A Roundup of Tai Chi Studies
The following medical and research studies about tai chi appeared on my prior website.
Tai Chi is Good for Chronic Neck Pain
I have often said that tai chi and qigong are good for pretty much whatever ails you, and as the years pass and science catches up with me, study after study proves that’s right.
A six-month study in Essen, Germany, conducted in 2014-2015, found that people with chronic nonspecific neck pain who practiced tai chi found nearly as much relief as those who practiced more traditional neck exercises.
“Nonspecific neck pain” means neck pain that is not the result of any traumatic injury or specific medical condition, including whiplash, disc protrusion, genetic condition, arthritis, addiction, and even psychosis. Nearly 50% of the general population has some level of nonspecific neck pain, often from stress/tension or from posture-related issues caused by looking at smart phones too much or sitting improperly while using a computer.
The good news is that doing tai chi was enough to reduce neck pain by more than 50% for about 38% of the tai chi class participants; a reduction of neck pain by more than 30% was experienced by 63% of the tai chi class group. The participants attended one class per week (usually a 75-90 minute session, which is longer than my typical classes), and to practice at home for at least 15 minutes each day. Those of you who have taken my class know that I also recommend 15 minutes each day to practice the latest movements you’ve learned, or to review the form if you are already competent with it.
After twelve weeks of practice, the tai chi group showed significant pain reduction compared to the wait list (control group). So did the group that did neck exercises. The study concluded that there was no group difference in the amount of pain reduction experienced by the tai chi group and the neck exercise group.
An interesting side note — and one that will be familiar to tai chi practitioners — is that adherence to the tai chi class protocol was much higher than to the neck exercise group. The study doesn’t state why, but I suspect it is because tai chi is more fun than isolated neck exercise, and because it has additional benefits in reducing stress and improving health in other areas.
Tai Chi Boosts the Immune System
One of the best ways to combat health issues and stress is to practice tai chi. Tai chi has been proven to boost the immune system, in part because the movements of tai chi stimulate the lymphatic system, which helps to clear toxins from the body. It’s been shown to boost the immune system against such things as shingles, and tai chi and qigong both help to improve immunity against things such as sore throat and the common cold.
As I’ve noted in some prior posts, tai chi and qigong are also excellent for helping with arthritis, including both osteo- and rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, Parkinson’s disease, and cardiac rehabilitation. Moreover, tai chi and qigong are both excellent ways of reducing stress. The reason these mind-body exercises are so good for you is because they treat both the physical brain and mental/emotional responses as well as exercising the rest of the body.
Tai Chi Benefits Teens with ADHD
According to two different studies (a pilot study done at the University of Miami in 2001 and another done in 2010 by Dr. Peng Pang of the Maimonides Medical Center in NY), the practice of tai chi by teenagers with ADHD improves behavior control in students with ADHD.
In the 2001 study, during the five-week test session in which students attended tai chi classes twice a week, the teenagers displayed less anxiety, less daydreaming, less inappropriate behavior, less hyperactivity, and improved conduct. The positive effects persisted for at least two weeks after the five-week session ended. The study did not include a control group, but the results were deemed promising.
In the 2010 controlled study, students at a six-week summer camp were split into two groups. About 50% of the students had ADHD; the remainder had adjustment disorder, depressive disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, and anxiety disorder. One group received instruction in tai chi twice a week in addition to the usual camp activities and the other did not. The students in the tai chi group reduced their hyperactivity scores, whereas those in the control group saw their hyperactivity scores rise. The students with ADHD who practiced tai chi showed improved cognitive ability. The students were assessed again six weeks after the study’s conclusion, and no lasting benefits were found, which “probably reflects the fact that the subjects did not continue the tai chi practice on their own and also went back to taking their ADHD. medication”.
While other forms of exercise may also be of benefit to teens with ADHD, these preliminary studies show that tai chi serves to regulate behavior and help the teens focus, resulting in improved behavior and cognitive function.
Tai Chi Reduces Falls In Stroke Survivors
In 2013, the American Heart Association revealed the results of a study of adult stroke survivors. The study showed that stroke survivors who practiced Yang style tai chi three times a week in one-hour sessions for 12 weeks had one third the number of falls as those who participated in the other two groups.
