Trends and characteristics of Tai Chi and Qi Gong use among U.S. adults: Results from the 2007-2017 National Health Interview Survey

Understanding the Health Benefits of Tai Chi Practice for Managing Pain After Breast Cancer Treatment

This short review summarizes a recent U.S.-based study in which researchers evaluated the impact of tai chi mind-body exercises on health outcomes of breast cancer survivors. The researchers examined the efficacy of a tai chi intervention for managing aromatase inhibitor arthralgia in patients with breast cancer. They concluded that mind-body-related practices likely contributed to improved health outcomes. Nurses can guide patients about the impact that mind-body practices may have on the health and well-being of breast cancer survivors.

Determinants of Qigong, Tai Chi, and Yoga Use for Health Conditions: A Systematic Review Protocol

INTRODUCTION

Mind-body movement interventions such as qi gong, tai chi, and yoga are recommended in clinical practice guidelines to improve outcomes for several health conditions. However, use of these interventions for health conditions, or the integration of these interventions within healthcare settings, is low. A systematic synthesis of implementation determinants (i.e., barriers and facilitators) is needed to increase adoption. Similarly, determinants may influence other implementation outcomes, such as scalability or sustainability of these interventions in a healthcare system or community organization. Thus, in conducting this review we aim to identify determinants of qi gong, tai chi, and yoga use for health conditions. The secondary aim is to evaluate whether barriers and facilitators differ by intervention type, health condition, implementation setting, or implementation outcome.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

We conducted a comprehensive search of electronic databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science, CINAHL, PsycInfo) through May 2024 and a grey literature search (Google Scholar, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, ClinicalTrials.gov, the WHO Clinical Trials database) through March 2025. We will include original research articles in English that identify barriers and facilitators to adoption of qi gong, tai chi, and yoga by adults with health conditions. Study quality will be assessed using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. We will code each article using a codebook informed by the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR), a comprehensive taxonomy of implementation determinants. Findings will be presented as a narrative synthesis. We will report on how barriers and facilitators may relate to intervention type (qi gong, tai chi, yoga), health condition (e.g., low back pain, fall prevention), implementation settings (e.g., primary care clinic, community organization) or implementation outcome (e.g., adoption, sustainability).

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

Ethics approval will not be obtained for this review of published, publicly accessible data. The results from this systematic review will be disseminated through conference presentations and journal publications.

The Science of Tai Chi and Qigong and Whole Person Health Part I: Rationale and State of the Science

The emerging paradigm of whole person health shares many core principles with traditional complementary and integrative health frameworks, including Tai Chi and qigong (TCQ). In the Fall of 2023, the Harvard Medical School Osher Center for Integrative Health hosted the inaugural international conference on The Science of Tai Chi for Whole Person Health: Advancing the Integration of Mind-Body Practices into Contemporary Health Care held at Harvard Medical School. A two-part white paper was written to summarize key conference topics, findings, and issues. Part I presented here summarizes the rationale for the conference and synthesizes the state of evidence for TCQ as rehabilitative and preventive tools for a range of clinical conditions, including falls and balance, cognition, mental health, sleep, cardiorespiratory health, musculoskeletal health, cancer, as well as translational evidence related to the neurophysiology, brain and immune function, and biomarkers of inflammation. The state of science of TCQ, viewed through the lens of traditional East Asian health constructs, is also discussed. Part II of this white paper outlines evidence gaps and opportunities and discusses strategies to address challenges in TCQ research, dissemination, and implementation.

An unsupervised online Tai Chi program for people with knee osteoarthritis ("My Joint Tai Chi"): Study protocol for the RETREAT randomised controlled trial

Background

Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a leading contributor to global disability, with exercise proven to be an effective treatment. Tai Chi is a recommended type of exercise, but it is primarily done in person which imposes an accessibility issue. This study aims to evaluate the effects of an online unsupervised program, when provided with online educational information and exercise adherence support, on changes in knee pain and physical function, when compared to online education control for people with knee OA.

Methods

A two-arm, superiority parallel-design, pragmatic randomised controlled trial will be conducted involving 178 people with a clinical diagnosis of knee OA. After completing baseline assessment, participants will be randomly assigned to either: i) "My Joint Education", an education control website containing OA information only; or ii) "My Joint Tai Chi", an intervention website containing the same information as the control, a 12-week unsupervised online Tai Chi program to be undertaken at home 3 times a week, and information about an exercise adherence support app. All participants will be reassessed at 12 weeks after randomisation. Primary outcomes are overall knee pain during walking and physical function using the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index subscale.

Discussion

This randomised controlled trial will provide evidence about the effectiveness of the "My Joint Tai Chi" website compared to "My Joint Education" website on self-reported knee pain and physical function for people with knee OA.

Trial registration

Prospectively registered with the Australia New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ID: ACTRN12623000780651) on 18th July 2023.

The effect of Tai Chi exercise intervention on sleep quality in community residing older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis

PURPOSE

While clinical research has shown that Tai Chi exercise may improve the sleep quality of older adults, there is a lack of robust evidence-based verification. Therefore, this study conducted a systematic review of published research on the effect of Tai Chi exercise on the sleep quality of community-dwelling older adults, aiming to provide solid evidence-based medicine to enhance their sleep quality.

METHODS

A systematic search was conducted on PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, CNKI, WanFang, VIP, and SinoMed databases from their inception to December 9, 2022. The Cochrane risk of bias assessment tool 2.0 was used to assess the risk of bias in the included studies.

