• Gloria Y Yeh, Malissa J Wood, Beverly H Lorell, Lynne W Stevenson, David M Eisenberg, Peter M Wayne, Ary L Goldberger, Roger B Davis, and Russell S Phillips.
• Division for Research and Education in Complementary and Integrative Medical Therapies, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA. geh@caregroup.harvard.edu
• Am. J. Med. 2004 Oct 15; 117 (8): 541-8.

PurposeTo examine the effects of a 12-week tai chi program on quality of life and exercise capacity in patients with heart failure.MethodsThirty patients with chronic stable heart failure and left ventricular ejection fraction < or =40% (mean [+/- SD] age, 64 +/- 13 years; mean baseline ejection fraction, 23% +/- 7%; median New York Heart Association class, 2 [range, 1 to 4]) were randomly assigned to receive usual care (n = 15), which included pharmacologic therapy and dietary and exercise counseling, or 12 weeks of tai chi training (n = 15) in addition to usual care. Tai chi training consisted of a 1-hour class held twice weekly. Primary outcomes included quality of life and exercise capacity. Secondary outcomes included serum B-type natriuretic peptide and plasma catecholamine levels. For 3 control patients with missing data items at 12 weeks, previous values were carried forward.ResultsAt 12 weeks, patients in the tai chi group showed improved quality-of-life scores (mean between-group difference in change, -25 points, P = 0.001), increased distance walked in 6 minutes (135 meters, P = 0.001), and decreased serum B-type natriuretic peptide levels (-138 pg/mL, P = 0.03) compared with patients in the control group. A trend towards improvement was seen in peak oxygen uptake. No differences were detected in catecholamine levels.ConclusionTai chi may be a beneficial adjunctive treatment that enhances quality of life and functional capacity in patients with chronic heart failure who are already receiving standard medical therapy.

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