Martial Arts As Preventive Medicine
Martial arts training at peak performance levels is the best way to
prevent disease, as well as to stimulate positive changes in the body's
natural healing systems.
By Richard Hackworth, Ph.D., Lac.
Our current lifestyle of Lazy-boy chairs, remote controls and S.U.V.s does
not challenge us to move, yet our biological need for physical movement is
still the same as when time began. Martial arts training can strongly
influence the function of most of the human organ systems and much of the
chemistry of our brains and bodies. The changes brought about by martial
arts training are dose responsive, but maybe not in the way you believe.
In fact, twice as much is twice as good only up to optimal levels. Beyond
that actually tempts an over training response in the body and a decline
in physical and mental health. Martial arts training, as well as other
exercise forms, dosage combines distance (or time), intensity and
frequency -- how far, how fast, how often. An additional factor may be
technique, which determines the muscle groups and total muscle mass used
in the exercise. For example, kicks work your leg muscles but also
increase aerobic capacity. Taking into consideration the type and dosage
of martial arts training, it affects the body and its systems in numerous
positive ways.
Typical types of martial
arts training
Martial arts training movements are generally classified as aerobic
(kicking or forms training) like in Taekwondo, strength or stretching as
done in Yudo. Two more categories can also be added: Martial art exercises
of skill and exercises for fun. Some martial arts exercises/sports are, of
course, multidimensional. Of the five categories, only the martial arts
cardiovascular or aerobic group changes metabolism and chemistry in enough
ways to bring about a wide range of health gains in the martial arts
practitioner.
The definition of aerobic exercise is straightforward: sustained, rhythmic
use of large muscle groups in a weight-bearing manner at sufficient
frequency, distance and intensity. Other than martial arts, the qualifiers
include running, cross country skiing, snow shoeing, skating, aerobic
walking and a few others. Frequency is three to four times a week.
Distance, most easily measured in time, is 40 to 50 minutes. As to
intensity, the workout must feel like a workout -- 13 to 14 on the Borg
scale of perceived exertion. If you are just starting an exercise
program, begin with a shorter time and lower intensity, gradually working
up to target levels.
The long term benefits of such training can be seen in such notable
martial artists as Taekwondo icon Jhoon Rhee, creator of martial ballet
and Korean Ki Master Seok Kyu Lee, founder of ShimKiDo. These individuals
have physiques comparable of men 30 to 40 years their junior because of a
lifetime devotion to proper martial arts training.
Positive body changes
After about three weeks of true martial arts training, a wide range of
physiological changes take place. Practitioners will exhibit improvements
in blood sugar, blood pressures, blood lipids, brain neurotransmitter
balance, blood supply to muscles, and capacity of somatic muscles and the
liver to store carbohydrate in the form of glycogen, calcium metabolism
and other basic parameters. The changes are not mutually exclusive;
interactions among systems and their functions are the rule.
These changes translate into better functioning of the body and brain, and
overall risk reduction for such diseases as hypertension, type 2 diabetes,
coronary heart disease, chronic respiratory disease, osteoporosis,
obesity, anxiety states, mild to moderate mental depression, chronic
fatigue, and breast and colon cancers. An increase in breathing exercises
and forms training helped me recover from type 2 diabetes and I am no
longer insulin dependent because of it.
The brain and nervous system. Martial arts training brings about
remarkable changes in brain chemistry. The concentrations of various
neurotransmitters that are responsible for facilitation or inhibition of
nerve impulse transmission in the central nervous system -- acetylcholine,
norepinephrine, serotonin, dopamine, gamma amino butyric acid (GABA),
glutamic acid, endorphins and others -- are changed so that a new balance
is attained. The clinical signs and symptoms that ensue are easier to
record than the actual neurotransmitter levels, and many studies are in
agreement on the emotional, behavioral and physiological changes that
accompany martial arts training. A few recent investigations, however,
have pinned down the neurochemical changes, as well. Eighty-nine year old
Grand Master Yong Woo Lee, founder of JungDoKwan Taekwondo credits his
years of martial arts training for his good health and mental sharpness at
his age.
