There are other areas in which tai c’hi may be of interest to older
patients. There is some evidence that tai c’hi improves the range of motion
of the ankle, hip and knee in people with rheumatoid arthritis. A study
showed that tai c’hi did not improve people’s ability to carry out household
chores, joint tenderness, grip strength or their number of swollen joints nor
did it increase their symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis, but people felt that
they improved when doing the exercises and enjoyed it.^207 It is still not
known if it improves pain in rheumatoid arthritis or that person’s quality of
life. It is also not clear how much, how intense and for how long tai c’hi
should be done to see benefits.
Wayne et al. evaluated the evidence for tai c’hi as an intervention to
reduce rate of bone loss in postmenopausal women.^208 RCTs, prospective
cohort studies and cross-sectional studies that included tai c’hi as an inter-
vention, and had at least one outcome related to measurement of bone
mineral density (BMD), were included. Conclusions on the impact of tai c’hi
on BMD are limited by the quantity and quality of research to date. This
limited evidence suggests that tai c’hi may be an effective, safe and practical
intervention for maintaining BMD in postmenopausal women. In combina-
tion with research that indicates that tai c’hi can positively impact other risk
factors associated with low BMD (e.g. reduced fall frequency, increased
musculoskeletal strength), further methodologically sound research is
warranted to better evaluate the impact of tai c’hi practice on BMD and
fracture risk in postmenopausal women. However, less encouraging results
emerged from an RCT carried out in Hong Kong.^209 The effects of tai c’hi
(TC) and resistance exercise (RTE) were investigated on BMD, muscle
strength, balance and flexibility in community living older people; 180 indi-
viduals (90 men, 90 women) aged 65–74 were involved. No effect was
observed in men. No difference in balance, flexibility or the number of falls
was observed between intervention and controls after 12 months.
Other traditional medicine related to TCM
Traditional Tibetan medicine
Tibetan medicine is reputed to be the most comprehensive form of Eurasian
healthcare and the world’s first integrative medicine.^210 Incorporating rigorous
systems of meditative self-healing and ascetic self-care from India, it includes
a world-class paradigm of mind/body and preventive medicine. Adapting the
therapeutic philosophy and contemplative science of Indian Buddhism to the
quality of secular life and death, traditional Tibetan medicine (TTM) features
the world’s most effective systems of positive and palliative healthcare. Based
on qualitative theories and intersubjective methods, it involves predictions and
therapies shown to be more accurate and effective than those of modern
Traditional Chinese medicine | 181