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MEDICAL NEWS
Tai
Chi Gentle but With Strong Physical Benefits
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You may be acquainted with tai chai from seeing a group of people in a park doing slow movements with their arms and legs, looking more like a synchronized ballet or modern dance than any kind of exercise you are familiar with. Yet this ancient Chinese martial art has real physical benefits—and without the physical stress that other forms of exercise, even yoga, can have on aging bodies.
Its
low-impact and gentle movements put minimal pressure on your muscles and
joints, and the risk of injury is low. Instead of going to a gym, you can do it
anywhere, and it doesn’t require any special clothing or props (a yoga mat, for
example, or exercise machine).
In
fact, tai chi (pronounced “tie chee”) may be a better exercise option for older
adults than strength training, even though such exercises combat the wasting
effects of aging. That's because strength training tends to stiffen arteries. A
recent study in Europe compared the health of older adults who practiced tai
chi and those who did not practice. Though the study did not directly test tai chi,
it did find that tai chi practitioners’ large and small vessels were more
flexible (“Why Tai Chi Makes Sense for the Elderly,” June 2012, Atlantic Monthly). And the more flexible the arteries the better one's overall
cardiovascular health generally is. Poor arterial flexibility is an independent
risk factor for cardiovascular disorders— diseases affecting the heart and
blood vessels.
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Although
most people no longer use it as a martial art, you can think of tai chi as a
way to fight back against the effects of aging: losing flexibility, balance and
muscle strength.
What Is Tai Chi?
The
centuries-old Chinese martial art is descended from qigong, an ancient Chinese
discipline that has its roots in traditional Chinese medicine. It is based on
the concept of qi — an energy force thought to flow through the body — and yin
and yang — opposing elements thought to make up the universe and that need to
be kept in harmony. Tai chi is said to unblock and encourage the proper flow of
qi and to promote the yin-yang balance.
Both
yoga and tai chi are said to have meditative benefits. But unlike yoga, another
Eastern form of exercise in which you hold a pose, tai chi involves a series of
slow, continuous and meditative body movements that incorporate a series of
motions named for animal actions—for example, "white crane spreads its
wings" — or martial arts moves, such as "box both ears." As you
move, you breathe deeply and naturally, focusing your attention—as in some
forms of meditation—on your bodily sensations.
Tai
chi differs from other types of exercise in other respects. Its movements are
usually circular and never forced, the muscles are relaxed rather than tensed,
the joints are not fully extended or bent, and connective tissues are not
stretched. Tai chi can be easily adapted for anyone, from the fittest athletes
to people confined to wheelchairs.
Often
described as "meditation in motion," tai chi, like yoga, demands
concentration, so breathing and movement are coordinated. Many tai chi
proponents say this promotes calm feelings and thus a reduction in stress. Others
say tai chi interweaves the mind and body into one.
Benefits of Tai Chi
In China,
it is believed that tai chi can delay aging and prolong life, increase
flexibility, strengthen muscles and tendons, and aid in the treatment of heart
disease, high blood pressure, arthritis, digestive disorders, skin diseases,
depression, cancer and other illnesses. Unfortunately, there hasn't been a
significant amount of scientific evidence to support all of these claims but several
small studies show a positive connection between tai chi and many chronic
diseases. Most of the studies offer tai chi as an intervention for a short
duration, and long-term results or benefits of tai chi may vary by individual
over time.
Balance and flexibility. Most of
the research on the impacts of tai chi on older adults has studied balance and
fall prevention. This is especially pertinent to older adults because
fall-related injuries (see Exercise Best Cure
for Hip Fracture Recovery, July 2014, Senior Spirit) are the leading
cause of death from injury and disabilities among older adults, as well as the
leading cause of loss of independence and need for long-term care. Because tai
chi often involves shifting weight from one leg to the other, it can increase
both balance and leg strength in older adults. One researcher says that tai chi
strengthens weak muscles in legs and improves the ability of ankles to flex on
uneven surfaces, and repeated movements improve reaction time. Tai chai also
counteracts the loss of balance as we get older, because it improves the sense
of one’s physical position in space (known as proprioception).
In one study, adults in their 60s and 70s who
practiced tai chi three times a week improved, after six weeks, their balance,
muscular strength, endurance and flexibility. Another study compared men age 65
and older who had more than 10 years of tai chi with similar-aged who were
sedentary and found that the men who did tai chi performed better on tests of
balance, flexibility and cardiovascular function. Another study involving
people with mild balance disorders found that eight weeks of tai chi training
significantly improved function on a standard balance test.
Even
people with Parkinson’s disease found improved balance and function after 20 to
24 tai chi sessions, according to two studies.
To help older adults improve their balance, the National Institute on
Aging includes tai chi in its Go4Life exercise program as a lower-body strength
exercise.
Heart
disease. In a study at Harvard Medical School, 12 weeks of tai chi reduced
blood levels of B-type natriuretic protein, an indicator of heart failure, and
improved participants' ability to walk and quality of life. Another study
suggests that tai chi may improve quality of life, mood and exercise confidence
in people with chronic heart failure.
Cancer.
A 2008 study at the University of Rochester 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.
“It does
not cure cancer, but restores function, strength and energy, helps people deal
with symptoms, and improves resiliency,” says Dr. Yang Yang, who works with
cancer patients at the Integrative Medicine Center of the Memorial
Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (quoted in Senior Planet).
Cognitive
aid. Studies show that among people with early dementia or mild cognitive
impairment, exercises such as tai chi can have positive effects on cognitive
performance and memory, says Dr. Peter Wayne, co-author of The Harvard Medical
School Guide to Tai Chi: 12 Weeks to a Healthy Body, Strong Heart & Sharp
Mind.
“Tai chi
can not only reduce stress and depression, but also relieve pain, build
strength, and improve cognitive function, perhaps even delaying dementia” says
Wayne, who is director of research at the Osher Center for Integrative
Medicine, jointly based at the Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s
Hospital in Boston (“Tai Chi for Older Newbies,” Senior Planet).
Walking.
One study found that individuals who practiced tai chi walked significantly
more steps than individuals who did not; this is good news for older adults
whose walking speed decreases with age.
Aerobic
capacity. After reviewing seven studies focusing on the effects of tai chi
on aerobic capacity in older adults, researchers found that individuals who
practiced tai chi for one year had higher aerobic capacity than sedentary
individuals around the same age.
Muscle
strength. Stanford University researchers tested women and men, average age
66, who had below-average fitness and at least one cardiovascular risk factor.
After taking 36 tai chi classes in 12 weeks, they improved in both lower-body
strength (measured by the number of times they could rise from a chair in 30
seconds) and upper-body strength (measured by their ability to do arm curls).
Arthritis.
A Tufts University study found that 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.
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.
Hypertension.
A review of 26 studies in English or Chinese found that, in 85 percent of
trials, tai chi could decrease blood pressure.
Sleep.
In a University of California—Los Angeles study of 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.
Stroke.
A study conducted at the University of Illinois compared patients who had
suffered a stroke at least six months earlier. In the 12th week of the tai chi
program, participants demonstrated improved standing balance.
Sources
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