drug works, not so on the "chemist level". A chemist has scientific proven data on what the substance is doing. Chi does not have this I am sure, on the drug-substance label, it would read: "Take this, though it cannot be explained as it will balance your Chi" . . .
Is that the story you tell? OK, sure... But whatever the story, the fact is that you've had a joint replaced and its only due to modern surgical techniques that you're not a cripple. And your hero Bill W.? Both hips and a knee (so far). Right? I'll stick with practices that benefit my health, thanks. .
Wow - could you be any more insulting? So if it is fair game to call Van Zandt a liar can we call you a tosser? Just asking for a frame of reference
Wow. I've seen people grasp at straws but you take it to a whole new level. I'm not surprised though. It's the same fingers-in-ears, closed-eyes attitude I've seen in a lot of other fanatical supporters of Chi and bogus practices. Like you think that if you ignore all the evidence blowing your belief system right out of the water it'll just go away. Bit sad, really. You got a fax or e-mail? I'm more than willing to send over my army discharge docs and reports from physios and surgeons. Makes for a good read with tea and biscuits. And I can't believe how many folks try using Bill Wallace's injuries as a way to undermine my arguments when it comes to training methods. His knee was damaged in a judo accident in '66; the hip of the same leg had to be replaced because the femur was misaligned as a result and wear & tear took place. The other hip suffered cartilage damage because it dislocated in '92 while filming The Power of One with Morgan Freeman and Stephen Dorff in Zimbabwe (he was an action choreographer on that project). All perfectly documented in books and interviews with Bill over the years. Or you can simply e-mail him through his website and ask him if you like. So simple, really. Your posts smack of being a conspiracy theory nut. Which makes me laugh, because you don't believe my hip replacement story yet you believe in Chi... yeah, still trying to figure that one out!
Anybody can say anything on the internet. For instance, you have made statments that: Chi gung originated with Mongolian pig farmers. The Tao Te Ching is mindless drivel. Traditional Chinese Medicine is pure quackery. Yet you object to being dismissed and discounted as readily. Fact of life son, you're likely to get the same amount of respect you give others. You can fax me supporting documents for your claims, and I can post pictures of the queen engaged in unholy relations with canines that appear just as real. Bill Wallace's training methods didn't damage his joints. You're a wounded war hero. And my mastery of chi allows me to levitate and subsist on moonbeams and dew. .
