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My mother’s doctor has suggested she try Tai Chi at her living facility. She says it can help Mother's bones and prevent falls. Mother is a very religious person and says Tai Chi is against her religion. How can I help convince her to try it?

Tai Chi is an ancient Chinese martial arts form. It has been practiced by millions of Chinese for centuries to improve and maintain health. Tai Chi is based on the idea that there is a life force in and around us called Qi. Others might call this karma or the Holy Spirit. The exercises are designed to strength the body, calm the mind, and balance the flow of Qi.

There is no worship of a god involved. No preaching of any kind occurs during the sessions. Tai Chi uses breathing and smooth, slow motions to create a practice of meditative movement. Anyone can do it and adapt it to their own belief system.

Many studies show that Tai Chi improves balance, strength, and coordination. The flowing, circular motions help maintain joint motion, walking speed, and posture. A small number of studies have looked at the impact of Tai Chi on bone density. This is important for older adults, especially postmenopausal women.

As a whole, the studies have not been able to show that Tai Chi slows down the rate of bone loss. But it is clear that people with osteoporosis fall less often and are therefore at a reduced risk for fracture by doing Tai Chi.

Perhaps it will help if you explain the health benefits of Tai Chi. Offer to go with your mother to a class or two. If the instructor approves, she could watch at first. If there's nothing objectionable, then she may want to try it for herself. As the saying goes, seeing is believing. In this case, maybe seeing will lead to better understanding.

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