The Benefits of T'ai Chi
History of T'ai Chi
One of the most relaxing forms of martial arts, T'ai Chi, can help to overcome such problems as arthritis, rheumatism, back problems, lack of balance, high blood pressure, stress, post-traumatic stress, lack of energy, and more. T'ai Chi is a non violent form of the martial arts whose roots are derived from the Chinese and correlated with Traditional Chinese Medicinal techniques. There are many forms of T'ai Chi, including T'ai Chi Chuan and T'ai Chi Chih; all of which have been studied for thousands of years to improve the Chinese way of life. There have been many records of the origin of T'ai Chi reaching as far back as over 3500 years ago. In addition to a Chinese Martial Art, T'ai Chi has origins related to Taoism, which revolved around calmness, "tranquillity of mind," and the improvement of health and persona (wysiwg://25/http://www.spiritweb.org/Spirit/tai-chi.html). Monks employed T'ai Chi as means of be coming more in tune with their bodies and their environment. Therefore, this martial art helped them to "defend themselves against bandits and warlords through physical health and spiritual growth" (http://www.maui.net/~taichi4u/overview.html).
What is T'ai Chi?
T'ai Chi is an entire body experience meant to relax its participant and allow one to "effortlessly experience the vital life force, or Chi, in one's body" (http://www.fitnesslink.com/mind/chi.htm). T'ai Chi is literally translated to mean "Supreme Ultimate," and it teaches one to be more relaxed through a greater connection with one's body and awareness of one's movements and thoughts (http://members.tripod.com/~donalo/introd.htm). This experience differs from other "hard" martial arts, by i...
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...every aspect of our lives and the world around us" (http://www.maui.net/~taichi4u/overview.html).
Bibliography
Lai, J. S., Lan, C., Wong, M. K., Teng, S.H. (1995). Two-year trends in cardiorespiratory function among older Tai Chi Chuan practitioners and sedentary objects. Journal of American Geriatrics Society, 43, 1222-1227.
Jin, P. (1992). Efficacy of Tai Chi, brisk walking, meditation, and reading in reducing mental and emotional stress. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 36, 361-369.
Schaller, K. J. (1996). Tai Chi Chih: an exercise option for older adults. Journal of Gerontological Nursing, 22, 12-16.
Wolf, S. L., Barnhart, H. X., Kutner, N. G., McNeely, E., Cooler, C., Xu, T. (1996). Reducing fraility and falls in older persons: an investigation of Tai Chi and computerized balance training. Journal of American Geriatrics Society, 44, 489-497.
In this paper, alternative treatments to medicine and aerobic exercises will be considered when comparing which is more effective in decreasing blood pressure and managing hypertension. Specifically, tai chi exercises and acupuncture will be used to compare health outcomes of adults ages 60 and above with hypertension. Studies on acupuncture treatments for hypertensive elderly adults will first be examined and then compared with studies conducted on the utilization of Tai Chi exercises for hypertension. The health outcome measures will include measurements of systolic and diastolic blood pressures and observational studies indicating a decrease in blood pressure of hypertensive elderly adults.
In conclusion, It it is very necessary that our health care officials try harder to gain trust with minorities so that medicine can be focused more on equality. We all know that for decades our country was very diverse and everyone was treated differently. Although things have changed and it is sometimes important to preserve our past, past actions should not still be carried out. Even today, racism still occurs and it hard for minorities to feel safe when visiting hospitals and doctor’s offices. Minorities should be given equal medical opportunities, be given the honest truth on their diagnosis and treatments and most importantly be given some sort of health care so they can be treated.
There has been a rapid growth in minorities in the U.S. particularly the Hispanic/ Latino community. Bureau of Health Professions (2013) studies have shown that with the rapid increase of this culture, Hispanics are not being adequately understood by medical professionals because of underrepresentation within the medical field. The after effects of underrepresentation have caused healthcare issues among this population. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (2006) there has been a correlation between patient satisfaction and medical professionals of the same culture.
Therefore, considering these issues is an impediment when discussing the disparities in health. Some minorities are disadvantaged in the current healthcare while some are not. However, it is complicated to identify reasons for inequalities because health outcome is a result of numerous interactions with factors including the individual’s access to care, the quality of care provided, health behaviors such as tobacco and alcohol consumption, the presence or absence of complicating conditions, and personal attitudes toward health and medicine. Therefore, Examining existing racial and ethnic issues, developing potential solutions for current disparities, and preparing for future challenges as shifts in trends emerge are essential aspects of health care improvements” (Boslaugh,
“Eliminating Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Health Care: What are the Options?” The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, 20 Oct. 2008 https://www.kff.org/disparities-policy/issue-brief/eliminating-racialethnic-disparities-in-health-care-what/
...imary exercises preformed and recommended by TCM. TCM believes that stagnant blood in the body can reduce the chi, and throw the Yin and Yang off balance with each other. The recommended cure for stagnant blood is exercise and or decoctions like Si Wu Tang. The main differences between Qi Gong and Tai Chi are the approaches that each take to training. Qi Gong primarily consists of meditation and gentle body movements aimed towards cultivation of the chi and health. Tai Chi is a martial art that uses meditation and gentle body movements, but also incorporates self defense techniques to stop an attacker using their own energy against them. Both are fine ways to help prevent stagnant blood and to cultivate your chi, the only difference is the martial application of the two. TCM recommends these two forms of exercise over others, because it is very easy on your joints. Older people who may practice Qi Gong or Tai Chi will not be limited or restricted because of bad knees or arthritis (Cohen 258-267).
