Chapter

18

T’ai Chi as Therapy for Young and Old

In This Chapter

Kids, seniors, women, and men—everyone can benefit from T’ai Chi

T’ai Chi and sports: a winning combination

T’ai Chi as a health therapy

T’ai Chi is for everyone, and this chapter provides details on how T’ai Chi benefits specific people, their health conditions, and their athletic activities—with even more information in this fourth edition. In fact, anyone, but especially health professionals and T’ai Chi/QiGong teachers, will find the last part of this chapter a powerful reference, with maladies listed in alphabetical order and details on how T’ai Chi or QiGong might help.

If you are treating a specific condition, you will find here an introduction to how T’ai Chi might assist your ongoing therapy. Seniors will find out why T’ai Chi is the very best thing they can do for themselves. Specific reasons why children, men, and women should practice T’ai Chi are provided as well.

This chapter will also assist parents and T’ai Chi teachers who want to start a T’ai Chi class for kids. Kids are taught differently from adults, and this chapter gives teachers or parents some great insights into helping their kids make the most of T’ai Chi—and have fun doing it. It also provides specific information on new research regarding T’ai Chi’s benefit to young people with attention-deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

T’ai Chi for Kids

Kids are the embodiment of change, and change can be very stressful. Their minds and bodies grow at phenomenal rates, so they are constantly having to work with new and different bodies, making coordination and balance a big issue. T’ai Chi, with its emphasis on balance, is well suited to address these challenges.

Preparing for Athletics and Life

T’ai Chi works to integrate the mind and body, skeletal and muscular systems, and left brain and right brain. In physical terms, this centering is built around an awareness of moving with good posture and from a low center of gravity, or the Vertical Axis and the dan tien.

Some people, such as gifted athletes, are naturals at this kind of self-awareness and movement. Because most of our kids are not naturals, T’ai Chi can be a most effective way to help them prepare for athletics and simply be comfortable in their rapidly changing bodies.

Treating Attention Deficit Disorder

Attention deficit disorder (ADD) is a growing problem, not only with children but with adults as well. T’ai Chi is a wonderful adjunct therapy for treating ADD because it augments many of the mood-management techniques recommended for ADD sufferers. A University of Miami School of Medicine study shows T’ai Chi is a powerful therapy for ADHD. The children participating in the study saw a drop in ADD symptoms and an enhanced ability to focus, concentrate, and perform tasks.

Edward M. Hallowell, MD, and John J. Ratey, MD, experts on the management of ADD, wrote, “Exercise is positively one of the best treatments for ADD. It helps work off excess energy and aggression in a positive way, it allows for noise-reduction within the mind, it stimulates the hormonal and neurochemical systems in a most therapeutic way, and it soothes and calms the body.”

T’ai Chi’s slow, mindful movements have much to offer people who suffer from ADD. The following table explains why T’ai Chi may be a perfect ADD therapy.

T’ai Chi and ADD

What Experts Suggest

What T’ai Chi Offers

Set aside time for recharging batteries, something calm and restful, like meditation.

T’ai Chi is a mini-vacation.

Daily exercise that is readily available and needs little preparation can help with the blahs that occur and with overall outlook.

T’ai Chi is easy, requires no preparation, and is a daily mood-elevator.

Observe mood swings; learn to accept them by realizing they will pass. Learn strategies that might help bad moods pass sooner.

T’ai Chi is a tool for self-observation of feelings and for letting those feelings go.

Use “time-outs” when you are upset or over-stimulated. Take a time-out; go away, and calm stress.

T’ai Chi can be performed in the bathroom at school or work, giving you a break from the down.

Let go of the urgency to always finish things quickly by learning to enjoy the process.

T’ai Chi’s slow, flowing routine is about letting go of the outcome and learning to love the process.

ADD usually includes a tendency to over-focus or hyperfocus at times, to obsess or ruminate over some imagined problem without being able to let it go.

T’ai Chi teaches the practice of letting go on a mental, emotional, and physical level with each exhale.

OUCH!
Check with your child’s therapist or physician before beginning T’ai Chi. Also find an effective, understanding T’ai Chi instructor who has experience teaching children.

Teaching T’ai Chi to Kids

All kids—not just kids with ADD—usually have difficulty with the slowness of T’ai Chi. Therefore, you simply speed it up when teaching children. But do teach each child at his or her own pace; some can go slower than others.

SAGE SIFU SAYS
T’ai Chi for kids with ADD will not look like T’ai Chi for adults. It will be faster.

Give kids constant recognition for their T’ai Chi accomplishments. Ask each kid to demonstrate her new movements for the class at the end, and have everyone applaud. If a kid forgets a move, jump in and do it with her. Over the weeks, she will look forward to the recognition and will practice more.

T’ai Chi is a loose thing, not a rigid thing. It can work for everybody and can be taught in many fun ways. Keep a kid’s T’ai Chi class moving, and include stretching exercises from yoga or aggressive calisthenics to use up excess energy. Then, as the kids get more tired, ease them into slower movement.

Kids can do QiGong meditations, too. It isn’t anything like adult meditations; more and different images work. Try the children’s meditation CD (see Appendix C) for examples.

T’ai Chi for Seniors

Seniors can find no better exercise in the world than T’ai Chi. Prevention magazine has reported that “T’ai Chi may be the best exercise for people over the age of 60 … providing cardio fitness, muscle strength, and flexibility all in one simple workout that is easy on the joints.” According to some studies, T’ai Chi may help build bone mass and connective tissue, with zero joint damage. Other studies show T’ai Chi is twice as good as any other balance exercise in the world. Because complications from falling injuries are the sixth-largest cause of death among seniors, this is a very big deal. For seniors with chronic conditions, T’ai Chi can help treat many maladies. (For details, see the section “The Therapeutic Powers of T’ai Chi and QiGong” at the end of this chapter.)

