Tai Chi—the ‘slow motion’ exercise from China—can combat the worst symptoms of Parkinson’s disease (PD) and slow its progress.
PD patients who practise the exercise for around four years improve their motor skills and have fewer symptoms than non-exercisers.
Researchers from the Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine in China have tested the merits of Tai Chi on 330 PD patients; 143 of them practised the exercises for just over four years and any deterioration in their symptoms was compared to the rest of the group that didn’t exercise.
By the end of the trial, the Tai Chi group had fewer Parkinsonian symptoms and most didn’t need to take drugs such as levodopa, but if they did, it was on a far lower dose.
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