The Chinese healing art of acupuncture is one that can be dated back at least two thousand years. Some authorities maintain that acupuncture has been practiced in China for even four thousand years. Though its exact age is vague, what is certain is that up until the recent twentieth century, much of the population of the world was uninformed about acupuncture, its origins, and its capacity to promote and maintain good health. Even today in relatively "advanced" nations such as the United States there are many who hold acupuncture under the stereotype of a new or radical medicine, one which would almost always be a second choice after more familiar Western approaches to handling illness.
The promotion of health has been primarily a White middle-class phenomenon (Gottlieb and Green, 1987). It is critical that minority groups are included in preventive care, particularly because racial/ethnic minority group members are likely to suffer from higher mortality and morbidity than are White Americans.
In recent discussions of health care disparities, a controversial issue has been whether racism is the cause of health care disparities or not. On one hand, some argue that racism is a serious problem in the health care system. From this perspective, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) states that there is a big gap between the health care quality received by minorities, and the quality of health care received by non-minorities, and the reason is due to racism. On the other hand, however, others argue that health care disparities are not due to racism. In the words of Sally Satel, one of this view’s main proponents, “White and black patients, on average don’t even visit the same population of physicians” (Satel 1), hence this reduces the chances of racism being the cause of health care disparities. According to this view, racism is not a serious problem in the health care system. In sum, then, the issue is whether racism is a major cause of health care disparities as the Institute of Medicine argues or racism is not really an issue in the health care system as suggested by Sally Satel.
Due to the persistent ethnic or racial healthcare disparities in the United States, the utilization and access to quality healthcare services are crucial to exploring distinctions in the perception of the patient’s healthcare quality across the ethnically diverse population. In this research, the role of race and acculturation in the perceptions of the patients of healthcare quality was critically analyzed to determine the role of race in the provision of quality health care (Pai & Chary,
Exercise can increase one’s spiritual health by making one feel as if they are a part of a greater spectrum of existence through yoga, tai chi, etc. These exercises specialize in decreasing stress levels, finding inner peace and acceptance for one self, and lifting up spirits. They aid in easing the subconscious mind which has the tendency to control our lives. According to Institute of Tai Chi, "the daily stress, negativity and destructive emotion accumulate to dampen our spirit, whereas when we're close to nature, for example, or involved in a cultural activity, our psychic energy gets in
Traditional Chinese Medicine has been around for many years. Many Chinese people have use acupuncture to heal many illnesses and pains without having to take medicine or paying the expensive cost of the doctor’s visits. We should try alternative medicines like acupuncture before going to a doctor because we can save money plus we would cut back on the use of pills and other medicines for some illnesses.
Imagine yourself walking past a homeless man. His hopeless eyes catch yours while he asks, “can you spare (should be spare) some loose change, please look to your soul.” If you were to look deep into a mirror past the exterior fixtures of the face and see into the inner sanctum: what would you find? Why do people reference the soul before the actions of the body, and why do we associate the soul to a higher state of harmony? In the short novel Bhagavad Gita, Krishna, the Vrishni prince believes that the only way to ultimate harmony is to reject the body, including the brain and embrace the soul. Throughout the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna explains the eternal power of the atman or “soul” is the all-encompassing force over the body, while the body itself is considered an unpretentious vehicle that produces the soul’s movements and decisions. Although Krishna emphases the soul is more powerful than the body, he also believes the soul is more powerful than the mind.
During the past few years, the publishing and reading world has been facing a veritable digital book onslaught. E-books have been outselling print books on Amazon since 2011 (Polanka, 7). While digital book sales skyrocketed, print book sales, especially those of mass marked paperbacks, diminished. Even the fact that e-books are not much cheaper than print books does not seem to interfere with the former’s popularity. It would seem that the age of print books is about to end, and quite soon.
To conclude, there are many distinguished advantages that e-books have over traditional paper books, as e-books are lightweight, portable and hence convenient to carry, have greater update capacity, have greater storage capacity, easily accessible through online downloading as well as being environmental friendly (with saving trees). With ongoing technological development of ebooks, there have since been many added functionality for ebooks (rotational screen, hyperlink, split screen) with even many more functionality to be developed in the near future.