Among the early changes seen when individuals engage in a martial arts
training program are mood elevation, heightened energy levels, enhanced
self-confidence and self-esteem, lower anxiety levels, resistance to
depression and improved coping ability. Changes in blood pressure and
heart rate, which are, to a large extent, mediated by the central nervous
system, occur soon afterward. Heart rate is slowed, and hypertensive blood
pressure (systolic and diastolic) is reduced toward normal. Hapkido Grand
Master Gary Pointer says: "Martial arts training keeps me going strong
with a smile on my face! It is the ultimate mental and physical health
program."
These physiological changes are a function of the rebalancing of the
sympathetic (fight and flight) and parasympathetic (rest and repair)
halves of the autonomic nervous system. Studies by the Inchon Sports
College of Korea have found increased parasympathetic tone in martial
arts trained subjects, and ascribe the slowing of heart rate and reduction
in blood pressure to this increased tone. Others have recorded lower
plasma catecholamine levels associated with lower blood pressure following
martial arts training. Resting heart rate is largely controlled by the
parasympathetic fibers of the tenth cranial nerve (vagus) to the heart's
pacemaker (SA node). But blood pressure is much more complex, and more
body chemistry, especially hormonal chemistry, is involved. The bottom
line is that martial arts training reduces hypertensive blood pressure,
and that the response is distance/intensity-graded.
Returning to the neurotransmitter connections with training, higher levels
of serotonin and dopamine have been recorded following intense martial
arts training. These would account for the mood elevation and
antidepressant effects equal to those of regular aerobic exercise. Keep in
mind that changes in GABA, endorphins and other neurotransmitters may well
contribute to these psychological effects. There have been improvements in
the physical capabilities of Parkinson's disease patients following six to
eight weeks of martial arts training. (Dopamine levels are commonly low in
people with Parkinson's disease.) In one patient, a 69-year-old Korean
female, Soo Yong Kim of Shi-Hung City, anti-Parkinson medication was
discontinued after martial arts training greatly improved her aerobic
capacity while training at the JaeIl JaeYook Kwan school owned by
ChungDoKwan Grand Master Jong Song Kim.
Also related to dopamine changes,some cigarette smokers can quit with few,
if any, signs and symptoms of withdrawal. Ordinarily, nicotine addiction
is difficult to break because high dopamine levels drop precipitously upon
smoking cessation. Rigorous martial arts training can greatly elevate
dopamine levels, and cases of smokers who quit easily may be taken as
initial evidence that optimal levels of martial arts training can prevent
a drop in dopamine with smoking cessation.
Continuing in the realm of psychological effects, a number of cognitive
improvements have been documented in older adults who train
rigorously. These include quicker mental reaction time and improved fluid
intelligence quotients. Incredibly, Jae Son Myung (101 years old) of
Inchon, Korea credits his sharp mental focus and quick reaction ability to
his 90 years of classical Yudo training. It has been proposed that such
changes may be the result of improved acetylcholine levels. Acetylcholine
is a universal nerve transmission chemical in both the brain and somatic
nerves. If acetylcholine is responsible, martial arts exercise should also
benefit Alzheimer's disease, which exhibits chronic acetylcholine
depletion.
At the base of the brain is the small pineal gland, which releases
melatonin, a hormone that influences such widely diverse functions as
sleep/wake cycles and immune system integrity. The production of
melatonin, related chemically to serotonin, is upset when people travel
across several time zones. A marked reduction in jet lag can be achieved
when a martial artist's training schedule is optimal for frequency,
distance and intensity.
Thyroid and parathyroid glands. The next stop in the body is the
neck, where the thyroid and parathyroid glands are located. The thyroid
controls metabolic rate, and the parathyroid are involved in calcium
metabolism. Metabolic rate is influenced by any exercise form with an
aerobic component such as Taekwondo foot-work drills, and calcium
metabolism by both cardiovascular and strength training exercises.
