The health benefits of practicing Tai Chi Chuan (Tai Chi, Taijiquan)
Here are just a few of the reports, research papers and publications from extensive research into the health benefits of tai chi chuan. In particular I'd like to acknowledge the following sources:
NHS guide to the benefits of tai chi
Tai Chi recommended to fight fibromyalgia
Tai chi is as good as - or even better than - aerobic exercise for aiding people with chronic pain condition fibromyalgia, as study has suggested.
By Ian Westbrook, Health Reporter, BBC News, 22 March 2018
Tai Chi could prevent fall injuries in elderly
Tai chi exercises could help prevent elderly patients suffering injuries from falls because they improve balance, experts have claimed.
By Nick Collins, The Telegraph Science Correspondent, 29 Oct 2013
Health benefits of tai chi and qigong
There is some early evidence that tai chi can help older people reduce their risk of falls.
-WebMD UK guide
Tai Chi and postural stability in patients with Parkinson's Disease
Tai chi training appears to reduce balance impairments in patients with mild-to-moderate Parkinson's disease.
The New England Journal of Medicine, Feb 9, 2012
Mayo Clinic
"Despite its long history, tai chi has been studied scientifically only in recent years. And although more research is needed, preliminary evidence suggests that tai chi may offer numerous benefits beyond stress reduction, including:
Thurston Arthritis Research Center, University of North Carolina
The largest study of Tai Chi for Arthritis, by Professor Leigh Callahan from the University of North Carolina, shows significant health benefits for people with all types of arthritis. This study was presented at the annual Scientific Meeting of the American College of Rheumatology on 8th November 2010.
British Journal of Sports Medicine
"Last spring the British Journal of Sports Medicine released a comprehensive review of 31 tai chi studies involving 2216 men and women. Their findings? "Tai Chi is a moderate intensity exercise that is beneficial to cardio-respiratory function (heart and breathing), immune capacity, mental control, flexibility and balance control; it improves muscle strength and reduces the risk of falling in the elderly."
- Dr. Keith Jeffery, Tai Chi Newsletter, September 2003
Cochrane
Cochrane is an organisation that checks how good the evidence from research actually is.
http://www.cochrane.org/
The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA)
The JAMA Network brings JAMA together with the nine JAMA specialty journals to offer enhanced access to the research, reviews, and perspectives shaping the future of medicine.
The Journal of the American Medical Association
Harvard Medical School, Boston USA
"The latest evidence looking into the health benefits of Tai Chi comes from researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School in Boston, who followed a group of heart failure patients as they took a twice weekly Tai Chi class for three months. At the end of the study -- published in today's Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals -- the Tai Chi practitioners felt better, were more confident about their ability to perform everyday tasks and led far more active lifestyles than a similar group who attended twice-weekly health education classes.
The subjects in this most recent study didn't increase aerobic fitness levels but in previous studies where subjects attended class more often and practiced a more strenuous version of Tai Chi, they did. Other studies found Tai Chi helps build bone density, lower blood pressure and even boost the immune system, physical benefits normally attributed exclusively to more vigorous workouts."
- Liz Porente, ABC News Medical Unit, 2011, Tai Chi is Heart Healthy
Harvard Medical Newsletter - Tai chi for medical conditions
When combined with standard treatment, tai chi appears to be helpful for several medical conditions. For example:
Arthritis. In a 40-person study at Tufts University, presented in October 2008 at a meeting of the American College of Rheumatology, an hour of tai chi twice a week for 12 weeks reduced pain and improved mood and physical functioning more than standard stretching exercises in people with severe knee osteoarthritis. According to a Korean study published in December 2008 in Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, eight weeks of tai chi classes followed by eight weeks of home practice significantly improved flexibility and slowed the disease process in patients with ankylosing spondylitis, a painful and debilitating inflammatory form of arthritis that affects the spine.
Low bone density. A review of six controlled studies by Dr. Wayne and other Harvard researchers indicates that tai chi may be a safe and effective way to maintain bone density in postmenopausal women. A controlled study of tai chi in women with osteopenia (diminished bone density not as severe as osteoporosis) is under way at the Osher Research Center and Boston's Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.
Breast cancer. Tai chi has shown potential for improving quality of life and functional capacity (the physical ability to carry out normal daily activities, such as work or exercise) in women suffering from breast cancer or the side effects of breast cancer treatment. For example, a 2008 study at the University of Rochester, published in Medicine and Sport Science, found that quality of life and functional capacity (including aerobic capacity, muscular strength, and flexibility) improved in women with breast cancer who did 12 weeks of tai chi, while declining in a control group that received only supportive therapy.
Heart disease. A 53-person study at National Taiwan University found that a year of tai chi significantly boosted exercise capacity, lowered blood pressure, and improved levels of cholesterol, triglycerides, insulin, and C-reactive protein in people at high risk for heart disease. The study, which was published in the September 2008 Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, found no improvement in a control group that did not practice tai chi.
