Immune System Exercise

I highly recommend it (I might take it up again myself)! If I remember correctly each position has a specific purpose in toning internal organs and muscles (the series is learned over a course of time). The exercise is deceiving when observing the slow movements; in my personal experience (when done correctly), the exercise provides strength and perspiration can be worked up.

My instructor had given me an article to read on a study done in China. Many senior citizens had developed chronic illnesses, such as, heart ailments, high blood pressure, arthritis, etc. In addition to this, many had stopped exercising and lived a more Western lifestyle that included a change in their diets. A group of 70-80 year olds were encouraged to practice T’ai Chi and they were studied. Almost all of them had reversed their disorders and continued to live longer lives; many became employed as instructors for younger generations.

One other thing that I want to comment on is that I had met one of my instructor’s Master T’ai Chi teacher. He was an elderly man who looked frail, but when I shook his hand I was extremely surprised at the strength and power behind it. I remember thinking, if anyone wants to take on this little man they were in for a world of trouble assuming that he was a weakling unable to defend himself. When he later demonstrated T’ai Chi, he was swift, agile, alert, and graceful standing on one leg – I was impressed!

Anyway, below are excerpts from articles; T’ai Chi DOES boosts the immune system.

Best of Health!

DD

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http://autoimmunedisease.suite101.com/article.cfm/tai_chi_enhances_immune_fun...

What is Tai Chi?

Tai chi or tai chi chuan is a gentle exercise program consisting of a series of 20 to 100 movements belonging to the discipline of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Tai chi was created by the marital artist Zhang Sanfeng in the late 16th century. Derived from martial arts, tai chi is composed of slow, deliberate movements, meditation, and deep breathing, which are designed to enhance physical health and emotional well-being. Tai chi is based on spiritual and philosophical ideas that advocate a need for balance in the body, mind, and spirit. By imitating movements found in nature, tai chi harmonizes the body and unites humanity with the natural world.

Advantages of Tai Chi

Tai chi chuan has many distinct advantages over other forms of exercise such as isometrics and calisthenics that target isolated muscle groups. Tai chi involves every part of the body and benefits all bodily parts and not just the musculoskeletal system. Studies conducted at Bellevue Hospital in New York City, the Medical Academy of Shanghai, and the Tangshan Medical Center, show that tai chi stimulates the central nervous system, lowers blood pressure, improves digestion, improves blood circulation and cardiovascular function, channels the flow of energy through the body’s meridians, relieves stress, and tones muscles without strain. People of all ages and in any state of health can also safely perform tai chi.

Immune System Effects of Tai Chi

In a 12-week study [Yeh SH, Chuang H, Lin HW, and Hsiao CY, Regular tai chi chuan exercise enhances functional mobility and CD4CD25 regulatory T cells, British Journal of Sports medicine, March, 2006;40(3):230-243.] of the immune system changes related to tai chi chuan, researchers found that total white and red blood cell counts did not change significantly. However, a significant decrease in the monocyte count occurred and a significant increase in the ration of T helper to T suppressor cells occurred. The function of regulatory T-cells was also enhanced. Tai chi and other forms of exercise are found to increase levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6) a cytokine known to inhibit tumor necrosis factor, reducing inflammation.

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http://www.newsroom.ucla.edu/page.asp?RelNum=7806&menu=fullsearchresults

Practicing Tai Chi Boosts Immune System in Older Adults, UCLA Study Shows

The 25-week study, which involved a group of 112 adults ranging in age from 59 to 86, showed that practicing tai chi chih alone boosted immunity to a level comparable to having received the standard vaccine against the shingles-causing varicella zoster virus.

The findings demonstrate that tai chi chih can produce a clinically relevant boost in shingles immunity and add to the benefit of the shingles vaccine in older adults.

These are exciting findings, because the positive results of this study also have implications for other infectious diseases, like influenza and pneumonia," said Irwin, who is also director of the UCLA Cousins Center for Psychoneuroimmunology.

