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Reviewed By: Matthew Hoffman,
SOURCES: This video is from the WebMD Video Archive. Medical Reference from Medstar Television. American Academy of Dermatology, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, VZV Research Foundation, Tai Chi C
© 1999-2011 Medstar Television
Okay, we'll start with rocking motion.
The 19 movements of t'ai chi chih (Ti-chee-chuh!) May be slow, but students of the exercise are quick to point out its many benefits.
It's very relaxing and it's, uh, make you mentally alert.
You can see their mobility, their flexibility increase over a period of weeks in a class. You see their stamina build up and you see their posture improve.
Now it looks like this graceful exercise also gives the immune system a boost. U-C-L-A neuropsychiatrist Michael Irwin studied the effects of tai chi and the risk for shingles– a painful, second outbreak of the common chicken pox virus.
What happens is that as we age, the immune system is less effective at controlling this virus.
Men and women 60 and older provided blood samples before and after a 15-week t'ai chi program. Researchers then compared the immune or "memory" cells in the blood that specifically respond to the chicken pox virus.
What we found is that the responses of those memory cells to the chicken pox virus increased about 50 percent.
Preventing shingles is important. In 20 percent of patients, the virus causes nerve damage and intense pain that can last years.
Don't drop the energy.
And don't drop the ball if you want to prevent a potentially painful disease. For WebMD, I'm Sandee LaMotte.
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