If your mobility is limited in some way, even if you’re in a wheelchair, that’s no problem. There is a T’ai Chi class for you, and if you are persistent, you’ll find a teacher and a class perfect for you.

OUCH!
Each condition is different, so discuss with your physician T’ai Chi’s potential benefits to your case. T’ai Chi is extremely gentle and should not be confused with the harder martial arts, but consult your doctor before beginning the class.

T’ai Chi for Women

T’ai Chi is the ultimate exercise for women, in part because of its ability to cultivate both elegance and power. In today’s working environment, where women are competing with men and trying to break through the glass ceiling, T’ai Chi’s ability to cultivate an inner sense of confident power can be very helpful. However, T’ai Chi can be helpful to women for many biological reasons as well.

Halting Bone Loss

Bone loss is a big problem with many women. Studies indicate that stress may be a major factor contributing to the loss of bone mass in even relatively young women. The daily stress relief T’ai Chi promotes provides a powerful preventive therapy to help ensure a long, active life for women.

Studies have shown that QiGong practice raises estrogen levels in women, including those over 45. This is highly desirable because reduced estrogen levels after menopause cause a loss of calcium from the bones and increase the risk of osteoporosis and heart disease.

Treating Eating Disorders

Women suffer from eating disorders 10 times more often than men. Although often thought of as an adult problem, anorexia and bulimia most often start in the teenage years, while the sufferer is still living at home. Although I am unaware of any studies on the effectiveness of T’ai Chi as therapy for anorexia or bulimia, the underlying issues and symptomology seem to suggest that T’ai Chi practice embodies much of the treatment criteria for eating disorders.

For example, it is recommended that anorexia and bulimia sufferers strengthen their inner core of self and self-worth. The self-esteem T’ai Chi practice builds and encourages can be a highly effective way to discover the power within one’s self. The need for a restoration of biochemical and hormonal balance may be facilitated with T’ai Chi’s ability to create a homeostatic effect throughout the body, not only physically, but also mentally and emotionally. T’ai Chi addresses the need to balance internal rhythms and needs with life’s demands by those who practice it so they can become quietly mindful of subtle feelings and needs before they suffer a crisis born of acute stress or panic.

OUCH!
Do not attempt to self-treat any disorder, including an eating disorder. Suggest T’ai Chi and QiGong to your physician or therapist as an adjunct therapy. It may be a powerful addition to your ongoing treatment, but discuss it with your doctor.

Mood swings and depression are a part of bulimic bingeing, and feelings of lack of personal control are a part of many teenagers’ anorexia or bulimia. Food, or denying ourselves food, provides us with a feeling of self-control over an out-of-control world. T’ai Chi’s regular practice is designed to help us realize that we have a great deal of control over how we are impacted by the world. This centering enables us to feel more accepting of the fact that much of the world is beyond our control.

Preparing for Childbirth

T’ai Chi has much to offer a pregnant woman, if practiced very gently and with care. Most pregnant women can practice its slow and gentle movements. Its gentleness and relaxed motion promote the circulation of energy and blood throughout the body, while its smooth abdominal breathing fully oxygenates the bodies of both mother and child. However, only practice when it feels good, and never strain yourself. Rest whenever you need to, and modify or forgo any movement or exercise that doesn’t feel right.

T’ai Chi breathing is a wonderful way to prepare for delivery. The famous Lamaze breathing technique is based on QiGong breathing techniques and pain-management tools. This aspect of T’ai Chi makes it perhaps the most effective exercise to prepare you for a safe, natural childbirth. Remember to breathe.

SAGE SIFU SAYS
Although T’ai Chi is very gentle, some postures may be too low or somewhat strenuous for pregnant women. Do not practice these postures, or else adjust them so they are less strenuous for you. As your pregnancy progresses, change your T’ai Chi to make it less strenuous with each passing month. Always go slow and listen to your body. Don’t do anything that doesn’t feel good. Be sure your physician approves of T’ai Chi before beginning classes.

T’ai Chi for Men

Just as T’ai Chi can help women develop their powerful dynamic side, T’ai Chi helps men develop their passive or receptive side as well, thereby helping men become better homemakers and parents.

T’ai Chi’s goal is to strike a balance between our dynamic (male/yang) side and our receptive (female/yin) side. Men and women have both qualities, and T’ai Chi helps balance them.

T’ai Chi helps us let go of old self-concepts and prejudices, just as it teaches us to let go of tensions and fears. As our physical bodies relax and become more fluid, we become more flexible mentally and emotionally.

However, T’ai Chi can help you be that big, strapping stud of an athlete as well. In fact, maybe it can help you keep up with the women who are advancing in every sport today.

T’ai Chi and Sports

T’ai Chi is the ultimate sports training tool because its goal is to cultivate balance, calm, and power—the basis for excelling in any physical activity. T’ai Chi can enhance any athletic performance. T’ai Chi’s cultivation of awareness of the dan tien, or center of gravity, can be especially helpful for surfing, skateboarding, snowboarding, and skiing. In fact, T’ai Chi instructor Chris Luth conducts “T’ai Chi Skiing Workshops.”

However, the self-awareness, or biofeedback, element of T’ai Chi and QiGong can bring out the giant in any athlete. Several blind golfers are very accomplished. Yes, you read right—blind golfers. When asked, they explain that golf is more of a game of “feeling” than sight (as are most sports at their core). They explain that the sighted golfer is handicapped in a way because of their obsession with outcome rather than process, or feeling. T’ai Chi takes the awareness of the athlete internal to the nth degree, maximizing the power of any athlete in any sport, blind or sighted.

