The International Medical Tai Chi and Qigong Inaugural Conference

On October 5 and 6, 2018, the International Medical Tai Chi and Qigong Association Inaugural Conference was held at the Simches Research Center of Massachusetts General Hospital (Harvard University’s Teaching Hospital) in Boston, Massachusetts. The purpose of the conference was to provide a venue to address the proposed Accreditation Standard Guideline initiative for Tai Chi and Qigong instructors and training institutions. The conference also served as a forum to exchange scientific knowledge of these ancient arts. Medical doctors, researchers, academics and practitioners (including three T’ai Chi Chih instructors) attended. The United States, Italy, China, Hong Kong and Australia were represented. Many attendees had practiced these ancient arts beginning as children and pursued medical science as fields of study, bringing great depths of knowledge to the conference.

An overwhelming number of research publications on the positive effects of Tai Chi and Qigong, particularly within the last decade, prompted the formation of the International Medical Tai Chi and Qigong Association (iMTQA) in 2018. A Medical Advisory Committee, Science and Education Board Members and Tai Chi Qigong Advisory Committee Members developed and published the standards as well as organized the inaugural conference also in 2018. It was a very busy year.

The Standards were designed to help practitioners better prepare to teach particular populations safely in medical facilities and also to help physicians refer their patients to qualified instructors. Online courses would be available for safety and for health interests such as health promotion, arthritis, cancer care, diabetes, hypertension and healthy heart, obesity and weight loss, pain management, wellbeing for seniors and stress and mental health. A number of online courses currently exist as a 12-credit Medical certificate in New York State from Dr. Penelope Klein, Professor Emeritus at D’Youville College.

The association would like to augment the fine teaching and training that is currently being practiced around the world. Its role is not to evaluate whether one form is better than another or duplicate what is already being done in training schools.

The gathering was warm, welcoming and collaborative. Our TCC practice seemed to be well received. Dr. Byeongsang Oh, CEO of the association, and others appreciated our standardized accreditation process, worldwide representation and the research that has been published on T’ai Chi Chih’s effectiveness. In fact, Dr. Michael Irwin, the principal author of these studies, is a member of the association’s Medical Advisory Board and co-author of the Accreditation Standard Guideline publication. The possibility of having accredited TCC instructors receive the accreditation by being “grandfathered” in was proposed by Drs. Oh and Klein. Further discussion is encouraged.

The conference was a rich collection of research presentations, “from ancient art to modern Mind-Body Medicine” as stated in the conference theme. Presentations on vast improvements of Musculoskeletal Pain and Well Being, Mental Health, Psychological Well Being, Oncology, Fibromyalgia and Balance and Fall Prevention were given by top researchers from noted institutions. The presentations and accreditation standards publication can be found on the association’s website.

We were told that there is an average of one study being published daily on the effects of Tai Chi and Qigong on health and wellbeing. It looks like the time is now. The scientific community is listening and supporting our growth. Many thanks to Dr. Anita Vestal, for informing us about the conference, and to the TCC Foundation for supporting our attendance. The next iMTQA conference will be held at San Jose State University on April 27 – 29, 2019. All T’ai Chi Chih teachers are welcome to attend, particularly those in the San Jose area. How many us will be there? (Register at the organization’s website.)