The Voice of TCAA
A Newsletter from the Tai Chi for Arthritis Association

For more info about the program, an application form

 

 Home
 Videos
 Instructors
 Workshops
 Links

November 2003 - Issue 2 - click on the title to view the articles

back to a complete list of newsletter

Editors Letter

Hello again! It's hard to believe we're already on our second issue of this online newsletter. We've had some exciting news. The Tai Chi for Arthritis study performed in Korea was just published in the Journal of Rheumatology. The study shows extremely positive results. (See the article by Dr. Stephanie Taylor.)

The response to our first newsletter was gratifying. And best of all, both TCAA Board members as well as "regular" members pitched in and submitted ideas and articles. That's what will make our newsletter successful. And a few of you emailed me with questions which allowed us to begin our Q & A section. Please keep it up. We welcome letters, questions, articles, complaints-well, no. Forget that last item. In any case, send whatever you want to me at nkieffer@astound.net. I love to hear from you.

Once again, thank you to Dr. Paul Lam for putting this newsletter online. As if he doesn't have enough to do…!

Below, we have a mixture of articles I hope you'll find informative, inspiring, and in some cases amusing. Don't forget to join TCAA and get the benefits from it, which include: discounts on workshops; discounts on videos, CDs, and DVDs, and access to insurance. Happy reading and let us hear from you.

Nancy Kieffer, editor

back to the top

Message from Paul Lam

After the first Voice of TCAA, I received so much feedback and among them were several Canadian colleagues who were inspired to organise a TCA Association in Canada. Great!

I believe an organisation, rather than individuals, is far more effective to promote TCA and benefit more people. I have this vision that we are going to have similar organisations around the world and annual conferences to share ideas, research findings, vision and friendship. Meanwhile, before that vision materialises the one-week workshop in the USA and Sydney will be an ideal place for members to meet and share the spirit.

Congratulations on the successful launch of TCA America, I'm looking forward to sharing and working with you.

Best Wishes,

Paul Lam.

back to the top

Tai Chi and the Standing Woman

Those of you who were at the Tai Chi Workshop in Connecticut this past summer will probably remember me as the woman who never sits. Almost four years ago, I slipped on the stairs and my life changed. Following a specialist's advice, I tried to break the pain loop by avoiding anything that hurt but every movement hurt. A year (and many omitted details) later, I was in worse pain than ever and so weak that I hardly had the strength to move. I was determined, however, not to let that be my life.

Finding limited help elsewhere, I joined a fitness center run by our local hospital. Though embarrassed by my condition, I would go in, work with one-pound weights, and walk a few minutes on the treadmill. Very slowly my strength began coming back, but I had lost the muscle memory for many basic motions. Fortunately, though, the center offered a Tai Chi for Arthritis class. I figured that if it was designed for people with arthritis, it would probably be a safe way for me to just start moving more.

When I saw the instructor perform the movements, I was drawn to their fluid and easy look, but when I tried them, they felt difficult and awkward. Believing, though, that tai chi would help my body move in ways that it had forgotten, I kept with the class. To my surprise, after a few weeks, I realized that my pain was less during my time in tai chi class than it was at any other time. I had found something that could offer me some temporary relief.

Has TCA restored my life to normal? No. It has, however, benefited me in several very important ways. I credit it not only with helping me regain much of my range of motion, but also with giving me some much needed pain relief. In fact, I am so grateful for what it has given me that I took the TCA instructor's course last June and in the hope that I can help others am now teaching two classes at the fitness center where I first learned tai chi.

By Laurie Pieper

back to the top

Updates in Research

By now, most of you have the good news. The Tai Chi for Arthritis study performed in Korea was just published in the Journal of Rheumatology. The study shows that tai chi improves arthritis by 29-35% within three months. Dr. Lam has included a summary in his recent newsletter.

Research on the benefits of tai chi is critical to its wider acceptance as a therapeutic intervention by the medical community. Much of medical practice was and is based on a good understanding of physiology rather than what we now call "evidence based medicine." For example, Pasteur developed the concept that disease was caused by small microbes. Our current treatment for infectious disease is based on that concept. We use antibiotics to kill the microbes, and that treats the infectious disease. We, in our culture, take this as self-evident and don't require much research to support it. However, one of Pasteur's contemporaries, Claude Barnard, held a different view. He recognized that microbes could cause disease, but that it was the constitution of the body and not the particular bacteria that determined who became ill.