Heart failure. In a 30-person pilot study at Harvard Medical School, 12 weeks of tai chi improved participants' ability to walk and quality of life. It also reduced blood levels of B-type natriuretic protein, an indicator of heart failure. A 150-patient controlled trial is under way.
Hypertension. In a review of 26 studies in English or Chinese published in Preventive Cardiology (Spring 2008), Dr. Yeh reported that in 85% of trials, tai chi lowered blood pressure — with improvements ranging from 3 to 32 mm Hg in systolic pressure and from 2 to 18 mm Hg in diastolic pressure.
Parkinson's disease. A 33-person pilot study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, published in Gait and Posture (October 2008), found that people with mild to moderately severe Parkinson's disease showed improved balance, walking ability, and overall well-being after 20 tai chi sessions.
Sleep problems. In a University of California, Los Angeles, study of 112 healthy older adults with moderate sleep complaints, 16 weeks of tai chi improved the quality and duration of sleep significantly more than standard sleep education. The study was published in the July 2008 issue of the journal Sleep.
Stroke. In 136 patients who'd had a stroke at least six months earlier, 12 weeks of tai chi improved standing balance more than a general exercise program that entailed breathing, stretching, and mobilizing muscles and joints involved in sitting and walking. Findings were published in the January 2009 issue of Neurorehabilitation and Neural Repair.
- Extract from Harvard Medical Newsletter, May 2009
Other useful reads
Tai Chi increases brain size and potentially delays the onset of Alzheimers
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/health/news/9348795/Tai-Chi-makes-your-brain-bigger-and-improves-memory.html
Tai Chi May Reduce Falls and Promote Overall Well-Being Among Stroke Survivors
http://www.prweb.com/releases/2013/2/prweb10436111.htm
Heart patients who feel gloomy should try tai chi, according to research published in the European Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing, 9 June 2020. The mind-body exercise was linked with a boost in both mood and quality of life.
http://www.escardio.org/about/press/press-releases/pr-12/Pages/tai-chi-benefits.aspx
Tai Chi and Postural Stability in Patients with Parkinson's Disease, The New England Journal of Medicine, Feb 9, 2012
http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1107911
Tai Chi for patients with Parkinson’s Disease, Parkinson's UK, Feb 2020
https://www.parkinsons.org.uk/information-and-support/tai-chi
Here are just a few of the reports, research papers and publications from extensive research into the health benefits of tai chi chuan. In particular I'd like to acknowledge the following sources:
- Michael P. Garofalo's excellent website http://www.egreenway.com/
- Tai Ji Quan Dao - the Way of Tai Ji Quan http://www.tjqd.co.uk/
- National Health Service http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/fitness/Pages/taichi.aspx
NHS guide to the benefits of tai chi
Tai Chi recommended to fight fibromyalgia
Tai chi is as good as - or even better than - aerobic exercise for aiding people with chronic pain condition fibromyalgia, as study has suggested.
By Ian Westbrook, Health Reporter, BBC News, 22 March 2018
Tai Chi could prevent fall injuries in elderly
Tai chi exercises could help prevent elderly patients suffering injuries from falls because they improve balance, experts have claimed.
By Nick Collins, The Telegraph Science Correspondent, 29 Oct 2013
Health benefits of tai chi and qigong
There is some early evidence that tai chi can help older people reduce their risk of falls.
-WebMD UK guide
Tai Chi and postural stability in patients with Parkinson's Disease
Tai chi training appears to reduce balance impairments in patients with mild-to-moderate Parkinson's disease.
The New England Journal of Medicine, Feb 9, 2012
Mayo Clinic
"Despite its long history, tai chi has been studied scientifically only in recent years. And although more research is needed, preliminary evidence suggests that tai chi may offer numerous benefits beyond stress reduction, including:
- Reducing anxiety and depression
- Improving balance, flexibility and muscle strength
- Reducing falls in older adults
- Improving sleep quality
- Lowering blood pressure
- Improving cardiovascular fitness in older adult
- Relieving chronic pain
- Increasing energy, endurance and agility
- Improving overall feelings of well-being"
Thurston Arthritis Research Center, University of North Carolina
The largest study of Tai Chi for Arthritis, by Professor Leigh Callahan from the University of North Carolina, shows significant health benefits for people with all types of arthritis. This study was presented at the annual Scientific Meeting of the American College of Rheumatology on 8th November 2010.
British Journal of Sports Medicine
"Last spring the British Journal of Sports Medicine released a comprehensive review of 31 tai chi studies involving 2216 men and women. Their findings? "Tai Chi is a moderate intensity exercise that is beneficial to cardio-respiratory function (heart and breathing), immune capacity, mental control, flexibility and balance control; it improves muscle strength and reduces the risk of falling in the elderly."
- Dr. Keith Jeffery, Tai Chi Newsletter, September 2003
Cochrane
Cochrane is an organisation that checks how good the evidence from research actually is.
http://www.cochrane.org/
The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA)
The JAMA Network brings JAMA together with the nine JAMA specialty journals to offer enhanced access to the research, reviews, and perspectives shaping the future of medicine.
