Tai chi chuan, also known as taiji, taijiquan, or more commonly as tai chi, is a form of alternative medicine that is very prevalent around the world today. According to the 2007 National Health Initiative Survey, 2.3 million U.S. adults had used tai chi within the past 12 months. The term tai chi chuan can be translated into internal martial arts or supreme ultimate fist.1 Its history of origin is somewhat poorly known, but is believed to be originated from China. A Taoist monk from the Wu Tang Monastery by the name of Chang San-Feng, is believed to be the “creator” of tai chi. Tai chi is a practice in which one moves their body slowly, gently, from one position to the next, with an emphasis on relaxation while maintaining focus and awareness.1,2 When Chang started practicing tai chi, he wanted to practice a form of martial arts that was unlike others that placed an emphasis on external force (wei chia), such as Kung Fu and Tae Kwon Do. He developed tai chi to be the practice of internal force (nei chia) which supports the healthy balance of yin and yang (opposing forces within the body) which aids in the flow of qi (vital energy or life force).1,3 Tai chi is based upon 13 postures that were derived from the 8 trigrams and the 5 elements. The 8 trigrams include the following: peng (ward off), lu (roll back), chi (press), an (push), tsai (pull), lieh (split), chou (elbow strike) and kao (shoulder strike). The 5 elements include the following: chin (advance), tui (retreat), ku (look left), pan (gaze right) and ting (central equilibrium). The incorporation of these 13 postures leads to the practice of the 13 principles. The first principle is sinking of the shoulders and dropping of elbows. The second principle is relaxing the ches...
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2.) Tai Chi: A Gentle Way to Fight Stress. Mayo Clinic. 28 September 2012. 27 November 2013.
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/tai-chi/SA00087.
3.) Majka, Christopher. The History of Tai Chi. 2013. 27 November 2013.
http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/Philosophy/Taichi/index.html.
4.) Bushman, Todd. The 13 Postures and 13 Principles of Tai Chi Chuan. 2013. 27 November
2013. http://www.taichiandqigong.com/tai-chi-13-postures.php.
5.) Galantino, M, Cellens, M, Cardena, G, Piela, N, Mao, J. Tai Chi for Well-being of Breast
Cancer Survivors with Aromatase Inhibitor-associated Arthralgias: A Feasability Study.
Alternative Therapy Health Medicine. 2013 Nov-Dev; 19(6):38-44.
6.) Nocera, J, Amano, S, Vallabhajosula, S, Hass, C. Tai Chi Exercise to Improve Non-Motor
Symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease. Journal of Yoga and Physical Therapy. 2013
Aug; 3.
Schaller, K. J. (1996). Tai Chi Chih: an exercise option for older adults. Journal of Gerontological Nursing, 22, 12-16.
+Pain - One study shows that home-based cupping is beneficial in treating neck pain.[2] Wet cupping reduced the intensity and frequency of migraines in a study conducted on 70 individuals.[3] Another study on dry cupping presents that it relieved symptoms of knee
Exercise regularly. Physical activity plays a key role in reducing and preventing the effects of stress. Nothing beats aerobic exercise for releasing pent-up stress and tension.
...lementary and Alternative Medicine. (2012). Acupunture: An Introduction. Retrieved on July 12, 2014 from http://nccam.nih.gov/health/acupuncture/introduction.htm
Sarno, John E. Healing Back Pain. Illus. Giorgetta Bell McRee, Anne Twomey, and Superstock. New York: Warner Books, 1991. Print.
During the early 1900s, the practice of medical science became accepted in our society. Many of the Swedish massage was mingled in with those of medical doctors and medical practices. (A type of “mechano-therapy” emerged of a combination with other therapist preformed by a physician or a nurse’s assistant.) Over time, these practices were absorbed into what would be general medicine. In the 1920s Masseurs and Masseuses had lost most of their market to doctors. They mainly found work with wealthy individuals who wanted a general, relaxing form of massage. After World War ll, a group of massage operators formed the American Association of Masseurs and Masseuses. This later became the forerunner of today’s American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA). The goal of these associations is to raise the status of massage as a unique and effective treatment for healing. In the 1980s the AMTA was formed. The first thing they did was establish a code of ethics and change their titles from masseurs and masseuses to massage therapist. Now the profession of massage is enjoying renewed vigor and influence in alternative medicine. Recent trends have pointed the continuing promise and growth of massage therapy as a health care career.
“Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don't resist them - that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like” (Lau Tzu). Born into a life of noodles and relaxation Po, a chubby panda, always wanted to be a Kung Fu master. Out of nowhere an opportunity arises to have his dream become reality. Po, like any normal panda snatches up this once in a lifetime opportunity and runs with it. But when the going gets tough, he doesn’t know if this is the life he was meant to live. While the film was meant for enjoyment, DreamWorks has incorporated clear examples of the three major Chinese Schools of Thought: Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism.
Seward, B. (2012). Managing stress: Principles and strategies for health and well-being. (7th ed.). Burlington, Ma: Jones and Barlett Publishing.
Get yourself moving. There is power in perspiration that can defeat stress. A few push-ups, curl-ups and an hour or two of jogging can make a difference in your emotional state. Meanwhile, as you perform different types of physical activities, bad elements that are causing your stress are gradually reduced. It burns away your anger, frustration, and tension, especially at work.
Other techniques to reducing stress, is listening to music, pampering yourself a massage/spa day, talking it out to family/friends, baking/cooking, praying/meditating and even playing with your pet.
Find healthy ways to cope with stress, such as exercise, meditation, or spending time with people you care about.
Life is full of troubles, demands, pressures and hassles—these are all factors related to stress. Stress is a state of mental or emotional tension resulting from adverse or difficult situations (Merriam-Webster). When you are in potential danger, your body responds with a “fight-or-flight” response to protect you from any harm. Situations like being robbed at gunpoint or studying last minute the night before the test can activate stress in your body. Although situations in life can increase stress, there are plenty of methods to diminish it. Methods like meditating, talking to family/friends, drinking tea, or even taking a quick nap--all of these methods are proven effective (The Franklin Institute). One method that is prominent to many is physical exercise. Exercise is considered to improve physical conditions and strength, but maintains mental fitness in the process. Although many assume that exercising is healthy, some may not be familiar of how it relieves stress in detail. In order to evaluate the effectiveness of exercise, the pros and cons must be considered. Some pros are: managing the levels of stress in your body, boosting your self-esteem, and improving learning and memory. The cons are: being time consuming and tedious, being costly and expensive, and risking injury while exercising. Let’s look at the pros of physical activity.
...rk demand stress and family demand stress. Another way of coping stress is exercise regiments including qigong and tai chi. The general idea of qigong is “that by training the body in certain ways, the lessons will rub off on the mind and the whole of life” (Hooker, 2003, p.196). By maintain balance can maintain health. By practice those type of exercise, people can control their mental states and decrease stress in the body and mind. Furthermore, it helps people to decrease the physical and psychological symptoms of stress.
Do you know what Taekwondo is? Do you know how Taekwondo benefits the practitioner? Do you know Taekwondo is also considered a sport and is an event in many major competitions? When these questions are asked, the majority of the people who answer do not know the correct answers or the complete answer. Although many people do not know much about Taekwondo, there are hundreds of thousands of people worldwide getting involved. Taekwondo is the world's fastest growing martial art, with currently over fifty million practitioners and growing everyday. The majority of the practitioners who get involved do so to learn self-defense. Not only do the practitioners learn self-defense, but they also learn many helpful things and receive the benefits that Taekwondo has to offer. Also, Taekwondo has become a sporting event in many major sporting competitions. But mainly, Taekwondo provides people with sporting and self-defending ability and gives that person an edge in daily life, with its merits as a martial art sport of self-discipline.
During this course I learned many stress management techniques. One of the first stress management techniques I learned was creating a list of things to do in order of importance. Before using this technique I left things to do all at once. This technique helped me by equaling out my work load. Another technique for stress I learned was yoga. Yoga helps me by relaxing my entire body. This technique helps me forget about the things that cause my stress. I use this technique when I have something on my mind that is