ABSTRACT

1. DISCUSSION There is proper scientific research that still needs to be done before physicians can implement the use of yoga in conventional medicine, but there are some clear health benefits that stem from this practice. While many of the studies were controlled and randomized, a large number more were either lacking these important aspects of clinical testing or happened over such a short period of time to not take placebo effects into account in results. Many of the clinical trials did not specify poses used in yoga interventions with the group of study, which limits the level of analysis in determining how effective the trial was. Though yoga is generally a safe practice for those who learn from a trained instructor, there are certain medical conditions that put individuals as risk when performing this exercise. According to NCCAM, “people with disc disease of the spine, extremely high or low blood pressure, glaucoma, retinal detachment, fragile or atherosclerotic arteries, a risk of blood clots, ear problems, severe osteoporosis, or cervical spondylitis should avoid some inverted poses” (4). Similarly, yoga practice can be healthy for pregnant women, but should only be practiced with a trained yoga expert to care for the increased level of risk. Like all other alternative healthcare practices, a yoga regimen should be discussed with a primary healthcare provider before being implemented. For more information visit: Yoga Alliance- http://www.yogaalliance.org/index.html Yoga Journal- http://www.yogajournal.com CONCLUSION Though Western medicine does not traditionally acknowledge such practices as cures for somatic symptoms and illnesses, medical studies done on yoga suggest that there is a connection between the mind and body that can be utilized to positively affect one or the other. Although yoga does have a spiritual component, it is as well medically beneficial in its purely physical aspect. In modern times, where healthcare centers are becoming expansive and patients are seeing the same doctors less and less often, the importance of knowing one’s own body is much greater. The increased self-awareness of bodily function and strength experienced by yoga practitioners, along with recognition of the body’s effect on one’s mental state, can supplement the effect of conventional medicine for increased well-being. Health Benefits Stemming from YogaLiz FreemanUndergraduate Student Beloit College, Beloit, WI 53511 INTRODUCTION Yoga communities around the world have long seen mental and physical health benefits imparted in practitioners. It began as a spiritually-based practice performed with seated postures, its “principal aims were to achieve a sense of mental equilibrium, a degree of control over the... energies of the nervous system, selflessness, and a sustainable reconciliation with being” (1). Since being introduced to the West in the 1900’s yoga has expanded to include more movement-focused forms and become a popular exercise and lifestyle choice (2). BACKGROUND Based on the axiom that the health of the mind and body are intrinsically related, modern yoga combines a series of postures known as asanas with controlled breathing (pranayama) to instill strength and wellness in practitioners (3). Western medicine is increasingly investigating the health claims linked to yoga’s focused breathing, structural alignment and ‘detoxifying’ postures. The physiological effects have gained attention for a wide range of benefits, from strengthening musculature and correcting imbalances to reducing depression and stress levels. As a result, yoga is becoming more widely-used as non-pharmacological intervention during conventional medical treatments. POSSIBLE MECHANISM Many of the mechanisms behind yoga’s physiological effects are still unknown. Those pertaining to the psychosomatic link are especially speculative. The controlled breathing of pranayama synchronizes the breath with each posture, so as to take one breath per movement. This conscious use of breath regulates the oxygen coming into the body throughout the yoga session, and furthers the concentration of the individual on the exercise they are performing. Research suggests that yoga can reduce risk of heart disease in healthy people by decreasing levels of stress and depression. “This, in turn, decreases physiological arousal — for example, reducing the heart rate, lowering blood pressure, and easing respiration. There is also evidence that yoga practices help increase heart rate variability, an indicator of the body's ability to respond to stress more flexibly (12).” Harvard Health Publications posits a connection between pranayama and maladaptive nervous system arousal, in which yoga is able to calm the body’s stress response