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Tai
Chi May Help Prevent Shingles
Tai chi exercises may help prevent shingles, U.S. researchers
reported.
Tests on 36 older men and women showed the combination of
relaxation and movement used in tai chi boosted immunity
to the virus that causes the painful outbreaks.
"Our findings offer a unique and exciting example of
mind over matter," said Dr. Michael Irwin of the Neuropsychiatric
Institute at the University of California Los Angeles.
The study, published in the September edition of the journal
Psychosomatic Medicine, did not show whether tai chi practitioners
were less likely to ever develop shingles.
Shingles affects people who had chickenpox when younger.
The herpes virus that causes chickenpox, called varicella,
lingers in the body, infecting nerve cells.
When immunity to the virus weakens, usually with age, it
can cause painful blisters on the skin. The pain can be
severe and can linger for years.
Irwin's team tested 36 men and women with an average age
of 70. None had ever suffered an outbreak of shingles but
all had once had chickenpox.
Half, or 18, took tai chi chih (TCC) courses for 45 minutes
three days a week, while the rest did nothing extra.
"TCC is a westernized version of Tai Chi Chuan, an
exercise form that has existed as a martial art in the Chinese
culture for 2000 years and as an exercise for elderly people
for around 300 years," the researchers wrote.
Tai chi consists of slow and precise movements that include
coordinated breathing.
Fifteen weeks later, the researchers tested their immune
systems and also their general physical condition.
Those who had done tai chi not only felt healthier, but
had a boost of up to 50 percent of immune system cells called
memory T-cells that are specifically guided to recognize
and attack varicella.
"A large body of research shows how behavior can negatively
affect the immune system and health, but ours is the first
randomized, controlled study to demonstrate that behavior
can have a positive effect on immunity that protects against
shingles," Irwin said.
Article Source: Reuters Health
Article Author: N/A
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