Tai Chi Chih Therapy May Boost Cell-Mediated Immunity in Patients With Shingles

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April 13, 2007 — Tai Chi Chih therapy boosted cell-mediated immunity in patients with shingles to levels comparable to those achieved with the herpes zoster vaccine, according to the results of a randomized controlled trial reported in the April issue of the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

"Cell-mediated immunity (CMI) to varicella zoster virus (VZV) is thought to be pivotal in determining the risk of herpes zoster," write Michael R. Irwin, MD, from the University of California in Los Angeles, and colleagues. "Efforts to elicit increases in VZV-specific CMI might provide protection against herpes zoster and postherpetic neuralgia."

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of a behavioral intervention, the traditional Chinese martial art of Tai Chi, on resting and vaccine-stimulated levels of CMI to VZV and on health functioning in older adults. Tai Chi Chih, a westernized, standardized version of Tai Chi, was used.

In 2 urban US communities between 2001 and 2005, 112 healthy older adults aged 59 to 86 years were randomized to Tai Chi Chih or health education for 25 weeks. After 16 weeks of intervention, subjects were vaccinated with VARIVAX (Merck & Co Inc), the live attenuated Oka/Merck VZV vaccine licensed to prevent varicella.

The main outcome was a quantitative measure of VZV-CMI, and secondary outcomes were scores on the Medical Outcomes Study 36-item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36).

Compared with the health education group, the Tai Chi Chih group had higher levels of VZV-CMI (P < .05) and a rate of increase nearly twice as high (P < .001). Tai Chi Chih alone was associated with an increase in VZV-CMI that was comparable in magnitude to that induced by varicella vaccine, and the 2 were additive. Tai Chi Chih plus vaccine was associated with a substantially higher level of VZV-CMI than was vaccine alone. The Tai Chi Chih group also showed improvements in SF-36 scores for physical functioning, bodily pain, vitality, and mental health (P < .05).

Study limitations include the possibility that observed increases in memory T-cells could reflect redistribution, rather than increases in total pool size; lack of generalizability to older adults with significant medical morbidity or with lower levels of treatment adherence; nonblinding of subjects; and inability to determine whether Tai Chi Chih decreased the incidence of shingles.

"Tai Chi augments resting levels of VZV-specific CMI and boosts VZV-CMI of the varicella vaccine," the authors write. "The capacity of TCC [Tai Chi Chih] to increase the number of circulating VZV-specific memory T-cells may generalize to memory T-cells specific for antigens of other pathogens that cause severe disease in older adults, such as influenza viruses and Streptococcus pneumoniae. Furthermore, for infectious diseases for which no vaccine is yet available (e.g., human immunodeficiency virus, avian influenza), the capacity of a behavioral intervention such as TCC to increase resting levels of memory T-cells may offer unique benefits."

The National Institute of Aging and the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine supported this study. The authors have disclosed no relevant financial relationships.

J Am Geriatr Soc. 2007;55:511-517.

Source: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/555149?src=mp

[amanda]

Tai chi also promotes weight loss, its because it triggers the stimulation of the mind and body connection.  As a result their is an increased of strength, and increased of metabolism.