Improving Your Heart Health with Tai Chi and/or Qigong

One of the most prevalent reasons for illness and death today is an unhealthy cardiovascular system.In spite of medical progress, cardiovascular disease remains the number one killer of Americans! Your heart beats 100,000 times a day, circulates blood over 60,000 miles, and plays an important part in connecting the physiological systems of the body. Western or Eastern medicine consider the heart the hub for health and well being. Many risk factors for heart disease are controllable, while some are not. If many are controllable, why aren’t we doing a better job of preventing our own cardiovascular disease?

“Worry affects the circulation, the heart, the glands, the whole nervous system, and profoundly affects heart action.” ~ Dr. Charles Mayo, Founder of Mayo Clinic

It’s a well known fact that being physically active is a major step towards good heart health. Exercise not only strengthens the heart muscle, helps prevent artery damage, and controls blood pressure. It also helps decrease the chances of heart attack or stroke. The purpose of exercise for the heart is to move blood (and energy) throughout the body in order to deliver oxygen to the muscles. One needs to have a good musculoskeletal foundation to be able to do the exercises that help your heart. Both Tai Chi and Qigong have been shown to strengthen the muscles and revitalize the heart!

Some experts maintain that respiratory exercises are the best cardio training for strengthening the heart. Cardio training is any exercise that increases the workout that the heart and lungs get. These exercises reduce the chances of heart disease, improve cholesterol and triglycerides, and in general, improve heart function. To prevent boredom and decreased performance, be sure to change things around: time, place, type, intensity, etc.

Tai Chi and Qigong use a multi-component, non-medication approach to prevent and assist in rehabilitation of cardiovascular disease. Both exercises combine physical exercise, deep breathing techniques, stress and anxiety reduction, and assist in regulation of emotions. Just as important, they are safe, gentle, adaptable, and accessible to people of all ages and physical conditions.

People who have had a heart attack need to change lifestyle and health habits in order to avoid another one. Many of these patients fear exercise because they are afraid it will trigger another heart attack. A small study performed at Brown University assigned one group to practice Tai Chi twice a week for 12 weeks, while the other group practiced three times a week for 24 weeks. The group who practiced for a longer time, even added other physical activity that they were afraid to do before. People accepted and enjoyed Tai Chi even though they were averse to exercising. Tai Chi is less intimidating and more enticing that traditional cardiac rehab. Plus it can be done at home!

From a Chinese perspective: “When the heart is at ease, the body is healthy.” ~ Chinese Proverb

Improved health and harmony is a result of the right balance of Yin and Yang. According to Traditional Chinese Medicine too much Yang in the heart (meaning too little Yin) is believed to cause high blood pressure, tachycardia, angina, and other heart issues. Qi is vital life force energy which goes by many other names and spellings. Qigong and Tai Chi circulate Qi healing energy to strengthen, heal, revitalize the heart and restore health to the body and mind. Tai Chi and Qigong not only reduces high blood pressure, regulates blood and Qi flow but also aids in cardiac rehabilitation. When practiced regularly, practitioners can focus inward and control the Qi that courses through their bodies by working with it in a positive way.

According to Medical Qigong, in order to relieve symptoms in the chest, it is important to open the shoulders and guide attention and Qi down the meridians or entire arm down through “the fingers”. Of course, abdominal breathing plays a vital part in these exercises.

Research: The most extensive study involving the effect of Qigong on heart disease was completed in 1991. One randomly assigned group took medication and the other took medication and practiced Qigong. While the medication only group saw an increase in blood pressure and even required an increase in medications, almost half of those in the Qigong plus medication group decreased their dosage of medications, while 30% no longer required medication. The medication plus Qigong group also decreased their cholesterol, triglycerides, cardiovascular lesions, blood viscosity, and platelet aggregation.

Studies conducted in India, Hong Kong, and Italy noted the positive effects of Qigong on blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory rate, and skin temperature. Blood pressure actually temporarily improved in only a single session of Qigong.

A 2016 Review and Meta-Analysis in the Journal of the American Heart Association found that Tai Chi, Qigong, and Baduanjin helped reduce both blood pressure and cholesterol in people with cardiovascular disease. The study compared groups doing traditional Chinese exercises, other forms of endurance or aerobic exercises, and groups who did not increase their activity nor engage in a formal exercise program. The Chinese exercises reduced blood pressure greater than aerobic exercise, while also reducing LDL cholesterol and triglycerides.

According to the Harvard Medical School Guide to Tai Chi, there is a growing body of research that supports the positive effects of Tai Chi and Qigong. Researchers continue to conduct new studies to confirm the benefits of traditional Chinese exercises.

If you do have heart disease or just want to prevent it, it is important to find a physical activity (such as Tai Chi and/or Qigong) that you don’t find threatening and that you will continue. Tai Chi and/or Qigong can be an adjunct to a formal cardiac rehabilitation program, an exercise alternative, maintenance therapy, or just a way to help prevent future cardiovascular events. Don’t wait to become a statistic!

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