Tai Chi: A Gentle Way to Fight Depression, Stress

Tai Chi (TIE-CHEE), a form of ancient Chinese martial art that was originally developed for self-defense, has evolved into a graceful form of exercise that's now used for stress reduction and a variety of other health conditions.

Practicing Tai Chi for 12-weeks may significantly reduce symptoms of depression such as persistent feeling of sadness or loss, a study showed. Tai Chi, which has been used for more than 1,000 years, combines deep breathing and slow and gentle movements.

It is generally suitable for people of any level of physical fitness.

‘Today Tai chi is practiced as a graceful form of exercise. It involves a series of movements performed in a slow, focused manner and accompanied by deep breathing.’

"While some previous studies have suggested that tai chi may be useful in treating anxiety and depression, most have used it as a supplement to treatment for others medical conditions, rather than patients with depression," said Albert Yeung from Massachusetts General Hospital.

Tai Chi can be particularly effective for patients who avoid conventional psychiatric treatment, the researchers said.

For the study, published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, the team recruited 50 participants through advertisements offering tai chi for stress reduction.

Of these 17 were in the tai chi group, 14 in the education group that included discussions on stress, mental health and depression and 19 in the a passive control, wait-list group.

The 12-week assessments showed that the tai chi group had significantly greater improvement in depression symptoms than did members of either control group.

Earlier this year, China nominated Tai Chi, for inclusion in the Unesco List of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Previous studies have found that Tai Chi could better help patients suffering from five painful conditions -- back pain, osteoarthritis, neck pain, fibromyalgia, and severe headaches and migraine.

Source: IANS

Tai Chi Helps Improve Physical Capacity of Older People With Chronic Ailments

With Tai Chi there were improvements in the six minute walking test, muscle strength, the time it takes to get up and move, and quality of life.

Tai Chi Helps Reduce the Symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Veterans with symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder who participated in Tai Chi would recommend it to a friend.

Tai Chi Lowers Risk of Falling in Elderly

Tai chi is an exercise practice developed in China hundreds of years ago. It combines certain postures and gentle movements with mental focus, breathing, and relaxation.

Better Sleep and Tai Chi can Help Reduce Inflammation Levels in the Body

Treatment for insomnia, either by cognitive behavioral therapy or the movement meditation tai chi, reduces inflammation in older adults over 55 years of age.

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)

Find out more about the degenerative disease- Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Andropause / Male Menopause

Andropause or male menopause causing low libido in a man is due to decreasing level of male hormones, like testosterone. Symptoms of andropause are depression, irritability.

Heart Attack- Lifestyle risks

Heart attack is the death of the heart muscle due to loss of blood supply. Simple guidelines to avoid heart attack are listed.

Is Your Man Moody?

Women get confused by the behavior of men in their lives. It is time they realize that men too have frequent mood swings.

Palpitations And Arrhythmias

Palpitations are unpleasant sensation of one’s own heartbeat.

Stress and the Gender Divide

Stress has become entwined in the current lifestyle of a young working couple and has resulted in the rise in incidence of hypertension, diabetes and psychosomatic illnesses.

Tired All The Time

Tired All The Time (TATT) syndrome is not only about feeling of tired, however there are a host of other symptoms. Diabetes and food intolerance trigger TATT.