New tai chi report

Tai Chi May Prevent Falls Among Seniors
New Guidelines Suggest Reducing Certain Medications Also May Improve Balance in Seniors
By Denise Mann
WebMD Health News   Reviewed by Laura J. Martin, MD    Jan. 13, 2011 --
Updated guidelines from the American Geriatrics Society and the British Geriatrics Society recommend interventions such as the slow-motion Chinese martial art tai chialong with medication reviews to help prevent falls among the elderly.
The guidelines, which appear in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, were last updated in 2001.
Falls among the elderly are linked to an increased risk for hip and other fracturesand head injuries, all of which can lead to reduced independence, early admission to long-term care facilities, and even death.
“Given the frequency of falls and the injuries that occur as a result, falling is as big of a problem as heart attack and stroke, and we need to start taking it as seriously because falls are preventable,” says guideline author Mary Tinetti, MD, a geriatrician at Yale University School of Medicine in New Haven, Conn. “The most effective way to prevent falls is to reduce medication, make the environment as safe as possible, and improve balance and gait through exercises including tai chi or physical therapy.”
Tinetti and other panel members reviewed studies looking at fall prevention interventions published between May 2001 and April 2008 to develop the updated guidelines.
NEWS RELEASE-BRITISH
An advisory issued by the British Geriatrics Society and the American Geriatrics Society on Wednesday has recommended elderly people to practice tai-chi to reduce their chances of broken bones. Apparently, the ancient Chinese martial art helps people in maintaining balance, which further assists in decreasing the probability of people falling down.
The suggestion is a result of many years of research that was carried out to check the does and don't, which led to people suffering from a fractured hip. It needs to be noted that hip fractures are a leading cause for extended hospitalization among older people.
It was also observed in the publicized theory that tai-chi helped in improving the balance, gait and strength of a person.
Talking about the study, Dr. Mary Tinetti from the School of Medicine, Yale University in the United States, reported that the biggest cause of health problems among seniors was their loss of functional independence. She added that, provided the frequency and the results of falls, their health risks were equivalent to that of heart attack and strokes.