Lungs. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) results from
years of exposure to particulate and chemical pollutants in the air. The
result is breathlessness (dyspnea) with mild to moderate physical
exertion, and reduced functional respiratory volume. There is less
elasticity of the air sacs and of the entire chest wall. Rigorous martial
arts training such as Hapkido falling and tumbling drills results in less
dyspnea and increased respiratory capacity.
Another chronic respiratory disease is asthma, but asthma, with its three
components of allergy, inflammation and anxiety, is more complex. Asthma
is characterized by constriction of the bronchioles, the smallest tubular
passages before the air sacs, and expiratory wheezing. Asthmatic distress
has been widely noted in exercises of shorter duration and higher
intensity. Former asthma sufferer Master Mi Yi says that her poor health
and breathing problems as a child is what convinced her parents to let her
attend martial arts classes. "They didn't think it was lady-like" says
Master Yi. "But I told them that being sick all the time wasn't lady-like
either, so they allowed me to go to Taekwondo and Kumdo classes with my
brother."
Occasional asthmatic individuals on medication have participated in
TaeGukKwan forms and Ki-Kong training programs I have instructed. I have
observed the medical progress of eight such individuals as they reached
and maintained improved cardiovascular levels of exercise. Without
exception, they reported reduced incidence and severity of symptoms, and
less need for bronchodilator medication.
Heart and blood vessels. The working muscle of the heart, the
myocardium, is structurally and functionally different than the voluntary
muscles used for movement. Heart muscle looks different under a
microscope, uses a different mix of biochemical energy cycles and responds
to exercise differently. One thing that the myocardial and somatic muscles
have in common in response to Kardio Kickbox exercise is an increased
blood supply. Even in coronary heart disease, where one (or more) of the
coronary arteries is partly blocked by lipid deposits, Kardio Kickbox
class, in combination with a low-fat diet, results in increased opening of
the blocked vessel(s).
Without going into what is known about the complex biological mechanisms
involved, here are some heart benefits of optimal levels of martial arts
training: regularity of heart beat at a slower rate; improvement of blood
lipid factors (decreased total cholesterol, low-density lipoproteins and
triglycerides, and increased high-density lipoproteins); diminished
atherosclerosis of coronary and carotid arteries; increased stroke volume;
greater total blood volume with decreased viscosity; decreased platelet
aggregability; and increased blood flow to cardiac and somatic musculature
on physical effort.
Gastrointestinal tract. For the gastrointestinal tract, exercise
shortens transit time for food as it enters the stomach and then passes
through the colon and rectum. The reduced incidence of colon cancer is
doubtless a consequence of decreased transit time, combined with increased
immune system competence.
Liver. The liver, in the upper right quadrant of the abdomen,
serves several functions, including participation in the regulation of
carbohydrate metabolism. Foods digested in the small intestine --
carbohydrates, fats and proteins -- are absorbed by a network of veins and
carried to the liver. When the liver receives a fresh supply of
carbohydrates in the form of simple sugars, it has a few choices. It can
(and generally does) release some glucose into circulation, it can store
some as glycogen and/or it can convert a generous amount to fat for
storage. The capacity for the storage of liver glycogen is greatly
increased in martial arts practitioners.
Pancreas. Just across from the liver is the pancreas, which
functions as a digestive organ supplying enzymes to the small intestine,
and as an endocrine organ with its specialized islet cells, which produce
the hormones insulin and glucagon. Insulin can activate receptors in all
cells of the body to metabolize glucose; glucagon, conversely, acts to
release glucose from glycogen storage. Martial arts training increases
sensitivity in insulin receptors throughout the body.