The first belief system-that microbes cause disease-is easy to research. Expose two groups to a deadly bacteria, and give one group antibiotics and see who survives. The second hypothesis is more difficult to test because we don't have a simple measure for "constitution" or general health. We do know that if you expose a group to a bacteria, not everyone in the group becomes ill. But why some survive and some don't is a much more difficult question, and one that's probably more interesting.

Doing research on the health benefits of tai chi is challenging because although we all know that tai chi has many benefits, some of those benefits can be difficult to define. In fact, the most interesting and subtle aspects of tai chi are the most difficult to research. Therefore, we look at qualities that are easy to measure, such as balance and strength. It's important to compare two completely identical groups and expose one to Tai Chi for Arthritis training and give the other group a different exercise, or just place them on a wait list. The professionals who measure the participants before and after the study don't know which individuals are in the tai chi group, so the results those professionals will give are unbiased. This is called a "blind, randomized controlled trial" and is considered the most reliable type of research.
Though a relatively small study, the Korean study is a first step, and one that will lead to larger, more complex trials.

By Stephanie Taylor

back to the top

EDITOR'S NOTE: MANY PEOPLE HAVE SHOWN INTEREST IN BECOMING A TAI CHI FOR ARTHRITIS MASTER TRAINER. THE BELOW WAS EMAILED TO ME BY MASTER TRAINER DAN JONES AFTER I HAD ASKED HIM TO WRITE AN ARTICLE FOR THIS NEWSLETTER. I WAS AMUSED BY HIS EMAIL'S NON-STOP PACE, SO I GOT DAN'S PERMISSION TO REPRINT IT. THE TITLE IS MINE.

So You Think You Want to be a Master Trainer

It's been pretty non-stop for me these past weeks. I was on vacation for two weeks in August. I taught a workshop for the Arthritis Foundation one weekend in August, and I was out of town the other two weekends in August. I was out of town the first weekend in September. I attended a tai chi workshop out of town the next weekend in September. I have to work this weekend for my daytime job, and I am hosting a Tai Chi for Arthritis Instructor Trainer Workshop the last weekend of this month. I teach a tai chi class one to two nights a week, and I work a full time job during the day Monday through Friday. I'm in the process of opening my own tai chi studio/apt. It's currently being remodeled. I'm scheduled to move in November 1. I have a tremendous amount of preparation to do prior to moving. I try to work on moving preparations in the evenings after work. As you can see Nancy, this is an unusually busy time for me.

By Dan Jones

back to the top

TCAA: It's Members and How to Join

Interest in the Tai Chi for Arthritis Association (TCAA) continues to grow and the newly formed nonprofit organization, which started as an idea and dream two years ago, now has 65 members from 20 states. TCAA began taking members in June of 2003.

TCAA was created to
(a) promote interest in tai chi for health;
(b)provide a forum for education and the sharing of ideas and
(c) promote workshops for developing tai chi skills
(d) to give members access to group insurance coverage .

Membership is $45 USD (or $63 Canadian dollars). Information and applications for membership are available by contacting Caroline Demoise at taichi@frontier.net

As of October 31, TCAA has the following members:

Mary Bainto
Barbara Bekelaar
Suman Barkas
Jodie Berck-Schnebly
Diane Bishop
Thuha Bui
Julie Burt
Karen Bene Coleman
Robert Correll
John Dansereau
David Davenport
Caroline Demoise
Karen Dodge
Sandy Dutro
Roy Eidem
Robert Feeser
Cynthia Fels
Ann Fitzgerald
Patricia Friedriechsen
Donaldine Hamill
Leonard Han
Midori Hatakeyama
John Hillen
Louise Hillen
Mike Hurst
Dr. Barbara Jones-Smith
Daniel Jones III
Mavis Jones
Mary Ann Kashef
Nancy Kieffer
Dr. Pam Kircher
Theresa Kirke
Yanchy Laska
Richard La Fontaine
Pat Lawson
Andy Lee
Deborah Leong
Robin Malby
Robert McBrien
Marillyn McCordSteven Seligman
Veronica Sheffel
Russ Smiley
Sue Smith-Heavenrich
Dr. Ramon Solis
Dr. Stephanie Taylor
Troyce Thome
Joanne Thompson
David Tymecki
Claire Utter
Jay Van Schelt
Deborah Wheeler
Dr. Bruce Young
Marilyn Moore
Jeffrey Navarre
Carol Pecoraro
Laurie Pieper
Ruth Ann Plourde
Guy Prentice
Sandra Pruzansky
Sheila Ray
Dahlis Roy
Douglas Sams
Valerie Schillaci-Levy

back to the top

Getting Insured the Easy Way

One of the great benefits of becoming a TCAA member is your access to group insurance coverage. Specially designed for our members, the insurance package is underwritten by the Fitness and Wellness Insurance Agency, who have been in business for 18 years. It's the only agency that specializes in insuring fitness instructors.

