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Research Archive

Welcome to our Chinese medicine and acupuncture research news pages. We add to the content of these pages continuously as more research news comes in. Browse through the complete archive below or use the category links on the right.

Please note that the most twenty recent research archive items are free to view but access to the thousands of items in the archive require a journal subscription.

Tai chi boosts shingles immunity

Categories: Immunity, Tai chi

In a study to determine the effects of tai chi on boosting immunity to the shingles virus, 36 adults (over 60 years) were assigned to a 15-week tai chi programme group or a waiting group. Their immunity to the chicken pox virus was measured before and after the programme. Those who participated in the tai chi programme showed an increase of nearly 50% in immune cell levels after completing the pro ...

Systematic reviews of tai chi

Categories: Tai chi, Geriatric

A systematic review of 47 studies published in English and Chinese has shown that tai chi benefits balance, strength, cardiovascular and respiratory function, flexibility, the immune system, symptoms of arthritis, muscular strength and psychological well being. Its effect on improving balance is demonstrated in studies showing that it can reduce falls in the elderly - a common, distressing and exp ...

TAI CHI AND OSTEOARTHRITIS

Categories: Tai chi

South Korean research has shown that (Sun-style) tai chi is effective in alleviating several symptoms of osteoarthritis. 43 middle-aged women who had been diagnosed with osteoarthritis were randomised to participate in 20-minute tai chi sessions at least 3 times a week for a 12-week period, or to serve as controls. At the end of the study, the women in the tai chi group reported significantly less ...

TAI CHI FOR COLLEGE STUDENTS

Categories: Tai chi

30 college students who were enrolled in this study practised Tai Chi twice a week for an hour each time over a 3 month period. Bodily pain, general health, mental/emotional functioning, vitality and mental health were all significantly improved after Tai Chi exercise intervention. (The American Journal of Chinese Medicine, Vol. 32, No. 3 (2004) 453-459).

TAI CHI, BALANCE & FALLS

Categories: Tai chi

Two hundred and fifty-six healthy, physically inactive adults (aged 70-92) were randomly assigned to a Tai Chi group or an exercise/stretching group in this six-month study. Members of the tai chi group showed improvements in measures of functional balance accompanied by significant reduction in the risk of falls, compared to the controls. (Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. 36(12):2 ...

TAI CHI & OSTEOPOROSIS

Categories: Tai chi

This Hong Kong study randomly assigned 132 healthy post-menopausal women to supervised tai chi (45 minutes each time, five times per week for a year) or to a non tai chi, inactive (sedentary lifestyle) group. At the end of the study, the tai chi group members showed a slower rate of bone mineral density loss (at the lumbar spine, proximal femur and distal tibia) and a reduced fracture rate. (Arch ...

TAI CHI & SLEEP

Categories: Tai chi

In this study, 118 inactive but healthy men and women, aged 60 to 92 years with moderate sleep complaints, were randomly assigned to a tai chi group or a low-impact exercise group. The tai chi group learnt a simplified yang style, whilst the exercise group were taught seated exercises which emphasised controlled breathing, stretching and relaxation (less physically demanding and with less meditati ...

TAI CHI & HEART FAILURE

Categories: Tai chi

In a small US study, 15 people with heart failure were assigned to receive 2 one-hour tai chi classes twice a week for 12 weeks, in addition to standard medical care, and compared to a similar sized group who received standard care alone. The tai chi participants demonstrated significant increases in six-minute walking distances, reported better quality of life and had improved oxygen uptake compa ...

Tai chi in the community

Categories: Tai chi

A study was set up to determine whether Tai Chi taught and practised in a community setting had similar benefits to studies conducted in laboratory settings. Researchers in Hong Kong recruited 51 beginners (aged 29 to 72) to take part in a 12-week Cheng style Tai Chi class (three 90-minute sessions weekly at 7.30 am). After the twelve weeks, participants showed increases in postural stability and ...

TAI CHI HELPS PREVENT FALLS

Categories: Tai chi

A Korean study compared 29 older adults (mean age 77.8 years) who undertook a Sun-style Tai Chi exercise programme (three sessions a week for 12 weeks) with 30 controls of similar age. The Tai Chi practitioners were found to have improved physical strength in the knee and ankle, greater flexibility and mobility, and a reduction in risk of falls. An estimated 30% of people living in the commu ...

