For the scholars among us, we invite you to download these fine Tai Chi research papers.

"Challenges Inherent to T'ai Chi Research: Part I—T'ai Chi as a Complex Multicomponent Intervention"
PETER M. WAYNE, Ph.D., and TED J. KAPTCHUK
Abstract:
In this, the first of 2 companion papers, we present a framework for viewing t'ai chi as a complex, multicomponent intervention that integrates numerous physical, cognitive, and ritualistic components. We discuss how the richness and complexity of t'ai chi poses challenges related to the traditional distinction between specific versus nonspecific effects, the development and interpretation of valid sham controls, and more generally, to the reductionist causal approach of attributing observed outcomes to single, independent component factors. We also discuss parallels between t'ai chi research and the emerging field of whole systems research, and how t'ai chi research may benefit from the use of an ecologic framework. In a second, companion paper, we discuss additional challenges inherent in defining the t'ai chi intervention itself, and more comprehensively outline the benefits and limitations of commonly used clinical research designs to evaluate the efficacy and safety of t'ai chi.
Publication:
THE JOURNAL OF ALTERNATIVE AND COMPLEMENTARY MEDICINE
Volume 14, Number 1, 2008, pp. 95--102
© Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.
DOI: 10.1089/acm.2007.7170A
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"Challenges Inherent to T'ai Chi Research: Part II—Defining the Intervention and Optimal Study Design"
PETER M. WAYNE, Ph.D., and TED J. KAPTCHUK
Abstract:
Although a growing body of clinical research has begun to evaluate the efficacy and safety of t'ai chi as a therapeutic tool for a variety of health conditions, little attention has been devoted to evaluating "how" t'ai chi is scientifically studied, and the advantages or limitations of different methodological approaches. In a companion to this paper (Part I), we argued that t'ai chi is a complex, multicomponent intervention, which poses unique challenges regarding the distinction of specific versus nonspecific effects and limitations regarding the use of reductionistic research frameworks. In this second, companion paper, we discuss additional obstacles inherent in precisely defining the t'ai chi intervention in an experimental paradigm. These challenges include t'ai chi's pluralism, the concept of t'ai chi dosage, and long- versus short-term evaluations of t'ai chi's efficacy and safety. To address these challenges, and with a goal to provide complete and unbiased evidence, we propose a pluralistic methodological approach to clinical research that includes controlled randomized trials of fixed protocols, community-based pragmatic trials, cross-sectional studies of long-term practitioners, and studies that integrate qualitative methods.
Publication:
THE JOURNAL OF ALTERNATIVE AND COMPLEMENTARY MEDICINE
Volume 14, Number 2, 2008, pp. 191--197
© Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.
DOI: 10.1089/acm.2007.7170B
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"Effects of Tai Chi Mind-Body Movement Therapy on Functional Status and Exercise Capacity in Patients with Chronic Heart Failure: A Randomized Controlled Trial"
Gloria Y. Yeh, MD, MPH, Malissa J. Wood, MD, Beverly H. Lorell, MD, Lynne W. Stevenson, MD, David M. Eisenberg, MD, Peter M. Wayne, PhD, Ary L. Goldberger, MD, Roger B. Davis, ScD, Russell S. Phillips, MD
PURPOSE: To examine the effects of a 12-week tai chi program on quality of life and exercise capacity in patients with heart failure.
METHODS: Thirty patients with chronic stable heart failure and left ventricular ejection fraction
40% (mean [
SD] age, 64
13 years; mean baseline ejection fraction, 23%
7%; median New York Heart Association class, 2 [range, 1 to 4]) were randomly assigned to receive usual care (n  15), which included pharmacologic therapy and dietary and exercise counseling, or 12 weeks of tai chi training (n  15) in addition to usual care. Tai chi training consisted of a 1-hour class held twice weekly. Primary outcomes included quality of life and exercise capacity. Secondary outcomes included serum B-type natriuretic peptide and plasma catecholamine levels. For 3 control patients with missing data items at 12 weeks, previous values were carried forward. RESULTS: At 12 weeks, patients in the tai chi group showed improved quality-of-life scores (mean between-group difference in change, --25 points, P  0.001), increased distance walked in 6 minutes (135 meters, P  0.001), and decreased serum B-type natriuretic peptide levels (--138 pg/mL, P0.03) compared with patients in the control group. A trend towards improvement was seen in peak oxygen uptake. No differences were detected in catecholamine levels.
CONCLUSION: Tai chi may be a beneficial adjunctive treatment that enhances quality of life and functional capacity in patients with chronic heart failure who are already receiving standard medical therapy.
Publication:
THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF MEDICINE
Volume 117, October 15, 2004
AmJ Med. 2004;117:541--548. ©2004 by Elsevier Inc.
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"The Effect of Tai Chi Exercise on Blood Pressure: A Systematic Review"
Gloria Y. Yeh, MD, MPH, Chenchen Wang, MD, Peter M. Wayne, PhD, Russell S. Phillips, MD
Publication:
PREVENTIVE CARDIOLOGY
Spring 2008
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"Can Tai Chi Improve Vestibulopathic Postural Control?"
Peter M. Wayne, PhD, David E. Krebs, DPT, PhD, Steven L. Wolf, PhD, PT, FAPTA, Kathleen M. Gill-Body, DPT, MS, NCS, Donna M. Scarborough, PT, MS, Chris A. McGibbon, PhD, Ted J. Kaptchuk, OMD, Stephen W. Parker, MD
Publication:
The American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine and the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Vol 85, January 2004
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"The Effects of Tai Chi on Bone Mineral Density in Postmenopausal Women: A Systematic Review"
Peter M. Wayne, PhD, Douglas P. Kiel, David E. Krebs, PhD, Roger B. Davis, ScD, Jacqueline Savetsky-German, MPH, MAOM, Maureen Connelly, MD, Julie E. Buring, ScD
Publication:
The American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine and the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Vol 88, May 2007
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