The rates are stratified by where you teach tai chi, how often you teach, and whether you own or directly rent your space.

Check it out at www.fitnessandwellness.com. For general information, call the Fitness and Wellness Insurance Agency, 800-395-8075, and ask for Eileen Romosod, Ex. 167. If you wish insurance coverage, ask for Rick Felix, Ex. 153. You can also email him at rfelix@fitnessandwellness.com. Remember, you must be a member of TCAA to get this insurance.

back to the top

Teaching TCA in a Chair

"How do you teach Tai Chi for Arthritis to people confined to a chair?" I was asked that question while teaching a TCA workshop for instructors.

As I explained to the group, it's one thing to do tai chi with a population that's all seated; it's another when the group is mixed. Let's first discuss the situation where everyone's in a chair, which is far easier than when some are standing and others seated. If you simply follow the hand movements of the form, all of the participants can participate.

How then do you keep it interesting for them? Since they're not worrying about their feet, you can spend more time on the proper hand positions and movements. For instance, in the opening movement of raising and lowering hands, if you place the proper focus on the feeling of lifting against a force and pushing down against a force, your students will experience a greater felt sense response. A felt sense response is any change in feeling that we experience in our body during or after practice. Many of us have felt the tingle, the warmth, the heaviness that can come with our tai chi practice. The term felt sense is another name for feeling the flow of the life force or qi.

Taking time to help students feel their bodies respond to the simple movements can be profound. They begin to connect the movements with feeling better. I call this "staying around to get paid." They did the work of the exercise and the feeling of the body responding is the pay. With each movement you can help them to discover the felt sense of the qi moving through their body. This gives them a strong reason to return to class again and again. And it begins to change how they relate to their bodies. Instead of concentrating on bodies that don't work, they discover a new relationship to their bodies, a relationship of discovery and interest. This can be a profound change, which can carry over into all areas of living.

The greater teaching challenge comes when the class has some people in chairs and some not. Those in chairs have to work at a different pace than those on their feet. They have to time their hands to coincide with those of the people standing. You can help them not to feel out of place by talking about the last few inches of the movement being the most important. Advise them to move slower as they finish each move-as if their hands are a feather slowing down. This will quickly develop the smoothness and flow of their form. In no time, you'll refer to them as examples of how to move slowly. This also gives you an opportunity to show the people on their feet how sometimes the hands seem to move more than they need to. The movement really comes from the turning of the waist.

All in all, having the opportunity to share tai chi with physically challenged individuals can make you rethink how you do your own tai chi practice. Having to look at the movements in a new way will challenge you to discover the depth of what you know, and you'll discover new and different ways to share the many benefits of tai chi with all people.

By Jay Van Schelt

back to the top

Questions and Answers

Q: Your newsletter/group name indicates it's mainly focused on Arthritis and tai chi. If I am looking at tai chi for just general well being, coordination, etc., should I look elsewhere or is arthritis just one part of the group's focus?

A: In the big picture, our organization is committed to promoting tai chi for health and providing training opportunities for tai chi teachers and tai chi students in a variety of tai chi forms. The short Sun style set, called Tai Chi for Arthritis, brought many of us from a variety of tai chi backgrounds together in a spirit of commonality. Thus, we're interested in promoting that program. The Tai chi for Arthritis form is not just for people with arthritis. It's an excellent entry point for healthy adults to begin learning tai chi. It's also ideal for people with other mobility challenges and for people with chronic health problems. By joining TCAA, you'll meet people who teach and practice a variety of tai chi styles.


Q: I have been teaching tai chi for two years and my class has become very, very popular (always over 35-40 students). However, I have one issue that has not been settled satisfactorily: None of the classrooms have mirrors. I've tried facing the group and teaching with "mirror image." Most of the students found it confusing. Since then, I've taught with my back to my students. I move about the classroom so I can stand beside students. As I teach a new move I call out directions. Also, I turn around so I can watch my students.

Another related question--the classroom where I will be teaching this fall has a platform at one end of the room. If use this I could be higher than the students so all could see me, which could be advantageous. However, if I don't use the mirror image it would be harder to move about the classroom. I would like to know what other teachers do.
Thanks. Diane Bishop Grass Valley, CA

A: Your dilemma re mirrors/no mirrors/mirror image is fairly common with tai chi teachers. Most students prefer your doing the movements with your back to them until they're pretty sure of what they're doing. Mirror image works only when you're trying to correct the fine points.

