UCLA researchers have discovered that the Chinese practice of tai chi can reduce inflammation in people who have had breast cancer, thereby reducing a risk factor for the recurrence of the cancer.

“When people practice tai chi, there is a decrease in the stress hormones produced by the sympathetic nervous system,” said Irwin, who is professor of psychiatry and biobehavioral sciences at UCLA.

Irwin and his colleagues also discovered that tai chi relaxes the body to a certain point that it can reduce inflammation, which is commonly seen in most breast cancer survivors after treatment.

“We saw that tai chi reversed cellular inflammation, by producing a down-regulation of the genes that lead to inflammation,” said Dr. Irwin.

Source: Study finds tai chi reduces inflammation in breast cancer survivors