The study included 89 stroke survivors, most of whom had had ischemic strokes. The average age of participants was 70 years old, and average time since their strokes was three years. The participants were divided into three roughly equal-sized groups and assigned to one of three groups: tai chi, the SilverSneakers® program available to people with Medicare, and “usual care”, which included weekly phone calls as well as written information about community fitness programs. The study found that the tai chi group reported a total of 5 falls during the 12-week study, while the SilverSneakers® group had 14 and the “usual care” group had 15.
Ruth E. Taylor-Piliae, Ph.D., R.N., was the principal investigator on the study. She said, “Learning how to find and maintain your balance after a stroke is a challenge. Tai chi is effective in improving both static and dynamic balance, which is important to prevent falls.” In further discussing the benefits of tai chi, Taylor-Piliae said, “The main physical benefits of tai chi are better balance, improved strength, flexibility, and aerobic endurance. Psycho-social benefits include less depression, anxiety, and stress, and a better quality of life.”
Tai Chi Helps With Weight Loss
It’s long been known that the practice of tai chi helps reduce stress, one of the reasons some people overeat. Also, the practice of tai chi is known to burn nearly 300 calories per hour.
A study published in 2010 in the British Journal of Sports Medicine indicates that the practice of tai chi and qigong by adults with metabolic syndrome helped to reduce the symptoms of their illness. The patients practiced tai chi and qi gong three times a week for 1 to 1-1/2 hours per session. All of them saw a reduction in weight as well as a reduction in their waistline measurements, along with improvement in blood pressure, insulin levels, mental health, and vitality. Three of the participants improved to the point of no longer being classified with metabolic syndrome at the end of the 12-week trial.
Tai Chi Eases Fibromyalgia Symptoms
Fibromyalgia is a systemic illness with symptoms including fatigue, tender or sore points in muscles, soft tissues and/or joints, and body pain. A 12-week study in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2010 reported on a study in which fibromyalgia patients participated in tai chi classes twice a week.
The patients who participated in tai chi classes showed marked improvements in pain, mood, quality of life, sleep and exercise capacity as opposed to those who participated in the control group. Those improvements continued for an additional six months after the study ended.
Tai Chi Boosts Memory, Delays Alzheimer’s & Dementia
A study reported in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease earlier this year provides early indications that the regular practice of tai chi increases memory and actually causes an increase in brain volume. The study, conducted by the University of South Florida and Fudan University in China, found that elderly Chinese people who participated in tai chi classes three times a week over an eight-month time period were not only able to perform much better on memory tests than those in the control group, but also increased their brain volume.
The increase in brain volume is significant because a decrease in brain volume often precedes the development of a number of forms of dementia. It is believed that brain volume shrinks as a result of lost nerve connections. It appears that the combination of physical exercise and mental concentration used during tai chi helps to increase the number of nerve connections, possibly even developing new pathways. Improvements were also seen in a variety of neuropsychological tests, with the group assigned to practice tai chi showing significant improvements not found in the other groups (assigned to walking, social interaction, or doing nothing).
Tai Chi Benefits Parkinson’s Patients
A study by the Oregon Research Institute found that twice-weekly participation in a tai chi class by people with Parkinson’s disease (PD) significantly improved the balance and coordination of the participants; it also reduced the number of falls. The study, which was first reported in February of 2012, compared the practice of tai chi with two other types of exercise: stretching and resistance training. The six-month study found that the participants who did tai chi outperformed the groups doing stretching and resistance training when it came to balance, control and walking. In addition, the tai chi group significantly reduced their number of falls. The study was reported in The New England Journal of Medicine.
The tai chi form used in the study is similar to the 10-form (sometimes called the 8-form), one of the forms that Morris teaches. If you are interested in learning the 8-form, please contact Morris or sign up for the 8-form Zoom class.
Tai Chi Helps Patients With COPD
Research from a small study done by the University of Sydney, published in August 2012 in The European Respiratory Journal, indicates that participating in a gentle form of tai chi improves the exercise capability and quality of life for people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
“The results from this small sample provide compelling evidence that Tai Chi is an effective training program for patients with COPD, and could be considered as an alternative to the usual exercise training programmes that are available in pulmonary rehabilitation,” said study researcher Regina Wai Man Leung in a statement.