Adrenal glands. A little lower in the abdomen are the paired
adrenal glands, one atop each kidney. The adrenals are the source of two
classes of hormones, the gluco- and mineralo-corticoids. The former, or
cortisol group, can be released in response to stress -- physical,
chemical, bacterial, viral, radiation and intensive exercise. Long-term
stress may result in chronic, high levels of cortisol, followed by
depletion, resulting in lowered resistance to infection. Adequate, but not
excessive, aerobic exercise training keeps resistance levels high, and
hastens recovery from injury or illness. The adrenals and the kidneys have
a strong hand in blood pressure regulation, and martial arts exercises,
such as the DanJun HoHup Breathing drills of Hapkido made famous by Grand
Master Ji Han Jae, is known to reduce hypertensive blood pressure.
Mid-body muscles. Conditioning exercises such as Hapkido kicking
drills and weapons drills improve the tone of three muscle groups: the
pelvic-support muscles, the lower-back muscles and the gluteal muscles
that splint the neck of the femur. Three disparate conditions,
incontinence (especially in older women), chronic low-back pain and the
risk of "hip" fracture, are thus improved.
Calcium metabolism. Exercise also improves the body as a whole.
Calcium metabolism, a complex balance of many influences, is improved by
martial arts strength and cardio training. In women young enough to have
adequate estrogen levels, both types of exercise increase bone mineral
density. In post-menopausal women, such exercise will inhibit the bone
density decline that commonly occurs with passing years.
Connective tissue. Another whole-body effect is on connective
tissue, since martial arts training creates more physiologically active
fibroblasts and a more youthful balance of collagen and elastin fibers.
Body fat. Still another whole-body influence of rigorous martial
arts exercise such as Taekwondo forms training is the strong effect on
body fat percentage. Optimal levels of Kardio Karate training have
consistently resulted in a lowering of fat-to-lean ratios. The Kardio
Karate Program promoted by NAPMA (National Association of Professional
Martial Artists) and Billy Blanks "TaeBo" have been instrumental in
popularizing this type of training. Many people think of whether they are
too fat in terms of weight, but the effect of Kardio Karate style exercise
is on fat storage, rather than on weight, per se. Individuals who are
relatively lean before starting an exercise program often report losing
inches (thighs, waist, hips, waist, chest, upper arms) without change in
weight.
Kardio Karate exercise does not bring about its fat-loss effect merely by
caloric expenditure. It also involves multiple biochemical changes,
including changes in lipoprotein lipase, brain cholecystokinin,
glucocorticosteroids, leptin, c-reactive protein and other peptides, as
well as an increase in resting metabolic rate.
Immune system. Another generalized effect of martial arts forms
training such as the maximum physical fitness form of Yudo is on the
immune system. This type of exercise affects both the cellular and humoral
processes of this complex defense system. Different changes occur during a
workout, after a workout and long term, if forms exercise is practiced on
a regular basis. New balances are achieved among the various immune
mechanisms and chemicals.
The immune system reacts differently depending on whether the exercise is
at optimal aerobic levels, exhaustive distance and intensity, or at over
training levels. The overall effect of exercise on the many components of
the immune system can be judged by the clinical picture. That bottom line
is that ideal levels of aerobic exercise translates into greater
resistance to infection (bacterial and viral) and to lower risk for breast
cancer and colon cancer. An indirect path to these benefits is the
increased ability to tolerate stressors. Over training -- generally
acknowledged as more than 90 minutes at a hard pace for one exercise bout,
or 35 miles (or equivalent) per week at workout pace -- can result in an
opposite effect. Over training, like chronic stress, results in a
reduction in immune system competence.
Martial Arts training as
medicine
Martial arts training affects the great majority of the body's tissues,
organs and systems to bring about homeostatic stability and normal
function. Training at optimal levels of frequency, distance (time) and
intensity can markedly reduce the risk of developing many of the chronic
diseases commonly seen. As such, the public health implications of
establishing wide spread martial arts programs are important for society
as a whole.
About the author: Multi-arts Grand Master Richard
Hackworth is the owner of the American Dragon Martial Arts Academies
school in Ocoee, Florida and Co-author of the "Martial Arts Profits &
Success Manual" and the "Authentic Korean Hapkido Manual". He can be
reached at www.kmaia-usa.org or
[email protected].