The Complete System of Self-Healing: Internal Exercises Hardcover – January 1, 1986

I stumbled across this tome in my quest to eradicate my hypertensive high-blood pressure condition through natural means.There are various elements of this condition that are bad, but the worst effects involve low-quality sleep due to poor circulation throughout the body, irritability, brain fog, and poor memory due to poor circulation to the brain, and (worst of all) blurry vision and light sensitivity due to poor circulation to the eyes combined with their inherent susceptibility to oxidative stress.All this (and more) at age 32.Before I even received the book in the mail, I started doing a simple little exercise from the book that was given away in an old advertisement for the book (an old advertisement that I heard referenced in my study of marketing and selling).This exercise just so happens to target the heart and encourages it's operation.All I have to do to perform this exercise is to lay on my back, lift my arms up vertically in relation to my horizontally positioned body, and hold them there for a period of time.Holding my arms up like this drains the blood from them and circulates it back to the heart and to the rest of the body. When I lower my arms and let them rest before raising them again, blood circulates from my heart and body back through to my arms.This exercise creates a propulsive dynamic that causes my heart to start energetically beating and for the circulation throughout my entire body to become energized and vibrant.Since I don't have the book's full instruction of this exercise yet, I've been doing my own version of it (as far as the duration of the exercise and how many reps I do).The results, after only doing it for a few days in a row, have been staggering.I've experienced energized blood flow to my head, brain, and eyes that I haven't felt for a few years. It feels like my brain is being tickled with a feather! My eyes have also improved and are receiving much needed blood flow to them. My sleep has drastically improved in quality, as well.All this......after only doing just *1* exercise from the book... without knowing the exact instructions on how to do it... before even receiving the book!I'll be doing this exercise - and I'm sure more exercises - from the book for the rest of my life.That's how potent this stuff is for giving your body added firepower to do what it's already desperately trying to do... to heal itself of all maladies and to become vibrantly healthy and energetic.I recommend you buy this book and do the exercises that have the most relevance to whatever health conditions you may be suffering from.Also, if you're trying to wean yourself off of poisonous pharmaceuticals (or don't want to take them in the first place) and are looking for natural alternatives to treat whatever health conditions you may have, I highly recommend you check out nutrimedical.com and truehealth.comThey sell potent nutraceuticals for just about any health condition you can think of. nutrimedical.com receives my highest recommendation, because they have a whole list of health conditions and the exact nutraceutical protocols to take for each one. Plus, you can ask any health-related questions you want when you become a customer of theirs.I hope that you find this review helpful and and have renewed hope that you *can* heal your body of any maladies through natural means.

I've had this wonderful book for over 10 years, but only really began to apply the Internal Exercises after a trip to China. I saw a Qi Gong demonstration there and was very impressed, especially by the fact that the Qi Gong master looked all of 25 years old (I'm sure he was in his 40's at least). I began to practice Dr Chang's set of exercises faithfully on returning from the trip and have experienced increased energy, suppleness, better sleep, and clarity of mind. I was able to abandon my use of prescription antihistamines for allergies and now have no symptoms whatever. My nightly headaches, which were requiring nightly Tylenol, have also resolved. My endurance in sports, particularly alpine skiing, has increased without requiring increased preparatory workouts; and if I am diligent at doing the exercises after a workout, I experience no stiffness or soreness (something I'm starting to appreciate as an aging Baby Boomer!).Dr Chang is clearly familiar with both Asian and Western medicine, science and culture. Although his book is very clearly written, practical and accessible, the depth of knowledge concealed in its deceptively simple language is profound. The exercises themselves are for the most part quite easy to perform (some of them do require much effort and perseverance to master, but are not physically taxing). What is quite reinforcing about them is that they produce an almost immediate sensation of energy flow in the body. They feel GOOD to perform. They struck me as being almost like a cross between yoga and tai chi, but they are certainly neither (as Dr Chang points out) and they are much less complex.Dr Chang's other books are excellent as well!

I used to own this book and I loaned it to a friend and I have not seen it since so I bought another copy!

Dr Stephen Chang mentions in chapter one that "Taoism is the eldest of the worlds religions". Some online checking. Not so. No where does Taoism even come 6th. Way before Buddhism came to China, China was sending scholars to the Indian subcontinent to study Ayurveda and yoga (twin building blocks of Hinduism or known as Sanatana Dharma then).But that said, I have been practicing the 5 animal exercises for a month now. For my health level these were easy to pick up. Feel slightly more awake after doing these. Now trying out the 8 directional exercises. I may for now wait with Bodidharma's nerve exercises till I feel better up to it. These exercises require concentration/visualisations to be effective! What I like is that one can choosethe exercises that fit your lifestyle and health. I may give this 5 stars but must try it out a bit longer. I don't think this is a Qi Gong book. This is for anyone searching for a holistic way to health. The title says it . Despite being written in 1986 its still valid. I would also recommend the Way of Energy by Master Lam Kam Chen (chi kung) .

I had a copy of this book many years ago and felt the need to search for it and to have it again. I believe in the body's innate ability to heal itself and sometimes we can learn things from books to give the extra push needed. Thank you to the wonderful people giving us access to such a gem. Everyone should have a copy or two.

This well written book takes you from complete beginner all the way up through the microcosmic orbit. It is presented in an old school style - classically you did lots of simple basic practices to get your body healthy enough to start doing meditations. This book has all those basic practices and beginning meditations, and it explains some - not too much - of what you are doing and why.Other reviewers have listed all the different exercises that are in the book - there are a lot - so I'll skip that.Stephen Chang was one of the first in print in English, and this book has stood the test of time. I've been studying and practicing qigong since 1987, this is one of the best beginner books I've seen.