US Cold Pills in Abundance – Photo by kalleboo

There are many studies that show tai chi and qigong (chi gung) benefit in reducing stress, but what about helping with allergies?

Connecting the dots between stress and allergies and asthma is easy. The most common symptoms of stress are achingly similar to those associated with allergy and asthma: tight chest, shortness of breath, insomnia, fatigue, muscular pain and headaches. Unfortunately, the more run down you get, the more susceptible you become to seasonal illnesses, such as colds, bronchitis, sinusitis and pneumonia.

Moreover, clinical evidence backs up what sufferers know first-hand: tension and anxiety make symptoms worse. It is a bit more difficult to connect improvements in these maladies with the slow, benign-looking, gentle movements of qigong and tai chi, however lets look at the whole picture. Read More