The results suggest that Tai Chi could be an effective alternative and /or complementary approach to existing therapies for people with fatigue .
There is still absence of adverse events data to evaluate the safety of Tai Chi .
BACKGROUND Fatigue is not only a familiar symptom in our daily lives , but also a common ailment that affects all of our bodily systems .
Several r and omized controlled trials ( RCTs ) have proven Tai Chi to be beneficial for patients suffering from fatigue , however conclusive evidence is still lacking .
Cognitive behavioral therapy vs. Tai Chi for late life insomnia and inflammatory risk: a randomized controlled comparative efficacy trial.
STUDY OBJECTIVES To investigate the comparative efficacy of cognitive behavioral therapy ( CBT ) , Tai Chi Chih ( TCC ) , and sleep seminar education control ( SS ) on the primary outcome of insomnia diagnosis , and secondary outcomes of sleep quality , fatigue , depressive symptoms , and inflammation in older adults with insomnia . DESIGN R and omized controlled , comparative efficacy trial . SETTING Los Angeles community . PATIENTS 123 older adults with chronic and primary insomnia . INTERVENTIONS R and om assignment to CBT , TCC , or SS for 2-hour group sessions weekly over 4 months with follow-up at 7 and 16 months . MEASUREMENTS Insomnia diagnosis , patient-reported outcomes , polysomnography ( PSG ) , and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein ( CRP ) levels . RESULTS CBT performed better than TCC and SS in remission of clinical insomnia as ascertained by a clinician ( P < 0.01 ) , and also showed greater and more sustained improvement in sleep quality , sleep parameters , fatigue , and depressive symptoms than TCC and SS ( all P values < 0.01 ) . As compared to SS , CBT was associated with a reduced risk of high CRP levels ( > 3.0 mg/L ) at 16 months ( odds ratio [ OR ] , 0.26 [ 95 % CI , 0.07 - 0.97 ] P < 0.05 ) . Remission of insomnia was associated with lower levels of CRP ( P < 0.05 ) at 16 months . TCC was associated with improvements in sleep quality , fatigue , and depressive symptoms as compared to SS ( all P 's < 0.05 ) , but not insomnia remission . PSG measures did not change . CONCLUSIONS Treatment of late-life  insomnia is better achieved and sustained by cognitive behavioral therapies . Insomnia treatment and remission reduces a marker of inflammatory risk , which has implication s for cardiovascular morbidity and diabetes observed with sleep disturbance in epidemiologic surveys
The results suggest that Tai Chi could be an effective alternative and /or complementary approach to existing therapies for people with fatigue .
There is still absence of adverse events data to evaluate the safety of Tai Chi .
BACKGROUND Fatigue is not only a familiar symptom in our daily lives , but also a common ailment that affects all of our bodily systems .
Several r and omized controlled trials ( RCTs ) have proven Tai Chi to be beneficial for patients suffering from fatigue , however conclusive evidence is still lacking .