Tai Chi for Health Purposes

Tai chi (pronounced “tie chee” and also known by some other names
and spellings∗) is a mind-body practice that originated in China as a
martial art. A person doing tai chi moves his body slowly and gently,
while breathing deeply and meditating (tai chi is sometimes called
“moving meditation”). Many practitioners believe that tai chi helps the
flow throughout the body of a proposed vital energy called qi
(pronounced “chee,” it means “air” or “power”). In the United States, tai
chi for health purposes is part of complementary and alternative
medicine, or CAM. This Backgrounder provides a general overview of tai
chi and suggests some resources you can use to find more information.

Key Points

• Many people who practice tai chi do so to improve one or more

aspects of their health and to stay healthy. Resources for finding
published research on this practice are listed at the end of this
Backgrounder.
• It is not fully known what changes occur in the body during tai chi,
whether they influence health, and, if so, how. The National Center
for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) is sponsoring
studies to find out more about tai chi’s effects, how it works, and
diseases and conditions for which it may be most helpful.
• If you are considering or using any type of CAM, talk to your health
care provider about it. This is for your safety and a complete
treatment plan.

A Description of Tai Chi

Tai chi developed in China in about the 12th century A.D. It started as a
martial art, or a practice for fighting or self-defense, usually without

∗
Among the different names and spellings of tai chi are taiji and t’ai chi. Many consider
the term “tai chi” to be a shortened form of “tai chi chuan” (two other spellings are t’ai
chi ch’uan and taijiquan).
weapons. Over time, people began to use tai chi for health purposes as well. Many
different styles of tai chi, and variations of each style, developed. The term “tai chi”
has been translated in various ways, such as “internal martial art,” “supreme ultimate
boxing,” “boundless fist,” and “balance of the opposing forces of nature.” While
accounts of tai chi’s history often differ, the most consistently important figure is a
Taoist monk (and semilegendary figure) in 12th-century China named Chang San-
Feng (or Zan Sanfeng). Chang is said to have observed five animals—tiger, dragon,
leopard, snake, and crane—and to have concluded that the snake and the crane,
through their movements, were the ones most able to overcome strong, unyielding
opponents. Chang developed an initial set of exercises that imitated the movements
of animals. He also brought flexibility and suppleness in place of strength to the
martial arts, as well as some key philosophical concepts.

A person practicing tai chi moves her body in a slow, relaxed, and graceful series of
movements. One can practice on one’s own or in a group. The movements make up
what are called forms (or routines). Some movements are named for animals or birds,
such as “White Crane Spreads Its Wings.” The simplest style of tai chi uses 13
movements; more complex styles can have dozens.

In tai chi, each movement flows into the next. The entire body is always in motion,
with the movements performed gently and at uniform speed. It is considered
important to keep the body upright, especially the upper body—many tai chi
practitioners use the image of a string that goes from the top of the head into the
heavens—and to let the body’s weight sink to the soles of the feet.

In addition to movement, two other important elements in tai chi are breathing and
meditation.† In tai chi practice, it is considered important to concentrate; put aside
distracting thoughts; and breathe in a deep, relaxed, and focused manner.
Practitioners believe that this breathing and meditation have many benefits, such as:

• Massaging the internal organs

• Aiding the exchange of gases in the lungs
• Helping the digestive system work better
• Increasing calmness and awareness
• Improving balance.

Other Key Beliefs in Tai Chi

Certain concepts from Chinese philosophy were important in tai chi’s development
(although not every person who practices tai chi for health purposes, especially in the
West, learns or uses them). A few are as follows:

†
For more on meditation, see NCCAM’s Backgrounder “Meditation for Health Purposes.”

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• A vital energy called qi underlies all living things.
• Qi flows in people through specific channels called meridians.
• Qi is important in health and disease.
• Tai chi is a practice that supports, unblocks, and redirects the flow of qi.

Another concept in tai chi is that the forces of yin and yang should be in balance. In
Chinese philosophy, yin and yang are two principles or elements that make up the
universe and everything in it and that also oppose each other. Yin is believed to have
the qualities of water—such as coolness, darkness, stillness, and inward and
downward directions—and to be feminine in character. Yang is believed to have the
qualities of fire—such as heat, light, action, and upward and outward movement—and
to be masculine. In this belief system, people’s yin and yang need to be in balance in
order for them to be healthy, and tai chi is a practice that supports this balance.

