Tai Chi Is the Best Mind-Body Therapy for Breast Cancer Pain, Study Shows

Mind-body therapies, like mindfulness and yoga, are thought to help ease cancer pain, but which one is best? When it comes to relief from breast cancer pain, recent research suggests tai chi comes out on top.  The findings appeared in the journal Translational Exercise Biomedicine.

“Our [study] suggests that while yoga helps alleviate pain in breast cancer patients, its effects are less pronounced compared to qigong and tai chi,” the researchers wrote.

Up to 55% of people have severe pain during cancer treatment and about 40% continue to experience pain once treatment is completed. Many expert guidelines recommend mind-body therapies like tai chi, yoga, qigong, and mindfulness to relieve pain, but not much research has looked at which therapy is most effective. To help answer this question, researchers looked at 36 studies on the effects of mind-body therapies on adults with cancer pain. These therapies included Pilates, yoga, dance, tai chi, qigong, and exercise.

Among all types of cancer, qigong was the top therapy for pain relief. Qigong was also best for easing pain during treatment, while tai chi was most effective after treatment. When the researchers looked only at people dealing with breast cancer pain, they found tai chi helped the most, followed by conventional exercise and Pilates.

Both tai chi and qigong are traditional Chinese practices that focus on breathing, movement, and meditation to ease stress and increase energy. Although they’re similar, there are differences. Tai chi is more complex, involving a series of movements that make up what’s called a form. In many cases, qigong is a single movement repeated over and over. In tai chi, it’s very important that your feet, spine, and other parts of your body be positioned correctly, while qigong is less rigid — you can adapt the movements to your abilities.

The researchers noted that mind-body therapies have advantages over conventional exercise because they’re gentle, safe, and fairly accessible. They’re also suitable for all people with cancer, no matter their age or fitness level.