• Weil Nutrition Corner
  • Meet Dr. Weil
  • Origins
  • Healthy Aging
  • Marketplace
  • Podcasts
  • Accessibility
  • Subscribe
Dr. Weil Logo Dr. Weil Logo Weil™ Andrew Weil, M.D.
  • Health & Wellness
    Health & Wellness
    Body, Mind & Spirit
    • Addiction
    • Allergy & Asthma
    • Autoimmune Disorders
    • Back Pain
    • Bone & Joint
    • Cancer
    • Colds & Flu
    • Dental & Oral
    • Diabetes
    • Disease & Disorders
    • Ears, Nose, & Throat
    • Feet
    • Gastrointestinal
    • Hair, Skin, & Nails
    • Headache
    • Heart
    • Insects & Parasites
    • Liver & Kidney
    • Mental Health
    • Pregnancy & Fertility
    • Respiratory
    • Sexual Health
    • Sleep Issues
    • Stress & Anxiety
    • Vision
    Balanced Living
    • Exercise & Fitness
    • Gardening
    • Healthy Home
    • Healthy Living
    • Meditation & Inspiration
    • Meet Dr. Weil
    • Pets & Pet Care
    • Technology
    • Wellness Therapies
    Health Centers
    • Aging Gracefully
    • Children
    • Condition Care Guide
    • Men
    • Women
  • Diet & Nutrition
    Diet & Nutrition
    Anti-Inflammatory Diet & Pyramid
    Cooking & Cookware
    Diets & Weight Loss
    Food Safety
    Nutrition
    Recipes
  • Vitamins, Supplements & Herbs
    Vitamins, Supplements & Herbs
    Herbs
    Supplements & Remedies
    Vitamins
  • Ask Dr. Weil
  • Blogs
    Blogs
    Bulletins
    Health Tips
    Spontaneous Happiness
  • Mushrooms
  • Sleep
Press "Enter" to search
Dr. Weil Logo Weil™ Andrew Weil, M.D.
  • Health & Wellness
    Health & Wellness
    Body, Mind & Spirit
    • Addiction
    • Allergy & Asthma
    • Autoimmune Disorders
    • Back Pain
    • Bone & Joint
    • Cancer
    • Colds & Flu
    • Dental & Oral
    • Diabetes
    • Disease & Disorders
    • Ears, Nose, & Throat
    • Feet
    • Gastrointestinal
    • Hair, Skin, & Nails
    • Headache
    • Heart
    • Insects & Parasites
    • Liver & Kidney
    • Mental Health
    • Pregnancy & Fertility
    • Respiratory
    • Sexual Health
    • Sleep Issues
    • Stress & Anxiety
    • Vision
    Balanced Living
    • Exercise & Fitness
    • Gardening
    • Healthy Home
    • Healthy Living
    • Meditation & Inspiration
    • Meet Dr. Weil
    • Pets & Pet Care
    • Technology
    • Wellness Therapies
    Health Centers
    • Aging Gracefully
    • Children
    • Condition Care Guide
    • Men
    • Women
  • Diet & Nutrition
    Diet & Nutrition
    Anti-Inflammatory Diet & Pyramid
    Cooking & Cookware
    Diets & Weight Loss
    Food Safety
    Nutrition
    Recipes
  • Vitamins, Supplements & Herbs
    Vitamins, Supplements & Herbs
    Herbs
    Supplements & Remedies
    Vitamins
  • Ask Dr. Weil
  • Blogs
    Blogs
    Bulletins
    Health Tips
    Spontaneous Happiness
  • Mushrooms
  • Sleep
  • Weil Nutrition Corner
  • Meet Dr. Weil
  • Origins
  • Healthy Aging
  • Marketplace
  • Podcasts
  • Accessibility
  1. Home
  2. Health & Wellness
  3. Body, Mind & Spirit
  4. Autoimmune Disorders

Tai Chi for Fibromyalgia?

