Practice Sitting Tai Chi to Recover from a Stroke
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Tai chi, an ancient Chinese martial art, typically involves moving the arms and feet in intricate, slow patterns, but a new study in the American Heart Association journal Stroke found that doing the hand and shoulder movements while sitting in a chair produced significant physical and mental benefits for stroke survivors. Researchers at the Yunnan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, in China, found that after 12 weeks of performing sitting tai chi, 69 stroke patients had better hand and arm function, better sitting balance, a wider range of shoulder motion, less depression and a better quality of life compared to 65 people in a standard stroke rehab program. More than half of those doing the sitting tai chi continued to practice it after the study ended, with continued improvement.
Consider Herbs from Traditional Asian Medicine for Diabetes Diabetes is rampant in the world today, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, but it was also a health condition many centuries ago among Tibetan, Mongolian, Miao, Dai, Uygur and Yi people in East Asia. To identify which diabetes medicines were effective in those indigenous medical systems, Chinese researchers examined medical databases and ethnic medical books. They found evidence of 112 such medications—105 plant-based, six coming from animals and one with fungal origins. The most commonly used were Astragalus membranaceus, now available in many contemporary immune-system formulations; Pueraria lobata, known as arrowroot or kudzu, and considered an invasive plant in North America; and Coptis chinensis, Chinese goldthread, whose main compound, berberine, is used in the West to treat bacterial and viral infections. “Ethnic medicine has abundant resources in diabetes treatment and has excellent development prospects, which is worthy of further exploration and modern research,” conclude the authors. Anna Pou/Pexels.com
health briefs
David Winston’s Center for Herbal Studies
July 2022
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