As far as teaching from the platform, try teaching each move with your back to the students and stay up there until it appears that most of your students feel secure with the move. At that point, you might choose to vacate the platform and go around the room giving individual attention.

Q: Thank you for the newsletter and a chance to voice my experience with the Tai Chi for Arthritis video which I purchased online. I have had it
for two weeks now and I tried to follow the movements on the tape. I
could not do them with any comfort. It is especially painful to have my
feet at the proper angle and then bend my knees. I am 72 years old and am active, but the arthritis in my knees and feet curtail my movement. Is there some way for me to get the good I need from this tape by adjusting the moves. I am back to only doing the warm- up exercises. I live in rural central New Mexico about a 3 -hour drive from Albuquerque and the same time to El Paso, so I have to be self sufficient.

Mary Lu Nickels

A: You should not experience pain when you do Tai Chi for Arthritis. The first thing you must do if you have pain while working with the video is to see your doctor or therapist. If he or she gives you the go-ahead to keep practicing, you should adjust and modify the tai chi moves so that you don't experience pain. Each person is different and arthritis affects individuals differently. Therefore, each of us has to adjust and modify the tai chi movements to our own bodies.

back to the top

Editor's Note: Below is an email sent to me by a student who'd just completed a Tai Chi for Arthritis , Part I workshop. I think you'll find it inspiring.

Tai Chi Works it's Magic

I'd like to tell everyone an experience I had right after the TCA workshop. I was scheduled for outpatient surgery to remove a lipoma-a fatty tumor-from my back on the Wednesday following the workshop. I also had a pre-surgery appointment at the hospital on Monday, the day after the workshop.

I had had some high blood pressure readings on previous visits associated with this surgery. So on that Monday morning I found myself mentally doing TCA and felt myself relax completely and deeply. My blood pressure was at the high end of normal, a definite improvement.

On the day of surgery I got to the hospital at 10:30 a.m. for a noon surgery, which got delayed for two hours. During that time, hospital people kept coming in to do various things, and all the while, I kept doing my autogenic TCA practice. As the time passed, my blood pressure readings got even lower and better-sounding.

I had a slight meltdown around 1:30 when I still hadn't had a conversation with the anesthesiologist. He finally showed up at 1:45. He decided I needed a general anesthetic, but I was able to persuade him that I could tolerate the procedure with local numbing and light sedation. He didn't like it, but the surgeon agreed with me. The surgery went well, and I was relaxed and aware the whole time.

On Friday morning, just two days after the surgery, I went to the park and did three sets of the TCA form and went off to work. The incision area is still a bit sore but I'm feeling great otherwise. When I took the TCA course, I had no idea it would have these extra benefits.

By Marcia Kerwit

back to the top

Upcoming Workshops

November 22, 2003, Jay Van Schelt is holding a workshop on Foundations of Tai Chi in Stuart, Florida. 10 a.m.-3 p.m. $50. Call 772-288-3284 for information.

January 24-25, 2004, Jan Van Schelt is holding a Tai Chi For Arthritis Instructor's training in Jackson, Mississippi. Call 772-288-3284 for information.

March 6-7, 2004, Nancy Kieffer is holding a Tai Chi for Arthritis Instructor's training in Cincinnati, Ohio. $200 includes morning/afternoon tea and materials. Contact Ralph Dehner, Mighty Vine Wellness Club, Cincinnati, OH, 45219 and mightyvine@juno.com or 513-241-9355 for info.

June 21-27,2004, TCAA together with Dr Paul Lam are holding a One Week Tai Chi Workshop at the Asilomar Conference Centre, Monterey CA. Contact Stephanie Taylor on 831 649 2320 staylor5555@earthlink.net Nancy Kieffer 925 935 3589 nkieffer@value.net or Dan Jones 517 229 4208 Djones@senate.state.mi.us for information

back to the top


Please consider the opinions of the authors and the ideas presented in this newsletter as informational. The material presented should not be considered as medical advice. Before beginning any exercise program, such as Tai Chi, please consult your medical doctor. TCAA, the editorial staff of TCAA, Dr. Paul Lam, and other contributors are not responsible for injuries resulting from the use of any information presented.

back to the top

===========================
THE END OF THIS NEWSLETTER
===========================

  Home   Videos   Instructors   Workshops   Links

Copyright © 2000 Tai Chi Productions. All rights reserved.
Last updated: 11/27/2003