HEALTH BENEFITS
When speaking of health benefits, we are referring to benefits which relate to prevention of the onset of disease or even assistance in the treatment of disease or pathological processes. We already discussed how using proper alignment along with the hatha poses greatly affects the amount of any micro trauma to the joints and supporting structures caused by repetitive movements, even if those movements are in and out of yoga poses. What about other benefits which have been studied and validated relating to health benefits of yoga?
Asthma
Many studies in humans suggest benefits of yoga (such as the breathing exercises) when used in addition to other studies for mild-to-moderate asthma. Research has demonstrated improved lung function, overall fitness and airway sensitivity and decreased need for asthma drugs. 13 One study at the Northern Colorado Allergy Asthma Clinic in Fort Collins, used a control group and an experimental group to look at any changes after practice of asanas, pranayama, and meditation for 16 weeks at a frequency of three times per week. While pulmonary functions did not show a significant variance between the two groups, “analysis of the data showed that the subjects in the yoga group tended to use their beta adrenergenic inhalers less. 14 Better research is needed in this area.
Cardiovascular Disease
Several studies in humans suggest that people with heart disease who practice yoga may have decreased angina (chest pain). Yoga may decrease risk factors for heart disease, including high blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar levels. It is not clear if yoga reduces the risk of heart attack or death or if yoga is any better than other forms of exercise.13 A three-month residential study treating patients with yoga, meditation and a vegetarian diet at Hanover Medical University in Germany, found a substantial reduction in risk factors including blood pressure and cholesterol in participants.13 In a study published in the March 2000 issue of “Stroke” magazine, it was noted that transcendental meditation ( not hatha yoga) practiced for 20 minutes, two times per day was able to reduce fatty build-ups in artery walls as effectively as the drugs. It also decreased the thickness of artery walls by 1 millimeter and decreased the risk of heart attack by 11%.15 Again, more studies are warranted in this area before strong recommendations can be made to practice yoga as a tool to help to address heart disease.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Carpel Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) is a syndrome which includes inflammation of the tendons in the tight canal or “tunnel” through which the tendons and nerves must pass on their way from the forearm to the hand and fingers. The Carpal Tunnel is normally quite snug and there is just barely enough room in it for the tendons and nerves that have to pass through it. Inflammation of the tendons can occur secondary to repetitive strain injuries. Stressful hand, arm and neck positions only aggravate the potential for damage. Some sports can bring on repetitive stress injuries, rowing, golf, tennis, and downhill skiing are just a few that stress the hand and wrist joints. Injuries and ailments that cause swelling or compression of soft tissue on the nerves, such as sprains and rheumatoid arthritis, can lead to stress injuries. Yoga therapy has been studied for carpal tunnel syndrome, but it is not clear if there are beneficial effects. In one study a randomized, single-blind, controlled trial was held which compared a group of CTS sufferers who practiced yoga to a control group who simply wore wrist splints with their current treatment. The yoga intervention was specifically designed for strengthening, stretching and balancing each joint in the upper body, along with relaxation. This was given twice weekly for eight weeks. Subjects in the yoga groups had significant improvement in grip strength and pain reduction. The consensus was that the yoga-based regimen was more effective than wrist splinting or no treatment in relieving some symptoms and signs of carpal tunnel syndrome.16 Further research is needed before a clear recommendation can be made.
Arthritis
In a study of osteoarthritis of the hands, at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, a yoga-treated group with arthritis in the hands improved significantly more than the control group in “pain during activity, tenderness, and finger range of motion.” This study was published in the Journal of Rheumatology in 1994.17 Of course, further studies are needed to compare this with other treatments and to examine long term effects.
Other conditions
Preliminary studies have shown that yoga therapy may help in children with mental retardation to improve IQ and social behavior. It may be beneficial when added to standard therapies for the treatment of heroin or alcohol abuse. Early studies also note that yoga may improve posture in children. Also, it has been found that yoga may reduce the intensity and frequency of tension or migraine headaches, decreasing the need for pain-relieving drugs.2
Yoga has been recommended for the prevention and treatment of many medical conditions. There is some preliminary evidence that yoga can be helpful when it is practiced in addition to standard treatments for several conditions. These conditions include anxiety disorders or stress, asthma, high blood pressure, heart disease and depression.9,11,13 It is not clear if yoga is any more or less effective than other forms of exercise. Unfortunately, much of the research on yoga is limited with poor design. Continued research is needed to prove the above health benefits and rule out other variables. Research into yoga has had poor funding in the past, but this is slowly improving with the establishment of the Office of Alternative Medicine (1992) and the National center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) in 1998. With these in place, more funding may become available to allow further research to be conducted into the benefits of yoga. The health benefits of yoga are promising, however, if we emphasize this one side of the practice, are we not missing the entire point? As Elliot S. Dacher, MD, author of Whole Healing: A Step-by-Step Program to Reclaim Your Power to Heal wrote, “Yoga is a way to get to the source of ourselves. The challenge is not to see yoga as a treatment for disease, but as an opportunity to see something deeper in the self. To reconnect with the body is one way of artfully facing the reality of pain in our life and a means for accepting and being in our lives more deeply.”
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