By Wendy Haaf
For people with Parkinson’s disease (PD), practising tai chi twice a week appears to both moderate the severity of symptoms and reduce the likelihood of complications over the long term.
Researchers compared two groups of people with PD: 147 attended tai chi classes for one hour twice a week, while 187 simply continued with their usual care.
Over a total follow-up period of more than five years, overall symptoms, movement, balance, and cognition declined more slowly among participants who practised tai chi than among the control group.
The tai chi group also had less need for increased medication and lower complication rates and saw continuous improvement in sleep and quality of life.
Source: Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry
