Researchers at Tufts Medical Center, in Boston reported their findings in that bastion of allopathic medicine, The New England Journal of Medicine.

First, the details.

• 66 patients were randomly assigned to a treatment group to participate in 60-minute sessions twice a week for 12 weeks.
  • Classic Yang-style tai chi (video here)
  • A control group for wellness education and stretching (defined by American College of Rheumatology 1990 criteria).
• The primary outcome was a change in the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ) score at the end of 12 weeks.
  • FIQ was developed to capture the total spectrum of problems related to fibromyalgia and the responses to therapy.
• In addition, the physical and mental components of the Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) were recorded.
  • SF-36 measures limits in physical and social activities, pain, general mental health, vitality, and health perceptions.
• The patients were re-evaluated at 24 weeks to test the durability of the response.
• The evaluators were unaware of the treatment given — single-blind.

And, the results.

• At 12 weeks the tai chi group showed clinically significant improvements in FIQ total score and quality of life vs the control group.
• Physical and mental scores also improved significantly more with tai chi vs the control group.
• Improvements were maintained at 24 weeks.
• No side effects were observed.

The bottom line?

The authors concluded, “Tai chi may be a useful treatment for fibromyalgia and merits long-term study in larger study populations.”

Other CAM options for fibromyalgia are summarized here.

The study was funded by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) and others.

8/30/10 22:19 JR