“Mind-body interventions are commonly used among adults to lessen depressive symptoms. Tai chi practice allows the individual to quiet the mind by dwelling in the present and setting aside unnecessary negative emotions, such as depression,” says study author Dr. Ruth Taylor-Piliae of the University of Arizona, Tucson, US.

Benefits of Tai-chi

The small study enrolled 11 stroke survivors (55% were men) who reported depression symptoms with an average age of 70 years to examine the feasibility of tai chi in them. The tai chi intervention classes (24 basic movements from the Wu style of tai chi) were given to all the stroke survivors three times each week, for a total of eight weeks (shortened duration due to the COVID-19 pandemic).

Standardized questionnaires were used to assess the symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress. Sleep (percentage of time spent sleeping) was assessed during night-time using a triaxial accelerometer.

It was found that there was a significant reduction in symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress after just eight weeks of tai chi when compared to baseline, along with better sleep efficiency, less wakefulness after sleep onset, and less time awake.

The study also measured lower activity of the oxidative stress markers after the intervention in the blood samples collected from the patients. However, there were no significant changes seen in any of the inflammatory markers.

“Our ultimate goal is to see whether tai chi lowers depressive symptoms in stroke survivors and also improves biochemical markers associated with depression. The results of this feasibility study should be interpreted with caution because of the small sample size and lack of a control group. More research is needed before recommendations can be made about tai chi for people who have had a stroke. We hope to do a randomised trial with a 12-week tai chi intervention in a larger group of patients,” says Dr. Taylor-Piliae.

Source: Medindia