250 Million People Know What’s Good for Them
Historical references identify the inventor of tai chi as a Taoist priest from the 15th Century named Chang San Feng; other references credit Wangting Chen, a martial arts master who lived a century later. We do know for certain that, as a branch of martial arts, tai chi has been practiced for more than 400 years.
The practice of tai chi is intended to maintain a balance of yin and yang (the opposing forces within the body) and to promote the free flow of qi (the life force or vital energy). The expected results are optimal health—physical and emotional.
Many believe the original set of 13 exercises was developed to imitate the movements of animals. The emphasis was placed on meditation and the internal force in contrast to the external force, which is the focus of other martial arts, such as kung fu.
Modern Tai Chi Practice
The 21st-century incarnation of tai chi refers to a series of distinct and standard movements designed to promote physical and psychological well-being and practiced by nearly 250 million people worldwide.
In Chinese communities, people commonly practice in groups that meet in parks, most often during the earliest hours of morning. Although styles abound, they all involve very slow, graceful movements; each flows directly into the next while the body remains in constant motion. A practicing individual focuses on posture and on controlled, relaxed breathing.
In the West, tai chi is generally considered an integrative health and has become a more accepted method of exercise to promote a healthy lifestyle. It also has become the focus of attention from scientific investigators and health care professionals, particularly in the U.S. where it continues to gain popularity as a way to improve health.
Research Studies
Based on data obtained from National Health Interview Survey, an estimated 2.5 million individuals practice tai chi in the U.S. alone, while an additional 500,000 perform qigong, a health practice that is also part of Traditional Chinese Medicine and is closely related to tai chi. The primary difference between the two is that qigong manipulates qi with a mindful focus on the movements of the body, while tai chi emphasizes posture, style and form. A significant body of recent scientific literature supports the health claims of tai chi and qigong.
In fact, investigations have suggested these related practices are associated with improvements in mental health, psycho-social well-being, healthy sleep patterns, and much more. The health benefits have been reported across a range of demographics, including healthy children, young adults and elderly adults, as well as individuals suffering from a variety of maladies such as Parkinson's, cardiovascular disease, fibromyalgia, arthritis, and AIDS.
One recent study conducted by the Oregon Research Institute sought to evaluate the efficacy of a six-month tai chi intervention for decreasing the number as well as the risk of falls in older persons.
Participants participated in either a three-times-per-week tai chi group or a stretching control group for six months. The primary outcome measure was the number of falls; the secondary outcome measures included functional balance, physical performance, and fear of falling, assessed at baseline, three months, six months (intervention termination), and at a six-month follow-up.
At the end of the six-month intervention, fewer falls (38 as opposed to 73), lower proportions of fallers (28 percent compared with 46 percent), and fewer injurious falls (seven percent versus 18 percent) were observed in the tai chi group compared to the stretching control group. The risk for multiple falls in the tai chi group was 55 percent lower than that of the stretching control group.
Tension Headaches
More than 45 million Americans suffer from chronic tension-type headaches, according to the National Headache Foundation. Tension-type occur either chronically or in single episodes and are most often reported to be the result of stress, anxiety, fatigue, or anger. Symptoms include soreness and pain, a tightening band-like sensation around the head, pressure sensations, and contracted head and neck muscles.
A study conducted with the help of UCLA Center for East West Medicine examined the effect of tai chi on the impact of headaches in adults who suffer from tension-type headaches. Participants were randomly assigned to either a 15-week program of tai chi instruction or a waitlist control group. Assessments of their headaches as well as their health-related quality of life were obtained when the study began as well as at five, 10, and 15 weeks.
Statistically significant improvements in both the number and pain of headaches as well as quality of life (energy/fatigue, social functioning, emotional well-being, and mental health) were scored by those participants selected to perform tai chi.
These two studies are only a small part of the overwhelming evidence that 250 million people worldwide know what’s good for them.
Sources
Jahnke R, Larkey L, Rogers C, Etnier J, Lin F. A Comprehensive Review of Health Benefits of Qigong and Tai Chi. American Journal of Health Promotion. 2010.
Li F, Harmer P, Fisher KJ, et al.Tai Chi and fall reductions in older adults: a randomized controlled trial. The Journal of Gerontology. 2005.
Abbott RB, Hui K. Hays RD, Li M-D, Pan T. A Randomized Controlled Trial of Tai Chi for Tension Headaches. Evidence Based Complementary Alternative Medicine. 2007.
