Ageing Research and Geriatric Medicine

Biography

Xiaolei Liu has completed her EdD at The Education University of Hong Kong. She is the Associate Professor of Beijing Sport University, Martial art and health qigong world champions. She has published more than 10 papers in reputed journals. She has presided over and participated in more than 10 scientific research projects.

 

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to observe the influence of Health Qigong on Parkinson’s disease (PD) prevention and treatment and attempt to provide a feasible adjuvant therapy for PD patients. In this study, 41 mild-to-moderate-PD patients (N=41) were randomly divided into experimental and control groups; the 23 PD patients in the experimental group were treated with medication plus Health Qigong. The other 18 PD patients in the control group were given only regular medication. 10 weeks intervention had been conducted, and participants completed the scheduled exercises 5 times per week and 60 minutes each time. Data on each participant’s heart rate variability (HRV), Heart Rate and frequency of Heart (HR+fR), muscle hardness, the one- legged blind balance test, physical coordination and stability were collected before and after the intervention. The results showed that after 10 weeks of Health Qigong exercises, PD patients demonstrated significant improvement in HRV, HR+fR, muscle hardness, the timed ‘up and go’, balance, and hand-eye coordination (the turn-over-jars test). There were no significant differences between the two groups in gender, age and course of differences (P<0.05). The study concluded that Health Qigong could reduce the symptoms of PD and improve the body functions of PD patients in both mild and moderate stages. It can be added as a method of rehabilitation therapy for PD.