Effects of T'ai Chi on Serotonin, Nicotine Dependency, Depression, and Anger in Hospitalized Alcohol-Dependent Patients.

Soft arts like Shaolin Rou Quan
the predecessor of T'ai chi, was
shown to be an effective nursing
intervention  in hospitalized
alcohol-dependent patients.
The particular study may raise
hope for all those who suffer
from other forms of addiction.




Oh CU1, Kim NC2.

OBJECTIVES:

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of t'ai chi on blood serotonin levels,
nicotine dependence, depression, and anger in hospitalized alcohol-dependent patients.


METHOD:
This study followed an experimental and nonequivalent control group in a non-synchronized
design. It was performed in a hospital located in Young Ju city, Korea, from April to August 
2013.

Thirty-eight patients who were hospitalized with alcohol dependence were included. They were 

randomly divided into an experimental and a control group, with 19 patients in each group.

Patients in the experimental group practiced the 24-posture yang style t'ai chi for 50 min
three timesper week for 8 weeks as part of the routine hospital rehabilitation program,
 and those in the control group followed only the routine hospital rehabilitation program. 

The effect of treatment was measured using  blood serotonin levels and a questionnaire

on nicotine dependence, depression, and anger. Both  measurements were performed
before  and  after 8 weeks of intervention. Data were analyzed using the t-test,
chi-square test, and paired t-tests.

RESULTS:

The experimental group showed a significantly increased blood serotonin level (p = 0.001)
and significantly reduced nicotine dependence, depression, and anger (p = 0.001) 

than the control group did after 8 weeks of treatment.

CONCLUSIONS:
T'ai chi was shown to be an effective nursing intervention in hospitalized
alcohol-dependent patients.

Learn more about the predecessor of Tai Chi, Shaolin Rou Quan


Original publication
J Altern Complement Med. 2016 Dec;22(12):957-963

Source
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27828712