TCC/COPD Pilot Study Reports Positive Benefits

T’ai Chi Chih teachers need only the laboratories of our own bodies, minds, and spirits, to promote TCC as a safe and effective movement system or “moving meditation” that increases lower extremity and core strength while improving physical balance and reducing stress. And people in wheelchairs or who, for other reasons, do seated TCC report an increase in upper extremity and core strength, as well as a greater sense of upper body balance and decreased stress.

But in order to reach chronic disease populations who could also benefit greatly from a regular TCC practice, it helps to be able to refer to research studies, especially if we seek to teach classes in health care institutions or educational systems. The article “T’ai Chi Exercise for Patients With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Pilot Study.” (Respiratory Care, November 2010, Vol. 55, No 11, pages 1475-1482) offers a helpful description of COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) and includes conclusions relevant to the regular practice of T’ai Chi Chih.

There is some lack of clarity about the contributions of the 30-minute “warm-up exercises” (similar to the breathing/stretching program I teach), the small sample size, and the comment that T’ai Chi Ch’uan “has a high adherence rate.” This may be true in research “studies,” but it has been my experience that in general, T’ai Chi Ch’uan takes a considerable length of time to learn and to practice on one’s own.

In any event, the 61 item bibliography is the best one I have seen that includes studies of the benefits of pulmonary rehabilitation and of Chi Kung (primarily T’ai Chi Ch’uan) on respiratory and other chronic conditions, including arthritis, vestibulopathic postural control, bone mineral density, etc.

The bibliography includes two specific references to studies of T’ai Chi Chih:

1. #18, “T’ai Chi Chih as an intervention for heart failure” (JA Fontana, C Colella, et al; Nurs Clin North Am). I wonder if citation 41 to Fontana’s “The energy costs of a MODIFIED form of T’ai Chi Exercise” (Nurs Res 2000) also includes T’ai Chi Chih. We know that titles sometimes say “T’ai Chi” when the article is about T’ai Chi Chih.

2. #44, “T’ai Chi Chih: an exercise option for older adults (J Gerontol Nurs, 1996).

I believe the T’ai Chi Ch’uan/COPD article points out the real “niche” for T’ai Chi Chih with the various lung and concurrent diseases cited in the article. As stated in the article and as TCC teachers know from their own experiences, “Maintenance of activity is universally problematic.” The study, although with a very small sample, substantiates what TCC teachers see over and over again: regular TCC practice produces “significant improvement” in many movement and general health dimensions.

Our challenge: experiencing and promoting the benefits of regular practice, even 10 or 15 minutes once or twice a day!

Go With The Flow @ The 2011 Annual Teacher Conference

Ohio teachers invite T’ai Chi Chih teachers from around the world to the 2011 Teacher Conference from July 21 to July 24. We meet in Ohio, “The Heart of It All,” at Sawmill Creek Resort on the shore of Lake Erie. We “Go With the Flow” as we merge the energy of our TCC movements with the beauty that surrounds us in this natural setting. 

Sawmill Creek Resort, www.sawmillcreek.com, is located at 400 Sawmill Creek, Huron, Ohio 44839, 419-433-3800. The closest airport is Cleveland Hopkins. Sawmill Creek is a first class resort in a unique woodland setting, nestled next to a barrier beach on the shore of Lake Erie – and adjacent to a 490 acre preserve. Amenities include an indoor and outdoor pool, marina, 18-hole golf course, trout stream fly-fishing and shopping. Plan ahead to make your teacher conference your vacation destination too. For area information, check out: www.clemetparks.com, www.positivelycleveland.com, www.cedarpoint.com, www.friendsofmageemarsh.org, www.bsbobird.org.

Everything you need to know about the conference particulars and registration can be found on the website, www.taichichih.org/conference.php, or by contacting Lucinda Kutsko at 330-727-4477.