NEW STUDY – TAI-CHI BEST EXERCISE FOR FIBROMYALGIA SUFFERERS
A new study shows that Tai-chi is the best exercise to ease the pain and uplift the attitude of fibromyalgia patients. This Tufts Medical Center study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine showed that Tai-chi was better than stretching or wellness education for long term relief. Improvements were also seen in sleep, walking and mental health. One third of the participants were able to stop taking medication. The lessening of pain and improvement in attitude allowed the participants to engage in more activities and in some cases, lose weight.
Tai-chi emphasizes freeing the joints, increasing mobility, relaxing muscles and learning to use the body more efficiently. It is a mind/body practice, meaning that you become aware of the activities of each part of the body. In this way, the sense of feeling becomes stronger so that the simple, everyday experiences of life become more satisfying. You also can feel how stressful situations cause tension in your body and you learn how to let go of tension and how to condition the body so stress no longer causes tension. Some of the Tai-chi exercises (such as Wushu forms and the Zookinesis exercises) even tone the body and help you to lose weight.
No one is sure what causes fibromyalgia. But it makes sense that Tai-chi, with its emphasis on relaxation, strengthening the joints, increasing the sense of feeling in the body and learning how to eliminate stress, would help fibromyalgia sufferers.
