The Federal Government through the National Center of Complementary Medicine (NCCAM) is rigorously researching Tai Chi and Qi Gong to help people become healthier. They are looking at the benefits to gain strength, reduce pain, improve balance and many, many more chronic and other conditions. If the Federal Government is taking this seriously, shouldn't you?
I was reviewing my twitter feed yesterday and did a search under the hashtag #taichi and was pleasantly surprised when I saw a video from the Federal Government about the health benefits of Tai Chi and Qi Gong. I was pretty excited.
NCCAM is a division of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) that performs rigorous research on various complementary and alternative medicine therapies and interventions. They want objective truth about what works. In a world filled with false promises with fewer and fewer objective outlets, isn't it great to know that the federal government is still doing this very important work?
They produced this short video which begins with the Director of NCCAM giving an introduction to their mission. This introduction is followed by a short demonstation of Tai Chi and Qi Gong. While the video is worth watching and is informative, the instructor is not nearly as effective as Rami is. I know I'm biased because I've trained with Rami for a number of years no, but I think you will agree. While she demonstrates the moves just fine, she doesn't provide the enthusiasm and deep knowledge that Rami does.
Here is my suggestion. Watch the NCCAM video first and then take a look at Rami's online course (many of the lectures are free to try) and I think you'll agree. Rami doesn't just teach the tai chi form, he teaches you how to breath deeply, how to mediate, how to "be" what you are learning and performing.
Rami with leading researchers at Tufts Medical Center have done a number of clinical trials funded by the NIH that do show the benefits of Tai Chi. Perhaps his best known trial looked at Tai Chi and Fibromyalgia. The results of that study were published in the New England Journal of Medicine and featured in the New York Times. He's also worked on a clinical trial looking at Tai Chi and Rheumatoid Arthritis with excellent results.
If you are a weekend warrior, a seasoned athlete or someone dealing with a chronic disease such ast cancer, arthritis, fibromyalgia or many other illnesses, you should give Tai Chi and Qi Gong a try. You don't have anything to lose.