Tai Chi Shows Substantial Benefits In A Wide Array of Medical Studies

Health Studies

Tai Chi Shows Substantial Benefits in a Wide Array of Medical Studies

A substantial body of published research has examined the health benefits of Tai Chi (also called Taiji) a traditional Chinese wellness practice. In addition, a strong body of research is also emerging for Qigong, an even more ancient traditional Chinese wellness practice that has similar characteristics to Tai Chi. Qigong and Tai Chi have been proposed, along with Yoga and Pranayama from India, to constitute a unique category or type of exercise referred to currently as meditative movement. These two forms of meditative movement, Qigong and Tai Chi, are close relatives having shared theoretical roots, common operational components, and similar links to the wellness and health promoting aspects of traditional Chinese medicine. They are nearly identical in practical application in the health enhancement context and share much overlap in what traditional Chinese medicine describes as the “three regulations”: body focus (posture and movement), breath focus, and mind focus (meditative components).

Abstract:

Objectives:

Research examining psychological and physiological benefits of Qigong and Tai Chi is growing rapidly. The many practices described as Qigong or Tai Chi have similar theoretical roots, proposed mechanisms of action and expected benefits. Research trials and reviews, however, treat them as separate targets of examination.This review examines the evidence for achieving outcomes from randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of both.

Data Sources:

The key words tai chi, taiji, and qigong were entered into electronic search engines for the Cumulative Index for Allied Health and Nursing (CINAHL), Psychological Literature (PsychInfo), PubMed, Cochrane database, and Google Scholar.

Study Incursion Criteria:

RCTs reporting on the results of Qigong or Tai Chi interventions and published in peer reviewed journals published from 1993–2007

Data Extraction:

Country, type and duration of activity, number/type of subjects, control conditions, and reported outcomes were recorded for each study.

Synthesis:

Outcomes related to Qigong and Tai Chi practice were identified and evaluated.

Results:

Seventy-seven articles met the inclusion criteria.

The 9 outcome category groupings that emerged were: bone density (n=4), cardiopulmonary effects (n=19), physical function (n=16), falls and related risk factors (n=23), Quality of Life (n=17), self-efficacy (n=8), patient reported outcomes (n=13), psychological symptoms (n=27), and immune function (n=6).

Conclusion:

Research has demonstrated consistent, significant results for a number of health benefits in RCTs, evidencing progress toward recognizing the similarity and equivalence of Qigong and Tai Chi.

Full Article:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3085832/

Jahnke, Roger, et al. “A Comprehensive Review of Health Benefits of Qigong and Tai Chi.” American Journal of Health Promotion : AJHP, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2010, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3085832/.

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So what does this mean for me?

The results are in!

Tai Chi's health benefits are no longer a matter of speculation- there's solid research behind it.

But before you go dive in to the first local Tai Chi class you can find- there's a caveat.

There's a lot more to Tai Chi than just doing the form every day- and some schools of thought consider the forms to just be window dressing compared to the real body of Tai Chi study.

If you want to be healthy & strong again, there's work you have to do, and skills you have to learn.

But it doesn't have to be hard, either.

We've put together a guide you can follow, and in just a few weeks you'll see undeniable results!

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