Author: Joe Brady

February 26, 2023 Joe Brady

The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NIH) has created an updated fact sheet on chronic pain and complementary health approaches to include new scientific evidence.  Chronic pain (pain that lasts for a long time) is a very common problem. National survey data from 2019 showed that about 20 percent of U.S. adults had…

February 5, 2023 Joe Brady

Did you know that some complementary health approaches have been studied to see whether they can help control heart disease risk factors, including high blood pressure and high cholesterol levels? Here’s what the research shows: Cardiovascular diseases (diseases of the heart or blood vessels) are the number one cause of death in the United States….

January 29, 2023 Joe Brady

What has the research taught us? Watch the video with Dr. Howard Sesso, ScD, MPH, Director of Nutrition and Supplements Research, Osher Center for Integrative Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) & Harvard Medical School University of Arizona Health Sciences What has the research taught us? Watch the video with Dr. Howard Sesso, ScD, MPH, Director…

January 13, 2023 Joe Brady

What the Science Says July 2020 NCCIH Osteoarthritis Clinical practice guidelines issued by the American College of Rheumatology recommend aerobic exercise and/or strength training, weight loss (if overweight), and a number of pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic modalities for treating osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee, hip, or hand. The guidelines conditionally recommend tai chi, along with other…

December 31, 2022 Joe Brady

On behalf of Jacqui, Joe, and the Tai Chi Project we wish you a peaceful New Year and a healthy New Year in 2023. Together we can deliver something different than our national healthcare model. Together we can reduce the incidence of disease.  For almost thirty years now, we have played Tai Chi in parks and…

November 27, 2022 Joe Brady

Research has shown that acupuncture may be helpful for several pain conditions, including back or neck pain, knee pain associated with osteoarthritis, and postoperative pain. There’s also evidence that acupuncture may help relieve seasonal allergy symptoms, stress incontinence in women, and nausea and vomiting associated with cancer treatment. Acupuncture is a technique derived from traditional…

November 20, 2022 Joe Brady

Stress is a physical and emotional reaction that people experience as they encounter challenges in life. When you’re under stress, your body reacts by releasing hormones that produce the “fight-or-flight” response. Your heart rate, breathing rate, and blood pressure go up, your muscles tense, and you sweat more. Occasional stress is a normal coping mechanism….

November 7, 2022 Joe Brady

When you want to find out about new findings from medical research, it may help to go to the source—the scientific journal article in which the new research was published. As part of Health Literacy Month, we have launched a new tool to help you navigate and understand scientific journal articles. The “How To Make…

October 23, 2022 Joe Brady

This article summarizes current scientific evidence about the complementary health approaches most often used by people for chronic pain, including fibromyalgia, headache, irritable bowel syndrome, low-back pain, neck pain, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and cancer pain. The scientific evidence to date suggests that some complementary health approaches may provide modest effects that may help individuals manage…

October 17, 2022 Joe Brady

Can music be good for you? Yes, according to a growing body of research. Listening to or making music affects the brain in ways that may help promote health and manage disease symptoms. Performing or listening to music activates a variety of structures in the brain that are involved in thinking, sensation, movement, and emotion….