Health Benefits Of Tai Chi

The first is qigong which is a health practice that utilizes body movement, breathing techniques and mental focus to assist in healing, relaxation and reconnecting (Winn, 2009). Next is that art of meditation. Meditation is an important element in the Tao religion. Many Taoists practice meditation to achieve mental serenity and heighten mental awareness. There are also various forms of exercise, such as yoga and Tai Chi, and therapies, acupuncture and moxibustion, which Taoists use to restore balance within the body and achieve healing.

In recent years, western civilization has adopted Tai Chi as not only a physical activity, but also a highly recommended rehabilitation method. Within physical therapy, Tai Chi is looked upon as an intervention to improve balance and reduce the risk of falls.1 Since the aging adult experiences a decline in balance and more than one-third of those 65 years and older experience a fall related incident each year, it is logical to purport that regular participation in Tai Chi may be an ideal exercise program for the geriatric population.2 However, is Tai Chi physically and cognitively suitable for all elderly individuals? What factors should the Physical Therapist consider before recommending Tai Chi? Though the initial idea

Good health means the yin and yang is in balance and in harmony with each other. According to Jarvis (2012), foods are classified in this theory; yin foods are cold, and yang foods are hot; cold foods are eaten with a hot illness and hot foods are eaten with a cold illness. Chinese people have practiced acupuncture for thousands of years for the reduction of pain and for various disorders using fine needles at specific meridian points on the body (Edelman & Mandle, 2010). The Chinese believe that when there is an imbalance in a person’s system is when a person has illness. For health maintenance, they use preventive measures such eating healthy. Chinese people enjoy drinking a variety of tea after meals for the cleansing effect. Health protection means wearing an amulet or jade, eat correctly and with compatible food (Jarvis, 2012). Chinese people use cupping, acupuncture, moxibustion, and herbs such as ginseng roots, and usually will consult with herbalists, for health restoration.

General exercise programs should be encouraged. The primary components of such programs should be training in balance, flexibility, endurance, and strengthening. (Reid, 2015) If necessary, a physiotherapist can be recommended to reinforce the education program, including coaching on fall risk, body mechanics, and balance training. (Reid, 2015) Another exercise program that has merit are Tai Chi and Yoga. Although there is very little research on both Tai Chi and Yoga in relation to chronic pain, there is some evidence to suggest that both can be utilized in pain reduction and is significant. Tai Chi and yoga are feasible for the older adult population and in the same study that found that Tai Chi and yoga significantly reduced pain also found that there were no reports of adverse effects or safety issues caused by practicing Tai Chi or

There is a growing interest in complementary and alternative therapies that are noninvasive, do not rely on expensive technology, and are holistic in focus. A prime example is reiki therapy. I became certified as a reiki Level-I practitioner in the summer of 2018 because I felt it would be the perfect complement to my growing nursing skills. As a reiki-certified nurse, I would be able to help my patients if they ever desired the holistic therapy to be added to their plan of care. Through my experiences as a reiki Level-I practitioner, I have become familiar with just how important complementary and alternative therapies can be. As healthcare professionals, we must pay attention to how we can improve a patient’s quality of life. We must think

Many Civilizations have practiced Reflexology. Evidence of this has been documented on four continents, Asia, Europe, Africa and North America. The most common theory is that the earliest form of reflexology originated in China as much as 5,000 years ago. Part of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), Chinese Reflexology is the ancient art of working pressure points on the feet, hands and ears that correspond to different parts of the body. The Chinese are also known to have used Reflexology in conjunction with acupuncture. Dr. Wong-Wei, a Chinese Doctor in the fourth century BC evidently used to position acupuncture needles in the patient’s bodies and then apply very firm pressure with his thumbs to the soles of their feet. This pressure was maintained for several minutes until the desired therapeutic effects were achieved. Dr. Wong-Wei maintained that as the pressure was applied and held healing energy was released into the patient’s body.

