Page 20 of 20 FirstFirst ... 10181920
Results 286 to 291 of 291

Thread: Tai Chi as medicine

  1. #286
    Join Date
    Jan 1970
    Location
    Fremont, CA, U.S.A.
    Posts
    47,946

    Tai Chi cardiac rehab for anxiety and depression

    European Journal of Integrative Medicine
    Volume 53, August 2022, 102147
    European Journal of Integrative Medicine
    Clinical trial
    Effects of tai chi cardiac rehabilitation program on anxiety and depression in patients with coronary heart disease: A randomized controlled clinical trial☆
    Author links open overlay panelShaojunLyuaHongweiWangaQiuyangWeiaMeizeCuiaYa mengLiaZaihaoChenaJianweiZhangaFangPengb
    https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eujim.2022.102147Get rights and content
    Under a Creative Commons licenseOpen access
    Abstract
    Introduction
    Coronary heart disease (CHD) is commonly accompanied with anxiety and depression, which seriously affects the quality of life of patients. This study aimed to explore the effects of a Tai Chi cardiac rehabilitation program (TCCRP) on anxiety and depression in patients with CHD to inform other rehabilitation programs.

    Methods
    This study was a multicenter, randomized controlled trial. A total of 56 patients diagnosed with CHD were selected from three rehabilitation centers. The patients were randomized and assigned into two groups: the experimental TCCRP and the control conventional exercise cardiac rehabilitation program (CECRP) group. Both groups underwent an 11-month rehabilitation intervention, including 2-month in-hospital rehabilitation plus 9-month home-based rehabilitation. The generalized anxiety disorder (GAD-7) scale was used to assess anxiety, and the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) was used to assess depression in patients with CHD.

    Results
    No significant differences were observed in general characteristics between the two groups (P > 0.05). After intervention, the level of GAD-7 in TCCRP group significantly reduced (P < 0.01), whereas no significant difference was noticed in the CECRP group (P > 0.05). After intervention, the levels of PHQ-9 in TCCRP (P < 0.01) and CECRP groups were significantly reduced (P < 0.05). Comparing the two groups, the level of PHQ-9 in TCCRP group showed a downward trend during the intervention process and was lower than that in CECRP group, with a significant difference at P < 0.05.

    Conclusion
    TCCRP developed in China may effectively relieve anxiety and depression in patients with CHD. The effect was apparently better than a routine exercise program (CECRP) and could be promoted for cardiac rehabilitation. This study was registered on ClinicalTrial.gov (NCT03936504).
    Follow the link for the complete paper
    Gene Ching
    Publisher www.KungFuMagazine.com
    Author of Shaolin Trips
    Support our forum by getting your gear at MartialArtSmart

  2. #287
    Join Date
    Jan 1970
    Location
    Fremont, CA, U.S.A.
    Posts
    47,946

    Integrative

    Tai chi as mind-body medicine? A UCLA Health psychiatrist aims to take the practice nationwide
    After 15 years researching the benefits of tai chi, Dr. Helen Lavretsky is leading an initiative to integrate exercise into mainstream medical practice.

    September 20, 2023

    By uclahealth



    4 min read
    Integrative medicine uses Whole Person Health, an approach that goes beyond a prescribed pill and empowers individuals to actively participate in their own healing. The growing movement seeks to holistically promote patients’ wellness, incorporating practices from ancient healing traditions such as yoga, tai chi and meditation as a complement to established treatments, according to the UCLA Health Integrative Medicine Collaborative.

    UCLA Health psychiatrist Helen Lavretsky, MD, has been researching the health impacts of tai chi for 15 years. Now she is leading the first implementation trial of the traditional Chinese mind-body practice at UCLA Health and three other major large health care systems nationwide, including Tufts University, Cleveland Clinic and Boston University.

    Until recently, the field of integrative medicine had been conducting “relatively small” efficacy trials on the health effects of tai chi and the mechanisms of its response, Dr. Lavretsky says. This new pragmatic trial will work at a larger scale, aiming to provide evidence for the benefits of integrating tai chi as a regular preventive and therapeutic treatment into health care systems and communities.

    Originating in China thousands of years ago, tai chi is a mindful exercise practice that combines meditation, deep breathing, and a series of gentle movements, according to the American Tai Chi and Qigong Association.

    Tai chi’s moderate intensity makes it especially well-suited for aging patients, and in recent research has been found to improve heart, muscle and joint health, improve balance and lessen the likelihood of falls, reduce stress, and support mental health and cognitive function. Tai chi is now recommended for individuals with arthritis according to the Arthritis Foundation.

