title: [Effects of Tai Chi exercise on physical and mental health].
abstract: Recently, Tai Chi, which is one of the Chinese traditional martial arts, has been receiving attention. The main feature of Tai Chi is its flowing movements including loosening up, relaxing, and practicing meditation with slow abdominal respiration. Tai Chi is widely taken as part of health-promotion activities or rehabilitation training, and significant mental and physical effects have been reported so far. In this review report, Tai Chi was confirmed to be beneficial not only as a rehabilitation training for old people or patients with various diseases but also as an exercise for healthy people. These findings suggest the potential of Tai Chi as a complementary and alternative therapy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Social and Environmental Medicine, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine.
authors.forename: Masako
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hasegawa-Ohira
authors.forename: Masahiro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Toda
authors.forename: Rei
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Den
authors.forename: Kanehisa
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Morimoto
mesh_terms: D000529:Complementary Therapies; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D008603:Mental Health; D012046:Rehabilitation / Q000379:methods; D026302:Tai Ji