Researchers Find that Tai Chi Reduces Depression, Anxiety and Stress

Scientists at Tufts University School of Medicine performed a systematic review of studies done on the benefits of Tai Chi and found that practitioners of the martial art benefited through increased happiness, decreased anxiety and depression, increased self esteem and a reduction in stress. These benefits occurred in both depressed and non depressed study subjects.

Tai Chi is an ancient Chinese low impact marital art that is increasingly practiced in the West, and which has been practiced in the East for centuries.

The researchers reviewed the data from 40 studies done on the mental health benefits of Tai Chi, including 17 randomized control studies.

Researcher Dr. Chenchen Wang called for more study on the benefits of Tai Chi, saying, "More detailed knowledge about the physiological and psychological effects of Tai Chi exercise may lead to new approaches to promote health, treat chronic medical conditions, better inform clinical decisions and further explicate the mechanisms of successful mind-body medicine."

The full research results can be examined in the journal, BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine