Tai chi boosts elderly immune system against shingles
- From: "Roman Bystrianyk" <rbystrianyk@xxxxxxxxx>
- Date: 27 Mar 2007 05:39:29 -0700
"Tai chi boosts elderly immune system against shingles", Reuters,
March 23, 2007,
Link: http://www.reuters.com/article/gc08/idUSL234039820070323
A slow-movement form of exercise known as tai chi can strengthen the
immune system in the elderly and boost the potency of a vaccine
against the virus that causes shingles, researchers said on Friday.
They found that tai chi, a westernized version of the 2,000-year-old
Chinese martial art, improved the immune system in the elderly against
the painful, blistery rash that is caused by the same virus as
chickenpox.
When tai chi, which involves a series of movements, was combined with
a vaccine against shingles the immunity in the patients reached levels
seen in younger people.
"These are exciting findings, because the positive results of this
study also have implications for other infectious diseases like
influenza and pneumonia," said Professor Michael Irwin, lead author of
the study from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).
"Since older adults often show blunted protective responses to
vaccines, this study suggests that tai chi is an approach that might
complement and augment the efficacy of other vaccines, such as
influenza," he added in a statement.
Shingles is caused by the varicella zoster virus. People who had
chicken pox as children are susceptible to shingles. The virus can
remain dormant in the body and as the immune system weakens with age
it may cause shingles, which can be very painful and usually lasts
three to five weeks.
About one third of adults over 60 years old will suffer from shingles,
according to the researchers.
In a study published in the April issue of the Journal of the American
Geriatrics Society, Irwin and his team compared 112 elderly people who
took tai chi classes three times a week for 16 weeks and others who
attended health education classes.
Both groups were also immunized with a dose of a shingles vaccine. At
the end of the 25-week study the level of immunity of people who did
tai chi was two times higher than the other group. They also
functioned better physically and mentally.
.
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