Weight Training

Gil Messenger, a student of Master Kuo Lien-ying, was a sports trainer as well as a T’ai Chi instructor. He often taught a form of QiGong meditation to weight trainers, who were surprised to discover that they could then lift more weight. We think when we are pumped and straining we are more powerful, but these weight lifters discovered that by allowing the body to let go, to fill with light, and to move from a calm center, they increased their physical power.

Golf

At an American QiGong Association conference in San Francisco, I had the pleasure to meet a golf coach who had worked with Tiger Woods and had written a book about Tiger’s incredible, almost superhuman golf swing. His book theorized that the reason for Tiger’s immense power was that as a young child he had practiced QiGong exercises with his dad. This introduced him to “feeling” his swing in a heightened way and also taught him to swing from the dan tien at a very young age. You see the results, as Tiger has dominated professional golf for many years of his career. That’s yet another reason all children should be learning T’ai Chi and QiGong from kindergarten through university!

In golf, instructors encourage you to “swing with the belly button.” This is another way of saying to swing with the dan tien. Many golfers discover that they can drive the ball much farther after practicing T’ai Chi for only a few months.

OUCH!
The concept of swinging from the dan tien may also help reduce “golfer’s back” problems. By thinking of swinging from below the navel (or dan tien) rather than from the navel, your lower back twists less.

Also, T’ai Chi’s relaxed motion allows the limbs to be swung by the dan tien’s motion with no muscle resistance. This, in turn, allows the entire force of the dan tien’s turning to be projected outward through the hands and club into the ball.

Tennis and Racquetball

The same force used in golf is brought to bear in tennis and racquetball. If you play either of these racquet sports, you will also find an increased sense of control. Sometimes tennis players describe a sense of slowing down, as if T’ai Chi practice made the game seem a bit slower than before.

Tennis players also often discover less pressure in the knees after practicing T’ai Chi. Consciously moving from the dan tien can bring less pressure to bear on the knees when coming to an abrupt halt because when the head or upper body leads the movement, the knees must work harder to stop your momentum. T’ai Chi can also give you an off-day exercise that is soothing to the joints but still keeps the mind and body working together at a fine edge. You may be able to have fewer days on the court while still improving your game, which may save your knees as well.

Baseball

The concept of swinging with the dan tien is exemplified in baseball’s batting motion. Many batting coaches speak of “squashing the bug,” which is another way of saying swing with the dan tien or body: as the body pulls the bat around and the back foot pivots, an imaginary bug beneath the back foot is squashed. When performed correctly, the most powerful swings appear almost effortless. The mental calming and focus T’ai Chi promotes can also improve the hit-to-strike ratio, as well as improving defensive reactions when fielding.

T’ai Chi’s ability to improve balance is excellent for infielders, who must move on a dime and reach outward to make plays. However, pitchers are probably the greatest beneficiaries of T’ai Chi training. Just before going into a pitch, pitchers must hold their balance on one leg for a moment. This moment of balance is the most crucial point in a pitcher’s windup and can determine both force and accuracy. Therefore, the amazing balance improvement T’ai Chi provides can be the most powerful weapon in a pitcher’s arsenal.

The “Hard” Martial Arts

In the 1970s, the world was surprised to see a 19-year-old Canadian win the World Karate Championship. His secret? T’ai Chi. The centering, balance, looseness, and focus T’ai Chi promotes greatly enhance the power and speed of any boxer or martial artist. More than any other exercise, T’ai Chi promotes increased reaction speed because it’s therapy, not just for external muscular performance but for the mental and neural processes as well.

T’ai Chi as Therapy

The following sections provide an introduction to how and why T’ai Chi and/or QiGong may be an effective therapy for your condition. If you or your doctor is interested in more in-depth explanations, refer to the end of this chapter for an alphabetical listing of maladies found to benefit from T’ai Chi or QiGong therapy. Master Ken Cohen’s book The Way of Qigong: The Art and Science of Chinese Energy Healing may be very helpful as well (see Appendix B). The QiGong Institute’s QiGong Computerized Database, at www.qigonginstitute.org, is also a great resource, as is www.worldtaichiday.org’s medical research library. Find a link to this library in the Web Video Support’s Appendix section.

Cancer Treatment

In Chinese hospitals, T’ai Chi and QiGong are often used in conjunction with chemo or radiation therapies. QiGong and T’ai Chi therapies can lessen the side-effects of radiation treatments, but T’ai Chi has many other benefits to offer. For example, a sense of hopelessness or helplessness can diminish the effectiveness of standard treatments. T’ai Chi, however, engages the patients in the healing process, giving them a sense of empowerment. I teach a class for people with cancer, who often come up to me after class expressing how profoundly these tools have shifted the way they feel. T’ai Chi and QiGong don’t always make symptoms disappear, but by lifting our laser-like focus away from our challenges and toward the larger, lighter energetic nature of our being, we feed that rather than feeding our symptoms.

In China, QiGong is used as a primary therapy for advanced, inoperable, and medically untreatable cancer. It can slow the progression of the disease while maintaining appetite and helping with pain management. Beyond that, the emotional and mental clarifying aspects of T’ai Chi and QiGong can help patients prepare for life transition in a more meaningful and spiritual way. By helping them become more at peace in their lives, they may find the transition to death a less fearful event, thereby enabling them to make the most of their remaining days.

