{"id":13016,"date":"2026-04-27T19:17:03","date_gmt":"2026-04-27T19:17:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jamaicahospital.org\/newsletter\/?p=13016"},"modified":"2026-04-27T19:17:03","modified_gmt":"2026-04-27T19:17:03","slug":"health-benefits-of-tai-chi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jamaicahospital.org\/newsletter\/health-benefits-of-tai-chi\/","title":{"rendered":"Health Benefits of Tai Chi"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\"><a href=\"https:\/\/jamaicahospital.org\/newsletter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-483154668.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-13017 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/jamaicahospital.org\/newsletter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-483154668-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/jamaicahospital.org\/newsletter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-483154668-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/jamaicahospital.org\/newsletter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-483154668-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/jamaicahospital.org\/newsletter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-483154668-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/jamaicahospital.org\/newsletter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-483154668-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/jamaicahospital.org\/newsletter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-483154668-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/jamaicahospital.org\/newsletter\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-483154668-450x300.jpg 450w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a>Integrative health is a progressive approach to healthcare in which leading treatment services offered by modern medicine are combined with a deep understanding of the nature of illness, healing, and wellness.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">This approach combines modern and holistic medicines to help prevent the onset of disease, address existing chronic conditions, and promote healing in patients at the center of a treatment plan that considers their physical, emotional, and social needs.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">A treatment plan\u00a0that\u00a0accomplishes\u00a0this is tai chi.\u00a0Tai chi has been a tenet\u00a0of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) for centuries.\u00a0Sometimes called meditation in motion, tai chi is a series of exercises that help bring harmony between the body\u2019s energy and mind, by using\u00a0slow,\u00a0highly coordinated movements\u00a0and physical postures with meditation and controlled breathing,\u00a0aimed to energize and balance the body\u2019s energy,\u00a0known as qi, pronounced\u00a0\u201cchi\u201d.\u00a0According to traditional Chinese principles, when the qi is balanced, the body functions at its best.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Although tai chi is a low-impact exercise with\u00a0movements\u00a0that\u00a0look\u00a0leisurely, these\u00a0movements\u00a0are\u00a0bodyweight exercises\u00a0with physical\u00a0demand.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">There are hundreds of studies\u00a0on tai chi, with\u00a0researchers\u00a0finding\u00a0that tai chi\u00a0has several benefits that\u00a0may help with\u00a0numerous\u00a0health concerns.\u00a0Here are some health benefits of tai chi:<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"1\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\uf0b7&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" data-aria-posinset=\"1\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), falls are the leading cause of death for older adults, with about one in four adults 65 years and older experiencing a fall every year. A review of ten studies on tai chi and balance found that people who practiced it had up to 50% fewer falls than those who didn\u2019t. Both the CDC and the American Geriatric Society recognize tai chi as an effective way to lower fall risk as it helps build stability and strength, increasing balance, which helps prevent falls.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"1\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\uf0b7&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" data-aria-posinset=\"2\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Research indicates that practicing tai chi can slow the progression of dementia by boosting cognition and brain health, as it can help with learning, memory, and other mental functions. Researchers found that older adults who practiced tai chi daily for 12 weeks had more activity in their prefrontal cortex, the area of the brain responsible for higher-level thinking skills. A study conducted by tai chi researcher and Chief of Geriatrics in the Division of General Internal Medicine and Geriatrics at Oregon Health &amp; Science University,<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Elizabeth Eckstrom, showed that people who practiced a simple form of tai chi called Tai Ji Quan twice a week for six months improved their score on a cognitive test by one and a half points. Additionally, the study showed that if they added a cognitive challenge while practicing tai chi, such as counting backwards from 20 or spelling words backward, their scores jumped by another three points.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"1\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\uf0b7&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" data-aria-posinset=\"3\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Tai chi can bring a sense of calmness and quiet\u00a0as it focuses on breathing and movement,\u00a0which\u00a0takes the mind away from\u00a0any\u00a0stressors, helping the stress\u00a0melt away. One study\u00a0conducted on participants who are\u00a0deemed\u00a0healthy but\u00a0stressed\u00a0showed that practicing tai chi for\u00a012 weeks\u00a0lowered their anxiety\u00a0levels substantially.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"1\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\uf0b7&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" data-aria-posinset=\"4\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">There are studies that have shown that tai chi can\u00a0reduce blood pressure\u00a0as well\u00a0as\u00a0or better than antihypertensive drugs or other types of exercise. In\u00a02024,\u00a0one randomized controlled trial published in the\u00a0<\/span><i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Open Network<\/span><\/i><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> assigned 342 people with prehypertension to two groups: one group performed four sessions of tai chi each week, and the other group performed four sessions of aerobic exercise. After a year, both groups displayed lower systolic blood pressure readings. However, the group that practiced tai chi experienced a larger decline of 7.01 mg Hg on average, compared to the aerobic group, which was 4.61 mm Hg.