Tai Chi chuan: mind-body practice or exercise intervention? Studying the benefit for cancer survivors

REVIEW: Tai chi has been used as a mind-body practice in Asian culture for centuries to improve wellness and reduce stress and has recently received attention by researchers as an exercise intervention. A review of the English literature on research in Tai Chi published from 1989 to 2006 identified 20 prospective, randomized, controlled clinical trials in a number of populations, including elderly participants, patients with cardiovascular complications, patients with chronic disease, and patients who might gain psychological benefit from Tai Chi practice. However, only the studies of Tai Chi in the elderly and 2 studies of Tai Chi for cardiovascular disease had adequate designs and size to allow conclusions about the efficacy of Tai Chi. Most were small and provided limited information on the benefit of Tai Chi in the settings tested.