Cardiac Rehab and Prevention

Many cardiologists prescribe T’ai Chi as an adjunct therapy for treatment of heart problems or as preventive therapy, and the British Heart Foundation said, based on emerging research, T’ai Chi could be adopted into treatment programs for cardiac rehabilitation. T’ai Chi provides a gentle exercise that promotes circulation, but its meditative quality may offer even more benefits. T’ai Chi’s stress-reduction qualities foster a feeling of self-acceptance and safety in the world, enabling practitioners to let go of the control issues that can make life seem like an endless state of panic, thereby untightening their hearts. Notice that when you feel panic, your heart feels constricted. T’ai Chi’s breath and ungripping techniques do the opposite.

SAGE SIFU SAYS
When you release a deep breath, think of the muscles letting go of the bones. On the next exhale, think of the brain, the mind, and the cranial muscles letting go of thoughts and worries. On the next release of breath, think of letting the heart and the muscles around it relax. Each release of breath becomes a deep cleansing and letting go on many different levels: physical, emotional, mental, and other levels you’re not conscious of.

T’ai Chi gives us a daily dosage of homeostatic feelings of well-being. As we become familiar with this feeling of optimum health, we get more attuned with what foods, drinks, or activities promote or detract from that wonderful feeling. This biofeedback feature can be instrumental in helping people make lifestyle changes that may extend their lives by many years.

Stroke Recovery

Doctors often recommend T’ai Chi for stroke recovery because T’ai Chi’s soothing demands of left brain/right brain interaction and mind/body interaction can epitomize a physical therapy for stroke victims. T’ai Chi challenges patients to coordinate movement, but at the same time helps them feel at ease in the face of the frustration this challenge might cause. If balance is a severe problem, a spouse or friend can spot you to help maintain balance.

For years I have been advocating a new approach to T’ai Chi for stroke victims with balance problems. By securing a mountain-climbing harness to the ceiling by a hook, a patient may perform T’ai Chi without fear of falling. One of the main balance benefits all T’ai Chi practitioners get comes from constantly testing the limits of their balance. As one drifts in and out of balance, the mind and body exchange data that effortlessly improves the balance, which often continues to improve for life. The following figure shows the harness approach. Note that the harness pictured is only illustrative and is not sufficient to prevent falls; a full-body harness, including a shoulder harness that secures in front of the upper chest, is required to prevent falling.

Do not use this harness to prevent falls. Use a caving-harness with upper-body support straps for fall-prevention training.

Hospitals all over the world eventually will provide rooms filled with hooks for climbing harnesses so that stroke rehab or other balance-challenged patients can come and practice T’ai Chi without fear of falling. These same patients may want to have a qualified contractor install harnesses in their homes. Contact your hospital and show them this section of the book. Physical therapists can consult with mountain-climbing supply stores to find the optimum full-body harnesses.

OUCH!
If you have a balance disorder and want to use a climbing harness to prevent falls, discuss the exact purpose of the harness with a climbing expert so he or she can ensure that the harness you use is appropriate to keep you from falling. This security will help you relax more, enabling you to get more benefit from T’ai Chi. Ask the expert about a full-body harness, often used in caving as well as climbing.

Addictions

T’ai Chi, as well as acupuncture, is being successfully used to help people break addictive patterns. A research program working with heroin addicts revealed that withdrawal symptoms decreased much more rapidly than in non-QiGong control groups.

Furthermore, breaking an addiction, whether it’s to cigarettes or heroin, is a very stressful endeavor. The body and mind crave and yearn constantly. This study also showed that the QiGong group had much lower anxiety and was able to find restful sleep five times faster than non-QiGong-practicing addicts in recovery. The reason QiGong is so powerful lies in the essence of what an addict, or any of us stuck in unhealthful behaviors, craves.

What is it that they crave? Ultimately, it is life energy. When a smoker gets a cigarette or an addict gets a fix, the first thing this person does is sit back, enjoy the moment, and relax into the pleasure of the cigarette or fix. This moment of relaxed, focused awareness opens the mind and body to an increased flow of Qi or energy. This is why a raging drunk can have so much energy, even when filled with alcohol. The problem is, the cigarettes or drugs are destroying the body to open up to Qi; when the drug wears off, the body clamps down, squeezing off the flow even more. So learning to open to Qi in a healthful, expansive way is one means of healing an addiction.

Note the steps common with a pattern of addiction:

1. A prospective user is looking for access to Qi, or life energy, whether he or she realizes it or not. When Qi is flowing through us, we feel good, at peace, and capable.

2. When cigarettes, drugs, or alcohol are first used, the ritual of using them and/or the chemical they put in the body causes the user to relax and open to Qi flow. But this is a false and unhealthful way to open to it.

3. Because this is an artificial way to open up to the flow of Qi, the mind and body don’t learn how to keep the flow open.

4. In fact, when the drug, whether it’s nicotine or heroin, is gone, the body and mind tighten up even more than before. The chemicals and their reactions in the body are unhealthful and cause the mind and body to get tighter, squeezing off more Qi than ever before.

5. The user is then required to use more of the drug or to use it more and more often, because now it takes a more forceful dose to open the mind and body’s gates to allow the Qi to flow through.

6. Eventually, the user’s dosages, no matter how large, do not open the user to increased Qi flow or a feeling of “highness.” Eventually, even the largest dosages give the user only a lower-than-normal flow of Qi.

7. People who are heavily hooked on cigarettes or alcohol (even more so with harder drugs) have a look of lacking life. They are becoming void of Qi. Their mind and body have become tight.

SAGE SIFU SAYS
The more we can tap into ways to fill our bodies with life energy using tools such as T’ai Chi, the less we will have to look outside ourselves for satisfaction. Our consumption level drops as our needs diminish. Therefore, T’ai Chi can also help the environment because less consumption means less trash.

