Traditional Chinese Practice, A Promising Integrative Intervention for Chronic Non-Infectious Disease Management

The number of people with chronic diseases rises rapidly in recent years worldwide. Except for drug medication, mind-body exercises are indispensable for chronic disease management. Traditional Chinese practice (TCP), as an integrative intervention, is known as an effective means to keep in good health and fitness, as well as help regulate emotion. This paper introduces the domestic and overseas studies on effectiveness of TCP for chronic diseases, and explores the key action links from three aspects, including functional training of multiple-joint guided by consciousness, relieving psychological risk factors, improving respiratory and digestive function, blood and lymph circulation through respiratory training, and regulation of nerve, metabolic, and immune system. Finally, the authors discussed how to integrate TCP in the chronic disease management, and put forward that the practice methods and evaluation standard should be assessed academically.