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Tai Chi & Arthritis

The origins of Tai Chi are wrapped in the time-worn mysteries of the Taoist Wudang mountains. For countless centuries, the Taoist practiced a form of meditative internal alchemy that fused the Heaven & Earth energies within the human body. This fusion of energies was termed the Grand Ultimate meditation or Tai Chi.

The Taoist seated meditations focused on opening the internal energy channels of the body to allow the vital life force ‘chi’ to circulate smoothly throughout the body.

They also practiced standing exercises, known as Chi Gung, which helped regulate the mind and breathing, stretch the ligaments and sinews, open the joints and circulate the chi through the internal organs.

As late as the 1300s AD, a Taoist monk, formerly of the Shaolin Temple fighting arts, envisioned a new martial art that coupled the soft, fluid body of the Taoist with the sturdy, rooted stances of the Shaolin Temple. The Chinese word for fist ‘ch’uan’ was then added to the Grand Ultimate meditation practice to name this new form: Tai Chi Ch’uan.

By the 1600s Tai Chi Ch’uan had descended from the mountains to arrive in the Chen village of Henan Province as a highly proficient, deadly martial art. By the mid-1800s it had splintered into four addition styles and finally arrived, via a member of the Yang family - Yang Lu-chuan, as martial art training for the Imperial Palace Guard.

It wasn’t until Yang Cheng Fu, grandson of the Yang style founder, opened his school in Shanghai in the 1920s that Tai Chi Ch’uan returned to its Taoist healing roots. He removed much of the combative kicks, leaps and punches to create the internally powerful yet gentle, graceful, health-promoting Yang Style Tai Chi Long Form, seen today in parks from Beijing to San Francisco.

ABOUT ARTHRITIS
Arthritis refers to the inflammation of the joints. It is a chronic illness that a sufferer may have to deal with for the rest of his or her life. The usual soft padding between the joints slowly deteriorates, allowing the bones to rub together causing sharp, persistent pain.

There are many types of arthritis, but the two basic forms that occur frequently are: rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis.

Rheumatoid arthritis is characterized by autoimmune attacks that usually come and go, and may be influenced by numerous factors that alter the immune functions, including dietary components, infections and stress.

Osteoarthritis also involves some autoimmune responses, but is characterized by a gradual loss of tissue in the joints as a person gets older. Inflammation of the joints with constant pain is an ongoing condition.

Although both disorders can begin at any of the joints, rheumatoid arthritis most often affects the upper limbs first (fingers are frequently the first site), while osteoarthritis most often affects the lower limbs first (hips and knees commonly affected).

It is believe at least one out of five Americans (46 million), and one out of four Australians (6 million), suffer from arthritis. Onset is most frequent between the ages of 40 and 50, but people of any age can be affected. It can be a painful and disabling condition, which can lead to substantial loss of functioning and mobility if not adequately treated.

TREATMENTS FOR ARTHRITIS
Hippocrates, expressed in 460 – 377 BC: “If we could give every individual the right amount of nournishment and exercise, not too little and not too much, we would have found the safest way to health.”

A healthy lifestyle has been known for a long time.

The four aspects most recommended for a successful arthritis management plan are:

1. Nutritious Diet
Everyone knows a balance diet with light proteins of chicken and fish, organic vegetables and salad, assorted light pastas and carbohydrates will keep you in relatively good health.

But faced with arthritic swollen joints and constant pain, perhaps a real dietary overhaul is worth a try. Excellent results have been seen with a raw food diet: notably organic vegetable juicing.

Juicing provides a concentrated dose of raw food enzymes, organic vitamins and minerals, soluble fibers, complex carbohydrates and other vegetable nutrients. Vitamin B-complex, Vitamin C and Calcium tablets should also be part of the juicing regime.

The Vitamin B-complex, notably megavitamin B-3 (niacinamide) and B-6 (pyridoxine), has proven effective with arthritis since the ‘30s. Vitamin C not only reduces inflammation, but also helps form collagen which nourishes and supports healthy connective tissue. Calcium should also be taken on a daily basis to ensure healthy, sturdy bones and joints.

Ladies and gents from age 40 to 80 have found remarkable improvements with the vege-vitamin regime. They’ve been able to regain full range of motion, pain-free, of their fingers and wrists, with a beaming clear complexion, within a year of the vege-juicing, vitamin-rich diet.

2. Medical Drugs and Herbal Formulas
In western medicine, analgesia (painkillers) and anti-inflammatory drugs, including steroids, are often used to suppress the symptoms, while disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) are required to inhibit or halt the underlying immune process and prevent long-term damage. The adverse effects of the DMARDs are still open for discussion.