As an early form of martial arts, Tai chi emphasizes a softer and internalized approach to achieving Dao. While practicing Tai chi, one must internalize themselves in relation to their environment. The basis of Tai chi revolves around the idea that the human body functions as a microcosm of the universe. By understanding one’s qi—energy flow—one attains the capacity to function like the universe. The goal of Tai chi is to harness the energy (qi) of nature itself and bring it into the body. As a result, bringing the natural energy of the environment into the body will produce a balance and thus, improve mental and physical health. The art of Tai chi and its emphasis on the connection between the cosmos and the individual’s body heightens the Taoist idea that everything that exists has a source or a reason behind its existence. Furthermore, since the human body exists as a microcosm of the universe, it has the potential to develop and function similarly to the universe. This connection between the internal and external body can be examined through the Taoist representation of the human

Tai Chi is about “creating a balance between the mind, body, and nature, while encouraging a heightened state of health and wellness” (Herzog, 2011, p. 1). Tai chi involves the constant movement with the left and right hand, until a sense of inner peace is reached. When tai chi is performed between two people, a relationship is established from the two individuals through movement. There is

My body becomes warm from the squatting form but my breathing remains slow and calm. The movement of Tai Chi helps me to draw in deeper breaths and exhale more fully.

Acupuncture is one of the biggest clinical trials to test the effectiveness and safety of the alternative practice.  Researchers have also found that acupuncture has complemented conventional therapy as it has effectively reduced pain associated with osteoarthritis of the knee. Acupuncture, has also helped people deal with chronic episodes of tension-headaches, along with chemotherapy patients who experience nausea and vomiting. And, according to another study, 66 people with fibromyalgia, benefited from doing Tai-Chi. Results showed improved moods and sleep

Below is the Evernote writing that inspired this episode that I jotted right before going to an introductory Tai Chi lesson (will give a review of my experience later  ).

One of the oldest and most complete medical systems ever developed is traditional Chinese medicine. The Taoist ideas and the importance of nature have been intertwined with Chinese Medicine from the ancient beginnings of Chinese culture. “'Tao' or way, is the major idea of Taoism: 'Man models himself on earth, earth on heaven, heaven on the way, and the way on that which is naturally so'. Taoism teaches that human beings should be in harmony with nature, that is, with Tao” (Y). Taoism celebrates the forces of nature and recognizes the interplay of yin and yang in all things. The Taoist principles of Yin-Yang, the eight principles, Chi energy, and the five elements are tools used in Chinese medicine to comprehend the web of phenomena as it

Traditional Chinese medicine, or TCM, is one of the oldest systems of medicine to exist among humans, and it is extremely prominent to this day. According to legend, the system has been in use since the third millennium BCE. The views of such an old system differ greatly from those found in modern western medicine. Perhaps most prominent is the fact that TCM focuses more on the patient than the illness. The system considers the human to be a microcosm of the universe, implying that the body is affected by the traditional Taoist forces of yin and yang, the five elements, and Qi in the same way the cosmos are. Each of these forces act upon the “zang fu,” or organ system, directly influencing a patient’s health. Healers use qigong to assist in the restoration of stability in the body. Achieving balance, both internally and externally, is the most important aspect of healing in TCM.

People who practiced tai chi believes that it can promote physical health because it enhances the flow of qi. As being both healing art and martial art, Tai Chi based on the internal condition of the study, which is main point. This shows that the true focus of the study is not only, nor even mainly, on the physical level, but places the importance of the practice more on the mental and energetic levels. The mental part is really the most important because the number one condition that limits an individual from achieving excellence in anything, including his of hers own health, is a state that tradition Chinese medicine refers to as being "weak-minded". This "weak-minded" state shows that the person is easily confused or distracted. So the first quality to be developed in Tai Chi is the strengthening of one's concentration, or better known as to martial artists as being centered. So basically to sum up the this paragraph, Tai Chi was created as a form of mediation and mental exercise in which students learn to center and focus their mental powers.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the flow of chi within the body is necessary for a healthy person. Acupuncture proved efficient, because it helped restore that chi and promote comfort and health for patients. Based on cultural beliefs, traditional medicine proved superior to allopathic medicine in China.