April 20, 2007 – Tai chi may protect the elderly from shingles. The results of a recent clinical trial in the United States1 indicate that practicing the movements of this Chinese technique increases the resistance of the immune system against the virus that causes chickenpox and shingles (varicellovirus).
The team of Dr Michael Irwin of the University of California conducted his clinical trial in 112 people aged 59 to 86 who had all had chickenpox as children. The participants followed, for four months, either three weekly sessions of 40 minutes of tai chi, or an equivalent program (three weekly sessions of 40 minutes) of general health information.
From start to finish, researchers periodically analyzed blood samples from participants to determine their level of immunity to the patient. varicellovirus. Initially, this immune activity, known as cell-mediated immunity (CMI), was similar in the two groups. The results indicate that the cell-mediated immunity of people who did tai chi was higher than that of subjects in the control group from the eighth week of intervention.
At the end of the 16-week program, all subjects received a dose of a chickenpox vaccine. The researchers report that the vaccine’s effects on participants’ immune activity were twice as strong in those who had done tai chi as in members of the control group. They conclude that the practice of the movements of this martial art has the effect of stimulating the specific immunity to the varicellovirus and to improve the efficacy of the conventional vaccine against the effects of this virus.
Remember that shingles is a resurgence of varicellovirus, in adulthood, in people who had chickenpox during their childhood. At the time of the first attack of the disease, the child’s body learns to immunize itself against the effects of the virus. However, this immunity against varicellovirus decreases with age, which can lead to the development of shingles. It is estimated that 20% of people who contracted chickenpox as a child have shingles, usually after the age of 50.
Pierre Lefrançois – PasseportSanté.net
According to Eurekalert.org.
1. Irwin MR, Olmstead R, Oxman MN. Augmenting immune responses to varicella zoster virus in older adults: a randomized, controlled trial of tai chi. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2007 Apr; 55 (4): 511-7.
