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 .
Tai Chi improves pain and functional status in adults with rheumatoid arthritis: results of a pilot single-blinded randomized controlled trial.
BACKGROUND / AIMS Rheumatoid arthritis ( RA ) is a serious health problem result ing in significant morbidity and disability .  Tai Chi may be beneficial to patients with RA as a result of effects on muscle strength and ' mind-body ' interactions . To obtain preliminary data on the effects of Tai Chi on RA , we conducted a pilot r and omized controlled trial . Twenty patients with functional class I or II RA were r and omly assigned to Tai Chi or attention control in twice-weekly sessions for 12 weeks . The American College of Rheumatology ( ACR ) 20 response criterion , functional capacity , health-related quality of life and the depression index were assessed . RESULTS At 12 weeks , 5/10 patients ( 50 % ) r and omized to Tai Chi achieved an ACR 20 % response compared with 0/10 ( 0 % ) in the control ( p = 0.03 ) . Tai Chi had greater improvement in the disability index ( p = 0.01 ) , vitality subscale of the Medical Outcome Study Short Form 36 ( p = 0.01 ) and the depression index ( p = 0.003 ) . Similar trends to improvement were also observed for disease activity , functional capacity and health-related quality of life . No adverse events were observed and no patients withdrew from the study . CONCLUSION Tai Chi appears safe and may be beneficial for functional class I or II RA . These promising results warrant further investigation into the potential complementary role of Tai Chi for treatment of RA
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 .