The Journal of the American Medical Association
Harvard Medical School, Boston USA
"The latest evidence looking into the health benefits of Tai Chi comes from researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School in Boston, who followed a group of heart failure patients as they took a twice weekly Tai Chi class for three months. At the end of the study -- published in today's Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals -- the Tai Chi practitioners felt better, were more confident about their ability to perform everyday tasks and led far more active lifestyles than a similar group who attended twice-weekly health education classes.
The subjects in this most recent study didn't increase aerobic fitness levels but in previous studies where subjects attended class more often and practiced a more strenuous version of Tai Chi, they did. Other studies found Tai Chi helps build bone density, lower blood pressure and even boost the immune system, physical benefits normally attributed exclusively to more vigorous workouts."
- Liz Porente, ABC News Medical Unit, 2011, Tai Chi is Heart Healthy
Harvard Medical Newsletter - Tai chi for medical conditions
When combined with standard treatment, tai chi appears to be helpful for several medical conditions. For example:
Arthritis. In a 40-person study at Tufts University, presented in October 2008 at a meeting of the American College of Rheumatology, an hour of tai chi twice a week for 12 weeks reduced pain and improved mood and physical functioning more than standard stretching exercises in people with severe knee osteoarthritis. According to a Korean study published in December 2008 in Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, eight weeks of tai chi classes followed by eight weeks of home practice significantly improved flexibility and slowed the disease process in patients with ankylosing spondylitis, a painful and debilitating inflammatory form of arthritis that affects the spine.
Low bone density. A review of six controlled studies by Dr. Wayne and other Harvard researchers indicates that tai chi may be a safe and effective way to maintain bone density in postmenopausal women. A controlled study of tai chi in women with osteopenia (diminished bone density not as severe as osteoporosis) is under way at the Osher Research Center and Boston's Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.
Breast cancer. Tai chi has shown potential for improving quality of life and functional capacity (the physical ability to carry out normal daily activities, such as work or exercise) in women suffering from breast cancer or the side effects of breast cancer treatment. For example, a 2008 study at the University of Rochester, published in Medicine and Sport Science, found that quality of life and functional capacity (including aerobic capacity, muscular strength, and flexibility) improved in women with breast cancer who did 12 weeks of tai chi, while declining in a control group that received only supportive therapy.
Heart disease. A 53-person study at National Taiwan University found that a year of tai chi significantly boosted exercise capacity, lowered blood pressure, and improved levels of cholesterol, triglycerides, insulin, and C-reactive protein in people at high risk for heart disease. The study, which was published in the September 2008 Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, found no improvement in a control group that did not practice tai chi.
Heart failure. In a 30-person pilot study at Harvard Medical School, 12 weeks of tai chi improved participants' ability to walk and quality of life. It also reduced blood levels of B-type natriuretic protein, an indicator of heart failure. A 150-patient controlled trial is under way.
Hypertension. In a review of 26 studies in English or Chinese published in Preventive Cardiology (Spring 2008), Dr. Yeh reported that in 85% of trials, tai chi lowered blood pressure — with improvements ranging from 3 to 32 mm Hg in systolic pressure and from 2 to 18 mm Hg in diastolic pressure.
Parkinson's disease. A 33-person pilot study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, published in Gait and Posture (October 2008), found that people with mild to moderately severe Parkinson's disease showed improved balance, walking ability, and overall well-being after 20 tai chi sessions.
Sleep problems. In a University of California, Los Angeles, study of 112 healthy older adults with moderate sleep complaints, 16 weeks of tai chi improved the quality and duration of sleep significantly more than standard sleep education. The study was published in the July 2008 issue of the journal Sleep.
Stroke. In 136 patients who'd had a stroke at least six months earlier, 12 weeks of tai chi improved standing balance more than a general exercise program that entailed breathing, stretching, and mobilizing muscles and joints involved in sitting and walking. Findings were published in the January 2009 issue of Neurorehabilitation and Neural Repair.
- Extract from Harvard Medical Newsletter, May 2009
Other useful reads
Tai Chi increases brain size and potentially delays the onset of Alzheimers
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/health/news/9348795/Tai-Chi-makes-your-brain-bigger-and-improves-memory.html
Tai Chi May Reduce Falls and Promote Overall Well-Being Among Stroke Survivors
http://www.prweb.com/releases/2013/2/prweb10436111.htm
Heart patients who feel gloomy should try tai chi, according to research published in the European Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing, 9 June 2020. The mind-body exercise was linked with a boost in both mood and quality of life.
http://www.escardio.org/about/press/press-releases/pr-12/Pages/tai-chi-benefits.aspx
Tai Chi and Postural Stability in Patients with Parkinson's Disease, The New England Journal of Medicine, Feb 9, 2012
http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1107911
Tai Chi for patients with Parkinson’s Disease, Parkinson's UK, Feb 2020
https://www.parkinsons.org.uk/information-and-support/tai-chi