RESULTS

This systematic review included 12 original articles, involving a total of 1,058 community-dwelling older adults, with 553 in the Tai Chi group and 505 in the control group. The meta-analysis results revealed a significant improvement in the sleep quality of community-dwelling older adults who practiced Tai Chi compared to the control group [WMD =  - 1.96 (95% CI: - 3.02 to - 0.90, z = 3.62, P < 0.001)]. Subgroup analysis showed that Tai Chi had significantly beneficial effects regardless of age, country/region, intervention time, and Tai Chi type.

CONCLUSIONS

Tai Chi exercise can serve as an effective non-medication approach for addressing sleep problems in this demographic. Among the various types of Tai Chi exercises, the 24-form Tai Chi exercise emerges as a preferred option. Moreover, Tai Chi exercise proves to be an excellent choice for older people in their later years, promoting their overall well-being and health.

Daily Moderate-to-Vigorous Activity of Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders and Seven Asian Subgroups by Types of Activities, American Time Use Survey, 2010-2019

The study used the American Time Use Survey data from 2010 to 2019 to compare the daily moderate-to-vigorous activity of Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders (NHPI) and seven Asian ethnic subgroups. Adults aged 24 years and older were included. The study analyzed activities from sports and recreation, household activities, and all activities carried out during the day. Outcomes were determined by the completion of 30 min or more of moderate-to-vigorous activity and the type of activity carried out in the day. Significant ethnic differences were observed for sports and recreation but not for household activities and not for all activities carried out during the day. Of the ethnic populations, NHPI were the least active, and Asian Indians and Chinese were the most active. A majority achieved 30 min or more of moderate-to-vigorous activity during the day from all their activities. Physical activity from household activities exceeded physical activity from sports and recreation. The most physically active group was adults over the age of 65 years, perhaps reflecting more time to exercise or greater concerns about their health. For sports and recreation, exercising with someone doubled the minutes of moderate-to-vigorous activity. The results emphasize the importance of activities performed around the household in addition to sports and recreation and the benefit of exercising with someone. Ethnic populations may be receptive to interventions that emphasize activities they are performing in their daily lives.

Holistic frailty prevention: The promise of movement-based mind-body therapies

Aging is characterized by fundamental cellular and molecular hallmarks that result in physiologic decline of most body systems. This may culminate in frailty, a state of decreased reserve. Because frailty is a state of multisystem dysregulation, multimodal interventions may be necessary to mitigate and prevent progression rather than interventions targeting a single system. Movement-based mind-body therapies, such as tai chi and yoga, are promising multimodal strategies for frailty prevention and treatment given their inherent multicomponent nature. In this review, we summarize the links between hallmarks of aging and frailty and how tai chi and yoga may impact these hallmarks. We review trial evidence for the impact of tai chi and yoga on frailty in older populations and discuss opportunities for future research.

Exploring the Feasibility and Acceptability of Telehealth Qi Gong Shared Medical Appointments: A Novel Approach to Expand Access

Background

Research on Qi Gong (QG) supports promising health benefits. Both interest and use of QG in U.S. adults has increased over the past decade. Shared Medical Appointments (SMAs) are a novel, cost-effective, and time efficient health care delivery approach associated with patient and clinician satisfaction.

Objectives

A telehealth delivered QG SMA was pilot tested among a diverse demographic population within an integrative medicine practice at an academic medical center to assess feasibility and acceptability.

Methods

This was a feasibility/acceptability pilot study conducted at a large New York City academic medical center's Integrative Health and Wellness center from January to July 2023. A QG instructor-acupuncturist and an integrative medicine physician-acupuncturist co-led 3 separate series (5 Element QG, Eight-Section Brocade, and Joint-Mobilizing/Sinew Strengthening exercises) of weekly 30-45-minute sessions of QG SMA on a weekday afternoon via telemedicine. The first session included an overview of QG and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) research while follow-up sessions included a check-in, didactic demonstration followed by QG practice, and a debrief to answer questions. Video links were provided for home practice. Surveys assessing satisfaction were sent pre/post series.

Results

18 sessions of QG SMA were offered over a 6-month period. A total of 40 unique participants from diverse demographics (gender, race/ethnicity, primary residence) attended, for a total of 197 virtual visits. A total of 20 participants enrolled in Series 1 (8 weeks), 23 enrolled in Series 2 (7 weeks), and 16 enrolled in Series 3 (3cweeks). For each session, group attendance ranged from 8-16 with an average of 11 participants. Attendance was high with participants attending an average of 72% of the sessions. Participants attended 88% of the first 8-week series, 54% of the second 7-week series, and 60% of the third series. Participant interest persisted over time with 35% of the 40 participants attending more than 1 series, and 12.5% attending all 3 series. Participants' diagnoses and health symptoms included pain (62.5%), cancer (45%) anxiety/depression (40%), cardiovascular disease (CVD) or metabolic conditions (32.5%), gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms/diagnoses (27.5%), stress (22.5%), osteopenia/osteoporosis (17.5%), and insomnia (17.5%). Pre-series [n = 27] participants endorsed symptoms including sleep disturbances, fatigue, pain, stress, weakness, GI symptoms, psychological symptoms, hot flashes, and brain fog. Post-program survey results [n = 11] suggested QG program addressed common symptoms including fatigue, insomnia, anxiety, stress, pain, weakness, and gastrointestinal symptoms. Participants reported incorporating QG, breathing techniques, and meditation into their daily routine. All participants reported their goals were met and that they would recommend the program to others. Regarding delivery preferences, 73% preferred telehealth, 27% hybrid, and none preferred in-person. Participants appreciated the format, new skills, community, and instructors.

Conclusion

While the Virtual QG SMA series provided to diverse demographic population with mixed diagnoses is feasible, acceptable, and shows promising positive impact in this pilot, caution in interpreting the data is advised due to the low response rate of the post-program survey. Robust studies with longer follow-ups are recommended.