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"1\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\uf0b7&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" data-aria-posinset=\"5\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">According to the CDC, one in five people in the U.S. lives with chronic pain that affects their daily life and activities. One review of people with chronic knee osteoarthritis found that they had significantly less pain and better physical function after practicing tai chi. The American College of Rheumatology and the Arthritis Foundation strongly recommend practicing tai chi to manage both chronic knee and hip osteoarthritis, as it helps improve muscle and core strength and coordination, leading to better joint stability. Studies have also indicated that tai chi can help people with fibromyalgia, with research showing it may relieve symptoms even better than aerobic exercise.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"1\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\uf0b7&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" data-aria-posinset=\"6\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">In 2021, a review of 23 studies by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health found that tai chi improved the exercise capacity, lung function, and quality of life for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) due to tai chi\u2019s focus on deep abdominal breathing and movement, which can help increase breathing efficiency and oxygen intake.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"1\" data-list-defn-props=\"{&quot;335552541&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:720,&quot;335559991&quot;:360,&quot;469769226&quot;:&quot;Symbol&quot;,&quot;469769242&quot;:[8226],&quot;469777803&quot;:&quot;left&quot;,&quot;469777804&quot;:&quot;\uf0b7&quot;,&quot;469777815&quot;:&quot;hybridMultilevel&quot;}\" data-aria-posinset=\"7\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Practicing tai chi can help the 10%-30%\u00a0of older adults who suffer from insomnia. One systematic review of nine randomized trials published in the\u00a0<\/span><i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Journal of Sleep Disorders and Therapy\u00a0<\/span><\/i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">reported that older adults who practiced tai chi one and a half to three hours\u00a0a week significantly improved their sleep quality and had an enhanced functional ability.\u00a0What\u2019s\u00a0more, Elizabeth Eckstrom\u2019s research showed that people fell asleep 17 minutes sooner and slept 42 minutes longer after doing tai chi.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">There is also other research that has linked tai chi to lower cholesterol and inflammation levels, and evidence that it may help reduce<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0complications of Parkinson\u2019s disease\u00a0as well.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">If you are interested in learning more about any of our integrative health services, events, or classes, or would like to schedule an appointment, please call us at\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"tel:+7182065675\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">(718) 206-5675.<\/span><\/a><span data-ccp-props=\"{}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"disclaimer\">All content of this newsletter is intended for general information purposes only and is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.  Please consult a medical professional before adopting any of the suggestions on this page.   You must never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking medical treatment based upon any content of this newsletter.<strong>  PROMPTLY CONSULT YOUR PHYSICIAN OR CALL 911 IF YOU BELIEVE YOU HAVE A MEDICAL EMERGENCY.<\/strong> <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Integrative health is a progressive approach to healthcare in which leading treatment services offered by modern medicine are combined with a deep understanding of the nature of illness, healing, and wellness.\u00a0\u00a0 This approach combines modern and holistic medicines to help &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/jamaicahospital.org\/newsletter\/health-benefits-of-tai-chi\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":43,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[122,6,5,11,1,364,22,868,61,14,63,863,10,861,2037,106,266,4],"tags":[135,211,84,961,336,722,2338,85,126,964,1471,2235,965,416,120,2026,473],"class_list":["post-13016","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-arthritis","category-cardiology","category-general-health","category-geriatrics","category-health","category-home-remedy","category-hypertension","category-jamaica-hospital","category-lifestyle","category-mens-health","category-mental-health","category-muscles","category-orthopedics","category-physical-therapy","category-rheumatology","category-sleep","category-vascular","category-womens-health","tag-anxiety","tag-arthritis","tag-blood-pressure","tag-cardiology","tag-exercise","tag-health","tag-health-benefits-of-tai-chi","tag-heart-health","tag-high-blood-pressure","tag-hypertension","tag-jamaica-hospital-medical-center","tag-mens-health","tag-mental-health","tag-sleep","tag-stress","tag-tai-chi","tag-womens-health"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jamaicahospital.org\/newsletter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13016","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jamaicahospital.org\/newsletter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jamaicahospital.org\/newsletter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jamaicahospital.org\/newsletter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/43"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jamaicahospital.org\/newsletter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13016"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/jamaicahospital.org\/newsletter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13016\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13019,"href":"https:\/\/jamaicahospital.org\/newsletter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13016\/revisions\/13019"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jamaicahospital.org\/newsletter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13016"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jamaicahospital.org\/newsletter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13016"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jamaicahospital.org\/newsletter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13016"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}