Meditation, Tai Chi, and moderate aerobic exercise have been shown to positively affect executive attention. We compared the executive attention efficiency and aerobic capacity of long-term Tai Chi, meditation plus exercise, aerobic fitness, and sedentary participants. We hypothesized that because meditation and Tai Chi include moderate aerobic exertion and executive attention training, these groups would show significantly greater executive attention efficiency compared to aerobic exercisers or sedentary control groups. Our results support this. Tai Chi and meditation but not aerobic fitness practitioners significantly outperformed sedentary controls on key executive measures: percent switch costs and P3b ERP switch amplitude (Tai Chi, p = .001; p = .031, respectively; meditation, p = .006; p = .003, respectively). This suggests participation in chronic health practices requiring moderate aerobic exertion and attentional focus may offset declines in aerobic, neuromotor, and executive attention capacity often seen in normal aging.

Quedas no idoso pode ser um evento devastador. Deve ser estimulada a conscientização desse grupo quanto aos benefícios de se manterem ativos. O tai chi chuan é um exercício de prática esportiva moderada que demonstra aumento no equilíbrio, marcha e postura. O objetivo foi avaliar a influência dessa modalidade no equilíbrio, postura e marcha de idosos ativos e saudáveis. Foi realizado um estudo transversal controlado com 76 voluntários, com 51 participantes da atividade para o equilíbrio, idade média de76, 8 anos. Foram utilizados quatro testes do Sistema Balance Master da Neurocom. Para análise dos dados a comparação das idades nos dois grupos utilizou-se o teste de Mann-Whitney (Siegel, 2006). O mesmo teste foi utilizado para todas as comparações entre os dois grupos quanto ao Teste Clínico Modificado da Interação Sensorial para o Equilíbrio (TCISEM), Teste da Caminhada (TC), Teste da Transferência de Sentado para em Pé (TSP) e Teste da avaliação Unipodal (TUP). O grupo do tai chi chuan apresentou valores significativos no equilíbrio e maior capacidade de recuperação. / Falls in the elderly can be a devastating event. Should be encouraged awareness about the benefits of this group to remain active exercises. Tai-chi-chuan is an exercise in sports practice demonstrates that moderate increases in balance, gait and posture. The objective was to evaluate the influence of this modality in the balance, posture and gait of elderly people active and independent. Was conducted a cross-controlled study with 76 volunteers, with 51 participants in the activity for the balance, average age de76, 8 years. We used four tests of the system\'s Balance Master Neurocom.For analysis of the data to compare the two age groups using the Mann-Whitney test (. Siegel, 2006). The same test was used for all comparisons between the two groups on the Modified Clinical Test of Sensory Integration for the balance (TCISEM), the Walk Test (CT), Test of the Transfer of sitting for standing (TSP) and Test of the evaluation Leg (TUP). The group of tai chi chuan showed significant values in the balance and gait.

abstract: Weight gain and unfavorable body composition are prevalent among midlife and older women; shifts in these characteristics can have detrimental implications on emotional and physical health and longevity. Efforts to attenuate weight-related factors detailing the potential development of obesity are traditionally driven by manipulation of nutrition and/or physical activity; however, sustained results are limited. Novel and integrative approaches are needed to reduce the burden of adverse changes in weight and associated consequences. This dissertation is built around a model of effects of Tai Chi/Qigong in body composition and a pilot test of this intervention and model factors in a group of midlife/older women (N = 36). Three resulting manuscripts include: 1) a proposed biobehavioral model detailing how a Tai Chi/Qigong intervention may improve weight-related outcomes through psychological, behavioral, and physiological pathways, 2) a paper examining pre- to post- intervention differences in the primary outcomes of percent body fat, sleep quality, and emotional eating and the exploratory outcomes of perceived stress, mood state, mindfulness, self-compassion and body awareness; and 3) an exploratory analysis examining correlations between primary (sleep quality, emotional eating), exploratory (perceived stress, mood state, mindfulness, self-compassion and body awareness), and neurophysiological (heart rate variability) outcomes of interest—further, regression models were conducted to explore the predictive value of the independent variables on the dependent variables and associated changes. In manuscript two, dependent t-tests were used to assess pre/post-differences (percent body fat and survey measures); this single group study (8-weeks of Tai Chi/Qigong) did not have a control group. Results of manuscript two demonstrate significant changes in sleep quality (p = .04), perceived stress (p = .05), and body awareness (p = .01). Findings of manuscript three indicate changes in the dependent variable of sleep quality were partially explained by perceived stress (adjusted R2 = 13.4%) and changes in the dependent variable of emotional eating were significantly explained by self-compassion (adjusted R2 = 42.1%). In the context of weight gain and unfavorable body composition in midlife/older women, results of this pilot study, using a standardized Tai Chi/Qigong intervention, indicate that select psycho-emotional factors may be important to explore further. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Nursing and Healthcare Innovation 2019

