Tai Chi: Ancient Exercise that Boosts Your Immune System
Practitioners of tai chi have, for a long time, claimed that tai chi brings about health benefits. Indeed, in the last few years preliminary medical studies involving immunity to the herpes zoster virus in the elderly seemed to indicate that. Now a recent follow-up study funded by the National Institute of Health has demonstrated that “behavioral intervention” can help protect older adults from the virus, which causes both chickenpox and shingles.
In the clinical trial, that behavioral intervention was the practice of tai chi.
You can read the news story at the bottom of this post.
Some Key Points from the Study
There were a couple of significant conclusions that came out of the study:
- The practice of tai chi increased immunities against the virus just as much as a vaccine would.
- The practice of tai chi enhanced the effects of vaccinations against the virus.
Shingle attacks occur in one out of five people who have ever had chicken pox, primarily among older adults. Since tai chi’s slow, graceful movements make it an easy practice for elderly people to adopt, this is an excellent natural way to reduce those odds. This is encouraging news for anyone who has had chicken pox and experiences some severe stress on their system.
The focus of this study natually arose because of how easy tai chi is for the elderly, combined with how common shingles attacks are for the same group. But there are more far-reaching conclusions. If immunities were increased for this particular virus, why not others? Why question the claims that tai chi boosts overall health and well-being? The researchers themselves are considering that tai chi can improve the effectiveness of other vaccines, such as the flu shot.
The Power in Our Minds
The effects with the herpes zoster virus were measurable, and demonstrate yet another example of ancient wisdom that is ahead of modern science and medicine; another example of the power of the human mind to affect the physical body; and another example of how much modern science really doesn’t understand how the body-mind link works.
Tai chi classes are not hard to find. I’m personally considering this as a practice to help round out my life a bit.
Reference:
Augmenting Immune Responses to Varicella Zoster Virus in Older Adults: A Randomized, Controlled Trial of Tai Chi
Journal of the American Geriatrics Society
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Very fascinating article! I love it, I think we see evidence like this all the time that scientists do not know as much about the human minds as they think they do. Most scientists are trying to prove something or solve a problem that is based on a theory that was created by someone with a lower level of awareness than universal awareness.
Then they wonder why things like this baffle them. Oh, the soon to be day where science and spiritual technology blend together in perfect harmony.
Thanks for the article
-Jonathan
Thanks Jonathan! I often wonder how much medicine we would need if we knew how to use our minds properly. Maybe vaccinations only serve to counteract a mental condition rather than a physical one.
Thank you for sharing this valuable information with your Readers!
The results discussed in this article don’t surprise me. Groups of older Asians can often be seen in parks performing t’ai chi in the early mornings. The longevity of Asian populations has been linked to promoting a relaxed mindset. T’ai chi and other outdoor exercises involving increased concentration are said to nurture the soul.