When a student starts to practice Taoist Light Qigong, he or she can experience increased energy-level and general wellness in the beginning, but after a short while if it is needed, one may experience any of the following detox signs: (1) headache/cough; (2) tiredness/drowsiness; (3) nausea/diarrhea; (4) ache/pain in old injury and surgery areas; and (5) rash/skin break-outs, etc.
For a person who is super healthy and has a system that is clean, they will not go through any of these symptoms. However, there will be always some people who experience this or that uncomfortable feeling when one goes deeper into the Qigong practice.
In one way, experiencing these detoxification signs means one is practicing correctly and Qigong is working. There is a saying in Qigong: "Qi Gong Bing Zao. (Qi is conquering the illness origins). For example if you drive a car but do not encounter any blocked roads, you feel everything is fine. But when you start to practice Qigong, the Qi will naturally go through all the channels in your body, so the areas that were blocked would be shown to you. Qigong cannot cause sickness if you follow the instructions correctly, but it can reveal previous illness. For example, if a person has an old injury or surgery where it did not heal well, one might feel some pain/sharp pain at times when Qi is trying to move through it.... It is like clearing rocks from the middle of the road——it surely takes some energy and work. But afterwards, the weak areas can be completely healed and the Qi flows everywhere smoothly, which will bring on an optimal health condition. Only after we clear out the unwanted/illness/unwholesome Qi, the new/healthy/clean Qi can flow through. Please read the following questions for your reference:
1. When can detox start?
Anywhere between the first week to the first three months when a student practices Qigong on his or her own, or after the second or the third private healing session. *Private healing session means receiving an external Qi healing from a certified Taoist Light Qigong healer.
2. How long does detox last?
Usually from a couple of days to a couple of weeks, depending on individual's level of needed detoxification.
3. What shall one do with it?
It is better not to panic and simply let it be while continuing the Qigong practice. Some students will feel worse and become frightened, and so they will stop the practice; but this is unfortunate since the toxins/illness Qi will stay in the body. Please remember the illness Qi needs to come out of the system so we can regain a healthy condition. Trust this process, the real/complete healing can "feel worse before feeling better," since you are digging out the root of the health problems——it is like "energetic surgery." But if the detox is too intense, you may practice once in every other day to slow it down or call Chiyan for private healing sessions for extra support.
Having a private Qigong healing session will help you to determine what is really going on inside your body, help your Qi to move through the blockages easier, and shorten the detox process so that you will feel better sooner.
4. How can I tell whether it is a normal detox rather than sickness?
Detox is when you practice Qigong then afterwards it happens, but you will feel much better, energetic and healthier after the process since your practice has gone to another level; your body is purified.
Detox is when only you have these symptoms (sometimes feeling like a cold) but people around you are well.
Detox is when the usual medication does not help that much, since the toxins in your body need to come out naturally through Qigong practice.
5. Do I need to see a doctor?
Mostly not, since if you keep practicing, these all shall pass. Remember that detox means you are not sick, you are just clearing out the illness Qi previously stored in your body.
You will need to see a doctor if you have bleeding stools or bleeding urine, which are also detox signs but these indicate some severe health problems such as growths/cysts that are developing inside of your lower body. So you need to pay attention especially if you did not know there was anything wrong.
6. Who might detox the most?
These include people who were/are smokers, drug/alcohol abusers; those who are taking/took a lot of medication; those with chronic indigestion problems, junk food habits, severe old injuries and surgeries; those who worked/work in toxic environments (such as constructors, painters, chemical plant workers, etc.); those who were victims of physical and sexual abuse (the body and Qi can lock everything in, including toxins, as a form of self-protection); or people under long-term stress such as working passing mid-night.
Please remember that experiencing any of the above detox signs is actually a good thing, for your body is working hard to get rid of the illness Qi. Please treat your body as if it were is going through surgery, so have as much rest as you can, eat very healthy and clean food, drink a lot of liquids, and take warm Epsom salt bath.
If we don't take care of ourselves now, we will have to let the doctors to take care of us later; If we do not allow the Qi to remove the illness blockages as a "Qi operation," eventually we might need a real medical procedure later. So this cleansing process can save one from experiencing much worse pain/hassle later. You will feel so much cleaner and healthier with much more energy afterwards.