A Critical Review of the Effectiveness of Tai Chi for Parkinson’s

A literature search of studies of tai chi for Parkinson’s found a total of seven studies that met the researchers inclusion criteria through the end of January 2008. One randomized clinical trial (RCT) found tai chi to be superior to conventional exercise in terms of the UPDRS (the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale) and prevention [...]

Tai chi improves balance and mobility in people with Parkinson’s disease.

Researchers at the Washington University School of Medicine in Saint Louis, Missouri did a pilot study to examine the effects of tai chi on balance, gait and mobility in people with Parkinson’s disease. 33 individuals with Parkinson’s disease were randomly assigned to 20 hour long tai chi classes over a 10-13 week period while the [...]

Individuals with Parkinson’s disease show improvements in physical-performance after tai chi-based exercise program.

Researchers at the Oregon Research Institute in Eugene evaluated a tai chi based exercise pilot-program for older adults with Parkinson’s disease. 17 individuals, average age 72 with mild to moderate Parkinson’s disease were evaluated before and after a 5-day, 90 minute per day tai chi exercise program. Adherence was 100% and the program was shown [...]

Participants report improvements in Tai Chi for Parkinson’s buddy pilot program.

Researchers at D’Youville College in Buffalo conducted a randomized pilot study of a tai chi buddy program where 8 individuals with Parkinson’s disease and 7 support partners without Parkinson’s disease. All participants received a 45-minute per week session of tai chi for 12 weeks. The program was evaluated based on a participant survey, group discussion, [...]

Pilot study of qigong for Parkinson’s disease finds a significant improvement in motor symptoms.

Researchers at the University of Bonn in Germany conducted a randomized pilot study, which assigned 56 patients with Parkinson’s disease to either a qigong group or a control group. The qigong group received 90 minutes per week of qigong instruction for 2 months, followed by a 2-month pause and then 2 additional months of qigong [...]

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