Tai chi may help alleviate headaches

Researchers have found that tai chi, a traditional Chinese low-impact mind-body exercise, provided significant health benefits for adults suffering from tension headaches.

Compared with a control group, patients who participated in a 15-week tai chi program not only were helped with headache pain but also perceived improvement in other areas, reporting increased energy, emotional well-being and social functioning, and improved mental health.

According to researchers, tai chi's emphasis on relaxation, breathing and coordination may address stress, the underlying cause of the pain associated with tension headaches.

The authors of the study are Ryan B. Abbott, MTOM, and Dr. Ka-Kit Hui, both of the UCLA Center for East-West Medicine.

The research appears in the March issue of the journal Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine.

This story is provided by UCLA News.