April 7988 Volume’ #1, Issue #7
TAI CHI: The Taoist Approach to Fitness by Carl Andrews Taoist Tai Chi is a comprehensive system for developing overall strength, resilience, and a sense of well-being, a well as an uncommon resistance to the stresses of life. As a form of exercise, Tai Chi has numerous advantages over other methods. It is evenly balanced, self-regulated, and does not subject the body to the sudden shearing and tearing forces that so commonly lead to injury. Because of this, Tai Chi can be practiced by a person of any age, even if one is in poor condition or health. Tai Chi is also an excellent exercise for increasing postural stability and balance, as it makes one sensitive to one’s center of gravity. Many of the age-related changes that we expect to occur inevitably as we get older are due to inactivity rather than age. A daily routine of Tai Chi goes a long way toward reducing the risk of heart attacks, osteoporosis, and constipation, three of the most common disorders in the elderly. How Tai Chi affects the Joints One of the most marked of the benefits of Tai Chi is its effects on the body’s joints. Let’s look at how these effects are accomplished. The most common type of joint is the synovial joint. A synovial joint is so-called because it is filled with synovial fluid. The ends of the adjoining bones are lined with a layer of cartilage, called articular cartilage. The cartilage is lubricated and nourished with synovial fluid, which is encased in the joint by a “joint capsule”. The inner layer of this capsule is called the synovial membrane, where the synovial fluid originates. The outer layers are ligaments, which bind the joint together. One of the beneficial effects of Tai Chi is that it gently stretches these ligaments, providing greater freedom of joint movement. Another benefit of Tai Chi is that it effectively lubricates the joints in two ways: rotation and compression. The rotational component of the movement brings all parts of the cartilage into contact with the opposing cartilage by putting the joint through a full range of motion. As an example, after joint surgery, patients are sometimes put on continuous passive motion machines for the initial weeks of healing. These patients do not experienee the pain and stiffness that used to accompany joint surgery. In addition, Tai Chi is done with a slow alternation of compression and release; this type of pressure has been shown to be the most effective for the transfer of nutrients within the joint, as opposed to the sudden impact type of pressure accompanying many other types of exercise. With age, the joint cartilage tends to lose water, become brittle, and degenerate if it is not continually lubricated and provided with nutrition by the synovial fluid. Medical statistics show that most all Westerners over thirty have signs of joint degeneration (osteoarthritis). Tai Chi, however, by requiring movement in all parts of the joints, can retard or prevent this type of degeneration.