The study divided individuals into two groups. Half took tai chi chih classes three times a week for 16 weeks, while the other half attended health education classes [classes lasted 40 minutes, a set of 20 tai chi exercises] — including advice on stress management, diet and sleep habits — for the same amount of time and did not practice tai chi chih. After 16 weeks, both groups received a dose of the shingles vaccine Varivax. At the end of the 25-week period, the tai chi chih group achieved a level of immunity two times greater than the health education group. The tai chi chih group also showed significant improvements in physical functioning, vitality, mental health and reduction of bodily pain.

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Taken from Utah University site

http://web.utah.edu/stc/tai-chi/articles.html

Tai Chi vs. Aerobic Exercise

Many people believe that tai chi chuan does not develop the same degree of  cardiovascular fitness as high-impact exercises, such as jogging, rope-jumping, cycling or aerobic dancing. This is not true, however.

In 1978, noted tai chi instructor Lawrence Galante and an associate conducted an experiment to determine whether tai chi chuan is effective in stimulating cardiovascular development. They used 25 tai chi students, ranging in age from 20 to 60 years old, as their models. The students had been studying the yang-style tai chi short form for a period of one to seven years. Galante and his assistant monitored the pulse rate, blood pressure and heart rate of all the students before and after they practiced the form. In all cases, the researchers found that if the form was practiced in a low stance, great cardiovascular stimulation occurred-between 60-80 percent of the maximum heart rate established by the American Heart Association (AHA). On the other hand, if the tai chi movements were performed in a high stance, there was very little heart stimulation (less than 60 percent of the maximum heart rate). However, for people who suffer from high blood pressure, or those recovering from heart attacks or heart surgery, the high stance is a better option. According to Galante, a person can easily meet the standards set by the AHA by practicing tai chi chuan three times a day.

Dr. John Painter, a Fort Worth, Texas based teacher of internal Chinese martial arts, claims that "When the movements of tai chi chuan are performed quickly or in a lower formed stance, they have the same beneficial effect on the cardiovascular system as jogging or high-impact aerobics, but without the stress and strain."

According to Painter, greater physical stimulation can be achieved by performing the movements slowly while wearing weights on the ankles, arms or body.

According to psychologist Dr. Jo Ann Hunter Farr, high-impact aerobics can produce health benefits over the short term, but the long-term implications of such exercises are irreparable damage to the joints and internal organs. Vigorous walking or tai chi practice, she claims, are much safer forms of exercise and offer the same health benefits as high-impact exercises.

Dr. Wen Zee, a retired cardiologist in Shanghai, believes tai chi is "an incomparable exercise because it never accelerates the heart rate. Exercises such as running and jogging can injure the heart."

Many other medical experts are warning that strenuous exercise may shorten a person's life. According to John Hall, who writes a medical column for an internal Chinese martial arts magazine, for a fitness program to be conducive to long life and health, it must take into account the balancing of body fat levels as well as the other necessary factors for proper exercise. "The ideal fitness program will provide some form of consistent, progressive, sustained movement of the legs, torso and arms to benefit and improve the flexibility, strength, stamina and aerobic potential of all [bodily] systems," Hall asserts. "At the same time, the exercise program must help to ward off obesity without exceeding the capacity for recovery. Tai chi chuan...more than adequately meets these requirements."

Tai Chi vs. Yoga

The postures of hathe yoga provide many of the same health benefits as tai chi chuan. Unfortunately, most of the yoga positions are held for three minutes or longer, which can be very taxing on the body. Brief rest periods are therefore needed. Tai chi practice, on the other hand, does not require any rest period because the postures change too quickly to tire the body.

Yogic inverted postures, such as the headstand and shoulderstand, offer two advantages not found in tai chi chuan. First, they relieve the gravitational pressure on the internal organs and glands. And second, they ease the strain on the heart caused by having to pump blood against the force of gravity. Yoga exercises, however, do little to promote cardiovascular endurance.

Moreover, many people cannot perform certain yoga exercises because of health problems. Tai chi chuan, in contrast, may be practiced in virtually any state of health.