    Impacts on depression

    Over the course of her work, Dr. Lavretsky has investigated the benefits of tai chi for elderly patients with depression. Past research on such patients being treated with antidepressant medication alone found that more than 60% failed to achieve remission, facing a higher occurrence of chronic pain, illness and overall cognitive decline.

    In her 2011 study, the first of its kind, Dr. Lavretsky observed the effects of weekly tai chi practice in conjunction with prescribed standard antidepressants. Patients were randomly assigned to either weekly tai chi lessons or health education classes to control for the nonspecific attention and social support they’d receive in a group setting. Those practicing tai chi were found to have a higher chance of achieving remission and demonstrated less severe symptoms and markers of stress, as well as improvements in cognitive functioning.

    The finding that groups practicing tai chi showed significant improvements in the brain led Dr. Lavretsky to her next study, in which she explored the effects of tai chi practice on brain function.

    Depression was associated with reduced activity and connections between brain regions, especially within the default mode network (DMN), a brain structure involved in social cognition, self-referential processes and episodic memory.

    Dr. Lavretsky found that patients training weekly in tai chi alongside standard antidepressant treatment showed a “significantly greater increase in DMN connectivity” than patients taking health education classes in brain imaging results. Learning tai chi “trains the brain to form connections between regions of the brain that regulate movement, mood and cognitive function, thus improving brain neuroplasticity,” she says.

    Patients showed increased connectivity within the cingulo-opercular network, a brain region affected by high inflammation. This led Dr. Lavretsky to a topic for another study: the impact of tai chi on stress and inflammation.

    “Depression is a highly inflammatory disease state,” says Dr. Lavretsky. “Conscious attention to the breath and slowing it down decreases your heart rate and your blood pressure, and balances your autonomic nervous system to decrease your cortisol levels.”

    In her 2023 study, she explored the effect of tai chi on cytokine levels, a marker of inflammation. The study found no difference in cytokine levels between patients who underwent tai chi or health education, but did note that, generally, depression remission was accompanied by a reduction in inflammatory cytokine levels.

    Future research

    Dr. Lavretsky’s current project, the nationwide implementation trial, is intended to make tai chi part of mainstream medical practice. Her research, funded by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, will target the implementation of virtual tai chi training for patients with chronic knee pain.

    “We will work with all stakeholders, including health care leadership, primary care physicians, patients, and caregivers to share benefits of implementing tai chi as part of mainstream medical care, and generate evidence for the best approaches for implementation,” she says.

    The study also aims to train tai chi instructors to aid in bringing the practice to each health care system in a low-cost and accessible format, as classes can be shared virtually.

    The trial has joined the NIH Pragmatic Trials Collaboratory as part of the Rethinking Clinical Trials initiative and researchers are preparing to recruit patients in a year. More information about the study and updates about recruitment will be posted on the Rethinking Clinical Trials website.
    Looks like there's some good links in the original article but I didn't explore or cut&paste them here.
    Gene Ching
    Publisher www.KungFuMagazine.com
    Author of Shaolin Trips
    Support our forum by getting your gear at MartialArtSmart

  3. #288
    Join Date
    Jan 1970
    Location
    Fremont, CA, U.S.A.
    Posts
    47,946

    Boost memory

    Tai chi helps boost memory, study finds. One type seems most beneficial
    November 6, 20235:00 AM ET
    Heard on Morning Edition
    Allison Aubrey - 2015 square


    People who practice cognitively enhanced tai chi, significantly improved their scores on memory tests.
    PYMCA/Avalon/Avalon via Getty Images

    Your keys aren't in the spot you thought you left them? Can't recall the title of a book? I've had those moments.

    Amid our busy lives, distraction or fatigue may explain our forgetfulness. But instances of 'brain freeze' make me realize I want to do everything in my power to help keep my brain sharp.

    There's plenty of evidence that exercise can help protect our bodies and brains. And as we age, daily movement doesn't need to be super intense. In fact, a new study finds tai chi, a form of slow-moving martial arts, can help slow down cognitive decline and protect against dementia.

    The study included about 300 older adults, in their mid-70's on average, who had all reported that their memory was not as good as it used to be.

    As part of the study, all the participants took a 10-minute test, called the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, to gauge cognitive function. A normal score is 26-30. A person who scores between 18 and 25 is considered to have mild impairment which means they don't have dementia but they're not as sharp as they used to be, and may need to work harder to maintain everyday activities. The average score of participants at the start of the study was 25.


