Tai chi eases fibromyalgia pain, says researchers

Due to the lack of effective treatments for this condition, researchers have shown that tai chi is worth considering.

The August 2010 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine reported on a randomised controlled study conducted by American investigators. The trial showed that tai chi is more effective at relieving the pain and other symptoms of fibromyalgia than conventional stretching exercises.

66 patients were randomly assigned to either twice- weekly 1 hour sessions of either Yang style tai chi or a control intervention consisting of wellness education and stretching over a 12 week period.

The researchers reported that all 33 patients in the tai chi group saw greater improvements in mood, quality of life, sleep and exercise capacity. These improvements were significantly greater than those seen in the stretching group and were maintained after a follow up period of 12 weeks. They also noted no adverse effects at 24 weeks after the study and the improvements were sustained.

Yang style tai chi is the type of tai chi taught at the Golden Lion Academy. Note that two sessions per week is recommended in order to see improvements.

Click here to read a story about one of our students who defeated fibromyalgia with tai chi.

How to treat fribromyalgia

You can help yourself as follows:

1. Plan your stressful or vigorous activities around your condition because it is normal to have good and bad days.

2. Even if you cannot sleep, try to rest or meditate.

3. Be careful not to increase your body weight; eat a healthy balanced diet.

4. Get some gentle exercise such as tai chi, clinical trials have shown it can ease this ailment.

5. Make an appointment with an experienced acupuncturist and Chinese herbalist to receive treatment, it can be very helpful.

6. See your GP (western medical doctor) to arrange further investigation; for example, blood tests to rule out other conditions such as viral disease, diabetes, thyroid problems, liver, kidney or joint disease or even iron and vitamin deficiencies.

This condition is difficult to treat so it can take a few months before improvements can be seen. So be patient with your treatment plan and make sure you persevere with it.

For more information about fibromyalgia, please click here

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