Bakgrund: Parkinsons sjukdom (PS) är en kronisk sjukdom med progressivt förlopp där nedsatt balans och ökad fallrisk tidigt blir ett problem. På senare tid har alternativa träningsformer som bland annat innefattar stegstrategier anpassats till personer med PS, dock är det vetenskapliga underlaget rörande dess effektivitet oklart. Syfte: Att granska kunskapsläget avseende alternativa träningsformer såsom tai chi, dans och boxning som behandling för att motverka nedsatt balans hos personer med PS. Resultatet presenterar relevanta studiers effekt på balans, samt gradering av evidensens kvalitet. Metod: Litteraturstudie valdes som design. Datainsamling gjordes genom sökning i databaserna PubMed och PEDro. Författarna  kvalitetsgranskade inkluderade studierna med granskningsmallen TESTEX, därefter  granskades studiernas resultat och slutligen sammanvägd tillförlitlighet med GRADEstud.  Resultat: Nio studier med totalt 608 deltagare inkluderades i studien. Studiernas kvalitet varierade mellan 8-12 poäng vid kvalitetsgranskning med TESTEX. Fyra studier fann signifikant förbättring i balans jämfört med kontroll. En inkluderad studie undersökte boxning, utan att skillnad mellan grupperna identifierades. Det samlade evidensläget för tai chi respektive dans som behandling vid nedsatt balans vid PS bedöms vara lågt, detta främst på grund av heterogenitet i studierna. Boxning bedöms ha otillräckligt underlag för sammanvägning av resultat. Konklusion: Med den granskade evidensen kan vi i dagsläget inte säga om träningsmodaliteterna är effektiva för att förbättra balans vid PS, men det fanns indikation på att samtliga interventioner har en positiv inverkan på balans. Mer forskning med hög metodologisk kvalitet och större urvalsgrupper behövs. / Background: Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is a chronic disease with a progressive course, where impaired balance and increased risk of falls becomes a problem. In recent times alternative forms of training, which include compensatory stepping responses among other things, have been adopted for people with PD. However, the scientific evidence about its efficacy is unclear. Purpose: To systematically review the evidence surrounding alternative training methods such as tai chi, dance and boxing as a treatment for imparied balance in people with Parkinson's disease. The result presents relevant effects on balance, as well as a grading of the quality of the evidence. Method: The search for literature was carried out on the databases PubMed and PEDro. The authors reviewed the quality of the included studies with the assessment tool TESTEX. After that the results of the studies were reviewed, and lastly the reliability was assessed with GRADEstud. Results: Nine studies with a total of 608 participants were included in the study. Studies ranged from 8-12 points in the quality assessment. Four studies found significant improvement in balance in comparison to control. One of the included studies examined boxing, the study found no difference between groups. The reliability of evidence for tai chi and dance as treatment for impaired balance was assessed to be low, mainly because of heterogeneity in the studies. Boxing did not meet the requirements for an assessment of the reliability. Conclusion: The result does not provide us with enough knowledge to determine whether these training methods are effective for improving balance in PS, but there were indications of a positive impact on balance caused by the interventions. More research with high methodological quality and larger sample groups is needed.

Tai Chi Chuan is a safe alternative for those who wish to improve balance and physical wellbeing. It is a popular form of exercise that is supported by a growing body of research aimed towards improving the health of a sedentary elderly population. The purpose of this study was to examine the biomechanical features of the lower extremity during performance of two Tai Chi movements, the “Repulse Monkey (RM)” and “Wave-hands in clouds (WHIC).” The study’s parameters included quantitative measures of the temporospatial, kinematic, and kinetic characteristics of the lower extremities. A group of experienced male Tai Chi practitioners (n = 15) between the ages of 65 to 75, performed “Repulse Monkey (RM)”, “Wave-hand in Cloud (WHIC)”, and forward walking. Three-dimensional (3-D) kinematic and kinetic data was collected using VICON motion analysis system with 10 infrared cameras and 4 force plates. The following variables were examined: stride width, step length, step width, single- and double-support times, centre of mass (COM) displacement, peak joint angles, range of motion, peak joint moments, time to peak moment, and ground reaction force (GRF). The differences in the measurements of the two Tai Chi movements were compared with walking using two-way ANOVA. The study’s results showed that the two Tai Chi movements elicit gentle and fluid changes to position of the upper body mass and the joints in the lower extremity. In terms of joint kinematics, the knee remained flexed throughout RM and WHIC. Unlike walking, RM had larger abduction and adduction angles at the knee joints and large plantar- and dorsiflexion ROM at the ankle. Reduced posterior, mediolateral, and vertical GRF were seen; the loading joints at the ankle and hip were gentle and smaller than walking. Varus/valgus moments were notably larger at the knee joint during RM and eversion moment was larger at the ankle joint during WHIC movement. A large, but slow loading rate at the knee joint has implication towards the viscoelastic properties of the knee. A better understanding of RM and WHIC would facilitate the improvement of balance, physical capacity, and joint flexibility for the elders.