Specific Health Purposes

People practice tai chi for various health purposes, such as:

• For benefits from exercise:

o Tai chi is a low-impact form of exercise.
o It is a weight-bearing exercise that can have certain health benefits—for
example, to the bones.
o It is an aerobic exercise.‡
• To improve physical condition, muscle strength, coordination, and flexibility
• To have better balance and a lower risk for falls, especially in elderly people
• To ease pain and stiffness—for example, from arthritis
• For health benefits that may be experienced from meditation
• To improve sleep
• For overall wellness.

For research studies on tai chi for various health conditions, see “For More
Information” below.

Many people practice tai chi for health purposes. In the United States, a 2002 national
survey on Americans’ use of CAM found that 1.3 percent of the 31,000 survey
participants had used tai chi for health reasons in the year before the survey. Tai chi
is widely practiced in China (including in its hospitals and clinics) and in other
countries with a substantial native-Chinese population. In Asia, many people consider
tai chi to be the most beneficial exercise for older people, because it is gentle and can
be modified easily if a person has health limitations.

‡
Aerobic exercise has benefits to the heart and possibly to cholesterol levels. This type of exercise causes
the heart to work harder to pump blood more quickly and forcefully. The body adds oxygen to the blood
faster, and the person breathes more quickly. Two other examples of aerobic exercise are swimming and
brisk walking.

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Side Effects and Risks

Tai chi is a relatively safe practice. However, there are some cautions.

• Tell your health care provider if you are considering learning tai chi for health
purposes (especially if you have a health condition for which you are being treated,
if you have not exercised in a while, or if you are an older person).
• If you do not position your body properly in tai chi or if you overdo practice, you
may get sore muscles or sprains.
• Tai chi instructors often recommend that people not practice tai chi right after
they eat, or when they are very tired, or when they have an active infection.
• Use caution if you have any of the conditions listed below, as your health care
provider should advise you whether to modify or avoid certain postures in tai chi:
o Pregnancy
o Hernia
o Joint problems, back pain, sprains, a fracture, or severe osteoporosis
• A CAM approach should not be used to replace conventional medical care or to
delay seeking that care.

Licensing, Training, and Credentialing

In the United States, people do not have to be health professionals or to be licensed to

practice or teach tai chi. The practice is not regulated by state or Federal governments.
There is no standard training for tai chi teachers.

If you are considering learning tai chi, ask about the teacher’s training and experience
(see also NCCAM’s publication “Selecting a CAM Practitioner”). Learning tai chi from a
teacher, compared with learning it from videos or books, allows a student to find out
whether he is performing the movements correctly and safely.

Tai Chi as a Part of CAM

The concept that sickness and disease arise out of imbalances in a vital energy field
(here, qi) is part of some other CAM therapies, such as Reiki (in which the energy field
is called ki) and homeopathy (vital force). Within CAM, tai chi is a type of mind-body
medicine (one of the four domains, or areas of knowledge, in CAM).§ Generally, mind-
body medicine focuses on:

• The interactions among the brain, the rest of the body, the mind, and behavior
• The ways in which emotional, mental, social, spiritual, and behavioral factors can
directly affect health.

§
For an explanation of these terms, see nccam.nih.gov/news/camsurvey_fs1.htm.

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Some people consider tai chi to be part of the CAM domain of energy medicine,
because of the qi concept.

Some Points of Controversy

As with other CAM approaches, there are aspects of tai chi on which not everyone
agrees. For example:

• Since little is known scientifically about tai chi, accepting its teachings is a matter
of belief or faith rather than evidence-based science.
• In addition to more traditional styles, some offshoots and blends of tai chi styles
have also evolved. There are differences of opinion over which styles represent the
“truest” tai chi.

NCCAM-Funded Research on Tai Chi

Recent NCCAM-supported studies have been investigating:

• Tai chi for women recently diagnosed with breast cancer, to see if it helps them
cope better, have less stress, and have an improved immune system and quality of
life
• Tai chi compared with a cardiovascular exercise fitness program in terms of
improving physical fitness and endurance, reducing stress, and improving well-
being in adult survivors of cancer
• The effects of tai chi on physical and quality-of-life factors for patients who have
chronic stable heart failure
• Tai chi for physical symptoms and psychological factors related to having
osteoarthritis of the knee
• The effects of tai chi on rheumatoid arthritis, including on patients’ physical
function and immunity.

References

Sources are primarily recent reviews on the general topic of tai chi in the peer-
reviewed medical and scientific literature in English in the PubMed database, selected
evidence-based databases, and Federal Government sources.

