Thoughts on T’ai Chi Ch’uan,

Interesting, I took up T’ai Chi some 12 – 15 years ago and have always believed it is excellent for one’s health and balance and general wellbeing. Yesterday morning there was a report on the radio stating just that. In particular post menopausal women who went to a class three times a week for around 12 weeks showed great improvements. When I was studying regularly we used to hear lots of miraculous stories, one particular story was of a young man who was told he was dying. He took up T’ai Chi and became a top instructor (sifu). He lived to 80 and might perhaps have lasted many more years except , sadly, he was killed in a car accident going to pick up a pizza for his students. There are many such stories. Below is the exact text of the report I heard on the radio. Strictly speaking it should be called T’ai Chi Ch’uan.

“A new University of Quebec study suggests doing T’ai Chi helps women counter the age related loss of muscle strength. The study involved post-menopausal women who took a 12 week T’ai Chi course, with sessions three times per week. It found that after 12 weeks the women had an eight percent (8%) improvement in their leg muscle strength and a seventeen percent (17%) improvement in balance. T’ai Chi is a slow meditative art developed in China centuries ago. People practice T’ai Chi for a variety of reasons, from health and relaxation to self defense. The findings were published by the journal Menopause last month (The Canadian Press).”

There are many schools of T’ai Chi, I personally learned the Yang 24 form as a basic. I have also learned several other forms, less well perhaps. I did also learn fan for a while, but was never very good at it. Although I was pleased with my ability to toss an open fan in the air and catch it properly. No that’s not me, I wish!!!

By the time you read this I will be in the hospital and probably have already had my surgery. Keep your fingers crossed and have a great day.

Falling. Diabetes Meeting, Mini Camera.

A segment on GMA this morning was about slips and falls, particularly for the elderly. Sam Champion went to a lab in Chicago where they have been studying falls for a long time and now they harness you up and then cause you to fall. The harness stops you actually doing so. The theory is, the more you stumble and almost fall the more you will learn to steady yourself. In other words these controlled stumbles teach you automatic balance reactions. If you would like to pursue the article go to this page where there is also a video. As you will see from the picture, an older adult falls every 18 seconds and many of these falls result in death. We know this from our own experience when Matt slipped on the ice in our parking lot once and ended up doing what we call a prat fall, or landing on his rump. Two months later he was in hospital with a severe spinal stenosis problem and we had totally forgotten the fall even though the surgeon kept asking "did you fall". We later were reminded that he had done so. Watching I was thinking of T'ai Chi Chuan and in fact they mentioned that as a way of improving your balance. It certainly improved mine, apart from being a very healthy routine to follow. I can't advocate T'ai Chi enough, I think it is wonderful for all ages and particularly for elderly people. When I first learned T'ai Chi there was a woman in my class with Ménières Disease (problem with balance organs in the ear) who couldn't walk very far without hanging on to something. Once she had learned T'ai Chi she could walk around quite well and safely. I certainly used to fall a lot at one time when I was younger, I can remember once tripping as I was getting out of the car and falling across the street. Thank God there were no cars coming past at the time; that was over 40 years ago. I am planning to do some repeats of my original blogs now and again as I know a lot of you will not have read them and I think some of you might find them interesting. Obviously a lot of my current readers were not my original readers. If you have read some of it before, I hope you will enjoy reading it again. Tonight we are going to a Diabetes Regional Annual Meeting where I hope to hear some of what's new in the diabetes field.The speaker is Daniel B. Hardy, PhD who is a scientist in Diabetes research which he will be talking about. I was very pleased, by the way, to get a mini glucometer the other day, which I can carry in my purse. Talking of mini things, I have just ordered a mini digital camera which I should also be able to carry around easily - the idea being that I won't have to swear at myself for forgetting to bring my camera. It too should fit in my purse. The camera is costing about $42 including shipping and I bought it at Worldstart.com which is a wonderful source for all kinds of gadgets and also for computer tips, tricks and warnings. I have been taking their ezine for years. Here's another asparagus recipe which is really delicious. Asparagus in Bed 1 lb Ontario asparagus, trimmed 8 eggs 1 Tbs vinegar 2 Tbs unsalted butter, melted 2 Tbs fresh lemon juice 8 slices prosciutto freshly grated pepper 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese Preheat oven to 450º F (230º C). Steam or simmer asparagus just until tender-crisp, 3 to 5 minutes; drain well. Fill large skillet with water. Add vinegar and bring to simmer over medium heat. Slip eggs, one at a time, into simmering water; cook until whites are firm and yolks are just set. Remove eggs with slotted spoon and carefully blot dry with paper towel. (Eggs may be poached several hours in advance; transfer to bowl and cover with cold water. Drain well before proceeding.) Divide butter among 4 gratin dishes. Divide asparagus among dishes; drizzle with lemon juice. Drape proscuitto over top. Arrange 2 eggs on top of each prosciutto. Season with pepper to taste. Sprinkle cheese over top. Bake for 3 to 4 minutes or just until cheese melts. Serve immediately. Servings: 4 Source: Asparagus Growers'Marketing Board Have a great day.