The thesis "Taoism in European terms at the beginning of 21st century. Presentation of this phenomenon in Christian perspective." Taoism as the original Chinese philosophical and religious system, which deeply influenced Chinese Buddhism and Confucianism, is presented in this thesis. The main principles of Taoism and Taoist writings are introduced. Taoism penetrates into different areas of contemporary European culture; its influence is evident in science, literature and the contemporary lifestyle. Special emphasis is placed on traditional Chinese medicine and Taoist exercises that are significantly beneficial to Westerners. In contrast, the risk is found in uncritical accepting and simplifying of selected aspects without a deeper understanding of the principles of Taoism and its tradition. These benefits and risks are documented by publications of Christian theologians. The difference in Eastern and Western thinking is the cause of the difficulty of mutual understanding of both cultures. Keywords Taoism, Chinese philosophy, Chinese traditional medicine, healing, Tai Chi, Christianity

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of Tai Chi exercise on motor skills in older adults residing in independent living. Twenty-eight self-ambulatory older adults (age: 77 8.92; male: N = 1, female: N = 27) with no serious or restrictive health conditions, MMSE score 21, or recent surgery, completed this study. Participants engaged in one-hour biweekly Tai Chi exercise or BINGO sessions for eight weeks. Fine and gross motor skills were tested at four time-points throughout the study. Repeated measures 2x4 [2(Tai Chi exercise x BINGO) x 4(Baseline x Intraintervention x Post x Retention)] RM ANOVA was used with alpha of 0.05. Significant differences noted in fine motor function tasks (nondominant > dominant hand), and for the 6MWT, suggesting that Tai Chi exercise or BINGO may help older adults to perform activities of daily living, maintain independency, and gain a better quality of life.

