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Tai Chi could be an effective alternative and/or complementary approach to existing therapies for people with fatigue.
2017 PLOS One Does Tai Chi relieve fatigue? A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials Yu Xiang, Liming Lu, Xiankun Chen, Zehuai Wen
Systematic Review Cancer Fatigue Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Tai Chi & Qi Gong
The overall aggregated result showed that Tai Chi achieved better gains in relieving fatigue compared to the control interventions. For the subgroup analysis, Tai Chi was more beneficial for cancer-related fatigue. However, for multiple sclerosis-related fatigue, age-related fatigue, there were no significant difference between two groups. Tai Chi improved fatigue greater than conventional treatment and low-impact exercise control, while no difference was observed comparing with health education control. The length between ≤ 3 months and > 3 months and the frequency between < 5 times a week and ≥ 5 times a week, the pooled results indicated that they all have significant difference. However, in the duration≤ 60 minutes, Tai Chi was improved fatigue greater. In the duration > 60 minutes, there were no difference between two groups. So, the duration≤ 60 minutes may be better than > 60 minutes.
Acupuncture significantly reduces cancer-related fatigue, especially in breast cancer patients and those undergoing anti-cancer treatment.
2017 Supportive Care in Cancer Effects of acupuncture on cancer-related fatigue: a meta-analysis Zhang, Y., Lin, L., Li, H., et al.
Meta-Analysis Breast Cancer Cancer Fatigue Cancer Treatment Support
In the methodology, seven different medical databases were systematically reviewed for randomized controlled trials concerning the effects of acupuncture on cancer-related fatigue up until November 2016. Two independent reviewers assessed for bias and extracted correlated data with the use of Review Manager 5. Ten trials met the eligibility criteria for the meta-analysis, which incorporated a total of 1327 patients; 733 received acupuncture and 594 served as control.
The results showed that acupuncture markedly mitigated fatigue in cancer patients irrespective of whether they were simultaneously undergoing anti-cancer treatment, with particularly substantial effects among those with breast cancer. The duration and frequency of acupuncture sessions varied, but all schedules produced meaningful effects. While a majority of the trials reported no negative events, one highlighted manageable incidents such as spot bleeding and bruising. Overall, acupuncture was found to be a successful method for managing cancer-related fatigue.