T’ai Chi and QiGong provide us with a healthful pattern of access to life energy, or Qi. This is what we all want. When we hug a loved one, we feel their Qi mingling with ours. When we pet our dog or cat, they revel in feeling our loving intention in our Qi flowing from our hand to their body. T’ai Chi and QiGong are tools to fill us with life, and they can be very effective tools for helping addicts find their way out of the maze they have stumbled into, finding a way back to being truly alive.

The best drug program is preventive. T’ai Chi and QiGong will eventually be taught in schools worldwide. By teaching the mind/body awareness and powerful stress-management tools these health sciences offer, many future drug, alcohol, or other addicts will avoid the desire for mood-altering drugs or addictive behaviors or substances. Educating every student from kindergarten through university in mind/body internal awareness and health development techniques like T’ai Chi and QiGong as a matter of standard education makes perfect sense.

The Therapeutic Powers of T’ai Chi and QiGong

Although T’ai Chi and QiGong can play a positive role in many existing conditions, each condition is different, and you must discuss T’ai Chi or QiGong as an adjunct therapy with your physician.

The following list contains some conditions T’ai Chi and/or QiGong may help. Realize that some of the research mentioned is sourced from research being done worldwide, with varying qualities of scientific method, sometimes involving QiGong medical treatment by professional QiGong doctors or therapists using “emitted Qi.” (Refer to the “Allow Healing Qi to Flow Through You” section in Chapter 8 to give you some idea of what emitted Qi is, but given there are so many forms of QiGong therapy, the one explained in Chapter 8 may or may not necessarily be the treatment type used in the studies referred to below.) The following section is meant to encourage a more expansive dialogue of treatment options between you and your physician, and is not meant to replace your standard care.

Many of the following listings are based on information provided by the QiGong Institute’s Computerized QiGong Database, which contains over 3,500 research abstracts. You, your teacher, your doctor, or anyone else can obtain this excellent research tool at www.qigonginstitute.org. This QiGong Database is a must for every health professional/health reporter in the world today. You should recommend this database to your doctor or health center. Other research came from the resource library at www.worldtaichiday.org. There you can visit the library to obtain article references for some of the T’ai Chi research referred to in the following list and to keep abreast of new research on T’ai Chi and QiGong as it emerges from research centers worldwide. Also, visit the Headline News section of www.worldtaichiday.org for the latest breaking health news on T’ai Chi and QiGong.

ADD and ADHD. Research at the University of Miami School of Medicine has shown that adolescents with ADHD displayed less anxiety, daydreaming behaviors, inappropriate emotions, and hyperactivity and showed greater improved conduct after a T’ai Chi class two days per week over five weeks. T’ai Chi meets many of the criteria for mood-management techniques recommended for ADD (see the “Treating Attention Deficit Disorder” section earlier in this chapter).

Aging, slowing the aging process. Research at Baylor Medical School has found that some cells from the bodies of long-term QiGong practitioners live five times longer than the same cells from non-QiGong-practicing test subjects.

Other research from The Shanghai Institute of Hypertension looked at several aspects of aging. They determined that QiGong is an effective measure in preventing and treating geriatric diseases and delaying the aging process.

AIDS. Studies indicate that regular T’ai Chi practice may boost one’s T-cell count while improving outlook and providing a soothing, gentle exercise. The relaxed forms effectively oxygenate the body while moving blood and lymph throughout.

Allergies and asthma. The stress-reduction benefits of T’ai Chi and QiGong help the body maintain elevated DHEA levels. Low DHEA levels have been directly linked to allergies. High stress levels are linked to the frequency and intensity of asthmatic reactions as well. One of my students used allergy remedies every year for many years before beginning my classes. She recently informed a magazine reporter doing a T’ai Chi story that she no longer needs medication.

Angina. Biofeedback aspects of T’ai Chi and QiGong can help students learn to regulate blood flow by awareness of warmth in the hands and feet. Evidence suggests that this skill may alleviate some forms of angina.

Anorexia/bulimia. See the “Treating Eating Disorders” section earlier in this chapter.

Anxiety, chronic. The relaxed abdominal breathing T’ai Chi and QiGong promote can be a beneficial adjunct to therapy, especially when used in combination with the loosening physical motions and soothing visualization practices of Sitting QiGong.

Arthritis. T’ai Chi’s low impact causes no joint damage (unlike other higher-impact exercises), while its weight-bearing aspect may encourage development of bone mass and connective tissue. Note: Those with arthritic knees may want to do modified T’ai Chi forms, sharing weight on both legs rather than fully centering the weight over one knee.

Back pain. Prevention magazine reported a study in which, after one year of T’ai Chi classes, a group of men and women ages 58 to 70 found increased strength and flexibility in their back, helping to reduce the odds of back pain.

Balance disorders. T’ai Chi practitioners fall only half as much as those practicing other balance training, as reported by an Emory University study, among others.

Baldness, premature. QiGong and T’ai Chi promote stress management and blood circulation. Some QiGong exercises, such as Carry the Moon, specifically promote circulation in the scalp.

Behcet’s Disease. Behcet’s Disease is a chronic, recurring disease. Neijing Central Hospital of Management (China) claims to have cured five patients of Behcet’s Disease. It believes this was due to QiGong’s ability to build up immunological function and increase blood-flow volume, and by promoting saliva flow and increased oxygen intake.

Brittle bones/bone loss in women. Research from the National Institute of Mental Health reports that the stress hormones found in depressed women caused bone loss that gave them bones of women nearly twice their age. T’ai Chi and QiGong are known to reduce depression and anxiety, and provide weight-bearing exercises to encourage building bone mass and connective tissue.

Bronchitis/emphysema, chronic. Over time, Sitting QiGong and/or T’ai Chi may show positive results in appetite, sleep, and energy levels, but also rather dramatically and healthfully in decreasing breaths per minute.