system. ABSTRACT My hypothesis is that I can find peer-reviewed studies to support claims about the physiological and psychosomatic benefits of practicing yoga. Although there are a variety of practices, most studies I have found involve either 60-90 minute Hatha, Iyengar or Raja-Yoga sessions 1-2 times weekly. This conclusion was reached through a review of yoga-related studies found in the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Studies show that a regular practice of yoga can have positive effects on physical and emotional well-being for a wide range of people. This includes both sexes and all ages, as well as inner-city children and incarcerated women. I. PHYSICAL BENEFITS Research suggests that incorporating at least one session of yoga a week can cause a substantial increase in wellness for most physically capable of exercise. Table 1 Medical Studies Relating to Physical Effects of Yoga Practice REFERENCES 1. Liberman, Kenneth. "The Reflexivity of the Authenticity of Hatha Yoga." Yoga in the Modern World: Contemporary Perspectives. Ed. Mark Singleton and Jean Byrne. London and New York: Routledge, 2008. Print.2. Muktibodhananda, S, Hatha Yoga Pradipka: Light on Hatha Yoga, Yoga Publications Trust, Bihar, India, 1985.3. Iyengar, B.K.S. Light on Yoga. Rev. ed. New York: Schocken Books, 1977. 36. Print.4. "What is Complementary and Alternative Medicine?."National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, National Institutes for Health. National Institutes of Health, 2010. Web. 11 Oct 2010.5. Cowen, VS. "Functional fitness improvements after a worksite-based yoga initiative." Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies 14.1 (2010): 50-4. Web. 8 Oct 2010.6. Tran, MD, RD Holly, J Lashbrook, and EA Amsterdam. "Effects of Hatha Yoga Practice on the Health-Related Aspects of Physical Fitness." PubMedAutumn.4 (2001): 165-170. Web. 10 Sep 2010. 7. Smith, C, H Hancock, J Blake-Mortimer, and K Eckert. "A randomized comparative trial of yoga and relaxation to reduce stress and anxiety."Complementary Therapy Med 15.2 (2007): 77-83. Web. 8 Oct 2010.8. Javnbakht, M, R Hejazi, and M Ghasemi. "Effects of yoga on depression and anxiety of women." Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice 15.2 (2009): 102-04. Web. 11 Oct 2010. 9. Michalson, A, et al. "Rapid stress reduction and anxiolysis among distressed women as a consequence of a three-month intensive yoga program.." Medical Science Monitor 11.12 (2005): 555-61. Web. 11 Oct 2010.10. Manjunath, NK, and S Telles. "Improved performance in the Tower of London test following yoga." Indian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology 45.3 (2001): 351-4. Web. 8 Oct 2010.11. Oken, BS, et al. "Randomized, controlled, six-month trial of yoga in healthy seniors: effects on cognition and quality of life." Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine 12.1 (2006): 40-7. Web. 8 Oct 2010.12. Chen, KN. et al. "Sleep quality, depression state, and health status of older adults after silver yoga exercises: cluster randomized trial." International Journal of Nursing Studies 46.2 (2009): 154-63. Web. 11 Oct 2010.13. "Yoga for Anxiety and Depression." Harvard Health Publications. April. (2009): 1-4. Print.14. Berger, DL, EJ Silver, and RE Stein. "Effects of yoga on inner-city children's well-being: a pilot study."Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine 15.5 (2009): 36-42. Web. 8 Oct 2010. 15. Gupta, N, and S Khera. "Effect of yoga based lifestyle intervention on state and trait anxiety." Indian Journal of Physiology and Pharmocology 50.1 (2006): 41-7. Web. 8 Oct 2010. 16. Hart, CE, and BL Tracy. "Yoga as steadiness training: effects on motor variability in young adults." Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research 22.5 (2008): 1659-69. Web. 8 Oct 2010.18. Sodhi C, Singh S, Dandona PK. “A study of the effect of yoga training on pulmonary functions in patients with bronchial asthma.” Indian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology, 2009. Print. 19. Smith, C, H Hancock, J Blake-Mortimer, and K Eckert. "A randomised comparative trial of yoga and relaxation to reduce stress and anxiety.."Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice 15.2 (2007): 77-83. Web. 4 Nov 2010.20. Badsha, H. "The benefits of yoga for rheumatoid arthritis: results of a preliminary, structured 8-week program.." Rheumatology International 29.12 (2009): 1417-21. Web. 5 Nov 2010.21. Hagins, Marshall, Wendy Moore, and Andrew Rundle. "Does practicing hatha yoga satisfy recommendations for intensity of physical activity which improves and maintains health and cardiovascular fitness?." BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine 7.40 (2007): n. pag. Web. 5 Nov 2010.22. Pullen, PR, et al. "Effects of yoga on inflammation and exercise capacity in patients with chronic heart failure." Journal of Cardiac Failure 14.5 (2008): 407-13. Web. 5 Nov 2010. 