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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.

QIGONG FOR BRAIN INJURY

Categories: Qigong

A randomised pilot study has examined the effects of qigong on individuals with traumatic brain injury. Twenty individuals with traumatic brain injury attended either a qigong exercise session or a non-exercise-based leisure activity, for one hour per week over eight weeks. After the intervention, mood was improved in the qigong group when compared with controls. Improvements in self-esteem and mo ...

QIGONG STUDIES

Categories: Qigong

A randomised pilot study has found that eight weeks of qigong improved self-esteem and mood in individuals with traumatic brain injury compared with controls. (Exercise intervention in brain injury: a pilot randomized study of Tai Chi Qigong. Clin Rehabil. 2009 Feb 23. [Epub ahead of print]). Meanwhile Spanish scientists have found that a month of qigong enhanced psychological wellbeing, including ...

LASTING BENEFITS OF QIGONG MEDITATION

Categories: Qigong

Brain scans of meditators show that the effects of long-term meditation practice are carried over into non-meditating states. Many meditation techniques aim to increase awareness of ongoing experiences through sustained attention and detachment - observation of these experiences with the intent not to analyse or judge them. With long-term practice, meditators report that these qualities of increas ...

QIGONG BENEFICIAL FOR CHRONIC FATIGUE

Categories: Qigong

A small, uncontrolled UK pilot study has found evidence of benefit for qigong in treating chronic fatigue. Eighteen women were taught a qigong routine during weekly classes over six months, and asked to practise it daily for 15 minutes. Participants completed a medical questionnaire and a sleep diary during the two-week baseline control period, and at three and six months following the start of th ...

QIGONG DECREASES INFLAMMATION IN CANCER PATIENTS

Categories: Qigong

In Australia, a team investigating the use of medical qigong therapy (MQ) has found that it can improve cancer patients' quality of life (QOL). In a randomised controlled trial, 162 patients received either MQ (gentle exercise, relaxation, meditation and breathing exercises based on Chinese medical theory) or usual care. The MQ group benefited from significant improvements in overall QOL, fatigue ...

Qigong for knee osteoarthritis

Categories: Qigong, Geriatric

Forty-four elderly subjects (mean age 69) with knee osteoarthritis were randomised to an eight-week tai chi qigong training programme or a waiting list control group. The tai chi programme involved twice-weekly tai chi qigong sessions lasting 60 minutes. The tai chi group showed statistically significant improvements in quality of life and time taken to complete a six mile walk. WOMAC scores for t ...

Tai chi for the elderly

Categories: Tai chi, Geriatric

A group of elderly Tai Chi practitioners (with several years of practice experience) were compared with a similarly aged group of sedentary subjects. The Tai Chi practitioners showed higher peak oxygen uptake in comparison with their sedentary counterparts, higher oxygen uptake at the ventilatory threshold, greater flexibility and lower percentage of body fat. The study concluded that Tai Ch ...

TAI CHI AND BALANCE

Categories: Tai chi

A small scale study on 24 volunteers over the age of 55 who performed Tai Chi only once a week for 60 minutes found that after 10 weeks their balance was significantly superior to a control group. Considering the suffering and cost resulting from falls among older adults, it is clear that Tai Chi can offer great benefits (J Gerontol Nurs 1996 Oct;22(10):12-7).

Tai chi and the elderly

Categories: Tai chi, Geriatric

In a US study, 94 healthy but physically inactive older adults were assigned to either learn Tai Chi twice a week or to a waiting list. A significant benefit was found in the Tai Chi group in terms of self-reported movement efficacy and physical function. (Prev Sci 2001;2:229-34).

TAI CHI & PARKINSON'S

Categories: Tai chi

A small study of 30 patients suffering from Parkinson's Disease has revealed the benefits of Tai Chi. At the 7th International Congress of Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders 2002, data from the University of Florida in Jacksonville was presented which showed weekly Tai Chi classes appeared to reduce the number of falls by a factor of 18, in comparison with a control group. (Report of Seven ...

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 ...