Yoga Medical News Daily

Study concludes yoga can reduce sadness after calamity

This article mentions an earlier study that showed "that a week of yoga practice was useful in stress management after a natural calamity. Due to heavy rain and a rift on the banks of the Kosi river, in the state of Bihar in north India, there were floods with loss of life and property. A week of yoga practice was given to the survivors a month after the event and the effect was assessed."

Twenty-two male volunteers were randomly assigned to two groups with one group practicing yoga for an hour daily while the control group continued with their routine activities. "Both groups' heart rate variability, breath rate, and four symptoms of emotional distress using visual analog scales, were assessed on the first and eighth day of the program. RESULTS: There was a significant decrease in sadness in the yoga group (p<0.05, paired t-test, post data compared to pre) and an increase in anxiety in the control group (p<0.05, paired t-test, post data compared to pre). CONCLUSIONS: A week of yoga can reduce feelings of sadness and possibly prevent an increase in anxiety in flood survivors a month after the calamity." Abstract: PubMed. "Post traumatic stress symptoms and heart rate variability in Bihar flood survivors following yoga: a randomized controlled study," by S. Telles, N. Singh, M. Joshi, A. Balkrishna,  BMC Psychiatry  [2010 Mar 2;10(1):18] Clinical Trials Registry of India: CTRI/2009/091/000285.

New study again confirms yoga's ability to reduce anxiety

As this study points out yoga practiced over varying durations has been shown to reduce anxiety. The investigation "involved 300 naive-to-yoga persons of both sexes who were attending a yoga therapy center in north India for stress relief as day visitors. . . .  They were divided into two groups, yoga practice and yoga theory, and their state anxiety was assessed before and after a 2-hr. yoga session."

"A significant reduction in scores on state anxiety was found in the yoga practice group (14.7% decrease), as well as in the yoga theory group (3.4% decrease). The difference in scores following the sessions was statistically significant. Hence, yoga practice as well as learning about theoretical aspects of yoga appear to reduce state anxiety, with a greater reduction following yoga practice."  Abstract: PubMed.  Article by S. Telles, V. Gaur, and A. Balkrishna, "Effect of a yoga practice session and a yoga theory session on state anxiety," Perceptual and Motor Skills [2009 Dec;109(3):924-30]

Recent yoga books addressing specific health conditions

Current medical research articles detail the health benefits of yoga practice for a variety of health issues. These include pain relief, improved flexibility, bone health, and/or support for an overall better quality lifestyle. Here is a small selection of books, many very well illustrated, that focus on the use of yoga for a specific condition. With the exception of The Yoga for Osteoporosis by Dr. Loren Fishman and Ellen Saltonstall which will be published in March 2010, all of the titles are currently in print.

Yoga as Medicine: The Yogic Prescription for Health and Healing, by the Yoga Journal and Timothy McCall. Bantam;  2007. Included are twenty chapters featuring noted yoga instructors describing their approaches to specific conditions—panic attacks, carpal tunnel syndrome, depression, infertility, cancer, etc. They offer advice, rather than fixed protocols.      

Yoga for Arthritis: The Complete Guide, by Loren Fishman MD and Ellen Saltonstall. W. W. Norton & Company, 2008. This heavily illustrated guide helps readers understand arthritis and gives a spectrum of exercises for beginners and experts. Broken down into chapters focusing on each major joint, there are 100 classical yoga poses and numerous imaginative and physiologically sound adapted poses, all with step-by-step instructions and photo demonstrations.

Yoga for Osteoporosis: The Complete Guide, by Loren Fishman MD  and Ellen Saltonstall. W. W. Norton & Company — forthcoming publication date: March 29, 2010. Offers a medical yoga program designed for the management and prevention of osteoporosis, with hundreds of illustrations. Classical yoga poses, as well as physiologically sound adapted poses, are presented with detailed instructions and photographs. 

Yoga for Anxiety: Meditations and Practices for Calming the Body and Mind, by Mary Nurriestearns and Rick Nurriestearns, New Harbinger Publications 2010. Mary NurrieStearns, a psychotherapist and yoga teacher, and Rick NurrieStearns, a meditation teacher, present self-healing techniques for generalized anxiety disorder drawn from the yogic tradition.

Yoga for Pain Relief: Simple Practices to Calm Your Mind & Heal Your Chronic Pain, by Kelly McGonical.  New Harbinger Publications, 2009. Stanford psychology instructor and well-known yoga teacher Kelly McGonigal shows readers how yoga and the latest skills drawn from mind-body research can help alleviate chronic pain.

Yoga for Movement Disorders: Rebuilding Strength, Balance and Flexibility for Parkinson's Disease and Dystonia (Spiral-bound), by Renee Le Verrier. Merit Publishing, 2008. Designed for people with dystonia, muscle imbalance, rigidity, and spasms due to such causes as Parkinson's, stroke, and multiple sclerosis. The focus is on rebuilding strength and flexibility as well as physical and emotional balance. The author is a certified yoga instructor and a Parkinson's Disease patient. She specilizes in teaching yoga to movement disordered patients. Foreword by Dr. Lewis Sudarsky, Director of the Movement Disorder Clinic at Brigham & Women's Hospital in Boston; Associate Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School.

Yoga and Multiple Sclerosis: A Journey to Health and Healing, by Loren Martin Fishman MD, and Eric Small. Demos Health, 2007. Designed to manage symptoms, raise functional abilities. Co-author Eric Small was diagnosed with MS at the age of 22, and soon after became a serious student of Iyengar yoga, which has helped him greatly with the effects of his illness. He has been teaching yoga since the mid-1960s. 

