Longer term Benefits of Tai Chi for People who are Obese

The World Health Organization has identified the top three factors that cause death worldwide as hypertension, smoking, and high cholesterol (hypercholesteremia).  As we age, we experience a decrease in physiological and heart function, reduction in the elasticity of blood vessels, increased viscosity of blood, and a reduction of pulmonary capacity and function.  Arteries lose their elasticity and flexibility which results in increased resistance to blood flow with increased blood pressure, cardiac insufficiency and other cardiovascular diseases. Obesity is a risk factor in heart disease, diabetes and many other illnesses, and often finding the right type of exercise is difficult for the obese adult.

This study involved 55 healthy right–handed subjects, among which, 23 Chen style Tai Chi Chuan (TCC) practitioners and 32 control subjects were matched for sex, age, and education. All TCC practitioners have been practicing and teaching TCC for more than 5 years. The control participants with no TCC practice were recruited from local community as the non–sports population. 

Using functional near–infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) which can be used to measure the amount of hemoglobin in the blood of a desired area of the brain,  this study measured the resting state and TCC movement state of ordinary people and long–term TCC practitioners, in order to explore the mechanism of action of TCC and the change of brain function in the Prefrontal Cortex (PFC), Motor Cortex (MC) and Occipital Cortex (OC) of TCC training by using fNIRS.

This meta-analysis and systematic review evaluated 14 studies which examined the effects of Tai Chi Chuan on negative emotions in both younger adults and older adults. According to the World Health Organization, approximately 8% of the population is affected by depression and/or anxiety, and it is one of the leading causes of mortality and disability across the lifespan. Tai Chi Chuan is an evidence based prevention strategy that may offer both physical and psychological benefit, is low cost, and is non-pharmacological- therefore no medication side-effects.

Study intervention periods lasted from 12 weeks to 18 months, and included 1285 participants (Tai Chi 645, Control 640). Not only did the authors find that Tai Chi Chuan could decrease depression and anxiety in those affected, but they also found a strong likelihood that the practice of Tai Chi Chuan could prevent depression and anxiety of seemingly healthy individuals. The authors attributed this significant effect to the meditative components of practice. 

Qigong practitioners should be encouraged by the substantial [exponential] increase in research on the medical benefits of qigong. This increase warrants future studies, which qigong practitioners should expect to see.

Abstract

This study involving 50 male participants and examined the effects of Qigong/Tai Chi plus medication and group therapy on alcoholism. The comparison group received medication and group therapy plus yoga. Post-intervention assessments were conducted at 18 days and 6 months.

This study focused on the potential effect of practicing qigong in patients with Vascular Cognitive Impairment [VCI], the second greatest cause of dementia following Alzheimer’s. Ninety-three people were initially screened, though only 60 ended up participating in the entire three months of the study. Qigong was practiced an hour per day. Patients were 60 years old or older. The study was conducted at Tianjin Medical University General Hospital in Tianjin, China. The study focused on utilizing qigong and cognitive training in concert with control groups utilizing neither. Using a variety of ways to test the results, the conclusions were “significant.” The group that combined both qigong and cognitive training had the greatest positive effect. The greatest concern with the conclusion was with the relatively small number of subjects involved. More study using greater numbers of subjects should be the next step. Still, the results are encouraging in terms of the positive potential qigong practice can have with elderly care.

Abstract

The following information was presented during the Research Panel at the 2019 NQA Annual Conference on Diaphragmatic Breathing. It includes a summary of current research on diaphragmatic breathing.

 ABSTRACTS      ARTICLE

Please see the presentation on Bridging Integrative Medicine and Healthcare Financials by Dr CJ Rhoads PhD from the NQA conference research panel. We look forward to phase two of her project.

Qigong benefits Low Back Pain

This paper is a meta-analysis of 11 Randomized Controlled Trials involving 886 individuals with low back pain. Their aim was to investigate the effects of Traditional Chinese Exercise (TCE) on low back pain and disability. They defined TCE as Tai Chi, Qigong, Baduanjin, Yijinjing, or Wuqinxi.

Qigong for Insomnia

This systematic review and meta-analysis provided evidence that mind body therapies such as tai chi, qigong, yoga, and meditation could be effective in treating insomnia and improving the sleep quality of healthy subjects and clinical patients.

This paper examined the effects of a Tai Chi / Qigong intervention in four children between the ages of 6 and 10. The children were referred into the program due to difficult behavior and a diagnosis of ADHD. Consent was obtained from their parents.

The sessions took place over the course of a school-year (20 minutes, 30 sessions total - 1x/week). Tai Chi forms focused on regulation of breathing, mind focus and soft control of movements. The Qigong forms focused on clearance of mind and slow control of movements with muscle contraction-relaxation patterns synced with breathing.

This study suggested the protective role of long-term Tai Chi exercise at slowing gray matter atrophy, improving the emotional stability and achieving successful aging for elders.

Long-Term Tai Chi Experience Promotes Emotional Stability and Slows Gray Matter Atrophy for Elders

This study examined the effects of Tai Chi and Baduanjin on the Default Mode Network (DMN) in individuals between the ages of 50 and 70 years old. Participants were randomized into 3 groups: group 1 performed Tai Chi exercises based on Yang Style 24 form; group 2 performed exercises of Baduanjin; and group 3 was the control group and received a health education lecture at the beginning of the program and were instructed to continue with their routine activities over the next 12 weeks. Groups 1 and 2 performed their respective exercises for 60 minutes, 5 times/week, for 12 weeks. Pre and post outcome measures consisted of a standardized memory test and resting-state functional MRI’s.

