The Science of Tai Chi and Qigong as Whole Person Health-Part I: Rationale and State of the Science

Background: The emerging paradigm of whole person health shares many core principles with traditional complementary and integrative health frameworks, including Tai Chi and Qigong (TCQ). Methods: In the Fall of 2023, the Harvard Medical School Osher Center for Integrative Health hosted the inaugural international conference on The Science of Tai Chi & Qigong as Whole Person Health: Advancing the Integration of Mind-Body Practices into Contemporary Healthcare held at Harvard Medical School. A two-part white paper was written to summarize key conference topics, findings, and issues. Results and Discussion: Part I presented here summarizes the rationale for the conference and synthesizes the state of evidence for TCQ as rehabilitative and preventive tools for a range of clinical conditions, including falls and balance, cognition, mental health, sleep, cardiorespiratory health, musculoskeletal health, cancer, as well as translational evidence related to the neurophysiology, brain and immune function, and biomarkers of inflammation. The state of science of TCQ, viewed through the lens of traditional East Asian health constructs, is also discussed. Part II of this white paper outlines evidence gaps and opportunities and discusses strategies to address challenges in TCQ research, dissemination, and implementation.