September 20, 2007 – Tai chi and Qigong, two traditional Chinese techniques, may stimulate the immune system of the elderly. These practices would increase their production of antibodies specific to influenza, after administration of an influenza vaccine.
A team of researchers from the University of Illinois in the United States recently published the results of a pilot study1 conducted among 50 elderly people who had just received an influenza vaccine. Twenty-seven of them participated, for five months, in three weekly sessions of one hour each of tai chi and Qigong. The researchers took blood samples from the subjects before the vaccine was administered, and then three, six and twenty weeks later.
Analysis of these samples revealed that those who performed both techniques produced more influenza-specific antibodies than subjects in the control group.
The immune system of some elderly people does not respond effectively to the administration of influenza vaccines. Despite the results, researchers are still uncertain whether the increased antibodies might be enough to protect them against the flu. More rigorous clinical trials will need to be conducted with more subjects before it can be said that this approach can improve vaccine effectiveness, they point out.
The mechanism by which these energy training techniques could stimulate the immune system is not known. Other clinical trials have found that practicing tai chi in seniors can reduce the risk of falls, relieve arthritis symptoms and protect against shingles.
Pierre Lefrançois – PasseportSanté.net
According to Reuters Health.
1. Yang Y, Verkuilen J, et al. Effects of a taiji and qigong intervention on the antibody response to influenza vaccine in older adults. Am J Chin Med. 2007; 35 (4): 597-607.
