The Benefits of Tai Chi

by Justin Short, licensed acupuncturist and tai chi instructor

In preparation for writing this, I did an internet search for ‘benefits of tai chi’.  What I found was a lot of good information and scientific studies about how Tai Chi can help with a myriad of problems associated with aging, from balance, bone density and other musculoskeletal issues, to Alzheimer’s and other mental acuity issues.   There was also information about how Tai Chi could help with issues not specifically related to aging, such as stress and anxiety.  All this is true; Tai Chi can help with all those things and more.  In fact, it is so effective that it is often called “the healing art.”  However, by focusing primarily on what Tai Chi can fix, we are only getting half the picture.  Tai Chi can also help prevent many of these same issues, and much more, from ever occurring.  

One of the big topics in medicine today is prevention, or the idea of stopping illness before it even starts.  Despite the prevalence of this topic, there are very few medical treatments that can do this.  This is because most healing modalities need something to be wrong in order to fix it.  There has to be a diagnosis or there can be no treatment.  It should be no surprise then that with this model, we have such a hard time finding preventative treatments.  This is where Tai Chi comes in.  It is truly preventative medicine.    

Regular practice of Tai Chi can do all the things that studies say it can.  It strengthens muscles while increasing range of motion and flexibility.  It focuses and calms the mind while increasing energy and endurance.  It helps with brain health and organ function, and it can do all this in a relatively short period of time (most studies had participants training 1-3 times per week for 6 months to a year; however, the longer you train the better the results).  

True preventative medicine is a healthy lifestyle.  Every physician, no matter the modality or background, will tell you that proper diet and regular exercise are the keys to a happy and healthy life.  Of all the different possible exercises available, there are very few with a history as long, and a theory as deep and comprehensive while at the same time having so much positive and convincing modern research, as Tai Chi.