An Overview of Yoga

Summary
Strictly speaking, yoga is not an alternative medicine, but its practice is often seen as a way of gaining control over your health. In addition, many of its components are used as complementary practices to conventional medicine, including exercise, meditation and massage. Yoga is based on Hindu tradition. Its intent and goal is the enlightenment of the spirit, but its aims include physical health and well-being.

"Yoga therapy" is a distinct, Westernized form of yogo that was developed specifically to integrate yoga and conventional medicine in the treatment of disease and the pursuit of optimal health. According to practitioners, yoga therapy is safer and more effective in treating common medical conditions because it takes into account individual health and physical limitations.

Yoga therapy is used for treating anxiety, arthritis, asthma, back pain, diabetes, heart conditions, hypertension, hyperventilation, chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia. It promotes positive health during pregnancy and helps in managing chronic conditions. With individual consideration, it can be used comfortably by everyone from babies to the elderly.

The main aim of yoga therapy is body/mind integration, which taps into the natural healing properties of the body and helps to restore proper function and health.

The Theory
Yoga therapy consists of three basic parts which work together:

Physical postures which help stretch and strengthen muscles, and improve mobility, flexibility and balance. It also is believed that these postures enhance the body’s natural functions of digestion, respiration, elimination and circulation.

Breathing techniques that focus on awareness of breath and help promote calm, focus the mind and relieve stress and fatigue.

Relaxation methods that help the patient to recharge and ease tension.

The Evidence In Favor
So far, limited studies have supported the use of yoga as treatment for:

Depression – A 2004 overview of five trials all showed positive results for yoga as therapy in depression
Heart conditions – a 2005 study reported that the deep breathing associated with yoga was beneficial in controlling premature ventricular complexes
Breast cancer and other cancer survivors – a pilot study examined the benefits of including yoga in post-treatment strategy with a group of breast cancer survivors. The yoga group showed significant benefits that included fitness variations, psychological benefits and emotional function. There were also variations in gastrointestinal disturbances, tension, cognitive function and mood disturbance.
A study in India concluded that regular yoga exercise increases the body’s use of antioxidants, leading to the possibility that it may have a beneficial effect on cancer prevention.
Two studies on patients with diabetes showed improved nerve function and lower blood sugar in those that practiced yoga as part of their therapy.
A 2001 study in India showed increased hand grip strength in patients with rheumatoid arthritis who practiced yoga as a therapy treatment.

The Criticisms
Critics contend that yoga is challenging, and may be difficult or impossible for those with limited mobility and flexibility. There is a possibility of injury associated with attempting some of the postures without adequate pre-exercise preparation.

Conclusions
As with any other fitness or alternative treatment, it's important to let your doctor know that you're starting a new treatment program. Yoga does show promise in treating a number of conditions, and there are many research projects ongoing to determine how much and which ones.

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Did You Know?

Alternative medicine is an open term that includes any treatment or therapy that's not generally recognized by conventional medical practice. It includes everything from traditional folk remedies to high-tech biofeedback using scanners and monitors to help patients focus their minds on affecting their bodies. While alternative medicine is still viewed with a jaundiced eye in many circles, it's increasingly being taken seriously. In fact, there is a National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), part of the National Institutes of Health.

NCCAM's purpose is to explore complementary and alternative medicine in the light of rigorous science - the same standards by which conventional treatments and medications are judged. Further, they are dedicated to making that information available to the public. NCCAM provides research grants, funding for ongoing 'centers' to explore promising therapies, and information on well-designed scientific studies of therapies that are not accepted parts of conventional medical practice.

Currently, NCCAM divides alternative therapies into five 'domains', depending on a number of factors. Those are:

1. Alternative Medical Systems: entire systems of practice and theory rather than just a method or treatment. These include systems such as homeopathic medicine, traditional Chinese medicine and Ayurveda, to name just a few.

2. Mind-Body Interventions: any method or therapy that's meant to help a patient use his mind to affect the symptoms of his illness. These include meditation, biofeedback, prayer and art, music or dance therapy.

3. Biologically Based Therapies: any treatment that uses substances from nature is considered a biologically based therapy. These include vitamins, diets and herbal products.

4. Manipulative and Body-Based Methods: massage or manipulation of one or more body parts are body-based methods. These include various types of massage, chiropractic and acupuncture.

5. Energy Therapies: therapies based on the concept of 'energy fields' that surround the body. Some of these therapies manipulate electrical fields that are said to emanate from the body. Others involve the use of electromagnetic fields in unconventional ways.