| Visitors to China are often amazed when they | | | | with RA because overexertion can trigger joint |
| look out their hotel room windows early in the | | | | inflammation. Tai chi does not. In a study, 20 |
| morning. In parks, squares, plazas, and | | | | people with RA practiced tai chi two hours a |
| schoolyards, ten of thousands of Chinese of all | | | | week for ten weeks without any aggravation of |
| ages - but particularly the elderly - begin their | | | | symptoms. The researchers concluded that tai chi |
| days with slow, graceful, beautiful choreographed | | | | appears to be safe for RA patients. They also |
| routines called tai chi chuan, generally known in the | | | | confirmed that tai chi might serve as a safe |
| United States as tai chi. Practitioners of tai chi say | | | | alternative to other forms of exercise therapy. |
| that this centuries-old dancelike exercise, which is | | | | 3. Balance |
| derived from the martial arts, clears the mind, | | | | In a study, nine pairs of similar women aged 65 |
| relaxes the body, nourishes the spirit, increases | | | | to 85 were recruited. One of each pair practiced |
| energy and contributes to health and longevity. | | | | tai chi, the other did not. Using sophisticated tests, |
| Over the last 20 years, tai chi has become | | | | the researchers assessed the women's postural |
| increasingly popular in the United States - both as | | | | control, their steadiness on their feet and their |
| a gentle form of meditative exercise and as a | | | | ability to remain standing when subjected to |
| way to cope with various illnesses. One such | | | | destabilizing situations, such as a rocking floor. The |
| illness is multiple sclerosis (MS), the baffling | | | | tai chi practitioners had significantly better postural |
| neurological disease that saps the strength and | | | | control, meaning that they were less likely to fall. |
| limits the mobility of an estimated 350,000 | | | | This finding has considerable medical importance |
| Americans, most of them women. Tai chi has not | | | | for those over 65. falling is a common - and |
| been the subject of as much scientific research | | | | serious - problem in the elderly, especially for |
| as yoga, but the few studies that have been | | | | women with bone-thinning osteoporosis. |
| published to date point to significant health | | | | Osteoporosis makes the bones brittle, and when |
| benefits, particularly for the elderly. | | | | elderly women fall, they risk hip fractures, |
| 1. Stress | | | | complications from which are the nation's twelfth |
| The Chinese researchers who equated tai chi to a | | | | leading cause of death and a major killer of elderly |
| moderate-paced walk also measured its ability to | | | | women. Weight-bearing exercise, such as walking, |
| reduce stress. They subjected 48 men and | | | | helps control osteoporosis, but as women grow |
| women to mentally challenging tests and then | | | | older, fear of falling keeps many from getting the |
| showed them a film calculated to upset them. | | | | weight-bearing exercise they need. All this leads to |
| Then the participants were divided into four | | | | a vicious cycle: fear of falling, increasingly |
| groups. Each group attempted to destress using | | | | sedentary lifestyle and increased risk of hip |
| one of four activities: tai chi, meditation, a brisk | | | | fractures if they do fall. Tai chi can help the |
| walk or reading. By measuring their heart rates, | | | | elderly stay on their feet, avoid falling and remain |
| blood pressure and urinary excretion of stress | | | | physically active, which promotes overall health |
| hormones, the researchers were able to track | | | | and well-being. |
| how quickly the participants recovered from the | | | | 4. Exercise |
| stress. Tai chi turned out to be as stress-relieving | | | | A classic, hour-long tai chi routine could raise heart |
| as two better-known stress reducers, meditation | | | | rate and oxygen consumption into the aerobic |
| and walking. Tai chi would be a good choice for | | | | range, thereby offering the benefits of strenuous |
| someone who enjoys physically active approaches | | | | exercise, including cardiovascular conditioning. Tai |
| to stress management but may not be able to | | | | chi's modest intensity produces the kind of |
| take a walk. | | | | moderate workout that exercise physiologists |
| 2. Rheumatoid Arthritis | | | | often recommend for the elderly and for anyone |
| Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is the most severe | | | | interested in reducing their risk of heart disease, |
| form of arthritis. Some two million Americans | | | | osteoporosis, arthritis, diabetes, obesity, high blood |
| have this painful, potentially crippling inflammatory | | | | pressure and other serious medical conditions. |
| joint disease. For other forms of arthritis, it is | | | | 5. Emotional Well-Being |
| recommended gentle exercise to help control pain | | | | It was found that tai chi elevates mood, reduces |
| and preserve joint function. But many physicians | | | | anger, relieves fatigue and increases energy as |
| are reluctant to recommend exercise for people | | | | well as other forms of moderate exercise. |