Tai Chi for Chronice Fatigue Syndrome
By: Dr Paul Lam
Copyright Dr Paul Lam 2005. Copying for non profit educational purpose is permitted.
Disclaimer:
All persons involved in the writing of this article will not be held responsible in any way whatsoever for any injury or consequence that may arise as a result of following the instructions given in this article. Readers are advised to work with their health professionals before commencing these activities. Readers engaged in activities described in this article do so at their own risk.
Note:
This guide is complementary to the program Tai Chi for Back Pain, Wheelchair Bound and Other Chronic Conditions. It is intended to help you to use the program effectively and safely. Dr Paul Lam is the producer of the commercially available instructional video/DVD of the program.
This article contains a step-by-step guide on how to best use the program for people with chronic fatigue syndrome.
Quotation:
From Clinical Practice Guidelines - 2002 for people with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS): Produced by a Working Group convened under the auspices of the Royal Australian College of Physicians published by Medical Journal of Australia at
http://www.mjacom.au/public/guides/cfs/cfs2.html
"On Physical activity
In general, people with CFS should be encouraged to undertake physical and intellectual tasks, starting at a level that is tolerated without significant exacerbation of symptoms. This should initially be in divided sessions of a relatively short duration. As exercise tolerance improves, duration and intensity of activity can be gradually increased. Graded exercise programs have been shown to be beneficial for some people with CFS, and can improve functional status.
It is important to discuss with the patient the vicious circle whereby initial avoidance of physical activity may lead to longer-term avoidance of all activity. In the early stages of the illness, many people with CFS put off chores or social engagements until they feel better, then push themselves excessively on "good days" to make up for lost time. The subsequent worsening of symptoms and delayed recovery can establish a cyclic pattern of illness and disability.
An individualized management program should be carefully negotiated between the patient and doctor, with particular attention to:
" starting at a level of activity that can be achieved without exacerbation of symptoms - abrupt resumption of strenuous activity after prolonged periods of inactivity should be discouraged;
" undertaking activity on a regular basis, with sessions of limited duration; and
" planning for regular reviews to achieve feasible increases in activity over a realistic time-frame (e.g. several months).
In formulating a management plan, it is important to be aware that in many people with CFS the degree of fatigue can fluctuate unpredictably from day to day and week to week. Flexibility in the level of physical and mental activity undertaken to allow for such fluctuations ("pacing") should be explicitly discussed."
Introduction:
There are different levels of severity with CFS, please adjust your level accordingly; if in doubt, discuss with your health professionals.
The advantage of tai chi is that you can use visualization to practice so that in a bad period of your condition you can keep up with your progression without aggravating it.
You can also adjust your level of exertion with regard to how deep is your knees are bent, and how much internal force you are using, as well as the length of time for practice.
Using both the Tai Chi for Back Pain video or DVD and the Tai Chi for Arthritis handbook (as the Tai Chi for Back Pain is based on the same set of tai chi forms as Tai Chi for Arthritis) can help you learn the program easier, although if possible an instructor who is familiar with your condition is the ideal way to learn.
Work out what is a realistic time to practice daily with your health professional. A rough guide would be how much time you can walk comfortably. If you are a person who is severely affected, you should do minimum physical work possible for you but still do at least 5-10 minutes practice daily using the visualization method.
Adhere to a routine unless there is a medical reason not to. Whenever you feel you could be over-exerting yourself, use visualization to replace physical practice and check with your health professional at any time. Follow the instructions on the video/DVD, only do what you can within your comfort zone and visualize anything you cannot do.
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