Tai Chi and Qigong Practices for Chronic Heart Failure
January 27, 2021 - A study jointly conducted by Sweden and China evaluated existing randomized controlled trials (RCTs) for evidence of Tai Chi and Qigong rehabilitation effects for chronic heart failure. The results were published by Evidence Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine in December 2020. Both English and Chinese databases were searched from their inception to October 23, 2019. RCTs were included if they compared the addition of Tai Chi and Qigong into
Effects of Qigong on Lowering Blood Pressure
January 27, 2021 - The benefits of Qigong for systolic and diastolic blood pressure (BP) reduction have been noted in previously published systematic reviews; however, the data on its effectiveness has been at best scarce. As reported by BMC complementary medicine and therapies in January 2021, a study by Malaysian scientists aimed to update the evidence of Qigong on blood pressure reduction after taking into consideration the risks of random error and reliability of d
Tai Chi's Effect on Lower Extremity Muscle Co-contraction
January 27, 2021 - Tai Chi mind-body exercise has been shown to reduce falls and improve balance and gait, however, few studies have evaluated the role of lower extremity muscle activation patterns in the observed benefits of Tai Chi on mobility. Harvard Medical School, China Pharmaceutical University and Tel Aviv University teamed up to perform an exploratory analysis of the association between Tai Chi training and levels of lower extremity muscle co-contraction in he
Tai Chi Helps Older Adults with Insomnia
February 26, 2021 - Previous studies that have shown Tai Chi to improve sleep were mainly based on subjective assessments, which might have produced results confounded by self-reporting bias. Several Chinese universities collaborated with Concordia University in Canada and UCLA to compare the effectiveness of Tai Chi for improving sleep in older adults with insomnia with conventional exercise and a passive control group using actigraphy-based objective measurements. Th
Can Tai Chi Reduce Healthcare Utilization and Cost in Residents of Low-Income Senior Housing?
February 26, 2021 - Scientists from Brandeis University and Harvard Medical School performed a study together to test the impact of Tai Chi on healthcare utilization and cost in older adults living in low-income senior housing. They hypothesized that Tai Chi would improve overall health enough to reduce the use of emergency department (ED) and inpatient services. The study, conducted in Greater Boston, Massachusetts, includes 6 sites with 75 individuals in the Tai Chi