Issue 3, May 2007
FEATURE ARTICLE - Act 43 - Nursing Homes and the Return of Debtor's Prison | HEALTHLINE - Tai Chi Can Boost Immunity Against Shingle |
LIFE CARE PLANNING - Meet The O'Neill Family | CAREGIVER HELPLINE - Caring For Someone With Dementia |

Tai Chi Can Boost Immunity Against Shingles

Tai Chi offers a great way to stay physically and mentally fit. Anyone of any age can do it, even if you have a physical condition or are in a wheelchair. It focuses on strengthening the mind, body and spirit by emphasizing breathing and slow, flowing movements. It can lower blood pressure, improve strength, balance and flexibility, and prevent falls, and can help with cancer treatment, stroke recovery, cardiac rehabilitiation and osteoporosis prevention. And it's easy on the joints.

Now there's news that a form of Tai Chi, Tai Chi Chih, significantly boosts the immune systems of older adults against the virus that leads to the painful, blistery rash known as shingles. A UCLA study with adults ranging in age from 59 to 86 showed that practicing Tai Chi Chih alone boosted immunity to a level comparable to having received the standard vaccine against the shingle-causing Varicella Zoster Virus. These findings show that Tai Chi may have a similar effect against other infectious diseases, such as influenza and pneumonia.

The 25-week study conducted by UCLA, which involved a group of 112 adults ranging in age from 59 to 86, showed that practicing tai chi chih alone boosted immunity to a level comparable to having received the standard vaccine against the shingles-causing Varicella Zoster Virus. When Tai Chi Chih was combined with the vaccine, immunity reached a level normally seen in middle age. The report appeared in the April issue issue of the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

The results, said the lead author Michael Irwin, the Norman Cousins Prefessor of Psychiatry at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA, confirm a positive, virus-specific immune response to a behavioral intervention. The findings demonstrate that Tai Chi Chih can produce a clinically relevant boost in shingles immunity and add to the benefit of the shingles vaccine in older adults.

"These are exciting findings, because the positive results of this study also have implications for other infectious diseases, like influenza and pneumonia," said Irwin, who is also director of the UCLA Cousins Center for Psychoneuroimmunology. "Since older adults often show blunted protective responses to vaccines, this study suggests that Tai Chi is an approach that might compliment and augment the efficiency of other vaccines, such as influenza."

The study divided individuals into two groups. Half took Tai Chi Chih classes three times a week for 16 weeks, while the other half attended health education classes - including advice on stress management, diet and sleep habits - for the same amount of time and did not practice Tai Chi Chih. After 16 weeks, both groups received a dose of the shingles vaccine Varivax. At the end of the 25-week period, the Tai Chi Chih group achieved a level of immunity two times greater than the health education group. The Tai Chi Chih group also showed significant improvements in physical functioning, vitality, mental health and reduction of bodily pain.

The research follows the success of an earlier pilot study that showed a positive immune response from Tai Chi Chih but did not assess its effects when combined with the vaccine.

The Varicella Zoster Virus is the cause of chicken pox in kids. Children who get chicken pox usually recover, but the virus lives on in the body, remaining dormant. As we age, Irwin said, our weakening immune system may allow the virus to re-emerge as shingles. Approximately one-third of adults over 60 will acquire the infection at some point.

"It can be quite painful," Irwin said, "and can result in impairment to a person's quality of life that is comparable to people with congestive heart failure, type II diabetes or major depression.

Tai Chi Chih is a nonmental form of Tai Chi and comprises a standardized series of 20 movements. It combines meditation, relaxation and components of aurobic exercise and is easy to learn.

Copyright © 2004-2009 Levandowski & Darpino, LLC. All rights reserved.

The information you obtain at this site is not, nor is it intended to be, legal advice. You should consult an attorney for individual advice regarding your own situation. Copyright © 2009 by Levandowski & Darpino, LLC. All rights reserved. You may reproduce materials available at this time for your own personal use and for non-commercial distribution. All copies must include this copyright statement.