What’s this I hear about tai chi as a treatment for fibromyalgia? Does it really work?

Andrew Weil, M.D. | October 8, 2010

senior woman teaching Tai Chi exercises to young African American woman - outdoors
1 min

Tai chi certainly appeared to help patients in a small but impressive study at Boston’s Tufts Medical Center. Because fibromyalgia is such a difficult disorder to diagnose and treat, I consider the findings of this clinical trail to be very significant.

Characterized by a generalized, aching pain, fibromyalgia affects about 5 million Americans, mostly women of childbearing age. Symptoms include aches and stiffness in muscles, tendons and ligaments, and can occur in any region of the body. The pain may be either widespread or affect only a specific area.

Until now, regular physical activity, particularly stretching and low-impact aerobic activity (swimming, walking, yoga, or using cardiovascular machines like stationary bikes or elliptical trainers) was seen as one of the most effective treatments for fibromyalgia. But the Tufts study suggests that tai chi works even better, (although it was tested against stretching exercises and wellness education, not against low impact aerobic activity).

Tai chi is a formal series of flowing, graceful, slow-motion movements designed to harmonize the circulation of energy (chi) around the body. It is a good method of stress reduction and relaxation, and promotes flexibility, balance, and body awareness. In the Tufts study, patients were taught the yang style of tai chi, only one of a number of styles.

The Tufts results were published in the August 19, 2010 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. They showed that after 12 weeks of tai chi, fibromyalgia patients in the small study (only 66 patients participated) had less pain, fatigue, sleeplessness and depression and better physical functioning than a comparable group of patients who did stretching exercises and received wellness education. Better yet, the patients who practiced tai chi sustained their improvement three months after the study concluded and one-third stopped using medication they had been taking, compared with improvements in only one-sixth of the patients in the stretching group.

During the study, the fibromyalgia patients had tai chi classes twice a week and were given a DVD so that they could practice at home for 20 minutes a day. The researchers said that bigger studies with other tai chi approaches are needed to confirm the Tufts findings, but that doesn’t take away from the fact they are very good news for fibromyalgia patients everywhere.

Andrew Weil, M.D.

Dr. Weil on Healthy Aging

Start Your 14-Day Free Trial

Free Newsletters

Stay Connected With Dr. Weil

Anti-Inflammatory Diet

Follow Dr. Weil’s Food Pyramid

Get Dr Weils Newsletter Updates

Exclusive Lifestyle, Nutrition & Health Advice

Dr. Weil's FREE health living advice delivered to you!

By clicking "Subscribe," you agree to the DrWeil.com Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy. You also agree to receive emails from DrWeil.com, and you may opt out of DrWeil.com subscriptions at any time.

Trending Now

The young attractive woman with an awful migraine. A headache attack
Autoimmune Disorders

A Cure for Chronic Fatigue?

Scientist in a laboratory
Autoimmune Disorders

A Dangerous Treatment for MS?

A Diet For Multiple Sclerosis (MS)? | Autoimmune | Andrew Weil M.D.
Autoimmune Disorders

A Diet For Multiple Sclerosis (MS)?

scleroderma yoga
Autoimmune Disorders

A Positive Approach to Scleroderma?

Dr. Weil Logo Weil™ Andrew Weil, M.D.
Dr. Weil's Signature

Exclusive Lifestyle, Nutrition & Health Advice

  • About Us
  • Press Information
  • Advertising
  • Contact Us
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Accessibility

Terms of Use | Privacy Policy

Information on this website is provided for informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for the advice provided by your physician or other healthcare professional. You should not use the information on this website for diagnosing or treating a health problem or disease, or prescribing any medication or other treatment. Any third party offering or advertising on this website does not constitute an endorsement by Andrew Weil, M.D. or Healthy Lifestyle Brands.

© Copyright 2025 Healthy Lifestyle Brands, LLC. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. www.drweil.com