Burns, healing of. Researchers at the Navy General Hospital of Beijing, China, studied emitted Qi on burned rats. They noted that the QiGong treatment in some ways expedited the healing ability of burned rats.

Cancer. Several clinical studies reported that a combination therapy of drugs with personal practice of QiGong provided a better outcome than drug therapy alone.

Carcinoma. The Guangzhou College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China, researched the effects of emitted Qi on carcinoma. It reported, “The emitted Qi may promote normal function of human immune cells while killing the tumor cells, suggesting that QiGong is a feasible means to the treatment of carcinoma.”

Cardiovascular benefit. Research has shown that the extremely gentle and low-impact T’ai Chi exercise can provide the same cardiovascular benefit as moderate-impact aerobic exercise. The Harvard Women’s Health Watch reported, “Studies support T’ai Chi [use] for heart-attack and cardiac-bypass patients, to improve cardio-respiratory function and reduce blood pressure.”

Chronic Fatigue and Immune Dysfunction Syndrome (CFIDS). In 2008 the National Fibromyalgia Association reported that tai chi has been found to help some Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) patients and is prescribed for symptom management. (For more information, contact the CFIDS Association of America.)

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS). Research in the British Medical Journal showed 84 percent of CFS patients adding exercise to their CFS standard care got “very much” or “much” better, as opposed to only 12 percent of patients receiving only standard care. CFS’s chronic pain limitation may make T’ai Chi and QiGong’s gentle motions and deep breathing (with its pain-management benefits) an optimum exercise for CFS sufferers.

Chronic pain. Students often find anything between mild pain relief and complete alleviation of chronic pain by using T’ai Chi and/or QiGong. In some cases, patients find complete relief from long-term chronic pain conditions. The Wall Street Journal reported that neuroscientists are finding mind-body approaches, such as T’ai Chi, are effective in diminishing chronic pain.

Circulation and nervous system disorders. T’ai Chi promotes circulation and can have a very integrating effect on the mind and body.

Compulsive, obsessive disorders. T’ai Chi and QiGong’s mindful awareness of self and constant reassurance that we can breathe through and relax into any situation may be a helpful adjunct to therapy for OCD, which gently exposes patients to their fears. Again, introduce T’ai Chi and QiGong only with your therapist’s approval.

Concentration/QiGong uses in education. Although researchers in a study in Xinjiang, China, admit limitations in their research, they find encouraging signs that QiGong exercises could greatly enhance the educational experience for primary school children and beyond.

Coronary disease. Ganshu College of TCM in China claimed to have found strong evidence that QiGong exercises may help with coronary disease.

Depression and mood disturbance. Regular (daily) T’ai Chi practitioners usually find lower incidence of depression and overall mood disturbance.

Diabetes. T’ai Chi’s stress-management and increased circulation qualities make it ideal for diabetes. A Beijing University of Chinese Medicine and Pharmacology study found that blood sugar could be lowered successfully by doing QiGong exercises. In the study, 42.9 percent of patients were able to take less medicine while having more staple foods. Nanjing University’s study found that T’ai Chi exercise helped regulate metabolic disorder of type-2 diabetes mellitus with geriatric obesity by regulating the nervous-endocrine system in the body.

Digestion, improving. T’ai Chi’s gentle massage of internal organs and stimulation of blood circulation and Qi promote healthy digestion.

Dementia. The Washington Post reported that research has shown that regular physical activity can help prevent dementia, heart attacks, strokes, type-2 diabetes, and certain cancers … The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommends “functional fitness” activities such as T’ai Chi.

Drug uptake. The QiGong Institute reviewed voluminous studies done worldwide and concluded that QiGong and drug therapies are superior to drug therapy alone. The reason for this is believed to be found in QiGong’s ability to enhance Qi and blood circulation to that area so nutrients may more efficiently be delivered to the affected cells. Also, waste products in the stressed tissue can be removed more readily.

Fibromyalgia. Fibromyalgia is a modern epidemic, a chronic pain condition affecting 3 to 6 percent of the U.S. population, according to Arthritis Today. According to The New York Times, a clinical trial at Tufts Medical Center released their results in 2010, showing that after 12 weeks of T’ai Chi, patients with Fibromyalgia did significantly better than a comparable group given stretching exercises and wellness education, in measurements of pain, fatigue, physical functioning, sleeplessness, and depression.

Flexibility enhancement. Harvard Women’s Health Watch reported an Emory University study showing that T’ai Chi may possibly improve elasticity in ligaments and tendons, create stronger knee flexors and extensors, and create better posture.

Gallstones. The Navy General Hospital, Beijing, China, did a study using emitted Qi to determine whether a particular emitted Qi therapy could help people pass gallstones. It found a positive treatment rate of 93.33 percent.

Gastritis. Chronic atrophic gastritis (CAG) is a common yet difficult illness, according to researchers at the Institute for Industry Health in Xian, China. Studying the effect of a combination of QiGong exercise with Tuina (Chinese therapeutic massage), researchers found that 97.1 percent of patients gained some benefit.

Gastrointestinal malignant tumors. The Department of Chinese Medicine, Second Affiliate Hospital with Jiangxi Medical College, found that a group of patients using QiGong exercises with their standard chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and Chinese medicine had a significantly higher survival rate than those getting only standard medical therapy with no QiGong exercises.

Geriatric fitness. Prevention magazine reported, “T’ai Chi may be the best exercise for people over the age of 60 … providing cardio fitness, muscle strength, and flexibility all in one simple workout that is easy on the joints.” Other studies show that T’ai Chi is by far the best balance conditioner. Research finding that T’ai Chi may also lessen tissue brittleness further adds to the case that T’ai Chi is the best possible exercise for seniors.