The default mode network refers to a collection of areas in the brain that have shown age related decreases in neural activities related to goal-directed tasks. Two of these regions- the medial prefrontal cortex and the posterior cingulate cortex- have been implicated in the processing of cognitive, emotional, pain and other self-modulation. Abnormalities of the DMN have been detected in multiple age-related diseases, such as mild cognitive impairment (Gardini et al., 2015), Alzheimer’s disease (Brueggen et al., 2017), depression (Ho et al., 2015) and Parkinson’s disease (Mohan et al., 2016). In addition, studies have found that stress is also associated with alterations of the DMN.

This article shows the effects on healthy volunteers who are new to qigong  who did qigong for one month. The main finding of the present investigation is that Taoist qigong practice induces a significant modulation on the blood levels of ACTH in healthy subjects with no previous qigong experience.  There were no effects on other measures of well-being such as depression or anxiety or sleep issues, however, perhaps due to the very short time frame (only one month). Generally ACTH blood levels impact the feeling of well-being.

Abstract

Assessment of hormonal parameters and psychological well‐being in healthy subjects after a Taoist qigong program: An exploratory study

Francisca M. Vera, Juan M. Manzaneque , Francisco M. Rodríguez,  Miguel Vadillo , Federico Navajas , Ana I. Heiniger , Vidal Pérez , M. José Blanca

This study from the Sleep Disorders Center in Turkey provides strong evidence that a Tai Chi and Qigong program (three times per week for twelve weeks) can significantly improve breathing during sleep and improve the quality of sleep in patients with sleep apnea.

Fifty participants were equally randomized into an intervention group and a control group. The intervention group received Tai Chi and Qigong instruction for 1 hour, 3 times a week with self-practice on 2 additional days for 12 weeks. The control group received a home exercise program only, for 5 days/week for 12 weeks.

Effectiveness of t'ai chi and qigong on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

This is a systematic review and meta-analysis, which means  it looks at all the other studies that were done on the topic of tai chi and qigong (TCQ) and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and assesses an overall evaluation of the evidence of benefit.  Unfortunately, the methodology for the chosen trials is not as rigorous as it needs to be in order to draw strong conclusions. Nonetheless, the evidence is positive.

This review found, out of a population of over 500 potential studies, only 10 met their strict criteria of randomized controlled trials with both exercise and non-exercise controls. The resulting 10 studies involved 718 subjects.

This study is significant because it showed for the first time Qigong can improve breathing function in people with COPD via instruction utilizing Qigong videos instead of an in-person program.

Participant adoption of the Meditative Movement (MM) practices showed a significant and moderately large correlation with overall health improvement for Flight Attendants with CPOD due to exposure to secondhand smoke. There were significant improvements in the 6-min walk test, the Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness (MAIA) score, and the COPD Assessment Test. Eighty one percent of respondents enjoyed the program. These results support the benefits of video-based qigong (MM) training for this population.

What Is the Molecular Signature of Mind–Body Interventions? A Systematic Review of Gene Expression Changes Induced by Meditation and Related Practices

This systematic review of 18 studies investigated Mind-Body Interventions (MBI) and their effect on gene expression. MBIs included Qigong, yoga, breathing practices, Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction, Tai Chi, and meditation. In regards to Qigong, it was found that practitioners who had practiced Falun Qigong for an average of 1-5 years experienced  enhanced immunity, down-regulated cellular metabolism, and delayed cell death. Also, Tai Chi was studied for its effects on inflammation and sleep deprivation in breast cancer survivors. It was compared to a Cognitive Behavioral Intervention. It was found that IL-6 was marginally reduced and TNF (pro-inflammatory cytokines) was significantly reduced after Tai Chi, indicating that it can reduce cellular inflammatory responses. Similarly, gene expression analysis found a 9% reduction in expression of 19 pro-inflammatory genes and a 3.3% increase in expression of 34 genes involved in the production of proteins that regulate anti-viral response and tumor activity in the Tai Chi group relative to CBT-I.

Tai Chi exercise is more effective than brisk walking in reducing cardiovascular disease risk factors among adults with hypertension: A randomized controlled trial.

These findings indicate that Tai Chi offered greater and longer-term benefits than brisk walking in reducing modifiable CVD risk factors (especially blood pressure, obesity, blood glucose levels and psychosocial well-being). This study was a randomized control trial of  246 participants, randomized into three groups. Participants in the tai chi group attended a tai chi class for one hour twice a week for 3 months with 20 people per class. A follow up step showed that the results lasted 9 months after the study completed.

 Can Tai Chi and Qigong Postures Shape Our Mood? 

This Harvard University article gives a scientific basis for the importance of position as demonstrated by tai chi and qigong for people’s health.  According to Dr. Peter Wayne, the brain does not rule the body, the body rules the brain. Gait is a better predictor of health than heart rate, respiration rate, blood pressure or blood sugar. Qigong changes the body position and thus influences our health. Qigong can change your mood based on the shape you make.

Front. Hum. Neurosci., 01 May 2018 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2018.00174