Liuzijue Qigong: A Voice Training Method For Unilateral Vocal Fold Paralysis Patients.

Tang J1, Huang W2, Chen X3, Lin Q4, Wang T1, Jiang H5, Wan P1, Huang Z6.

Author information

1

1 Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), Shanghai, China.

2

2 Department of Otolaryngology, the Seventh People's Hospital of Shanghai University of TCM, Shanghai, China.

3

3 Department of Otolaryngology, the Yueyang Hospital of Shanghai University of TCM, Shanghai, China.

4

4 Rehabilitation Hospital Affiliated to Fujian University of TCM, Fujian, China.

5

5 Department of Otolaryngology, the Changhai Hospital of Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China.

6

6 Key Laboratory of Speech and Hearing Science, Ministry of Education, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China.

Abstract

OBJECTIVES::

Liuzijue Qigong (LQG), a kind of traditional Chinese health exercise (TCHE), is not only widely used to strengthen physical fitness and maintain psychological well-being in the elderly but has also been utilized to help improve respiratory function. As respiratory support is an important driving force for speech production, it is logical to postulate that the LQG training method with 6 monosyllabic speech sounds, xū, hē, hū, sī, chuī, and xī, can help individuals (1) experience a relaxing and natural state of speech production, (2) eliminate voice symptoms, and (3) improve their overall body function and mood. In the current study, we hypothesized that the LQG method with these 6 sounds can be effective in improving vocal function in subjects with unilateral vocal fold paralysis (UVFP) in comparison with a conventional voice therapy method.

METHODS::

A total of 48 patients with UVFP who met the inclusion criteria were randomly divided into 2 groups. Twenty-four subjects in the experimental group were trained with LQG, and those in the control group received conventional voice training (abdominal breathing and yawn-sign exercises) for a total of 4 sessions, twice a week. Patients in both groups were assessed with acoustic tests, the GRBAS scale, the Voice Handicap Index (VHI-10), and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) pre- and posttreatment. Statistical analysis was conducted using nonparametric tests and t tests.

RESULTS::

There existed significant changes in maximum phonation time (MPT), jitter, shimmer, normalized noise energy (NNE), GRBAS scores, VHI-10 scores, and grade of A in HADS scores pre- and posttreatment in both the experimental group and the control group ( P < .004). However, no significant changes were seen posttreatment between the 2 groups ( P > .05).

CONCLUSIONS::

LQG could help improve vocal function in UVFP patients as our preliminary data showed no significant differences between LQG and conventional voice therapy methods.

KEYWORDS:

GRBAS; HADS; Liuzijue Qigong (LQG); VHI-10; hoarseness; miscellaneous; unilateral vocal fold paralysis (UVFP)

PMID:

 

30895824

 

DOI:

 

10.1177/0003489419837265

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Liu Zi Jue
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Six Healing Sounds or Liu Zi Jue (六字訣) is one of the common forms of Chinese qigong, and involves the coordination of movement and breathing patterns with specific sounds.


Contents
1 History
2 The sounds/sections
3 See also
4 References
History
The Term Liu Zi Jue first appears in a book called On Caring for the Health of the Mind and Prolonging the Life Span written by Tao Hongjing of the Southern and Northern Dynasties (420 - 589). A leading figure of the Maoshan School of Taoism, Tao was renowned for his profound knowledge of Traditional Chinese Medicine. "One has only one way for inhalation but six for exhalation" he writes in the book.

Zou Pu'an of the Song Dynasty (960 - 1279) was a major contributor in terms of theory and practice to the transmission of the exercise through his book The Supreme Knack for Health Preservation - Six-Character Approach to Breathing Exercises.

No body movements accompanied the Liu Zi Jue exercises until the Ming Dynasty (1386 - 1644) when Hu Wenhuan and Gao Lian wrote books on the subject. For instance they both included in their books the summary of Liu Zi Jue for dispelling diseases and prolonging the life span, which combines controlled breathing with physical exercises.

There are a number of schools of exercise which incorporate elements of Liu Zi Jue, including Yi Jin Jing, Ba Gua Zhang and Da Yan Gong, but the sounds are used as an aid to physical exercises in these dynamic Qigong which is different from Liu Zi Jue. An authoritative work on the subject is Ma Litang's Liu Zi Jue Health and Fitness Exercises for clinical application.

The theoretical basis of the Liu Zi Jue exercises is in line with the ancient theories intrinstic to Traditional Chinese Medicine of the Five Elements and the Five Solid Viscera. They tend to be on common ground on such issues as mouth forms and pronunciation methods, and the direction of body movements and mind follow the inner circulation law of the meridians.

The sounds/sections
噓 XU [pronounced like 'shoe,' with the lips rounded] - 'deep sigh' or 'hiss' - Level the Liver Qi
呵 HE [pronounced like 'her'] - 'yawn' or 'laughing sound' - Supplement the Heart Qi
呼 HU [pronounced like 'who'] - 'to sigh,' 'to exhale,' or 'to call' - Cultivate [or Shore Up] the Spleen/Pancreas Qi
呬 SI [pronounced like 'sir'] - 'to rest' - Supplement the Lung Qi
吹 CHUI [pronounced 'chway' or 'chwee,' depending on locale] - 'to blow out,' 'to blast,' or 'to puff' - Supplement the Kidney Qi
嘻 XI [pronounced like 'she' with tongue high, and well forward, in the mouth] - 'mirthful' - Regulate the Triple Burner Qi[1]
All syllables are pronounced on a level tone - the so-called first tone (regardless of the dictionary pronunciation of each word); typically all but the fifth sound are sustained - the fifth sound may be sustained, or pronounced quickly and forcefully.[2]