Heart disease. At the Institute of Psychology, Academia Sinica, a research study found that T’ai Chi and QiGong practice can positively affect the states of mind of subjects to lessen the incidence of type-A behavior patterns, believed to increase the risk of heart disease.

Hemorrhoids. Some QiGong breathing involves the sphincter muscles, which may directly alleviate hemorrhoid symptoms. T’ai Chi’s ability to reduce constipation lessens the aggravation of hemorrhoid symptoms.

High blood pressure. T’ai Chi can significantly lower high blood pressure in many cases.

Infections. Regular T’ai Chi practice is believed to increase the T-cell count. T-cells are thought to consume viruses, bacteria, and even tumor cells.

Insomnia. Insomnia is a growing problem in our rushed and digitized world. T’ai Chi and QiGong students often remark of improved sleep and reduced insomnia after a few weeks of regular T’ai Chi and QiGong practice. Researchers at the QiGong Department of Ningbo Hospital of TCM in China gave 78 patients suffering from insomnia treatments involving QiGong Meditation (Sitting QiGong), coupled with QiGong self-massage of several acupressure points, including in the wrists. After 1 course of treatment, 35 cases were cured (good sleep for more than 6 hours a day, no concomitant symptoms anymore), 22 cases showed obvious effect (sleeping for 4 to 6 hours per day, with other concomitant symptoms ameliorated obviously), 9 cases showed some effect (better sleep than before, with other concomitant symptoms ameliorated a little), and only 2 cases showed no effect (just like before). So 76 out of 78 found relief from insomnia using QiGong without the need for drugs.

Knee strengthening. Knee problems are common as we age. The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign conducted a study on older adults using 20 weeks of T’ai Chi training. The overall findings suggest that T’ai Chi training improves knee extensor strength and force control in older adults.

Leukemia. The Immunology Research Center, Beijing, China, studied the effects of externally emitted Qi to see how it affects leukemia cells in mice. It found the mice treated with Qi emission had reduced numbers of L1210 cells (malignant tumor cells). However, researchers cautioned that the mechanism and the way emitted Qi does this need to be further investigated.

Liver disease, hepatitis B, and the like. Researchers at Lixin County Hospital of TCM in Anhui province, China, found that 10 kinds of liver diseases, especially hepatitis B, could be cured with the combination of drugs and QiGong.

Lou Gehrig’s disease. Many support groups of neuromuscular diseases recommend T’ai Chi. Check with your doctor to discuss introducing T’ai Chi as an adjunct to your therapy.

Low blood pressure. At Lixin County Hospital of TCM, researchers believe QiGong combined with standard drug therapy to be good for low blood pressure.

Menopausal therapy. The QiGong Institute reviewed voluminous studies done worldwide and concluded that QiGong combined with drug therapy is superior to drug therapy alone, including in the case of menopausal treatments. This mechanism of enhanced drug delivery suggests that QiGong could make possible smaller doses of drugs, which would cause fewer adverse side-effects. For example, QiGong is reported to restore estradiol levels in hypertensive menopausal women, leading to the possibility that estrogen-replacement therapy might not be necessary or might be used at reduced levels.

Menstrual disorders. Researchers at PLA General Hospital in Beijing, China, used acupressure, massage, and emitted Qi to treat 76 cases of various gynopathic diseases. The results were that 52 cases (68.42 percent) were nearly cured, 14 (18.42 percent) were markedly effective, and 10 (13.16 percent) found the treatment to be effective.

Mental health. The Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China, conducted studies to see how QiGong practice would affect mental health. The result was a group that had practiced QiGong for more than two years had a curative rate on symptoms of psychosomatic disorders about twice as high as that of a QiGong group practicing less than two years.

Migraine. Biofeedback aspects of T’ai Chi and QiGong can help students learn to regulate blood flow by increasing awareness of warmth in hands and feet. Evidence suggests this skill may alleviate some forms of migraines.

Multiple sclerosis. MS support groups recommend T’ai Chi.

Muscle wasting (and other tissue deterioration). Studies indicate that T’ai Chi may be an ideal exercise to help older people suffering muscle wasting.

Neurotransmitters, QiGong’s effect on them, and how that impacts health. Researchers at Anhui College of TCM assert that their research indicates that QiGong practice affects neurotransmitters in such a way to help regulate the function of the neuralgic system to prevent and help cure diseases.

Ovarian cysts. Researchers at PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China, found a high success rate using a combination of acupressure, massage, and emitted Qi in curing or positively affecting the majority of cases of various gynopathic diseases, including ovarian cysts.

Paralysis. Researchers at the PLA General Hospital of Beijing, China, studied the effect of emitted Qi combined with QiGong exercises in treating paralysis. The effect of the treatment judged by the indexes of rehabilitation commonly used was “excellent” in 23.25 percent of cases, “good” in 46.5 percent, “fine” in 23.25 percent, and “bad” in 6.99 percent of cases, with an overall effective rate of 93.01 percent.

Parkinson’s disease/improving motor-skill control. Parkinson’s support groups recommend T’ai Chi, and many students claim significant reduction in tremors with T’ai Chi practice. The New England Journal of Medicine recently reported on a new study showing that Parkinson’s patients using T’ai Chi found dramatic balance improvement over those in the control groups.

Posture problems. T’ai Chi’s gentle, mindful awareness of postural adjustment makes it a wonderful therapy for posture problems and for alleviating the pain or chronic tension associated with them.

Psychotherapy. A German researcher points out that QiGong is gradually gaining prominence as a therapeutic tool in Germany and pointed to positive effects of QiGong exercises for those dealing with neurosis, depression, anxiety, psychosomatic disorder, and psychosis. The researcher cautions that a wrong practice of the exercises, as pertains to especially sick people, can have bad effects, and these subjects require competent guidance and assistance.

