Tai chi helps cancer patients
In December of 2021, Memorial Sloan Kettering cancer treatment center updated its website section on Mind/Body treatments. Here’s what they had to say about tai chi and how it works in the human body:
“Tai chi practice can improve posture, movement control, and ability to walk, in part due to the gradual weight shift that occurs with the lower and upper limbs. Slow foot movements such as forward heel-to-toe and backward toe-to-heel motions also improve flexibility, stamina, and muscle tone. The practice of moving from wide to narrow stances as well as turning in the movements expands the number of situations under which the body experiences support. The coordinated breathing used along with the exercises helps to improve lung function. Taken together, these details within the exercises are the mechanisms that serve to improve balance while reducing risk of falls. Tai chi has also been shown to reduce inflammation that is linked with many chronic diseases, including heart disease and cancer.”
On their information page, which you can find here, Memorial Sloan Kettering includes a breakout of things that tai chi helps with. When it comes to cancer patients, it helps to reduce fatigue and inflammation in the body, and it also helps to improve sleep quality.
Tai chi is also good for improving physical strength and stamina, improving balance, and even improving immune function. It also helps some people to reduce their pain levels.
I currently offer both tai chi and qigong classes via Zoom, so that people can attend from their own homes rather than risk exposure in a group setting. You can check out my Zoom class schedule here: ZOOM CLASSES.
