Is Qigong a bona-fide healing method?

This can be a touchy subject, as many people have differing opinions as to what "healing" is. By "healing", if you mean a "cure" or "miraculous disappearance of illness or disease", then I must say that Qigong cannot guarantee cures or miraculous disappearance of illness. While some people notice profound results with Qigong practice, some results are very subtle and hard to notice.

However, if you speak in terms of "healing" as being a process that promotes wholeness and health, then yes, I will say that Qigong is one of these processes. "Healing" can be defined as an "activity or process that results in health or promotes the body's natural ability to repair or restor itself". Because of this, "healing" does not necessarily mean that only western medicine or eastern medicine or drugs are the only sources for facilitating the healing process. Nor does "healing" mean than only a diety's intervention can facilitate the healing. The body naturally does it, however certain things can "block" healing, such as negative attitude, bad health or hygiene habits, the use of recreational drugs, overuse of alcohol, and a myriad of other things. Qigong itself, is just one of many activities that promote the body's natural ability to heal itself.

Healing begins with Self....one's own focused intention is what aids in the body's natural process of healing. When the mind and body are relaxed and "open", the body can better use its natural energy and faculties to heal itself (sometimes aided by conventional medicines, herbs, diet, etc).

The word "healing" is most times attributed to styles of religious intervention, but as mentioned, healing is simply the body's process of repair. Many religions do attribute healing as the work of a Diety, which is fine.... As long as the a person can hold an intention, however they want to hold this intention, and if the body still does have the ability to repair itself, I believe that any belief, whether religious or otherwise, can aid in our body's work as long as we allow the process to happen.

When practicing Qigong, be well advised that if you currently undergo medical treatments or take medications, that you should continue to follow these instructions as given by your Doctor or medical professional. Qigong complements standard medicines and medical procedures, it is not meant to be a replacement for conventional medicine. DO keep up with the advice of your Doctor, knowing that Qigong can help as it does not have side effects.....however again, I will mention, it is not a replacement for medical advice.

Good Qigong teachers will not tell you to forfeit standard medical procedures or medications. If a Qigong teacher is a qualified medical practitioner, then you're twice as blessed! I know of many Qigong practitioners who are also acupuncturists or Masters or Chinese medicine, and they themselves can prescribe herbs or dietary advice. But, unless a Qigong teacher is indeed a medical professional in Western or Eastern or any other medical practice, they cannot and should not prescribe anything other than teach you the Qigong.

What's with the "vibrations" in these 6 healing sounds?

As far fetched as it might sound (no pun intended!), vibrational therapy has been around for thousands of years, with the knowledge that everything as we know it and perceive it, is energy.....nothing is actually "solid" as we would assume. What seemingly is a solid object, is made up of very small particles vibrating at such a fast rate that they "appear" solid. Light also aids in our perception of the reality of solid objects. Since our eyesight is so limited, we don't see this movement or vibration of the particles. Everything, including our human organs, have a natural vibratory rate called "resonance". If a part of a living organism vibrates out of resonance with the "healthy rate", then it manifests itself in abnormal functions, what we label as "disease".

Each sound (and method of toning these sounds) is meant to bring a particular resonance or frequency to each of the 5 major organs of the body and to the San Jiao (triple burner, in Chinese medicine....the areas of the body that regulate metabolism). These sounds send different frequencies to the organs and the rest of the body, to promote the balance of "correct" frequencies to each of the organs. When they vibrate at their "healthy rate", the body itself benefits from a greater sense of wellness and health.

Nowadays, as well as using certain styles of Qigong to correct frequency imbalances, some practitioners use tuning forks of specific frequencies, crystal or brass "singing bowls", chimes, or other apparatus to balance the frequencies in the body's natural energetic field.

For those of you interested in more about vibrational therapy, try Jonathan Goldman's book "Healing Sounds: The Power of Harmonics" http://www.amazon.com/Healing-Sounds-Harmonics-Jonathan-Goldman/dp/0892819936