Psychiatric Treatment. Roger Walsh, a psychiatrist at the University of California College of Medicine in Irvine who authored “Lifestyle and Mental Health,” which was published in American Psychologist, is wary of the [psychiatry] profession’s tendency to reduce diagnosis, prevention, and treatment to biochemistry … Walsh found convincing evidence that “self-management skills” (mainly stress-reducing practices such as yoga, tai chi, and meditation) confer psychological advantages.

PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). 89 percent of VA medical centers offered alternative forms of therapy in 2011, including T’ai Chi and meditation. Some veterans/patients reported that these therapies have allowed them to rely less on pain medication and sleeping pills, but the VA indicated that more research needs to be done to fully determine PTSD benefits.

Rehabilitation and immunity strengthening. The Institute of Medical Science at Wonkwang University, Korea, found that of those patients who used QiGong, 84 percent of respondents reported improvement in recovery time, 66.6 percent reported reduced inflammation after QiGong, and 50.3 percent reported no scarring as compared to before. In addition, 59.9 percent of respondents reported an increase in resistance to the common cold after four months of QiGong.

Respiratory diseases, chronic. A collaborative study with the Research Institute of TCM, Tainjin College of TCM, and Tianjin Thorax Surgery Hospital was done on patients suffering from chronic bronchitis, asthma, pulmonary emphysema, and cor pulmonale. A group treated with QiGong exercise and drugs fared better than the one treated only with drugs.

Rheumatism. OT Week magazine reported, “Areas where T’ai Chi has proven effective include rheumatism, weight management, treatment of back problems, management of high blood pressure, and stress reduction … and may speed recovery in postoperative patients ….”

Sexual performance. T’ai Chi’s stress reduction and promotion of circulation can make it a very healthful way to improve sexual performance.

Stomach carcinoma. The General Navy Hospital in Beijing studied the effects of emitted Qi on NK cells, which they believe play a role in cancer. They found a statistically remarkable effect of emitted Qi killing both adenocarcinoma cells of the stomach and the NK cells.

Strength enhancement. After one year of T’ai Chi classes, a group of men and women ages 58 to 70 found increased strength.

Tears, cleansing mechanisms, and QiGong. Psychology Today reported that the Tear Research Center has discovered crying may cleanse chemicals from the body that build up during emotional stress, including ACTH, a hormone that is considered the body’s most reliable indicator of stress. Sitting QiGong’s progressive relaxation therapy often leaves practitioners wiping away tears, perhaps explaining why we feel clearer and lighter after practice.

Thrombosis. At the Department of Pathology, Weifang Medical College in Shandong, China, researchers claimed their research indicates that “QiGong exercise could reduce thrombosis, RBC aggregability, and blood viscosity, and could prevent and treat cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.”

Ulcers. QiGong relaxation therapy coupled with reductions in external stress factors has shown substantial success, even with long-term ulcer problems.

Weight loss. OT Week magazine reports that T’ai Chi has been proven effective with weight loss. T’ai Chi promotes healthful weight loss in many ways: it burns calories but also helps reduce stress levels. This stress reduction helps reduce nervous snacking. Furthermore, T’ai Chi’s slow, quiet mindfulness helps us get in touch with our homeostatic or healthful potential and what that feels like. That steers us away from foods or activities that don’t promote health and toward those that do.

KNOW YOUR CHINESE
Modern psychologists refer to a state of mental and emotional well-being as homeostasis, or a homeostatic state. T’ai Chi promotes this by smoothing our Qi, the life blood of our mental, emotional, and physical being. T’ai Chi is the epitome of a homeostatic exercise.

Hopefully, this book will be shared with physicians throughout the world to encourage more worldwide research on these health tools. In my first edition of this book, I wrote that the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the Medical College of Ohio had aptly stated that “research into the efficacy of T’ai Chi, QiGong, and Yoga clearly is in the beginning stages. What little has been conducted thus far is promising. These methods may serve to add valuable contributions to the continuity of care of ambulatory and nonambulatory patients.” Since then, T’ai Chi and QiGong have begun to be taught in many major medical schools throughout the United States. A QiGong workshop I did at a local hospital was covered by the Blue Cross and Blue Shield premium plan, enabling those who had such coverage to attend for free. T’ai Chi and QiGong are at the center of a health revolution that will save our nation trillions in future health costs as these tools become integrated into society at all levels. This could happen quickly by teaching T’ai Chi, QiGong, and other proven mind-body techniques in schools, teaching them in age-appropriate ways from kindergarten through higher education.

The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) in Bethesda, Maryland, funds T’ai Chi, QiGong, and other natural remedies research. However, at this time, complementary medicine research (which includes T’ai Chi, QiGong, Yoga, massage, reiki, etc.) only receives a tiny percentage of NIH research funding (far less than 1 percent). Given the stunning findings that have emerged over the years since this book’s first edition was printed, it would behoove our nation’s institutes of health to apply serious funding to discover just how extensive T’ai Chi and QiGong’s potential is in reducing health costs given the skyrocketing cost of healthcare in America and around the world. T’ai Chi and QiGong are extremely inexpensive, and yet highly effective, therapies.

The Least You Need to Know

T’ai Chi helps kids with physical development and focus.

Teach kids faster T’ai Chi, and spice it up with harder exercises.

T’ai Chi is perfect for all ages—and athletes, too.

If your physician or therapist is unfamiliar with T’ai Chi and QiGong, show him or her this book!

No matter what ailment you have, T’ai Chi and/or QiGong can probably help.

..................Content has been hidden....................

You can't read the all page of ebook, please click here login for view all page.
Reset
54.163.218.81