Cui, Jiahe, Xie, Fangfang, Gu, Yuanjia et al. · Complementary therapies in medicine · 2026 · DOI
This study tested whether a traditional Chinese exercise method called Prolong Life With Nine Turn Method (PLWNT) could help people with ME/CFS feel less tired and have fewer stomach problems. Over 8 weeks, 96 patients either did this exercise program or received cognitive behavioral therapy. The exercise group showed meaningful improvements in fatigue and digestive symptoms, with changes in their gut bacteria that may have contributed to these improvements.
This study addresses the significant gastrointestinal and fatigue burden in ME/CFS by exploring a non-pharmacological intervention with a potential mechanistic link to gut dysbiosis, a recognized feature of the disease. The investigation of microbiota changes alongside symptom improvement may help explain how behavioral interventions affect ME/CFS pathophysiology.
This study does not prove that PLWNT is superior to existing treatments like CBT—the groups showed equivalent outcomes. The observed association between microbiota changes and symptom improvement does not establish causation; microbiota alterations may be a marker rather than a mechanism of benefit. The study cannot determine whether symptom improvements persist beyond 8 weeks or apply to all ME/CFS patients.
About the PEM badge: “PEM required” means post-exertional malaise was an explicit required diagnostic criterion for participant inclusion in this study — not that PEM was studied, observed, or discussed. Studies using criteria that do not require PEM (e.g. Fukuda, Oxford) are tagged “PEM not required”. How the atlas works →
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