Adler PA, Roberts BL. The use of tai chi to improve health in older adults. Orthopaedic Nursing.
2006;25(2):122-126.

Barnes PM, Powell-Griner E, McFann K, Nahin RL. Complementary and alternative medicine use among
adults: United States, 2002. CDC Advance Data Report 343. 2004. Accessed at
http://nccam.nih.gov/news/report.pdf on May 25, 2006.

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Chu DA. Tai chi, qi gong and Reiki. Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Clinics of North America.
2004;15(4):773-781.

Effect of tai chi vs. structured exercise on physical fitness and stress in cancer survivors. Description of a
clinical trial at the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center sponsored by NCCAM. Accessed at
http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct/show/NCT00246818 on May 2, 2006.

Farrell SJ, Ross AD, Sehgal KV. Eastern movement therapies. Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Clinics of
North America. 1999;10(3):617-629.

Lan C, Lai JS, Chen SY. Tai chi chuan: an ancient wisdom on exercise and health promotion. Sports
Medicine. 2002;32(4):217-224.

Lewis D. T’ai chi ch’uan. Complementary Therapies in Nursing & Midwifery. 2000;6(4):204-206.

National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. Expanding Horizons of Health Care:
Strategic Plan 2005-2009. Bethesda, MD: National Institutes of Health; 2005. NIH publication no. 04-5568.

National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. Mind-Body Medicine: An Overview.
National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine Web site. Accessed at
http://nccam.nih.gov/health/backgrounds/mindbody.htm on August 8, 2005.

Robins JL, McCain NL, Gray DP, et al. Research on psychoneuroimmunology: tai chi as a stress
management approach for individuals with HIV disease. Applied Nursing Research. 2006;19(1):2-9.

Tai chi 101. American Tai Chi Association Web site. Accessed at http://www.americantaichi.net on
February 2, 2006.

Tai chi: Bottom Line monograph. Natural Standard Database Web site. Accessed at
http://www.naturalstandard.com on August 8, 2005.

Tai chi: Natural Standard/Harvard Medical School monograph. Natural Standard Database Web site.
Accessed at http://www.naturalstandard.com on August 8, 2005.

Wang C, Collet JP, Lau J. The effect of tai chi on health outcomes in patients with chronic conditions: a
systemic review. Archives of Internal Medicine. 2004;164(5):493-501.

For More Information

NCCAM Clearinghouse

The NCCAM Clearinghouse provides information on CAM and on NCCAM, including

publications and searches of Federal databases of scientific and medical literature.
Examples of publications include “Mind-Body Medicine: An Overview.” The
Clearinghouse does not provide medical advice, treatment recommendations, or
referrals to practitioners.

Toll-free in the U.S.: 1-888-644-6226

TTY (for deaf and hard-of-hearing callers): 1-866-464-3615
Web site: nccam.nih.gov
E-mail: [email protected]

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PubMed ®

A service of the National Library of Medicine (NLM), PubMed contains publication

information and (in most cases) abstracts of articles from scientific and medical
journals. CAM on PubMed, developed jointly by NCCAM and NLM, is a subset of
PubMed and focuses on the topic of CAM.

Web site: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez

CAM on PubMed: www.nccam.nih.gov/camonpubmed/

CRISP (Computer Retrieval of Information on Scientific Projects)

CRISP is a database of information on federally funded scientific and medical research

projects being conducted at research institutions.

Web site: www.crisp.cit.nih.gov

ClinicalTrials.gov

ClinicalTrials.gov is a database of information on federally and privately supported

clinical trials, for a wide range of diseases and conditions. It is sponsored by the
National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Web site: www.clinicaltrials.gov

Acknowledgments

NCCAM thanks the following people for their technical expertise and review of this
publication: Gloria Yeh, M.D., M.P.H., Harvard Medical School; Laura Redwine, Ph.D.,
VA San Diego Healthcare System; Dan Halpain, A.B.T./H.H.P.; Chenchen Wang, M.D.,
M.Sc., Tufts-New England Medical Center; Adeline Ge, M.D., NIH Clinical Center; and
Shan Wong, Ph.D., and Patrick Mansky, M.D., NCCAM.

This publication is not copyrighted and is in the public domain.

Duplication is encouraged.

NCCAM has provided this material for your information. It is not intended to
substitute for the medical expertise and advice of your primary health care
provider. We encourage you to discuss any decisions about treatment or care
with your health care provider. The mention of any product, service, or therapy
is not an endorsement by NCCAM.

National Institutes of Health

♦♦♦
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Created June 2006 D322