    A tai chi class held at the North Potomac Community Rec Center, in Potomac, Md. Tai chi has been shown to improve balance, prevent falls and help slow down cognitive decline.
    Allison Aubrey/NPR

    The study found that people who practiced a simplified form of tai chi, called Tai Ji Quan twice a week for about six months improved their score by 1.5 points. This increase may not sound like a lot, but study author Dr. Elizabeth Eckstrom says "you've basically given yourself three extra years," of staving off decline. The study is published in Annals of Internal Medicine.

    A person with mild cognitive decline can expect to lose, on average, about a half point each year on the test, and once their score drops under 18, people experience quite a bit of impairment from memory loss and cognitive decline, Eckstrom explains.

    So, based on these results, "if you're able to keep doing [tai chi] two or three days a week on a routine basis, you're going to get extra years before you hit that decline into dementia," she says.

    Eckstrom and her collaborators also tested a more rigorous type of tai chi, called Cognitively Enhanced Tai Ji Quan, where they layered on extra challenges. For example, participants were asked to spell a word, backwards and forward, as they moved through a series of tai chi moves.

    "You're really forcing your brain to think hard while you're also doing the fluid mind-body movements," Eckstrom explains.

    The people who practice this type of cognitively enhanced tai chi improved their scores by about 3 points. "We've just given you six extra years of cognitive function," she says. "That's a lot."

    Her theory on why tai chi is effective is that it combines the memorization of the movements, known as forms, almost like a dance choreography. "So, you're getting the physical activity, plus the memory piece," she says.

    Dr. Joseph Quinn, a neurologist at Oregon Health & Science University, who was not involved in the study, says the results fit with a body of evidence, including a meta-analysis, showing the benefits of tai chi. "This has fascinated me," Quinn says, because the results are impressive, but "honestly, I don't understand why it works so well," he says.

    The benefits of cardiovascular workouts, which help protect the heart and the brain, are better understood, he says. But tai chi isn't much of an aerobic workout, so he says perhaps the meditative component has a stress reduction effect that helps explain the other benefits.

    "It becomes a meditative practice," says Mary Beth Van Cleave, 86, who lives in a retirement community with her wife and their cat in the Portland, Oregon area. She started tai chi at age 75 and says her practice helps her feel grounded and enables her to let go of stress. "It's become an important part of my life," Van Cleave says.

    In terms of a cognitive boost, she thinks tai chi helps with concentration. "I'm more conscious of trying to do one thing at a time," she says.

    One limitation of the study is that most of the participants were non-Hispanic white and about two-thirds had college degrees. It's hard to know whether the benefits would hold up for the broader population. A study published last year found there's a disproportionate burden of cognitive impairment and dementia among Black and Hispanic populations in the U.S., and among people with less education. Researchers say they'd like to see efforts to make tai chi more accessible given the benefits, and given that by age 65, about 1 in 5 people has mild cognitive impairment.

    If you've never done tai chi, which is a martial-art that incorporates a series of movements, known as forms, with a focus on controlled breathing, too, it may look like nothing much is happening. But that's a misconception, Van Cleave says, "We are working very hard, " she explains. And, she says the physical benefits are pronounced.

    "There are so many times I've avoided a fall," she says. "That's because of the balance that tai chi gives me," Van Cleave says.

    Many studies have shown that practicing Tai Chi can help prevent falls and improve balance in older adults, and the benefit is greatest for people who keep up a regular practice over time.


    This story was edited by Jane Greenhalgh
    I had to look up 'Cognitively Enhanced Tai Ji Quan' - see next post
    Gene Ching
    Publisher www.KungFuMagazine.com
    Author of Shaolin Trips
    Support our forum by getting your gear at MartialArtSmart

  4. #289
    Join Date
    Jan 1970
    Location
    Fremont, CA, U.S.A.
    Posts
    47,946

    Cognitively Enhanced Tai Ji Quan

    See post above

    Clinical Effectiveness of Cognitively Enhanced Tai Ji Quan Training on Global Cognition and Dual-Task Performance During Walking in Older Adults With Mild Cognitive Impairment or Self-Reported Memory Concerns
    A Randomized Controlled Trial
    Fuzhong Li, PhD, Peter Harmer, PhD, MPH, Elizabeth Eckstrom, MD, MPH, … View all authors
    Author, Article, and Disclosure Information
    https://doi.org/10.7326/M23-1603
    Eligible for CME Point-of-Care


    Background:

    Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) negatively impacts cognition and dual-task abilities. A physical–cognitive integrated treatment approach could mitigate this risk for dementia.

