Results of two recent small-scale studies suggest that Parkinson's disease sufferers could benefit from the ancient art of Tai Chi and the herb yohimbine. Lyvonne Carreiro and colleagues at the University of Florida in Jacksonville found that patients who attended Tai Chi classes for one hour each week for 12-weeks were less likely than a group of control patients to experience a increase in the severity of their condition and a decrease in motor function. Furthermore, Tai Chi also appeared to significantly reduce a sufferer's risk of falling. Results of a recent survey by Carreiro revealed that 48% of patients have used alternative and complementary therapies in a bid to improve their condition, the most popular therapies being Tai Chi, yoga, and acupuncture. Meanwhile results of another study by Dr Ruth Djaldetti and colleagues at Rabin Medical Center, Beilinson Campus in Petach Tiqva, Israel, suggest that the herb yohimbine could dramatically reduce falls among patients. Their study of 11 people with Parkinson's disease or other parkinsonian syndromes revealed that the herb slashed falls by 50%.

SOURCE/REFERENCE: Reported by www.reutershealth.com on the 13th November 2002