Tai chi and falls

Categories: Tai chi, Geriatric

A number of studies have suggested that practising Tai Chi can improve balance and stability in healthy older people and reduce the rate of falling. A new study conducted in a park in Nanjing in China suggests that this benefit may extend to less robust seniors with poor balance. After eight weeks of daily tai chi (one hour per day), participants improved more than controls in the Falls Efficacy S ...

PROSTATE CANCER & LIFESTYLE CHANGE

Categories: Tai chi

Rising prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels after surgery or radiotherapy for prostate cancer is an indicator of recurrent cancer. Hormonal therapy at this stage can probably only extend survival time slightly and has significant side effects. A study of a small group of men with recurrent prostate cancer was conducted to see if a change to a plant-based diet (increased whole grains, cruciferous ...

TAI CHI

Categories: Tai chi

A study of 39 Chinese adults (average age 65.7 years), all of whom had at least one cardiovascular disease risk factor, found that three one-hour tai chi classes a week for 12 weeks resulted in significant improvements in balance, muscular strength, endurance and flexibility. (Improvement in balance, strength and flexibility after 12 weeks of tai chi exercise in ethnic Chinese adults with cardiova ...

TAI CHI VERSUS BALANCE TRAINING

Categories: Tai chi

Another study has found that Combined Balance and Stepping Training (CBST), which involves increasing step length and speed, is modestly more effective at improving balance and mobility than tai chi training. Eight-one older adults (65 years +) in the CBST group and 81 in the (Yang style short form) tai chi group trained for three one-hour sessions a week for ten weeks. (Dynamic Balance and Steppi ...

Tai chi and fitness

Categories: Tai chi, Geriatric

A small study has compared the benefits of short form tai chi against either brisk walking or sedentary controls in elderly women. Nineteen women were randomly assigned to one of the two exercise groups who met for one hour on three days a week for 12 weeks. A further group of eight women acted as the sedentary controls. A range of outcomes was measured. The tai chi was found to be an effective wa ...

TAI CHI DECREASES SYMPATHETIC NERVOUS ACTIVITY

Categories: Tai chi

Performance of tai chi leads to a decrease in activity of the sympathetic nervous system, to levels that are not achieved by performing comparable physical activity alone. Participants had completed the above 25-week randomised trial of Tai Chi Chih (TCC), vs health education (HE). TCC practitioners performed TCC for 20 minutes, while HE participants passively rested for the same time. Investigato ...

Tai chi as good as vaccine against shingles

Categories: Immunity, Tai chi

Tai chi therapy can boost the immune system of patients with shingles to levels comparable to those achieved using a vaccine against varicella zoster virus (VZV, the virus which causes chickenpox and shingles). A controlled trial randomised 112 healthy adults aged 59 to 86, who had a history of varicella infection, to Tai Chi Chih (TCC, a simplified, standardised form of tai chi) or health educati ...

TAI CHI IMPROVES DIABETIC HEALTH

Categories: Tai chi

Practising tai chi may help boost immune function and improve blood sugar control in people with type-2 diabetes. Thirty-two people participated in three hour-long tai chi sessions each week, for a period of 12 weeks. Investigators found statistically significant reductions in levels of glycosylated haemoglobin (A1C) in the blood of participants, indicating improved long-term blood glucose control ...

TAI CHI AND HYDROTHERAPY FOR OSTEOARTHRITIS

Categories: Tai chi

A randomised controlled trial has investigated whether tai chi or hydrotherapy classes provide measurable clinical benefits to those suffering from osteoarthritis (OA) of the hip or knee. The Australian study enrolled 152 adults, aged 60 and older, who had chronic symptomatic hip or knee OA. Participants were randomly allocated to 12 weeks of hydrotherapy, tai chi classes, or a waiting list contro ...

Tai chi enhances flu shot

Categories: Tai chi

Researchers in the USA have found that a combination of tai chi and qigong (TQ) can enhance older adults' immune responses to the flu vaccine. A group of 50 adults in their 70s, were randomised TQ or no exercise. The TQ group attended three one-hour classes per week, consisting of tai chi and qigong movements along with standing and seated meditation. All participants received a flu vaccination at ...