When I was young, like most boys, I wanted to be an astronaut; I learned at a young age that when astronauts are in space they suffer from bone loss because of the lack of gravity. New research shows astronauts can lose as much as 5% of bone strength each month they remain in space. That’s pretty amazing.
When I was a boy I also liked knights and swords, and found out that when the bones of swordsmen were unearthed their sword wielding-arm bones were substantially heavier than their non-sword arms.
Research shows that people lying on their backs for long periods of time will lose substantial bone density; but other research shows people with severe physical limitations (palsy, vegetative states) may maintain bone density through high-frequency “assisted standing.” Medical staff can “prop up” patients with devices like standing frames and tilt-tables.
In clinical research about the bone density of female athletes, basketball players and volleyball players had the highest bone mineral density, while joggers had lower than average bone density except in the upper leg bones (femurs); swimmers had the lowest bone density of all participants.
Stress on the bones seems to make them stronger, and lack of stress makes them weaker. In general, weight-bearing exercise is considered beneficial for people suffering from osteoporosis. Exercise mitigates the loss of bone mineral density, and strengthens both muscle and bone.
In general, animals do not exercise. So how would you expect the bone density of animals to compare to humans?
In testing the resistance to breakage (fracture stress) of human bones against dogs, pigs, cows, and sheep, humans had the weakest bones of the group. Dogs and pigs were similar but more resilient than humans; cows had tougher bones yet; and sheep won the prize for the strongest bones. It’s interesting to note that sheep and cows have essentially the same bone mineral density but sheep bones are a lot tougher.
Why does the sheep have the strongest bones? Well, think about the physical stress. A sheep is descended from a mouflon (pictured above), which is a beast of the mountain. It is a strong-but-efficient prey animal that will fight a predator to avoid being eaten. While sheep seem fairly docile they will still ram things with their heads, and they’re still the ride of choice for kids in the rodeo (ever see Mutton Busters?)
Dogs run around but they don’t traverse sheer rock cliffs like a bighorn sheep. And the dogs included in the bone testing probably weren’t even working dogs. Pigs don’t do much other than eat and support their own weight. Cows do even less, but have to support the most weight on their bones. So the physical stress on the bones of a sheep must be different.
The basketball and volleyball players had the best bones, not counting gymnasts (whom I refuse to discuss because it’s such a cruel sport). The field hockey and soccer players were right behind them. Runners, swimmers and divers had the least dense bones. Now in your mind compare the physical stress of volleyball to softball. Not only does softball have less overall activity, it has less bending, lunging, jumping and sheer bursts of impulse speed and power. Volleyball is incredibly dynamic.
Doctors recommend weight-bearing exercises like lifting dumbbells to prevent loss of bone mineral density. But sheep don’t lift weights and they have extremely tough bones.
Tai Chi is generally included in the category of weight-bearing exercise, especially as it pertains to bone strength; and Tai Chi has been researched in randomized control trials and systematic meta-analyses for its beneficial effects on bones. The great Tai Chi masters say that practicing Tai Chi every day for many years makes the bones unbreakable.
Plenty of clinical research says that Tai Chi can make you stronger; but I’m trying to help you understand that it’s better to say Tai Chi gives you tonic; Tai Chi “tonifies” your body and your bones.
So what’s the difference?
As a former weightlifter I can tell you that weightlifters, and doctors, and even physical therapists mostly think about the body like a set of hinges. Bicep curls and tricep extensions treat the elbow like a hinge. Accordingly, leg extension and leg curls treat the knee like a hinge.
But Tai Chi movements rotate the joints and the bones in natural ways. Just look at the picture above. The muscles of the body run diagonally and wrap hectically (in coils) around the bones. Like all other natural creatures, humans rotate naturally. This is why I believe the bones of a sheep are stronger than a cow or pig. I believe sheep twist their legs when they walk.
But let’s take a little detour for a minute and examine something a bit more out of the box.
Chinese medicine often aims to be a “tonic” to help restore and invigorate systems in the body, and/ or to increase health and wellness. Tonic is not a word commonly used in modern English, perhaps because of the negative connotation of false medicines of the Old West like hair tonic and snake oil. I don’t know.
But widespread use of the word tonic should grow with the increase in understanding of Chinese medicine and the rising popularity of Tai Chi. You see, Tai Chi is one of the four branches of Chinese Medicine. So Tai Chi is also tonic.
A glass of salt water has “tonicity,” which can be increased by adding salt. We would most often call this, “making the salt water stronger.” But I want you to start separating “strength” from tonic in your vocabulary. Here’s why: physical strength is the measurement of power and force; but tensile strength and shear strength are each a measurement of resistance to force. Confusing. This is part of the reason why strength is so overused to explain anything good. Inner strength, model strength, military strength. Ugh.
Tai Chi does not focus on strength. Instead it is a holistic, whole-body approach to physical health. The rotational movements gently twist the bones, which tonify them bones and make them more resilient.
Ready for this? Surprise, your bones aren’t just the rigid structure that keeps you from becoming a blob on the floor. Your red and white blood cells are manufactured inside your bones. Maybe you already knew that; but when you think about increasing bone density and resiliency you should also consider that red and white blood cells are what nourish the whole body and compose much of the immune system. Blood cells are born in the bones.
The Chinese created an ancient technique they call “Bone Breathing.” How strange is that? Bone Breathing is incorporated into Tai Chi, and let me tell you it is extremely beneficial to bone health and the immune system.
Now how in the world would you ever be able to connect breath with bones? Surprise, the diaphragm (which medical science demonstrates is “the major breathing muscle”) actually connects (inserts) directly to the spine at the 12th thoracic vertebrae (T12).
Although few medical professionals know anything about better breathing, relaxation and Tai Chi breathing (deeply and slowly) will enhance everything– your body, your mind, and your life.
Tai Chi tonic is about breathing (technique) and the bones (posture) and the blood (manufacturing and smooth circulation). The breathing coordinates with the movements, and all parts of the body, left and right, top and bottom, trunk and limbs coordinate. The results are not ordinary because the practice is not ordinary.