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There have been many discussions on the benefits of exercise and several references to Tai Chi. I would like to clarify some points about Tai Chi. My wife (who has PD) and I have been doing Tai Chi for 4 years now. The description given by Mr. Sid Roberts in response to a message from H. Spence is not quite right. First of all there are many forms of Tai Chi - the form we have been involved with is Taoist Tai Chi in which there are 108 moves in the set . However, there are many moves that are repeated in the set and hence there are less than 50 individual moves . Within 4-6 months of attending classes (say 1-2 times per week) anyone can be doing the complete set. From then on, Tai Chi becomes a progression of improving on form and thereby progressively increasing the individual s benefits from doing Tai Chi. That is, the better the form, the greater the benefits. Tai Chi uses slow, graceful movements and this results in reduced tension, improved circulation, increased strength, and flexibility. Although it may appear slow, you actually get quite a workout from doing the set . My wife (who has PD) finds that she feels less achy after doing Tai Chi. She notices this particularly when for whatever reason she has missed a session or two of Tai Chi. She finds she has more energy as well. We have a friend with PD for whom Tai Chi has changed her life dramatically. She had difficulty with taking medications and therefore before starting Tai Chi she had great difficulty getting around. She now has been able to reduce her medication to an extremely low level and has been a Tai Chi instructor for several years now. This is not to say that everyone taking Tai Chi will have such dramatic success with PD, but at least for her it has been extremely beneficial. For those for whom PD or any other disease has progressed to the point where even normal Tai Chi is too difficult, the Taoist Tai Chi Society has special needs classes. They have developed a form of the set which can be done while sitting in a chair. For special needs members, there are no charges except a nominal fee for joining and no monthly or other fees. The main point I want to make is that Tai Chi is not hard to learn. However, I would strongly recommend that those wanting to try it do so from the formal organizations such as the Taoist Tai Chi Society. While you can get a feel for it from video-tapes, you cannot get the critical coaching that is necessary to get the full benefits from Tai Chi. As Mr. Spence also points out, there are some organizations that teach more of the martial arts forms of Tai Chi - others like the Taoist Tai Chi Society concentrate on the health aspects. Having said all this, it may still be that Tai Chi is not for you. That s fine - the main thing however is to exercise. Exercise any way you can, but keep exercising - any doctor will tell you how critical for Parkinsonians this is. I hope this has helped to clarify the Tai Chi story somewhat. For those who are interested here are the locations of the Taoist Tai Chi Society head offices worldwide. You can look up in the phonebook for the local office or check with these listed below. Canada: Taoist Tai Chi Society of Canada 1376 Bathurst Street Toronto, Ontario, M5R 3J1 Phone: (416) 656-2110 Fax: (416) 654-3937 U.S.A.: Taoist Tai Chi Society of U.S.A. 49 W. 11th Avenue Denver, Colorada, 80204 Phone: (303) 623-5163 Fax: (303) 623-7908 EUROPE: Taoist Tai Chi Society - European Federation Temple Villa, 12 Chipping Hill Witham, Essex England CM8 2D3 Phone: (44) 376-513-513 Fax: (44) 284-704-014 AUSTRALIA: Taoist Tai Chi Society of Australia P.O. Box 824 Fremantle, Western Australia 6160 Phone: (61) 09-339-1331 Fax: (61) 9-339-1331 Norm Ichiyen Ontario, Canada