Healing Addiction with Yoga: A Yoga Program for People in 12-Step Recovery, by Annalisa Cunningham, Findhorn Press, 3rd ed., 2010. The author is a certified yoga teacher and a communications teacher with a background in counseling. The book presents a 21-day yoga regimen using relaxation techniques, nutrition and lifestyle suggestions, aerobic activities, and journal writing, all geared to incorporate the 12-step philosophy into yoga practice. The featured poses are drawn from the popular hatha yoga tradition. Newly updated and revised.

Yoga Ameliorates Performance Anxiety and Mood Disturbance in Young Professional Musicians

The goal of this study published in Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback [2009 Aug 6] and conducted by researchers at the Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, "was to evaluate the benefits of yoga and meditation for musicians. Young adult professional musicians who volunteered to participate in a 2-month program of yoga and meditation were randomized to a yoga lifestyle intervention group (n = 15) or to a group practicing yoga and meditation only (n = 15). Additional musicians were recruited to a no-practice control group (n = 15). Both yoga groups attended three Kripalu Yoga or meditation classes each week. The yoga lifestyle group also experienced weekly group practice and discussion sessions as part of their more immersive treatment. . . . Similar results in the two yoga groups, despite psychosocial differences in their interventions, suggest that the yoga and meditation techniques themselves may have mediated the improvements. Our results suggest that yoga and meditation techniques can reduce performance anxiety and mood disturbance in young professional musicians."  Abstract: PubMed.  

Effect of two yoga-based relaxation techniques on memory scores and state anxiety

Report by Subramanya P and Telles, S, of the Indian Council of Medical Research Center for Advanced Research in Yoga and Neurophysiology, SVYASA, Bangalore, India. "METHODS: In fifty-seven male volunteers (group average age +/- S.D., 26.6 +/- 4.5 years) the immediate effect of two yoga relaxation techniques was studied on memory and state anxiety. All participants were assessed before and after (i) Cyclic meditation (CM) practiced for 22:30 minutes on one day and (ii) an equal duration of Supine rest (SR) or the corpse posture (shavasana), on another day. . . . CONCLUSION: A cyclical combination of yoga postures and supine rest in CM improved memory scores immediately after the practice and decreased state anxiety more than rest in a classical yoga relaxation posture (shavasana)."  Abstract: PubMed.  Full-text of article: BioPsychoSocial medicine [2009 Aug 13;3:8].   

Alternative mind-body therapies used by adults with medical conditions

This article from the Journal of Psychosomatic Research (2009 Jun;66(6):511-9) states that "Mind-body therapies (MBT) are used by 16.6% of adults in the United States. Little is known about the patterns of and reasons for use of MBT by adults with common medical conditions. METHODS: We analyzed data on MBT use from the 2002 National Health Interview Survey Alternative Medicine Supplement (n=31,044). MBT included relaxation techniques (deep breathing exercises, guided imagery, meditation, and progressive muscle relaxation), yoga, tai chi, and qigong. To identify medical conditions associated with use of MBT overall and of individual MBT, we used multivariable models adjusted for sociodemographic factors, insurance status, and health habits. Among users of MBT (n=5170), we assessed which medical conditions were most frequently treated with MBT, additional rationale for using MBT, and perceived helpfulness. RESULTS: We found a positive association between MBT use and several medical conditions including various pain syndromes and anxiety/depression. Among adults using MBT to treat specific medical conditions, MBT was most commonly used for anxiety/depression and musculoskeletal pain syndromes. More than 50% of respondents used MBT in conjunction with conventional medical care, and 20% used MBT for conditions they thought conventional medicine would not help. Overall, we found high rates (68-90%) of perceived helpfulness of MBT for specific medical conditions." Abstract: PubMed.  Photo credit: LocalFitness.com.au

Effectiveness of Hatha Yoga on . . . Wellbeing in Female Health Care Employees

This recent dissertation by Karen D. Dunn, George Mason University, College of Education and Human Development, points out that "Wilcoxon tests indicated that overall, participants experienced a significant improvement in self-efficacy from baseline to post-treatment. In addition, the women in this sample reported growth over time for anxiety symptoms and self-efficacy." PDF copy of the dissertation.

Yoga and qigong in the psychological prevention of mental health disorders: a conceptual synthesis

This study done at the School of Medicine, University of East Anglia, UK, explored "two alternative medicine therapies - qigong and yoga - for balancing the essential duo of holistic mind-body" to address stress, uncertainty, anxiety and depression. Findings suggested benefits from this approach, described in the Chinese Journal of Integrative Medicine (published online 15 September 2009). Abstract: PubMed.

Efficacy of Mindfulness-Based Medication Therapy . . . in Japanese patients with cancer

This study, published in the Journal of Palliative Medicine  (August 2009), assessed "the efficacy of mindfulness-based meditation therapy on anxiety, depression, and spiritual well-being of Japanese patients undergoing anticancer treatment. A secondary goal was to assess the relationships among anxiety, depression, spiritual well-being, growth, appreciation, pain, and symptoms."  The subjects participated in two sessions of mindfulness-based meditation therapy, including breathing, yoga movement and meditation. The study concluded: "Mindfulness-based meditation therapy may be effective for anxiety and depression in Japanese cancer patients, and spiritual well-being is related to anxiety and depression, growth, and pain. The negative correlation of spirituality with growth differs from the results of previous studies and the mechanism of this effect needs to be investigated further."  Full abstract:  PubMed.