Effects of Tai Chi Chuan Measured by Acceleration Plethysmography

Measurements using accelerated plethysmography1,2,3) were carried out for 80 persons aged twenty to seventy to obtain the dependence of blood circulation at the extremities of the body on pulse rate, demonstrating a negative correlation. In the middle-aged or elderly people, blood circulation, as indicated by the APG index, depended on their life styles, e.g., their daily sports practices. The effects of Tai Chi Chuan (TCC) were clarified by measurements before and after practicing TCC for 20-30 minutes. The effects were a slight decrease of pulse rate and increase of blood circulation in the extremities. This tendency is apparently different from that observed for Japanese archery or soft-ball tennis. The increase of blood flow after Tai Chi Chuan was also confirmed by using a single square voltage pulse method, an electrical measurement. Moreover, the time variations of blood circulation during daily movement or mental tasks were investigated for the same subject.