THE BERNARDS-RIDGE CONNECTION PAGE 48 SEPT/OCT/NOV 2026 t h etchoenc no encnt ei oc nt i son j s. cnoj .mc o m HEALTH & WELLNESS PAGE 48 DrBorthodontics.com $50 donation to charity for each patient Basking Ridge - Morristown - Whitehouse Station Bruzzichesi ORTHODONTICS Harvard Graduate Robert J. Bruzzichesi, DMD NJ Specialty Permit # 5222 Participates with most major insurance 908.766.0111 Got Braces? HEALTH HOTLINE Why Smart People Fall: The Surprising Link Between Attention and Balance By Chris Wilson ing to changing positions, and coordinating mind and body together. Tai Chi naturally combines physical and cognitive training. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recognizes Tai Chi as an evidence-based intervention for reducing fall risk among older adults. According to the CDC, “Falls are not an inevitable part of aging.” This is an empowering message because many people assume declining balance is simply something that happens as we get older. Research tells a different story. Balance is a skill that can be maintained and improved and is within our control. Among the leading researchers in this field is Dr. Fuzhong Li, whose studies demonstrated significant reductions in fall risk among older adults participating in Tai Chi programs. His work showed improvements in balance, mobility, and confidence while reducing the likelihood of falls. Large reviews of clinical trials have reached similar conclusions. A 2017 systematic review and meta-analysis involving more than 3,800 participants concluded that, “Tai Chi is effective in preventing falls in older adults.” Balance requires more training than just the physical body or the mind. This research suggests that practices such as Tai Chi are effective because it is a modality that effectively trains the brain and body to work together while navigating the challenges of everyday life. The next time you think about fall prevention, remember that balance is not only a physical skill, but it is also an attention skill. By training both, we can move through life with greater confidence, stability, and independence. Chris Wilson - Co-Owner of Balance and Flow Tai Chi Studio and International Yang Family Tai Chi Chuan Instructor. Visit them at 10 Lackawana Ave., Gladstone, NJ or www.balanceandflowstudio. com. Call them at 973-946-8827. hen most people think about balance, they think about strong legs, good posture, or perhaps the health of the inner ear. While these factors are certainly important, scientists have discovered another piece of the puzzle that often goes unnoticed: attention. Many falls occur not because a person lacks strength, but because their attention is divided. Think about walking through a parking lot while looking for your car, carrying groceries while planning dinner, or talking with a friend while navigating a crowded sidewalk. These situations require the brain to manage movement and thinking at the same time. Researchers call this “dual-tasking.” Neurologist Joe Verghese and his colleagues helped demonstrate the importance of this connection when they found that, “Dual-task gait performance predicts future falls in older adults.” In other words, the ability to walk safely while simultaneously performing a mental task may be an important predictor of fall risk. Rather than viewing falls as simply a strength problem, balance is increasingly being recognized as a skill that depends on the interaction between the brain and the body. The good news is that balance can be trained. According to recent research, one of the most effective and safest ways to train balance is Tai Chi. Research suggests that effective fall-prevention programs should challenge both physical and cognitive abilities. We need to practice not only standing and walking, but also shifting weight, changing directions, responding to our environment, and maintaining awareness while moving. This is one reason Tai Chi has become one of the most extensively studied forms of exercise for fall prevention. Although Tai Chi appears slow and gentle, practitioners are constantly shifting weight, coordinating movements, adjusting posture, and maintaining awareness of their body in space. At the same time, they are remembering movement sequences, respondW
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