Dr. Michael Irwin of the Neuropsychiatric Institute at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) tested 36 men and women with an average age of 70 to determine if a behavioral intervention, Tai Chi, would affect virus immunity and health functioning in older adults who, often, show impairments of health status and are at risk for shingles.

Half took tai chi courses for 45 minutes three days a week, while the rest (the control group) did nothing extra. A series of blood tests monitored immune levels throughout the study.

One week after finishing the course immune-cell levels increased an average of nearly 50% in the Tai Chi group while the control group showed no improvement.

"Our findings offer a unique and exciting example of mind over matter," said Dr. Irwin

Those who had done tai chi not only felt healthier, but had a boost of up to 50 percent of immune system cells called memory T-cells that are specifically guided to recognize and attack varicella (the virus that causes chickenpox and shingles). A series of blood tests monitored immune levels throughout the study.

Shingles affects people who were exposed to chickenpox when younger. The herpes virus that causes chickenpox (varicella), remains in the body, continuing to infect nerve cells. As people age their immune systems weaken as do the immunities they developed in childhood. When the immunity weakens sufficiently painful shingles blisters can emerge on the skin, and may linger for years.

"A large body of research shows how behavior can negatively affect the immune system and health, but ours is the first randomized, controlled study to demonstrate that behavior can have a positive effect on immunity that protects against shingles," Irwin said.

The study also found that practicing Tai Chi improved physical function, especially in those who had trouble with everyday tasks, such as walking and climbing stairs. In these participants Tai Chi’s benefits were “comparable or exceeded that reported for hip replacement surgery or for heart valve replacement in older adults,” say the researchers. More controlled studies are needed to determine the benefits of Tai Chi, yet the results of this study are very encouraging.

The information in this article was published in the current edition of Psychosomatic Medicine. It may be found at http://www.psychosomaticmedicine.org/cgi/ content/abstract/65/5/824?maxtoshow=&HITS= 10&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&fulltext=shingles& searchid=1064500532923_206&stored_search=& FIRSTINDEX=0&volume=65&issue=5&journalcode=psychmed

The original study Effects of a Behavioral Intervention, Tai Chi Chih, on Varicella-Zoster Virus Specific Immunity and Health Functioning in Older Adults by Michael R. Irwin, MD, Jennifer L. Pike, PhD, Jason C. Cole, PhD and Michael N. Oxman, MD was reported on by the Center for the Advancement of Health. It may be found at: http://www.cfah.org/hbns/news/taichi09-22-03.cfm