Most seniors prefer to age in the comfort of their own homes rather than in institutional care. One way to try to ensure this is to be as strong, mobile and independent as possible. However, accidental falls are a major safety hazard for seniors. Fortunately, tai chi movements can help them maintain a good sense of balance, as reported by the Fort Wayne Daily News.

Every year, about one-third of American adults aged 65 and older have an accidental fall, as estimated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. These mishaps can cause head trauma, hip fractures and other health complications, making them the most common cause of injury-related mortality for this age group.

Exercises that promote balance, flexibility and strength can help seniors prevent falls. Dahn yoga and tai chi may be suitable regimens. That goes double when you consider that most adults do not get regular exercise, according to one senior care service.

"Many people who have already fallen simply stop exercising for fear of falling again," the Kingston Care Center wrote in a guest column. "Tai chi is a good example of a popular exercise that promotes balance and coordination."

The senior care service also recommended that elderly Americans discuss the side effects of medications with doctors, get their vision checked and clear their houses of falling hazards, such as loose carpeting or stray objects on the floor. Grab bars in the bathroom may also be helpful.

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Author Douglas Noll is 61 years old and has lived a full and varied life. He spent 22 years of his professional career as a lawyer before deciding that litigation was not the best way to settle disputes. This realization was partly inspired by tai chi exercises, according to an interview with the Santa Barbara Independent.

"Tai chi has two paradoxes: The first is that the softer you are, the stronger you are, and the second one is that the more vulnerable you are, the more powerful you are," Noll told the interviewer. This philosophy compelled him to reevaluate his career choice before he decided to earn his master's degree in peacemaking from a Mennonite school. He now works as a professional mediator.

While studying conflicts such as talks at Camp David and debates about climate change, Noll realized that many, even most, wars throughout history had inevitably ended in peace negotiations. He said that such resolution should be attempted before casualties fall, and a mediator can help opponents see through the emotions that cloud their reason in order to deal with polarization, according to the news source.

It's no wonder that Noll derived so much inspiration from the energy healing meditation of tai chi. Historical accounts recall that the practitioner who helped found this regimen placed an emphasis on meditation and internal force rather than external force, which was the focus of other martial arts, according to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine.

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Medical students may be accustomed to several teaching techniques: cadaver dissection, live patient simulations and so on. However, a growing number of medical schools are incorporating classes on complementary treatments such as tai chi in order to teach energy healing and the essentials of self care, according to a report in The Huffington Post.

During the last 10 years, the number of institutions teaching integrative medicine – which combines conventional and alternative therapies – has increased from eight to 51, according to the news source. This includes places like Harvard University, Johns Hopkins and the Mayo Clinic.

Proponents believe that classes that teach yoga and tai chi not only help students feel better, but also give them a hands-on lesson on the value of these therapies.

"We're not cutting anything out from traditional medicine," said Delia Chiaramonte, University of Maryland Center for Integrative Medicine's director of professional education, as quoted by the news source. "We're adding to the toolbox."

Medical students who want to learn more about these mind-body regimens should look into Dahn Yoga and tai chi classes. According to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, about 2.3 million Americans were practicing tai chi as of 2007.

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Within any given three-month period, about 25 percent of American adults deal with back pain for at least one day, according to the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. This makes it one of society's most common health problems. Now, a new study from Australia demonstrates how tai chi exercises can help alleviate back pain.

After seeing the positive results tai chi had on patients with arthritis in a previous trial, a team of scientists decided to assess the regimen's impact on back pain, according to Arthritis Today. They experimented on 160 individuals diagnosed with chronic lower back pain. About one-half of them were assigned to tai chi classes, while the rest continued their usual workout routines.

At the end of the 10-week trial, those who took tai chi experienced a 23 percent improvement in pain and a 32 percent reduction in disability.

"We would expect disability to improve because tai chi involves physical activity and exercise, and this would improve people's ability to do physical tasks around the house, sports, work, etc," said researcher Chris Maher, PhD.

Some experts say tai chi can help back pain by strengthening the core muscles, thereby lightening the load on the lumbar spine, and increasing mind-body awareness.

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Starting in January 2011, the earliest members of the baby boomer generation (born between 1946 and 1964) began turning 65 years old, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Ultimately, a person has been turning 65 every 15 to 30 seconds for the last year! With age can come potential health complications, but as some seniors are discovering, tai chi movements can help alleviate stress.

"I appreciate having the opportunity to help people get healthier," said Yvette Monet, a fitness instructor who teaches both tai chi and yoga, as quoted by The Newnan Times-Herald. "It makes it all worthwhile having someone in the class who can learn to feel more balanced and walk a little easier."

Monet teaches seniors, some of whom have lived with debilitating conditions such as cancer. She assures her students that it is not important to be perfect in these movements. Instead, pupils should focus on being present in the poses and feeling the healing energy, according to the news source.

There are many potential benefits of Dahn Yoga and tai chi. According to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, a division of the NIH, people who have practiced tai chi reported experiencing better muscle strength, flexibility, coordination and balance.