In people with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) balance impairments may lead to increased falls and mobility loss. In quiet stance, people with MS display greater postural sway than healthy controls. Tai Chi is a Chinese martial art that has decreased the risk of falling in frail elderly individuals (Wolf et al., 1996). The purpose of this study was to determine if a three week Tai Chi intervention would improve postural stability in people with MS. Seven participants (6F/1M, age 48.5 ± 10.8 years, height 1.66 ± 0.08m, mass 68.6 ± 19.8kg) attended nine one hour training sessions to practice two types of Tai Chi: standing meditation and slow walking. Postural stability was assessed before and after training using average center of pressure (CoP) velocity, total excursion and time to contact (TtC) for the static trials, and dual and single limb support times for the walking trials. To measure postural stability trials of quiet stance (QS), Tai Chi standing meditation with (SMA) and without arms (SM), tandem stance (TS), preferred speed walking (PW) and slow speed walking (SW) were assessed. Kinematic data recorded by a 12 camera motion capture system (Qualysis AB), and kinetic data collected from a single forceplate (AMTI) were used to compute net CoP. Because functional parameters can influence stability, strength obtained from a chair rise test and neural drive obtained from a foot tapping test were obtained. All results were assessed with paired t-tests (p.05). For SMA, average CoP velocity (p=.006) and excursions (p=.023) increased, and average TtC (p=.020) was reduced. For TS average CoP velocity (p=.06) and excursions (p=.09) trended towards decreased values, and average TtC (p=.045) increased. With the exception of increased left single limb support time (p=.009) PW and SW were not affected by the intervention. In conclusion, the increased neural drive, muscular strength, and postural stability in TS supports the idea that a three week Tai Chi intervention is effective at improving static balance in people with MS.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurological condition that can lead to changes to gait and postural stability of people with this condition. Tai Chi (TC) has been recommended for the management of PD by improving muscle strength, balance, and coordination. However, biomechanics research in TC for PD is lacking. This thesis investigated the effects of a biomechanical-based TC intervention program for people in the early-stage of PD by realizing three specific research objectives: 1) to develop a biomechanical-based TC intervention program for PD; 2) to examine the effects of a 12-week TC intervention on gait and postural stability in people with PD, by pre-test and post-test biomechanical analysis of obstacle crossing; 3) to explore the neuromuscular effects of TC intervention on gait and postural stability by analyzing the electromyography (EMG) activity of the lower limb muscles during obstacle crossing. Seven typical TC movements were selected, including Starting Form, Hero Touch Sky, Push Hand Back, Brush Knee and Twist Step, Repulse Monkey, Wave-hand in Cloud, and Lateral Forward Step to develop the TC intervention program. The joint angles, joint moment, and EMG signals of lower limbs muscles were analyzed during performance of the selected TC movements by an experienced TC master aged 38 years. Results showed that the selected TC movements are characterized by multidirectional movements, greater joint movement angles of the lower limb, and more active muscle activity than walking. The TC intervention program was formed based on the biomechanics analysis of the seven TC movements. The program consisted of 5-10 min warm up, 40 minutes of core activities, and 5 min cool down. To examine the effects of a biomechanical-based TC intervention program on gait and postural stability and to explore the neuromuscular effects of TC intervention on the lower limb muscles in people with PD, fifteen individuals in the early stage of PD (n = 15, Hoehn and Yahr stages 1 to 2; age 72.0 ± 6.9) participated in a 12-week online TC intervention, and 15 age- and sex-matched healthy participants (n = 15) served as control. The 3D motion data of the lower limb and EMG signals from the rectus femoris, adductor longus, tibialis anterior, semitendinosus, gluteus medius, tensor fasciae latae, and medial and lateral gastrocnemius muscles were collected during obstacle crossing from both groups using Vicon motion analysis system before intervention in both groups and after TC intervention in the TC group. Obstacle crossing was used to challenge the participants' gait and postural stability. Gait was assessed by measuring the temporospatial parameters such as crossing stride length, crossing step length, and crossing speed. Postural stability was assessed by measuring toe and clearance distance, pre- and post-horizontal distance, displacement and velocity of center of mass (COM), and COM-center of pressure (COP) separation. To examine the neuromuscular activity of the lower limbs following TC training, the ratio of the peak EMG, the integrated EMG (iEMG), and the ratio of the peak EMG and iEMG antagonistic pairs of the leading and trailing limb were examined during obstacle crossing and walking. In addition, the timed up-and-go test (TUG) and single-leg stance with eyes open and closed were tested. VICON Nexus, custom MATLAB scripts, and SPSS software (version 20) were used to analyze the data. Analysis of the PD participants' obstacle crossing performance revealed that they had significantly slower gait speed, smaller hip flexion angles, and larger knee adduction angles of the trailing limb, significantly larger mediolateral (ML) COM displacement and COM-COP separation distance, and significantly higher peak EMG ratios of the adductor longus, gluteus medius, and tensor fasciae latae (p < 0.05) than the healthy participants. Following the 12-week TC intervention, the PD participants had significantly increased crossing stride length, significantly decreased ML COM-COP separation (p < 0.05) and significantly increased AP COM displacement (p < 0.05), and increased EMG activity of the tibialis anterior in the leading and trailing limbs during obstacle crossing, whereas the activity of the gluteus medius and adductor longus in the leading limb decreased (p < 0.05). Moreover, the significant differences in the EMG of the gluteus medius and tensor fasciae latae muscles between PD and healthy participants found in pre-test were no longer present. After the TC intervention, the PD participants significantly improved their performance on the TUG test (p = 0.002). Therefore, people with early-stage PD presented changed gait and postural stability as well as changed neuromuscular activity of the lower limb. The 12-week online biomechanical-based TC intervention improved their gait and postural stability, particularly dynamic postural stability as measured by the COM-COP separation in people with early-stage PD. Compared to walking, performing the TC movements involved larger changes in the lower limb angles, range of motion, and higher muscle activity, particularly in the hip abductors and adductors. These characteristics of the TC movements could provide training to strengthen the muscles and improve the range of motion of the lower limbs. The gait and postural stability improvements following TC intervention are consistent with the neuromuscular activity changes in gluteus medius, tensor fasciae latae, and adductor longus muscles, indicating the mechanisms of TC training. The 12-week online biomechanical-based TC intervention program helped to decrease the ML COM-COP separation distance and could be used for the management of PD in the early stages of this condition.

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