Tai chi may help relieve headaches

Researchers have found that tai chi, a traditional Chinese lowimpact mindbody 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 wellbeing 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 research appears in the March issue of the journal Evidencebased Complementary and Alternative Medicine.