Research on the beneficial effects of the discipline is multiplying: on elderly people with heart failure and children with cancer.
It is an ancient Chinese martial art whose purpose is to achieve full integration between spirit and body. It is used and studied as a therapy. The benefits:1) on posture 2) on the nervous system and circulation 3) against stress 4) on joint mobility 5) on breathing 6) on digestion and absorption.
It makes the body more agile and harmonious, improves posture, has a beneficial effect on the nervous system and circulation. And for these reasons alone it would be worth practicing Tai Chi Chuan. But there is much more because the therapeutic value of this ancient martial art goes further, even managing to improve the lives of patients with heart failure. This is demonstrated by a research, published in the Archives oflnternalMedicine, conducted at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medicai Center in Boston on 100 patients with heart failure.”This study is very important because it presents statistically valid results in elderly patients who, due to heart failure, have great difficulty performing even light physical exercises,” comments Francesco Bottaccioli, director of the International School of Advanced and Integrated Medicine and Health Sciences. “The group that followed Tai Chi showed improvement in all parameters, but achieved broad statistical significance in the quality of life test that collects data on both physical and psychological health. While the control group maintained the same (not positive) quality of life score, the Tai Chi group improved it threefold. The “moving meditation” that characterizes Tai Chi is also the basis of the Kids Kicking Cancer project conceived by Rabbi Goldberg to help cancer children manage pain and accept their disease as best as possible.”The concept from which we start,” explains the rabbi, who from Michigan (USA) is trying to start the project also in Italy (at the Bambino Gesù in Rome, with the help of Pfizer), “is to bring energy to create peace and relaxation thanks to movement and above all to deep breathing that creates the best conditions to successfully face pain, fear and anxiety.” With more than tangible results as shown by a report drawn up by the Center for Disease Control in Atlanta to evaluate pain management. The impact was assessed on 244 children who complained of a level of pain classified on a scale from 1 to 10. Of these, 88.1% described an improvement in their symptoms after taking martial arts classes. From children to the Third Age: the British Journal of Sports Medicine has published a study that reanalyzing 35 researches shows how Tai Chi can reduce the risk of falls and fractures. A therapeutic function also confirmed by the guidelines of the American and British geriatric societies. «Tai Chi is suitable both for young people as a medical prevention and meditative practice and for the elderly to protect their health», concludes Luca Barattini who has been teaching therapeutic Tai Chi for 10 years. Recent studies have analyzed various pathologies. Diabetes Cardual insufficiency Arthritis (rheumatic arthritis, fibromyalgia) Obesity, Depression…
Learning Taì Chi Chuan refers to mind and body, with attention to vital energy and meditation. Like many oriental practices, it must be learned from a master. Both children and seniors benefit from Tai-Chi practice. In Italy there are several schools and group lessons take place in gyms but also outdoors and last about an hour, ninety minutes [.]
