Editing Tai chi (section)

== Health ==
{{See also|World Tai Chi and Qigong Day}}
[[File:Tai Chi1.jpg|thumb|Outdoor practice in [[Beijing]]'s [[Temple of Heaven]]]]

Tai chi's health training concentrates on relieving stress on the body and mind. In the 21st century, tai chi classes that purely emphasize health are popular in hospitals, clinics,  community centers and senior centers. Tai chi's low-stress training method for seniors has become better known.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Yip |first=Y. L. |date=Autumn 2002 |title=Pivot&nbsp;– Qi |journal=The Journal of Traditional Eastern Health and Fitness |publisher=Insight Graphics Publishers |volume=12 |issue=3 |issn=1056-4004}}</ref>

[[File:Lady does Tai Chi.jpg|thumb|A Chinese woman performs Yang-style tai chi.]]

Clinical studies exploring tai chi's effect on specific diseases and health conditions exist, though there are insufficient studies with consistent approaches to generate a comprehensive conclusion.<ref>{{Cite journal |vauthors=Yang GY, Wang LQ, Ren J, Zhang Y, Li ML, Zhu YT, Luo J, Cheng YJ, Li WY, Wayne PM, Liu JP |date=2015 |title=Evidence base of clinical studies on Tai Chi: a bibliometric analysis |journal=PLOS ONE |volume=10 |issue=3 |pages=e0120655 |bibcode=2015PLoSO..1020655Y |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0120655 |pmc=4361587 |pmid=25775125 |doi-access=free}}</ref>

Tai chi has been promoted for treating various ailments, and is supported by the [[Parkinson's Foundation]] and [[Diabetes Australia]], among others. However, [[Evidence-based medicine|medical evidence]] of effectiveness is lacking.<ref name="Lee2011">{{Cite journal |last1=Lee |first1=M. S. |last2=Ernst |first2=E. |year=2011 |title=Systematic reviews of t'ai chi: An overview |journal=[[British Journal of Sports Medicine]] |volume=46 |issue=10 |pages=713–8 |doi=10.1136/bjsm.2010.080622 |pmid=21586406 |s2cid=206878632}}</ref><ref name="aus17">{{Cite web |last=Baggoley C |year=2015 |title=Review of the Australian Government Rebate on Natural Therapies for Private Health Insurance |url=http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/content/0E9129B3574FCA53CA257BF0001ACD11/$File/Natural%20Therapies%20Overview%20Report%20Final%20with%20copyright%2011%20March.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222094721/http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/content/0E9129B3574FCA53CA257BF0001ACD11/$File/Natural%20Therapies%20Overview%20Report%20Final%20with%20copyright%2011%20March.pdf |archive-date=22 December 2015 |access-date=12 December 2015 |publisher=Australian Government – Department of Health}}
* {{lay source|template=cite web|author=Scott Gavura|date=November 19, 2015|title=Australian review finds no benefit to 17 natural therapies|url=https://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/australian-review-finds-no-benefit-to-17-natural-therapies |website=Science-Based Medicine}}</ref> A 2017 systematic review found that it decreased falls in older people.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Lomas-Vega |first1=R |last2=Obrero-Gaitán |first2=E |last3=Molina-Ortega |first3=FJ |last4=Del-Pino-Casado |first4=R |date=September 2017 |title=Tai Chi for Risk of Falls. A Meta-analysis. |journal=[[Journal of the American Geriatrics Society]] |volume=65 |issue=9 |pages=2037–2043 |doi=10.1111/jgs.15008 |pmid=28736853 |s2cid=21131912}}</ref>

A 2011 comprehensive overview of [[systematic review]]s of tai chi recommended tai chi to older people for its physical and psychological benefits. It found positive results for [[fall prevention]] and overall [[mental health]]. No conclusive evidence showed benefit for most of the conditions researched, including [[Parkinson's disease]], [[diabetes]], [[cancer]] and [[arthritis]].<ref name="Lee2011" />

A 2015 systematic review found that tai chi could be performed by those with chronic medical conditions such as [[chronic obstructive pulmonary disease]], [[heart failure]], and [[osteoarthritis]] without negative effects, and found favorable effects on functional exercise capacity.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Chen |first1=Yi-Wen |last2=Hunt |first2=Michael A. |last3=Campbell |first3=Kristin L. |last4=Peill |first4=Kortni |last5=Reid |first5=W. Darlene |date=2015-09-17 |title=The effect of Tai Chi on four chronic conditions – cancer, osteoarthritis, heart failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a systematic review and meta-analyses |url=http://bjsm.bmj.com/content/early/2015/09/04/bjsports-2014-094388 |url-status=live |journal=British Journal of Sports Medicine |language=en |volume=50 |issue=7 |pages=bjsports-2014-094388 |doi=10.1136/bjsports-2014-094388 |issn=1473-0480 |pmid=26383108 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151016043910/http://bjsm.bmj.com/content/early/2015/09/04/bjsports-2014-094388 |archive-date=2015-10-16 |access-date=2015-10-09 |doi-access=free}}</ref>

In 2015 the [[Department of Health (Australia)|Australian Government's Department of Health]] published the results of a review of alternative therapies that sought to identify any that were suitable for coverage by [[health insurance]]. Tai chi was one of 17 therapies evaluated. The study concluded that low-quality evidence suggests that tai chi may have some beneficial health effects when compared to control in a limited number of populations for a limited number of outcomes.<ref name="aus17" />

A 2020 review of 13 studies found that tai chi had positive effect on the quality of life and depressive symptoms of older adults with chronic conditions who lived in community settings.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Choo |first=YT |date=2020 |title=Effectiveness of tai chi on quality of life, depressive symptoms and physical function among community-dwelling older adults with chronic disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis |journal=International Journal of Nursing Studies |publisher=Elsevier |volume=111 |page=103737 |doi=10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2020.103737 |pmid=32891966 |s2cid=221523402}}</ref>

In 2022, the U.S.A agency the [[National Institutes of Health]] published an analysis of various health claims, studies and findings. They concluded the evidence was of low quality, but that it appears to have a small positive effect on quality of life.<ref>{{Cite web |last=((National Center for Complementary and Intrgrative Health)) |date=March 2022 |editor2-last=Lanay Mudd |editor3-last=David Shurtleff |title=Tai Chi: What You Need To Know |url=https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/tai-chi-what-you-need-to-know |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221012201905/https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/tai-chi-what-you-need-to-know |archive-date=2022-10-12 |access-date=2022-10-12 |publisher=National Institutes of Health |editor1=Inna Belfer}}</ref>

=== Sport and self-defense ===
{{More citations needed section|date=May 2021}}
In its martial aspect, tai chi emphasizes defense over attack, and replies to hard forces with soft forces and vice versa.

Practitioners test their skills against students from other schools and martial arts styles in ''[[tuishou]]'' ("pushing hands") and ''[[sanshou]]'' competition.