In traditional Chinese medicine, herbal formulas have been developed over time-worn centuries to nourish and invigorate the chi and blood, thereby improving circulation and reducing the painful effects of arthritis.

3. Low Impact Exercise
Tai Chi as a form of low-impact exercise improves chi & blood flow through the joints to enrich the joints synovial fluid and greatly improve pain relief.

4. Emotional Stress Relief
Tai chi is often called ‘moving meditation’ because the focus is on continuous, soft movements and creating inner stillness – quieting the mind, relaxing the body. The quieter mind & relaxed body allows the body’s immune system to reactivate its innate healing properties.

Traditional Chinese Medicine
Arthritis has been a recognized medical condition since ancient times. The Chinese believe the cause is due to poor chi and blood circulation that leads to symptoms of pain, numbness, swelling and stiffness.

Therefore they developed treatments to nourish and improve the circulation: Acupuncture, Herbal Formulas, Tai Chi.

The closest traditional Chinese medicine term to rheumatoid arthritis is fengshi bing which literally means wind-damp disease.

The three key pathological factors in fengshi bing and addressed by herbal formulas are: wind, damp, cold. These factors cause stagnation of circulation within the chi channels and blood vessels.

According to the Chinese concept, when these pathological factors are dispelled, the circulation returns to normal and in the case of rheumatoid arthritis, the disease can go into remission.

Chinese Herbal Formulas
The exceptional ability of the Chinese medical community to document herbal formula treatments over the centuries has allowed the medical community to gather 31 different formulas.

The formulas, stretching from 220 A.D. to the present day, reveal eight (8) commonly used herbs, notably: Cinnamon, Licorice, Dong Quai, Peony, Siler, Chiang-huo, Atractylodes, and Cnidium.

These herbs nourish and improve chi and blood circulation, as well as tonify the liver, kidneys and spleen. In general, they are warming, a bit spicy yet gentle in nature, without any toxic side-effects.

From various Chinese studies, providing the formulas are suited to the individual, pain relief and possible remission in the case of rheumatoid arthritis may occur from one month to several months after treatment begins.

HOW TAI CHI HELPS ARTHRITIS
Tai Chi has been widely practiced as a Chinese health-promoting martial art that focuses on slow, gentle movement, providing a smooth, continuous and low intensity exercise.

The movements of Tai Chi keep the body alert yet balanced and soft, and allow a freer range of motion in the joints and greater flexibility. The deep, rhythmic Chi Gung breathing exercises expand the lungs, dramatically lower the blood pressure and heart rate, thereby improving the body’s overall immune system.

The focused attention to long, slow breathing and smooth, gentle movements gradually decreases emotional anxiety while lowering hypertension. All these factors improve the chi and blood flow throughout the body thereby reducing the arthritic inflammation and pain.

With a smoothly flowing energy system, reduced emotional stress levels and calm, steady mind, the door is open to achieve new levels of arthritic pain management.

TAI CHI & ARTHRITIS PROGRAM IN PHUKET
In Phuket, with the expat community estimated at 50,000 people, perhaps ten percent are 50 years and older, living on a permanent retirement visa. If only one percent of the retirees suffer from arthritis, at least fifty people will live out there days on lovely Phuket in constant daily pain.

This doesn’t have to be. With a revised daily diet, Tai Chi and the Chinese herbal teas, rheumatoid arthritis may become a thing of the past.

The Tai Chi Center, Phuket is offering a 3-month trial Tai Chi & Arthritis program starting in February 2011. Classes will be held every Tuesday and Thursday from 10:00 – 11:30 am at the Center located in Kamala Beach.

The class content will involve:

• Warm Up Exercises
• Chi Gung Exercises
• Basic Movements
• Advanced Movements

The exercises are designed to be easy, safe and effectively relieve pain. It is hoped the practitioners will master the exercises within the 3-month period to allow them a personal daily practice for the years to come.

For the curious and intrepid, a Chinese herbal tea containing the eight magic healing herbs will also be available at the conclusion of every class.

An initial group of eight participants, with a maximum of twelve, will be accepted for the trial program. At the conclusion of the 3-month period, these participants will have the choice to either retire for their personal practice or join the ongoing regular tai chi classes. A new group will then be accepted for the next 3-month period.

With good luck and perseverence, the new Tai Chi adepts will find the benefits flow into their lives in surprising ways. A smoother golf swing, learning the saxsaphone, or perhaps a graceful Samba step will be part of a new Phuket lifestyle.

For additional information, please contact:
The Tai Chi Center, Kamala Nathong House, 99/148 Moo 3, Kamala Beach, 83150 Phuket, Thailand
Tel: 66-81-728-9980, Email: serenethai@yahoo.com Website: www.taichiphuket.com