Tai Chi and Qi Gong: Two Powerful Ancient Chinese Exercise Programs

Tai Chi: The most popular form of exercise in China. It developed as a "soft" martial art in the early 1200s. It is now a component of traditional Chinese medicine and is practiced primarily for its health benefits. Tai chi consists of a precise sequence of slow, graceful movements, accompanied by deep breathing and mental attention to achieve balance between body and mind and to focus the qi (pronounced chee), or vital energy. A practitioner's weight is shifted while the body is kept stable and upright.

Because it can be practiced anywhere and by people of any age and physical ability, tai chi is an attractive exercise program for disabled or elderly people. Tai chi involves an energy expenditure equivalent to that of other low to moderate aerobic activities. Exercises can be completed in fifteen to twenty minutes and are ideally practiced twice a day.

Practitioners of tai chi report mood enhancement and physiological changes similar to those produced by other moderate forms of exercise. However, tai chi is uniquely beneficial for improving posture and balance. Because of this effect, tai chi may help prevent injuries from falling. Significant studies on this technique include the following:

One of the earliest studies done in 1982 by Dr. Lansheng Gong of the Shanghai Medical College, studied the electrocardiograms of one hundred tai chi practitioners and found benefits. However, he also noted that these beneficial effects did not seem attributable to the amount of physical exercise, and other mechanisms needed to be discovered.

A 1992 study by Dr. Shuk-kuen Tse and Dr. Diana M. Bailey concluded that tai chi helped improve balance among people who were largely sedentary. From a 1995 study by Dr. Jinshin Lai and associates, elderly tai chi practitioners showed significantly improved cardiorespiratory function, compared to sedentary subjects. However, another study found that tai chi conferred no significant changes in blood pressure or heart rate.

An ongoing study by Dr. Kate Long at Stanford University School of Medicine will determine the potential applicability of tai chi for patients suffering from arthritis and fibromyalgia. A second study by Dr. William L. Haskell will evaluate the role of tai chi as compared to traditional Western exercise in improving the physical and psychological health of older men and women.

Well-designed research seems to conclude that tai chi, as a form of exercise for elderly people, may prove a valuable part of health maintenance programs, both for preventing falls and for maintaining fitness.

Qi Gong: Qi Gong (pronounced chee gong) is another ancient Chinese exercise involving physical movements and breathing exercises. An element of traditional Chinese medicine, it is used to circulate internal qi, which, according to Chinese medicine, is the vital energy that flows through the body in a system of subtle channels known as meridians. Qi Gong is intended to direct the internal qi, and promote health.

There are two basic kinds of Qi Gong, internal and external. Internal Qi Gong is used for self-healing and health maintenance. It can be performed in any position, including standing, sitting, walking, or even lying down. External Qi Gong is practiced by Qi Gong masters or Qi Gong doctors, and involves projecting the qi energy out of one's body to heal another.

In China, Qi Gong is used for disease prevention as well as therapy. Although the movements resemble those of tai chi, they do not flow smoothly from one to another, but consist of short sequences of movements that are repeated many times. Qi Gong has been studied in China for its impact on arthritis and cancer, and for general health maintenance.

Among conditions that reportedly benefit from Qi Gong are many health problems of elderly people, including high blood pressure, heart disease, ulcers, arthritis, and gastrointestinal ailments. The exercise also appears to help immune function. Studies on Qi Gong have suggested that many age-related changes can be affected through regular practice.

Included in the studies are: A twenty-year study in China by Wang, completed in 1993, reported benefits of lowered blood pressure. Patients using Qi Gong experienced a 50% decrease in death and illness from strokes.

Research in China by Sheng-han in 1994 indicated that Qi Gong was able to alter such physiological reactions as EEGs, EMGs, respiratory movement, heart rate, skin potential, skin temperature, sympathetic nerve function, stomach and intestinal function, and metabolic rate.

During a 1997 study by Dr. Wen-hsien Wu of the New Jersey Medical School, Qi Gong was helpful for patients with reflex sympathetic dystrophy, a debilitating disease of the autonomic nervous system that often resists medical intervention. For these patients, Qi Gong significantly reduced pain and anxiety.

In a hospital in Beijing, ninety-three patients with advanced cancer were treated with a combination of drugs and Qi Gong exercises, while a control group was treated with drugs alone. 81% of the Qi Gong group showed a dramatic improvement in strength, 63% in appetite, and 33% were free from diarrhea, compared to improvements of 10%, 10%, and 6%, respectively, in the other group.