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Health Matters

Tai Chi is a highly effective therapy for many injuries or chronic conditions, whether mental, emotional, or physical. The facts below recognize the different maladies and how Tai Chi treats them. Tai Chi bolsters the immune system, as well, and can actually eliminate problems long before they become an actual physical illness.

Supports the Nervous System

The parasympathetic nervous system is responsible for calming and allowing the body to repair itself, says Mueller. Sleep represents a state of repair. Tai chi, yoga, and meditation document to calm those “fight or flight” chemicals and promote healing.

[William H. Mueller, Ph.D., a behavioral epidemiologist and professor of behavioral sciences at the School of Public Health at the University of Texas in Houston.]

All-Purpose Medicine

A University of Wisconsin, Madison, study found that mindful meditation can cut your chances of catching a cold by 40 to 50%. Fifty-one people using mindfulness techniques logged 13 fewer illnesses and 51 fewer sick days than a control group during one cold and flu season.

A University of Virginia study found that their varsity swim team swimmers got 70% fewer respiratory infections when practicing Qigong at least once a week, compared to swimmers who used it less. — Prevention Magazine’s Winter/2012 Issue

Improves Dietary Training & Nutritious Food Choices

Some dietary training programs recommend Tai Chi before meals. Why? Most of us know that when we are stressed, we are drawn to salty, sugary, greasy BIG TASTE foods, which often fall into the “junk food” category.

The big taste distracts our minds from our stress. When calm and relaxed, our preference is more sensitive and acute and can be entertained by simpler tastes like fruit juice, fruit, and even vegetables.

Great for the Entire Family

“There is a huge place for complementary and alternative medicine in pediatrics,” says Dolores Mendelow, M.D., clinical assistant professor of pediatrics and communicable diseases at the University of Michigan Medical School.

Complementary and alternative therapies are becoming a more prevalent treatment for children. If individuals follow the directions of their physicians, these treatments are a safe and effective way to get and stay healthy, Mendelow says.

“Your outer life reflects the quality of your Qi. When you glow inside, the whole world shines”

Robert Peng