    Objective:

    To compare the effectiveness of cognitively enhanced tai ji quan versus standard tai ji quan or stretching exercise in improving global cognition and reducing dual-task walking costs in older adults with MCI or self-reported memory concerns.

    Design:

    3-group, randomized (1:1:1), superiority trial. (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT04070703)

    Setting:

    Community residential homes.

    Participants:

    318 older adults with self-reported memory decline or concern and a Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) global score of 0.5 or lower at baseline.

    Intervention:

    Cognitively enhanced tai ji quan (n = 105), standard tai ji quan (n = 107), or stretching (n = 106). All groups exercised at home via real-time videoconferencing, 1 hour semiweekly for 24 weeks.

    Measurements:

    The co–primary endpoints were change in Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA; range, 0 to 30) and dual-task walking costs (difference between single- and dual-task gait speed, expressed in percentage) from baseline to 24 weeks. Secondary outcomes included CDR–Sum of Boxes (CDR-SB), Trail Making Test B, Digit Span Backward (DSB), and physical performance tests. Outcomes were assessed at 16, 24 (primary endpoint), and 48 weeks (6 months after intervention).

    Results:

    A total of 304 participants (96%) completed the 24-week assessment. Cognitively enhanced tai ji quan outperformed standard tai ji quan and stretching with a greater improvement in MoCA score (mean difference, 1.5 points [98.75% CI, 0.7 to 2.2 points] and 2.8 points [CI, 2.1 to 3.6 points], respectively) and in dual-task walking (mean difference, 9.9% [CI, 2.8% to 16.6%] and 22% [CI, 13% to 31%], respectively). The intervention effects persisted at 48-week follow-up.

    Limitation:

    There was no nonexercise control group; participants had subjective or mild cognitive impairment.

    Conclusion:

    Among community-dwelling older adults with MCI, cognitively enriched tai ji quan therapy was superior to standard tai ji quan and stretching exercise in improving global cognition and reducing dual-task gait interference, with outcomes sustained at 48 weeks.

    Primary Funding Source:

    National Institute on Aging.
    Gene Ching
    Publisher www.KungFuMagazine.com
    Author of Shaolin Trips
    Support our forum by getting your gear at MartialArtSmart

  5. #290
    Join Date
    Jan 1970
    Location
    Fremont, CA, U.S.A.
    Posts
    47,946

    Anxiety and Yoga, Tai Chi & Qigong

    Yoga-based interventions may reduce anxiety symptoms in anxiety disorders and depression symptoms in depressive disorders: a systematic review with meta-analysis and meta-regression
    http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1332-4544Javier Martínez-Calderon1,2, María Jesús Casuso-Holgado1,2, Maria Jesus Muñoz-Fernandez2,3, http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2621-2098Cristina Garcia-Muñoz2,4, Alberto Marcos Heredia-Rizo1,2
    Correspondence to Dr Cristina Garcia-Muñoz, Department of Nursing and Physiotherapy, Faculty ofNursing and Physiotherapy, University of Cadiz, Cadiz, CP 11009, Spain; cristina.garciamunoz@uca.es
    BMJ Learning - Take the Test

    Abstract
    Objective To summarise the effect of mind–body exercises on anxiety and depression symptoms in adults with anxiety or depressive disorders.

    Design Systematic review with meta-analysis and meta-regression.

    Data sources Five electronic databases were searched from inception to July 2022. Manual searches were conducted to explore clinical trial protocols, secondary analyses of clinical trials and related systematic reviews.

    Eligibility criteria Randomised clinical trials evaluating qigong, tai chi or yoga styles with anxiety or depression symptoms as the outcomes were included. No intervention, waitlist or active controls were considered as control groups. The risk of bias and the certainty of the evidence were assessed. Meta-analyses, meta-regressions and sensitivity analyses were performed.

    Results 23 studies, comprising 22 different samples (n=1420), were included. Overall, meta-analyses showed yoga interventions were superior to controls in reducing anxiety symptoms in anxiety disorders. Furthermore, yoga-based interventions decreased depression symptoms in depressive disorders after conducting sensitivity analyses. No differences between groups were found in the rest of the comparisons. However, the certainty of the evidence was judged as very low for all outcomes due to concerns of high risk of bias, indirectness of the evidence, inconsistency and imprecision of the results. In addition, there was marked heterogeneity among yoga-based interventions and self-reported tools used to evaluate the outcomes of interest.

    Conclusion Although yoga-based interventions may help to improve mental health in adults diagnosed with anxiety or depressive disorders, methodological improvements are needed to advance the quality of clinical trials in this field.

