Yoga
is good for us!
According to a new study funded by the
National Institute for Health, Yoga was found to help people with
chronic lower back pain and associated depression. They experienced
improved mood and ability to function, as well as pain reduction – more
than with conventional treatment alone.
As published in the
journal Spine1, researchers assigned people with
chronic back pain to either traditional treatment such as pain
medication or twice-weekly Iyengar style Yoga therapy (attending to
posture and alignment) for 24 weeks. The people in the Yoga therapy
group experienced a 29% reduction in functional disability and a 42%
reduction in pain. Yoga was also associated with close to a 50% decrease
in symptoms of depression over conventional therapy alone.
In
addition to specific asanas (postures) of a Yoga practice, deep
breathing has profound medical benefits. Slowed, focused breathing can
reverse the damaging effects of the fight-or-flight hormones that flood
the body when anxiety is present (see Herb Benson’s work at the
Mind Body Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital). The chemicals
released, adrenaline and noradrenaline, increase heart rate and blood
pressure. These chemicals also generate dangerous and destructive “free
radicals†in the body. With each long and purposeful inhale and exhale,
the thought process is interrupted (a good thing) and the result is less
secretion of the stress hormones and increased secretion of nitric
oxide, which opens the blood vessels, lowers blood pressure, and creates
less free radical production.
The patients in the Yoga therapy
group were followed for six months after the ending of the 24-week
experiment. They were found to continue benefiting from their Yoga
experience. With this latest published research, Yoga is a recognized
integrative wellness practice, aligning the body-mind and spirit for
health and well-being.
Spine 34(19), pp. 2066 -
2076
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