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It's not uncommon for people who live with diseases that cause pain to experience depression as well. One such condition is rheumatoid arthritis, which can cause mobility issues and, as a result, chronic low mood. However, tai chi may prove to be a psychologically beneficial energy healing therapy for these patients.

Rheumatoid arthritis is a disease in which the body's immune system goes rogue and attacks the joints, causing pain, swelling and stiffness, according to the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, a division of the National Institutes of Health. About 1.3 million Americans live with this condition.

For people seeking non-medicinal treatments to complement their prescriptions, tai chi exercises may be useful, according to dailyRx. While it is unclear whether this regimen can improve specific physical symptoms such as pain or swelling, there is some evidence that tai chi can support optimal mood, quality of life and overall function, according to the news source.

Moderate aerobic exercise, relaxation and imagery therapy can also be beneficial for people with rheumatoid arthritis. Patients may also want to consider dietary supplements such as borage, evening primrose, black currant and fish oil, according to the news source. But remember – you should always consult your physician before taking any of these supplements with your prescriptions.

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Any condition that causes chronic pain can interfere with a range of everyday functions, whether we're talking about trying to exercise or even just meeting a friend for a cup of coffee. Fibromyalgia patients, who suffer from persistent pain, may benefit from the energy healing therapy of tai chi, which can help them relax and manage stress, according to The Huffington Post.

Fibromyalgia can affect various soft tissues, including the muscles and tendons, according to the news source. Women are 10 times more likely to develop fibromyalgia than men, and a recent study from Norway found that female subjects who had frequent problems sleeping had a higher risk of the disease. This doesn't necessarily prove that sleep deprivation causes fibromyalgia, but the discovery of the relationship alone is important.

"We don't need to know the root causes of fibromyalgia to know that improving sleep is at the core of a strong treatment plan for the condition," wrote sleep specialist Michael Breus.

One way that patients can support a better night's sleep is through tai chi exercises, Breus said, citing a 2010 study demonstrating that patients who practiced this routine experienced improvements in sleep, pain symptoms and depression.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 5 million American adults live with fibromyalgia.

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One of the most important things older people can do to maintain their independence is stay mobile and active. This can be challenging for those with visual impairments, which can lead to problems with coordination and accidental falls. However, new research shows that tai chi exercises may help improve these individuals' sense of balance, as reported by News-Medical.

A team of scientists conducted a study on 40 people, aged 70 years and older, who were living in residential care homes. These subjects were divided into two groups. The control group took lessons on percussive music. The experimental group participated in 90-minute tai chi sessions that focused on multi-directional weight-shifting, head and trunk rotation and body alignment awareness.

After 16 weeks, the tai chi group experienced improvements in their ability to balance as well as in their awareness of the positioning of their knees.

"Our study shows that tai chi can be a suitable form of exercise for those with visual impairment and indeed assists with improving their balance control," said the researchers, as quoted by the news source.

In addition to supporting physical coordination, the energy healing therapy of tai chi can help improve muscle strength and ability to sleep, according to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, a division of the National Institutes of Health.

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As people age, they may dread falling victim to those "senior moments" when they have momentary lapses in memory. Misplacing car keys, forgetting birthdays or, perhaps most embarrassingly, forgetting someone's name as they greet you on the street. However, there are several things people can do to keep their brains sharp, including tai chi movements.

The brain is like any other muscle – if you don't use it, you lose it. There are a variety of activities that can keep the various parts of the brain quick and focused, according to Majid Fotuhi, an assistant professor in the Department of Neurology at Johns Hopkins University, as reported in The Chronicle Herald.

Not only is tai chi relaxing, but having to memorize the slow, deliberate movements of this energy healing meditation may be beneficial for two parts of the brain, Fotuhi said: the cerebellum, which controls balance and physical movement, and the frontal lobes, which help plan movement.

Other activities that may boost the performance of these brain structures include learning ballroom dancing and mastering a new instrument, according to Fotuhi.

Physically, tai chi has been associated with improvements in body pain and stiffness, as well as muscle strength and coordination, according to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, a division of the National Institutes of Health.

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People may take up heavy-duty workouts at the gym as a New Year's resolution, only to slack off after a week. They may start jogging during spring break, then quit once vacation is over. Tai chi may sound pleasant for summertime weather, but what happens when autumn comes? As one exercise physiologist points out, what matters more is the consistency of tai chi exercises and other activities – not their intensity.

"Whatever you do – spinning, tai chi or even your own special routine of exercises – the important thing is that sticking with your weekly regimen and being consistent with it is more important than the intensity of individual workouts," Paul VanWiechen of the Cleveland Clinic Canada, wrote in the National Post.

Because people tend to want to burn as many calories as they can in as little time possible, they may opt for more intense activities, according to the news source. However, the body of literature suggests that the frequency at which one can partake of these exercises matters more than how vigorous they are.

The key is for each individual to figure out what they can do on a regular basis, VanWiechen said.

As of 2007, about 2.3 million American adults reported practicing the energy healing techniques of tai chi within the previous 12 months, according to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine.

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