Health in brief: Tai Chi help for parkinson's patients

 

Health in brief

Compiled by Syida Lizta Amirul Ihsan

Tai Chi help for parkinson's patients

SUFFERERS of Parkinson's disease often experience shaking limbs and stiff muscles, making movement increasing difficult.

Now scientists have found that practising tai chi, an ancient Chinese martial art, can improve their balance and ability to walk.

A team from the Oregon Research Institute assigned nearly 200 patients who practiced either tai chi, resistance-training or stretching twice weekly at 60 minutes per session. Those who did the gentle martial art out-performed the stretching and resistance-training groups in tests of balance and length of stride when walking.

The tai chi group also experienced fewer falls than the stretchers, and just as many falls as the resistance-trainers.

“These results are clinically significant because they suggest that tai chi, a low-to-moderate impact exercise, may be used as an add-on to current physical therapies, to address some of the key clinical problems in Parkinson's disease,” said lead author Fuzhong Li. – Daily Mail

No cancer benefits seen in supplements

A NEW study testing B vitamins and omega-3 fatty acids for cancer prevention has found no beneficial effect and - at least for women - some possibility of harm.

In this placebo-controlled five-year study, published Monday in The Archives of Internal Medicine, French researchers divided 2,501 survivors of cardiovascular illness ages 45 to 80 into four groups.

The first took daily supplements of vitamin B9, vitamin B6 and vitamin B12, the second took two kinds of omega-3 fatty acids, the third took vitamin B6, vitamin B12 and omega-3 and the last took a placebo.

There were 174 cases of primary cancers among the participants, all confirmed by pathology. After controlling for dozens of other factors, the researchers found that neither the B vitamins nor the omega-3 fatty acids had any effect among the men. But there was an increased rate of cancer incidence and mortality among women who took the omega-3 supplements.

Valentina A. Andreeva, a post-doctoral researcher in epidemiology at the University of Paris who led the study, said that only 29 cancers were found in women, not a large enough number to draw broad conclusions. Still, she said, “we’re dealing with active substances that may not have beneficial effects and may have adverse effects, especially over the long term.” – NYT

Lack of sleep can make you ill

A DISTURBED sleeping pattern can lead to illness, scientists say.

Researchers have found that the circadian clock – the genetic mechanism which regulates our sleep – controls the level of a gene vital to our immune system.

Scientists from Yale University linked the gene TLR-9 to the cycle in mice. When the gene was at its most active, it was able to respond best to bacteria and viruses and the mice responded better to infection and vaccinations.

In theory, the principles should also apply for the same gene in humans.

Disruptions to the cycle can make us more susceptible to illness, reports journal Immunity. This suggests that jet lag may contribute directly to illness and that there may be ideal times of the day to receive vaccinations.

Professor Erol Fikrig said: “People intuitively know that when their sleep patterns are disturbed, they are more likely to get sick.” – Daily Mail