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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 reduces blood pressure

Categories: Tai chi, Hypertension

A systematic review of the literature on the effect of tai chi exercise on blood pressure (BP) suggests that it may reduce BP and serve as a practical, non-pharmacological adjunct to conventional hypertension management. Of the 26 studies that met the inclusion criteria, 22 (85%) reported reductions in BP with tai chi (3-32 mm Hg systolic and 2-18 mm Hg diastolic BP reductions). (The effect of tai ...

TAI CHI HELPS SENIORS SLEEP

Categories: Insomnia/sleep disorders, Tai chi

Practising tai chi chih (TCC), a Westernized version of tai chi, has been shown to promote sleep quality in older adults with moderate sleep complaints. In the US study, 112 healthy adults, age range 59 to 86, were randomly assigned to one of two groups for a 25-week period: one group practised 20 simple TCC moves, the other participated in health education classes that included advice on stress m ...

Tai chi for ankylosing spondylitis

Categories: Back, Tai chi

Korean investigators have examined the effect of tai chi on disease activity, flexibility and depression in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS). They allocated 40 patients to either a tai chi group or a no-treatment control group. The tai chi group attended two 60 minute group tai chi classes per week, and practised daily at home, for eight weeks. After eight weeks, the tai chi group showed ...

TAI CHI FOR RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS

Categories: Tai chi

Tai chi appears to be safe and may be beneficial for rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Twenty patients with RA were randomly assigned to tai chi or attention control in twice-weekly sessions for 12 weeks. At 12 weeks, 50% of patients randomized to tai chi achieved a 20% response measured on the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) 20 response criterion, compared with 0% in the control. Those practicing ...

TAI CHI FOR TYPE 2 DIABETES

Categories: Tai chi

A Chinese study has investigated the effects of 14 weeks of tai chi practice on metabolic control and lipid metabolism in women with type 2 diabetes. Twenty women, mean age 57, were randomly assigned to either tai chi or a control group. In the tai chi group, exercise duration was one hour per day, five days a week, for 14 weeks. It was found that after 14 weeks, the tai chi group had significantl ...

TAI CHI FOR METABOLIC SYNDROME

Categories: Tai chi

An Australian pilot study (11 people) suggests that a twelve week tai chi and qigong training programme results in significant improvements in four of the seven indicators of metabolic syndrome, including BMI and systolic and diastolic blood pressure, as well as in glycosylated haemoglobin levels, insulin resistance, stress, depressive symptoms, general health, mental health and vitality. (A preli ...

TAI CHI AND QIGONG STUDIES FOR SENIORS REVIEWED

Categories: Qigong, Tai chi

American authors have reviewed intervention studies using tai chi and qigong (TC & QG) in order to identify the physical and psychological health outcomes shown to be associated with TC & QG in adults over 55. Based on specific inclusion criteria, studies with a total of 3,799 participants were included in the review. The authors identified five categories of study outcomes, including fall ...

Tai chi improves balance after stroke

Categories: Tai chi

A brief course in tai chi helps improve balance in people who have had a stroke. One hundred and thirty-six subjects, who had suffered a stroke more than six months previously, were randomly assigned to a control group that practised general exercises or a tai chi group, for 12 weeks of training. Each week, one hour of group practice was supplemented by three hours of self-practice. They used a sh ...

TAI CHI BENEFITS ARTHRITIS

Categories: Tai chi

Tai Chi has a small positive effect on pain and disability in people with arthritis. Australian authors carried out a systematic review of tai chi as a treatment for chronic musculoskeletal pain. They found that most trials were typically small and of low methodologic quality. Meta-analysis of the results of seven randomised controlled trials showed that the pooled effect size for arthritic popula ...

BIOMARKERS FOR TAI CHI'S HEALTH BENEFITS

Categories: Tai chi

Taiwanese scientists have carried out an experimental study to identify biomarkers associated with the health benefits of tai chi. Blood samples taken from three healthy volunteers, before and after 12 weeks of tai chi, were compared for changes in protein expression (using proteomic techniques). Eighteen proteins were found to be significantly increased or decreased after tai chi training. Furthe ...

TAI CHI HELPS DIABETICS

Categories: Tai chi

Six months of tai chi can improve glucose control, increase adherence to self-care activities, and lead to a better quality of life in patients with type two diabetes. Korean investigators enrolled 99 type two diabetic patients (with an HbA1c level of six or higher) in the study. All participants received tai chi sessions (19 movements from Yang and Sun styles) twice a week for six months. Sixty-t ...

TAI CHI EFFECTIVE FOR KNEE OSTEOARTHRITIS

Categories: Tai chi

Researchers from the USA have found that knee osteoarthritis (OA) patients who practise tai chi show improved physical functioning and experience less pain. Forty individuals (mean age 65) with tibiofemoral OA were randomly assigned to 60 minutes of tai chi or a control intervention (wellness education and stretching) twice weekly for 12 weeks. Each tai chi session included: 10 minutes of self-mas ...

TAI CHI PRACTITIONERS ARE MORE STABLE

Categories: Tai chi

Compared with healthy controls, tai chi practitioners demonstrate better stability and body awareness. A cross-sectional study of 24 tai chi practitioners (mean age 68.5) and 20 age-matched controls carried out in Sweden measured various stability parameters in both groups. The findings showed that tai chi practitioners were able to lean further without losing stability and had better overall body ...

MIND-BODY THERAPIES BENEFICIAL FOR MENOPAUSE SYMPTOMS

Categories: Menopausal syndrome, Tai chi

A systematic review by American authors suggests that mind-body therapies may be beneficial for alleviating specific menopausal symptoms. Eighteen clinical trials, involving a total of 882 women, met their inclusion criteria. Interventions included yoga and/or meditation programs, tai chi and relaxation practices. Eight of the nine studies of yoga, tai chi, and meditation-based programs reported i ...

GE GEN & ALCOHOLISM

Categories: Substance abuse

The starchy root tuber Ge Gen (Radix Puerariae) was noted as combating drunkeness in a 7th century CE Chinese pharmacopoeia. It is much used in China and Hong Kong by traditional herbalists where it has been found to be effective in controlling appetite for alcohol and improving the function of alcohol-affected vital organs, without any sign of toxic side-effects. The first laboratory tests ...

ALCOHOL DETOXIFICATION

Categories: Substance abuse

A study carried out in the State University Hospital for Neurology and Psychiatry in Sofia, Bulgaria, compared the use of body acupuncture [Hegu L.I.-4, Quchi L.I.-11, Neiguan P-6, Waiguan SJ-5, Wangu SI-4, Shuaigu GB-8, Yangbai GB-14, Shenmen HE-7, Taiyang (Extra) and Yintang (Extra)] on 50 alcohol dependent patients, with the use of standard medical detoxification on 68 similar patients. The acu ...

ACUPUNCTURE AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE

Categories: Substance abuse

More support for the important role of acupuncture in treating substance abuse comes from a study carried out in the psychiatric unit of a general hospital on 47 patients. Compared to a control group, those who received auricular acupuncture had a much higher rate of compliance with the treatment, stayed in treatment longer and many more remained in follow-up treatment. The authors say that ...

ACUPUNCTURE AND SMOKING

Categories: Substance abuse

This study randomly assigned 46 smokers to two groups. One was treated at points recognised for their anti-smoking effect, whilst the other was given acupuncture treatment at points assumed to have no effect for smoking cessation. Concentrations of tobacco by-products in the blood were measured before the first and after the last acupuncture treatment. The number of cigarettes smoked per day ...

ACUPUNCTURE & SMOKING CESSATION

Categories: Substance abuse

A study carried out at the University of Oslo compared the use of acupuncture at a) points with a reputed anti-smoking effect (test group), and b) points with no such reputation (control group). Treatment combined body electro-acupuncture, ear acupuncture and ear acupressure in both groups. Daily cigarette consumption fell in both groups, but more so in the test group. At the end of treatment, 31 ...

ACUPUNCTURE & SUBSTANCE ABUSE

Categories: Substance abuse

Auricular acupuncture continues to gain popularity as an adjunct to substance abuse treatment. In a study carried out by Merle West Center for Medical Research, thirty-seven patients who received acupuncture (AC) during the early weeks of treatment were followed for 180 days postadmission. Data were collected for four parameters: 1. program ret ...