- Key Points About Tai Chi as CAM
- A Description of Tai Chi
- Other Key Beliefs of Tai Chi
- Specific Health Purposes and Tai Chi
- Side Effects and Risks of Tai Chi
- Licensing, Training, and Credentialing of Tai Chi Teachers
- Tai Chi as a Part of CAM
- Some Points of Controversy About Tai Chi
- US Government Funded Research on Tai Chi
- Tai Chi Health Research References
- Many people who practice tai chi do so to improve one or more aspects of their health and to stay healthy. Resources for finding published research on this practice are listed at the end of this Backgrounder.
- It is not fully known what changes occur in the body during tai chi, whether they influence health, and, if so, how. The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) is sponsoring studies to find out more about tai chi’s effects, how it works, and diseases and conditions for which it may be most helpful.
- If you are considering or using any type of CAM, talk to your health care provider about it. This is for your safety and a complete treatment plan.