Optimize: Mobility & Balance

A genuine top lever here (unlike on strength). Tai chi cut falls ~20% in community-dwelling older adults, cut falls 31% head-to-head against a full multimodal program, eased fear of falling, and about halved fall incidence; in Parkinson's it cut falls and steadied balance. Accessible, low-cost, well-tolerated.

Counts here as a partner to balance work, not alone: balance plus resistance cut falls 34%, while resistance, dance, or walking alone showed no fall reduction (too few trials to tell). Builds the leg strength and power that catching a stumble depends on.

Steadier balance and mobility in older adults (small-to-medium effect); a fall reduction has not been shown yet. A reasonable balance practice, weaker evidence than tai chi for falls specifically.

Deficiency-only, and dose-sensitive: 700 to 1000 IU/day cut falls ~19% in people who were low to begin with, but high doses backfire. A single 500,000 IU annual dose raised falls and fractures, and 60,000 IU monthly caused more falls than 24,000 IU. Correct a real deficiency at modest daily doses; do not mega-dose.

Steadier standing after 16 weeks in adults 65 to 79. Emerging balance benefit; a gentle option in the tai chi family.

EGb 761 matched betahistine, a standard vertigo drug, over 12 weeks in a 160-patient trial. Preliminary for vertigo/dizziness.