It has no effect on functional parameters, but improves the quality of life and helps to increase daily physical activity. “Historically, patients with decompensation have been considered unfit for physical activity.”
26 APR – Tai Chi, the ancient Chinese martial art now converted into a gymnastics technique, is effective for improving the quality of life and mood in patients with heart failure. This is supported by a study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the journals of the American Medical Association.” Historically, patients with chronic deficits in contractile function of the ventricle have been considered unfit for physical activity and, since the late 80s, the prohibition of physical activity has become a standard recommendation for these patients,” the authors explained. “Preliminary evidence, however, had shown that ‘meditative exercises’ could exert benefits on these patients. Until now, however, the hypothesis had not been rigorously tested in a large clinical sample.”And this is what researchers from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School in Boston did, evaluating the effectiveness of using the technique for 12 weeks in 50 patients compared with a control group. At the end of the study, there was no difference between the treatment and control groups in functional tests. However, patients who had undergone Thai Chi sessions had a better quality of life and greater belief that they were able to perform physical activity.
“In conclusion, Tai Chi exercises, a multi-composed body-mind technique, is safe and has good adherence rates. It also contributes to increased daily physical activity, quality of life, self-efficacy and mood in frail patients with heart failure,” concluded the authors who stressed the need for broader evaluation of these interventions. A more traditional measurement of the ability to perform physical activity could underestimate the benefits of integrated interventions such as Tai Chi,” they concluded.
Source: QuotidianoSanità.it
http://www.quotidianosanita.it/scienza-e-farmaci/articolo.php?articolo_id=3793
