| Could tai chi help address some of the walking problems, including the risk of falling, that often plague older people? This preliminary clinical trial adds to the growing evidence that the answer may be yes. The trial, funded by NCCIH and conducted by a team led by researchers at Harvard Medical School and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, found that as little as 6 months of tai chi training might improve an important indicator of how well a person can walk: gait dynamics. Tai chi is a multicomponent mind and body approach that originated inChina. Declines in walking ability with age have been linked to a wide range of health issues as well as increased risks of falls and death from all causes. Gait, or the way in which one walks, has thus become a research target. Gait enlists many systems throughout the body and has them work together in complex ways. One aspect that has not been much studied is long-range gait dynamicshow much peoples gaits fluctuate and change over time when theywalk. | 
