It is time for Marvin Smalheiser to either sell Tai Chi Magazine or pull the plug.

In the latest issue, I found one of the worst articles ever written, by William CC Chen. It is bad enough that two or three paragraphs were repeated at least four times, a horrible proof-reading error, but this is the type of bogus "medical" information contained in the article:

"The benefit of the magical art of Tai Chi Chuan for heart diseases is not magic. It is simply a matter of releasing the rib cage muscles and enlarging the inner volume of the torso. The organs are then able to work effectively due to the increased space of the chest cavity."

"The reason for the changes is that releasing of the rib cages without the arms floating up helps to keep the armpits open slightly. It may also help to enlarge the inner volume of the torso."

"The rib cage muscles release to increase the volume of the torso, giving more space to optimize the working conditions of all organs. Maximizing the volume of space in the torso promotes better function, allowing full inflation and deflation of the lungs."

"At the same time, the toes press against the floor and the fingers push against the resistance of air to create an additional forceful energy flow in the body. This creates a dynamic "jet-stream" wave effect within the torso which flushes out any contamination of the organs. It is similar to the water-jet in a dishwasher which rinses off the dirt from the dishes, making them like new and ready for reuse."

I mean, seriously? A dynamic "jet-stream" wave effect that acts as a dishwasher? And what type of research has gone into this discovery? According to William CC Chen, "This information I have accumulated and evaluated from my daily practice with students for the past 60 years."

Well, slap that story into the next issue of the peer-reviewed Journal of General Internal Medicine.

I hate to break this to Grandmaster Chen, but Tai Chi students, including his students, suffer heart disease, cancer, worn-out joints, and other illnesses, and they die at the same ages as the rest of the general population, this despite the extra room our organs apparently have to move around and get "lubricated" and "washed" like dishes.

William CC Chen also quotes Cheng Man-Ching, who allegedly said, "The organs of cats and dogs are healthier than humans because their organs are loosely hanging inside the body as they walk."

This is "medical" information at its worst. But it is not the only example of sloppy standards in this issue.

In another article, the writer uses the story of Zhang San Feng without question as the source of Taiji. I hate to break this to the editor of Tai Chi Magazine, but there is not one shred of evidence that Zhang San Feng ever existed.

There is one article in this issue containing good information, called The Eight Gates of Tai Chi Chuan, by Dax Howard.

One of the reasons I teach, and one of the reasons I started my podcast, Internal Fighting Arts, is to take people beneath the pseudoscience and bogus, unsubstantiated claims made in so much of what we read in magazines and books. 

I understand times are probably hard for Tai Chi Magazine, with bookstores closing and circulation probably way down over the past (I am assuming). But the way to make a magazine relevant is to hold writers to a higher standard. The opposite seems to be happening at Tai Chi Magazine, and it is sad, because it could do so much good for the art. One way to do that is to keep it real, not buy into the bullshit and let anyone pass it along.

I won't even go into the Jiang Jian-ye videos plastered across the pages in the back of the magazine. This has been a waste of space for a LONG time.

You have done a great service to the art over the past 40 years, Marvin, but if, after all this time, you can't make it real or maintain quality control, sell the magazine, please. Or pull the plug.

Note from Ken: Marvin Smalheiser passed away in October, 2016. Tai Chi Magazine went out of publication at that point. It is a shame there was no one to carry the magazine forward. It did a lot of good for the art, despite some of the myths and the bad science that it helped perpetuate. Obviously, his age and health had a huge impact on the magazine during the final years.