What is shingles?

Shingles is a painful skin rash that can pop up in people who have had chickenpox.  The chickenpox virus can remain dormant in the body and resurface as shingles years later.  It usually starts with pain and itching on the skin that later turns into an irritating rash.

An estimated 1 million Americans are afflicted with shingles every year, and it commonly occurs in people 50 and older.

Tai chi stops shingles

Tai chi already is known as a good low-impact exercise for older people.  Now a recent study suggests that it offers benefits beyond improving fitness and balance.  It may help prevent shingles, a painful skin condition.

Researchers found older people who performed the slow, graceful movements of tai chi had a better immune response against the virus that causes shingles than those who only got health education, according to the most rigorous test to date.

It is unclear how tai chi, an ancient Chinese martial art that has become increasingly popular in the West, affects the immune system.  But health experts were encouraged by the positive results.

“The message is that older people need to maintain healthy behavior,” said Andrew Monjan of the National Institute on Aging, which helped fund the research.  “It’s nothing that our mothers haven’t told us, but we’re seeing it certainly holds up to scientific inquiry.”

The results weren’t surprising to Howard Chuck, who owns a tai chi academy in Sunnyvale, California.  “Tai chi requires a lot of mind power, not must muscle power,” he said.

On the web

A government’s information page is:  Centers for disease Control.  If you do an online search for “shingles” you will find many sites.

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