23. Cook, Jennifer. "Not All Yoga Is Created Equal." Yoga Journal n. pag. Web. 5 Nov 2010. 24. Denley, Elizabeth. "What is Raj Yoga?." Shahaj Marg Spirituality Foundation 8 (2004): 45-8. Web. 5 Nov 2010. 25."Silver Age Yoga- The Style." Silver Age Yoga. Silver Age Yoga, 2008. Web. 5 Nov 2010. 26. Harner, H, AL Hanlon, and M Garfinkel. "Effect of Iyengar Yoga on Mental Health of Incarcerated Women: A Feasibility Study.." Nursing Research59.6 (2010): 389-99. Web. 5 Nov 2010. PSYCHOSOMATIC EFFECTS Yoga has many of the same benefits as traditional exercise (increase in balance, strength, flexibility, pulmonary function, etc.), yet takes a different approach to activity- one that has a more self-reflective growth function. Yoga achieves this by constantly asking practitioners to re-evaluate the functioning and placement of their bodies while in action. The National Center for Complementary and Alternative medicine (4) has classified this type of healing as ‘mind-body medicine.’ The psychosomatic approach allows this form of exercise to be adapted and utilized as therapy for a large number of physical and psychological disabilities. Yoga recognizes that all individuals have unique body structures, and asks for critical awareness of one’s physical capabilities and limitations throughout the standardized asanas, allowing practitioners to perform poses as are personally beneficial. Yoga is documented to be an effective supplement to conventional medical treatment for improved physical health and general well-being (see Tables 1 and 2). II. PSYCHOLOGICAL/ EMOTIONAL BENEFITS Results of medical studies consistently report reduced levels of anxiety and stress in subjects who regularly practice yoga. This is true for healthy adults as well as those with pre-existing medical conditions. Yoga used as a complementary medical practice can significantly decrease levels of anxiety in women with anxiety disorders (8). In another study, participants “demonstrated pronounced and significant improvements in perceived stress, State and Trait Anxiety, well-being, vigor, fatigue and depression. Physical well-being also increased, and those subjects suffering from headache or back pain reported marked pain relief. Salivary cortisol decreased significantly after participation in a yoga class” (8). In a study completed on children, an hour and fifteen minute yoga session per day for one week was found to increase coordination skills (9). The emotional well-being of inner-city kids was also positively affected by yoga practice- “The majority of children participating in yoga reported enhanced well-being, as reflected by perceived improvements in behaviors directly targeted by yoga (e.g., strength, flexibility, balance)” (10). Mental health in the elderly was also shown to be benefitted by practices tailored to seniors (known as silver yoga). “After 6 months of silver yoga exercises, the sleep quality, depression, and health status of older adults were all improved” (11). Table 2 Medical Studies Relating to Psychological/ Emotional Effects of Yoga Practice YOGA AND CHRONIC PAIN Pre-existing health conditions such as chronic pain or disease are not debilitating for this practice; Yoga, in fact, more often decreased fatigue and pain in participants of the studies reviewed. A study completed by the University of Ohio in 2008 showed that of three subject groups (healthy adults, experienced yogis, and those suffering from fibromyalgia), those who practiced yoga had the highest tolerance for pain, while those with stress-related illness could tolerate the lowest amount of pain. “Functional MRIs showed [those with fibromyalgia] also had the greatest activity in areas of the brain associated with the pain response. In contrast, the yoga practitioners had the highest pain tolerance and lowest pain-related brain activity during the MRI” (12). These results indicate that the stress-regulation techniques honed in yoga sessions through pranayama and short meditations can aid the brain’s function in pain response. TYPES COMMONLY USED IN STUDIES Hatha yoga: moves through a series of breathing exercises and physically demanding postures intended to instill mental clarity Iyengar yoga: postures are typically held for longer period of time to enable practitioners to focus on the nuances of proper musculoskeletal alignment (23) Raja yoga: a meditation-based practice for turning the mind inward (24) Silver yoga: also known as silver age yoga, based on hatha yoga but tailored according to geriatric research (25) • Table 2: Clusters of biomarkers