Mike's Lansing Tai Chi

Tai Chi for Diabetes was created by Dr. Paul Lam of Sydney, Australia. As part of his Tai Chi for Health series.

How Does It Work For Diabetes

Exercise can help people with diabetes by improving the control of blood glucose level, as well as minimizing the complications of diabetes. Gentle exercises have been shown by several large studies to prevent diabetes. Tai Chi is a gentle exercise with strong emphasis on mental relaxation; Tai Chi for Diabetes can help to control diabetes symptoms, improve cellular uptake and glucose metabolism.

 There are two other attributes of Tai Chi that are especially helpful to people with diabetes. Stress is shown to make the control of diabetes worse and relaxation is especially beneficial. It is well established that Tai Chi reduces stress and improves relaxation. Most people have problems adhering to an exercise program. Tai Chi is shown to have higher rates of compliance; people tend to continue doing Tai Chi for years.

The major problems of diabetes are complications such as hypertension, heart disease, visual impairment and vascluar problems. Studies have shown that Tai Chi improves cardiorespiratory function, hypertension, muscular strength, flexiblity, and cholesterol levels; these in turn minimize complications of diabetes. Diabetes causes peripheral neuropathy, a condition in which of the feet are damaged thus affecting walking. Tai Chi has been proven to be effective in improving balance and mobility.

 For more information about Tai Chi for Diabetes visit http://www.taichifordiabetes.com/