A Review Study on the Beneficial Effects of Baduanjin
Author: Zou L1,2,3, Pan Z4, Yeung A5, Talwar S4, Wang C6, Liu Y7, Shu Y2, Chen X2, Thomas GA5
Affiliation:
11 Department of Sports Science and Physical Education, The Chinese University of Hong Kong , Hong Kong Special Administration Region, China .
22 College of Sports Science, Jishou University , Jishou, China .
33 School of Martial Arts, Shanghai University of Sport , Shanghai, China .
44 Department of Kinesiology, Mississippi State University , Starkville, MS.
55 Massachusetts General Hospital , Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA.
66 Department of Sports Science, Jilin University , Changchun, China .
77 Sensorimotor Neurophysiology Laboratory, Indiana University , Bloomington, IN.
Conference/Journal: J Altern Complement Med.
Date published: 2017 Dec 11
Other:
Special Notes: doi: 10.1089/acm.2017.0241. [Epub ahead of print] , Word Count: 206
AIM: Baduanjin, a Chinese traditional Qigong exercise that focuses on a mind-body integration, is considered to be an effective exercise in promoting health. Thus, we systematically and critically evaluated the emerging literature relating to the effects of Baduanjin on health outcomes.
METHODS: We used seven English-language electronic databases for the literature search. At least one health-related parameter was reported in retrievable full-text Baduanjin intervention studies.
RESULTS: A total of 22 eligible studies were included. The inter-rater reliability between two review authors was 94.4% for selecting eligible studies. The results of individual studies support the notion that Baduanjin may be effective as an adjunctive rehabilitation method for improving cognitive functions in addition to psychological and physiological parameters among different age groups and various clinical populations (e.g., Parkinson's disease, chronic neck pain, chronic fatigue syndrome-like illness, psychological illness).
CONCLUSION: Before we draw a definitive conclusion relating to Baduanjin for health benefits, more methodologically rigorous studies with a long-term follow-up assessment should be further conducted to examine the effects of Baduanjin on health-related parameters and disease-specific measures in different health conditions. This review lends insight for future studies on Baduanjin and its potential application in preventive medicine and rehabilitation science.
KEYWORDS: Baduanjin; health benefits; mind–body exercise
PMID: 29227709 DOI: 10.1089/acm.2017.0241
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