    PROSPERO registration number CRD42022347673.
    Yoga
    Tai-Chi-as-medicine
    Qigong-as-Medicine
    Gene Ching
    Publisher www.KungFuMagazine.com
    Author of Shaolin Trips
    Support our forum by getting your gear at MartialArtSmart

  6. #291
    Join Date
    Jan 1970
    Location
    Fremont, CA, U.S.A.
    Posts
    47,946

    Tai Chi better than Aerobics at lowering blood pressure?

    February 9, 2024
    Effect of Tai Chi vs Aerobic Exercise on Blood Pressure in Patients With Prehypertension
    A Randomized Clinical Trial
    Xinye Li, MD1,2; Peifen Chang, MD3; Min Wu, MD1; et al Yuchen Jiang, MD1; Yonghong Gao, PhD4; Hengwen Chen, MD1; Liyuan Tao, PhD5; Dawei Wei, MD3; Xiaochen Yang, MD1; Xingjiang Xiong, MD1; Yan Yang, MD6; Xiandu Pan, MD1,2; Ran Zhao, MD7; Fan Yang, PhD1; Jiahao Sun, MD8; Shengjie Yang, MD1; Li Tian, MD9; Xiaofang He, MD10; Eryu Wang, MD3; Yiyuan Yang, MD1; Yanwei Xing, MD1
    Author Affiliations Article Information
    JAMA Netw Open. 2024;7(2):e2354937. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.54937
    visual abstract icon Visual
    Abstract
    Key Points
    Question Is Tai Chi more effective in reducing blood pressure (BP) for patients with prehypertension compared with aerobic exercise?

    Findings In this randomized clinical trial that included 342 participants, the mean decrease in systolic BP from baseline to month 12 was significantly greater in the Tai Chi group compared with the aerobic exercise group.

    Meaning Among patients with prehypertension, Tai Chi was shown to be more effective than aerobic exercise in reducing BP after 12 months.

    Abstract
    Importance Prehypertension increases the risk of developing hypertension and other cardiovascular diseases. Early and effective intervention for patients with prehypertension is highly important.

    Objective To assess the efficacy of Tai Chi vs aerobic exercise in patients with prehypertension.

    Design, Setting, and Participants This prospective, single-blinded randomized clinical trial was conducted between July 25, 2019, and January 24, 2022, at 2 tertiary public hospitals in China. Participants included 342 adults aged 18 to 65 years with prehypertension, defined as systolic blood pressure (SBP) of 120 to 139 mm Hg and/or diastolic BP (DBP) of 80 to 89 mm Hg.

    Interventions Participants were randomized in a 1:1 ratio to a Tai Chi group (n = 173) or an aerobic exercise group (n = 169). Both groups performed four 60-minute supervised sessions per week for 12 months.

    Main Outcomes and Measures The primary outcome was SBP at 12 months obtained in the office setting. Secondary outcomes included SBP at 6 months and DBP at 6 and 12 months obtained in the office setting and 24-hour ambulatory BP at 12 months.

    Results Of the 1189 patients screened, 342 (mean [SD] age, 49.3 [11.9] years; 166 men [48.5%] and 176 women [51.5%]) were randomized to 1 of 2 intervention groups: 173 to Tai Chi and 169 to aerobic exercise. At 12 months, the change in office SBP was significantly different between groups by −2.40 (95% CI, −4.39 to −0.41) mm Hg (P = .02), with a mean (SD) change of −7.01 (10.12) mm Hg in the Tai Chi group vs −4.61 (8.47) mm Hg in the aerobic exercise group. The analysis of office SBP at 6 months yielded similar results (−2.31 [95% CI, −3.94 to −0.67] mm Hg; P = .006). Additionally, 24-hour ambulatory SBP (−2.16 [95% CI, −3.84 to −0.47] mm Hg; P = .01) and nighttime ambulatory SBP (−4.08 [95% CI, −6.59 to −1.57] mm Hg; P = .002) were significantly reduced in the Tai Chi group compared with the aerobic exercise group.

    Conclusions and Relevance In this study including patients with prehypertension, a 12-month Tai Chi intervention was more effective than aerobic exercise in reducing SBP. These findings suggest that Tai Chi may help promote the prevention of cardiovascular disease in populations with prehypertension.

    Trial Registration Chinese Clinical Trial Registry Identifier: ChiCTR1900024368
    follow the link for the full study
    Gene Ching
    Publisher www.KungFuMagazine.com
    Author of Shaolin Trips
    Support our forum by getting your gear at MartialArtSmart

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •