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| Credit: The Malaysian Insider |
Tai Chi can be used as an effective form of
exercise therapy for people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)*,
according to new findings.
It is well known that moderate forms of
exercise can help COPD patients to improve their exercise tolerance, symptoms
of breathlessness and their overall quality of life.
The most comprehensive and conclusive study
of its kind, published in the European Respiratory Journal, suggests that
Sun-style Tai Chi is more effective than usual medical care and may be as
beneficial, as the traditional exercise of standard pulmonary rehabilitation.
This form of Tai Chi (Sun-style) has been
shown to help people with chronic conditions such as arthritis and involves
less difficult movements enabling people of all ages to perform this martial
art.
The research team worked with 42 people
with COPD; half the group attended Tai Chi lessons twice a week and practised
at home, and the other half followed their usual medical management, which did
not include exercise.
The researchers tested the exercise
capacity of all participants with a walking test and measured muscle strength
and balance, as well as asking all participants to complete the Chronic
Respiratory Disease Questionnaire to give an indication of how quality of life
is affected by the disease. http://www.thoracic.org/statements/resources/archive/rrdquacer.pdf
Compared to the group completing the usual
medical management, participants completing the Tai Chi exercise performed 75
percent better in the walking test and had a significantly higher score in the
questionnaire.
"Our results showed an improvement in
exercise capacity and quality of life, but also in muscle strength and balance,
which had never been shown in previous Tai Chi studies in people with
COPD," says lead author, Regina Leung from the Concord Repatriation
General Hospital, Sydney.
"Improvement in balance and muscle
strength of the lower limbs is very important in reducing the risk of falls for
people with COPD, who are generally more at risk as their balance tends to be
worse than others in the same age group."
The results also showed that the intensity
of the Tai Chi was moderate, which met the recommendations for exercise
training for people with COPD.
###
The above story is based on the August 10,
2012 news release by the European Lung Foundation.
http://www.european-lung-foundation.org/
The research, which was published online ahead
of print in the European Respiratory Journal:
Leung R, McKeough Z, Peters M, Alison J. Short-form Sun-style Tai Chi as an exercise
training modality in people with COPD. Eur
Respir J, published ahead of print
2012. DOI: 10.1183/09031936.00036912
Watch the traditional Sun Style Tai Chi Chuan,
the 38 Step demonstrated on this video clip by Faye Yip.
We are unable to recommend any Sun Style
Tai Chi Chuan classes in the Klang valley. But if you are interested in Tai Chi
Qigong Shibashi, you can join us every Tuesdays and Fridays, 8.30pm at the
courtyard of Hin Hua High School, Klang.
Tai
Chi Qigong Shibashi is a Qigong which based on the
philosophy of Tai Chi and extracts some of the best movements from the Yang
style Tai Chi Chuan. It places emphasis on synchronizing the 18 movements with
proper breathing techniques. It is a gentle, beautiful and flowing Qigong
exercise routine that is both a joy to do and deeply relaxing. Instruction
manual and other resources of this qigong available at www.taichi18.com for free download.
Chronic
obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is one of the
most common lung diseases. It makes it difficult to breathe. There are two main
forms of COPD:
- Chronic bronchitis, which involves a long-term cough with mucus
- Emphysema, which involves destruction of the lungs over time
Most people with COPD have a combination of
both conditions. Smoking is the leading cause of COPD.
Click HERE for more information on COPD.
