As a Chinese traditional martial art, Tai Chi Chuan is also called “meditation in motion” and is famous for its overall health benefits. Although its motion is slow and gentle, it provides good exercise to improve muscle strength, flexibility and aerobic conditioning as other common fitness sports. Besides these, it also offers other benefits that other common sports cannot give us, such as the balance improvement, the reduced probability of falling, relieving depression, easing of Parkinson’s disease and hypertension. Here are some studies that scientists have finished and will prove how Tai chi can improve our well being.
The first, practicing Tai chi improves balance. According to NIH—National Institute on Aging, a study was conducted to see how much progress the participants of Tai Chi could get on improving balance in Connecticut FICSIT site (1). Over 110 participants, who were all over age 80, were divided into four groups to receive balance training, computerized balance platform, resistance and weight lifting training, education training respectively for three months. And then, each participant joined weekly Tai Chi classes for six months after the intensive training period. The study result shows that practicing Tai Chi helps to improve the body’s balance level by 25-50%. This result proves that compared with other standard treatment methods, Tai Chi leads to significantly balance improvement than other methods. Therefore, it should be widely applied to the clinical practice.
Practicing Tai chi also reduces the probability of falling for old adults. According to the May 1996 issue of the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, a study sponsored by the National Institute on Aging (NIA) gets the conclusion that “Tai Chi can significantly cut the risk of falls among older people and may be beneficial in maintaining gains made by people age 70 and older who undergo other types of balance and strength training (1).” The study result explains that practicing tai chi improves ankles and knees sensitivity, so that it prevents falls. The study included 200 participants age 70 and older. All participants were divided into three groups: Tai Chi, computerized balance training, and education. After 15 weekly sessions, participants from Tai Chi group showed the most notable change of reducing the rate of falling. Compared with 23% before they took the training, only 8% of the Tai chi group participants said they still feared falling. The director of this study said: “The Tai Chi group seemed to have more confidence. They had an increased sense of being able to do all that they would like to do.” After this study was finished, almost half of the Tai Chi participants continued their Tai Chi meeting.
Besides balance improvement, the other benefits are significant as well. As we all know, depression causes many health problems, such as morbidity, disability, mortality, even suicidal thinking and so on. More than 2 million people age 65 and older suffer from depression. How to relief the pain of depression? Practicing Tai Chi will help you to reduce it. According to a research hold by UCLA, the researchers found that compared with using standard treatment, people from the Tai Chi group had a greater reduction in the level of depression. The director of UCLA’s Stress and Wellness Research Program said: “This is the first study to demonstrate the benefits of Tai Chi in the management of late-life depression, and we were encouraged by the results.” This research is important, especially, when “nearly two-thirds of elderly patients who seek treatment for their depression fail to achieve relief with a prescribed medication (2).” With the practice of Tai Chi, more people will have the hope to enjoy a normal life again.
Parkinson’s disease patients gets benefits from Tai Chi as well. According to several studies conducted by ORI—Oregon Research Institute in four Oregon cities, Tai Chi has shown significant benefits for people who have mild-to-moderate Parkinson’s disease. “These results are clinically significant because they suggest that Tai Chi, a low-to-moderate impact exercise, may be used, as an add-on to current physical therapies, to address some of the key clinical problems in Parkinson’s disease.” said ORI scientist Fuzhong Li, Ph.D. (3). Compared with resistance training and stretching groups, Tai Chi group showed better score in how far they could lean in a direction without losing balance, and also in the ability of body control. Based on the practical advantages, Dr. Li concludes that, “Using Tai Chi to improve motor dysfunction of Parkinson’s disease - it is a low cost activity that does not require equipment, it can be done anywhere, at any time, and the movements can be easily learned. It can also be incorporated into a rehabilitation setting as part of existing treatment. Similarly, because of its simplicity, certain aspects of this Tai Chi program can also be prescribed to patients as a self-care/home activity.”
Not only a cure, but also a control, Tai Chi also helps people with hypertension. Based on a study conducted in Taipei Medical University Hospitals and University campus in the Taipei, Taiwan area, Tai Chi exercise decreases blood pressure, results in favorable lipid profile changes and improves subjects' anxiety status (4). The study was held among 76 high-normal or stage 1 hypertension people for 12 weeks with a frequency of 3 times practice per week. After the training, the treatment group showed significant decrease in systolic blood pressure, and also in the serum total cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol level. The study result indicates that Tai Chi can be used as an alternative modality in treating patients with mild hypertension without spending too much.
Compared with other common sports, people with poor balance, high risk of falling, depression, Parkinson’s disease and hypertension might get more benefits from Tai Chi. Especially, as the researchers in Taipei Medical University Hospitals mentioned, it’s also an economic method to gain benefits. Based on so many researches and its low cost advantage, Tai Chi should be introduced to more and more people.
Reference
(1): "National Institute on Aging | The Leader in Aging Research." National Institute on Aging | The Leader in Aging Research. NIA Press Office, 2 May 1996. Web. 1 July 2013. <http://www.nia.nih.gov/newsroom/1996/05/tai-chi-older-people-reduces-falls-may-help-maintain-strength>.
(2): "Tai Chi Soothes Depression | U Magazine | UCLA Health & David Geffen School of Medicine." U Magazine | UCLA Health & David Geffen School of Medicine. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 July 2013. <http://magazine.uclahealth.org/body.cfm?id=6&action=detail&ref=805>.
(3): "Oregon Research Institute - News -Oregon Research Institute Tai Chi Program helps Parkinson’s Disease Patients ." Oregon Research Institute - Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 July 2013. <http://www.ori.org/news_and_events
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(4): J Altern Complement Med. . "The beneficial effects of Tai Chi Ch... [J Altern Complement Med. 2003] - PubMed - NCBI." National Center for Biotechnology Information. N.p., 9 Oct. 2003. Web. 1 July 2013. <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14629852>.
