Medicinal Powers of Yoga

Medical research accumulating over the past 10 to 15 years is showing that yoga can provide a range of health benefits. It's not a cure-all, but there's relatively little that it can't help.

Improves Balance

Balance becomes particularly important as we age; falls are a leading cause of hip fractures, an injury that can be hard to recover from for older, frail adults. Practicing positions such as the tree pose, in which you place the sole of your foot against your other leg's thigh, can improve your balance. Research out of Temple University this year also shows that Iyengar yoga can help women over 65 increase their confidence in walking and balance.



Relieves Pain

Studies have found that yoga poses and meditation can reduce the amount of pain associated with arthritis, back pain, fibromyalgia and carpal tunnel syndrome, among other conditions. Recent research out of Group Health Cooperative's Center for Health Studies also has shown that yoga appears to be more effective for relieving low back pain than conventional exercise.

Improves Bowel Function

Along with its ability to relieve stress and improve posture, many yoga poses can help move food and waste products through the bowels, improving their ability to function. Bringing more yogic awareness to the way you eat can help you slow down and swallow less air, which can worsen gas and bloating.



Better Lung Capacity

Regular yoga practice will improve your posture, preventing your lower ribs from pushing into your abdomen and limiting the amount of air you inhale. It will also help you learn to use your abdominal muscles to exhale more fully, allowing you to take in more air on the following breath. Beyond helping people with asthma, research from Khon Kaen University in Thailand has shown that even short-term yoga exercise can improve the breathing capacity of those who are young and healthy.



Promotes Weight Loss

Studies have shown that those who begin to regularly practice yoga, particularly the overweight, tend to lose weight. Research also shows that it may help people between the ages of 45 to 55 from gaining as much weight--a common problem due to the group's declining energy needs and failure to adjust its caloric intake.



Improves Psychological Health

Several studies have shown that yoga can improve measures of psychological health, such as mood and self-esteem. Research found that practicing yoga may elevate levels of the brain's primary inhibitory neurotransmitter. Since low levels are associated with depression and anxiety, the findings indicate yoga may be a possible treatment option for mental illnesses.



Helps Cholesterol Levels

A number of studies are showing that yoga can lower the levels of blood fats, such as low-density lipoprotein, known as bad cholesterol. The mechanism may be connected to yoga's effect on stress, which can boost cholesterol levels and worsen the ratio of total to high-density lipoprotein or good cholesterol.



Strengthens Bones

Many yoga poses involve weight-bearing actions, which strengthen bones and can help prevent osteoporosis. Some examples include standing poses that put weight on the legs or arm balances that place weight on the wrists. Unpublished research out of California State University, Los Angeles, found that standing poses increased the bone density in the vertebrae of women ages 18 to 65, compared with controls who performed their normal physical activity.



Improves Cancer Patients' Quality of Life

Researchers have shown that breast cancer patients who perform yoga during treatment can improve the quality of their lives, compared with patients who skip the practice. After just one week of yoga and radiation, patients in the study reported changes in their ability to function socially, lower levels of daytime sleep and lower levels of overall fatigue.



Lowers Need For Medication

Studies have shown that yoga can help some people with asthma, heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and other conditions to lower the amount of medications they're taking or eliminate their need for them.

Improves Menopausal Symptoms

A survey by the Yoga Biomedical Trust about the health benefits of yoga showed that of 317 people reporting menopausal disorders, 83% said yoga appeared to help. Many yogis, as well as a growing number of people in the medical community, believe that stress can influence the severity of menopausal symptoms, such as hot flashes and mood swings. Yoga poses and meditation has been shown to be useful in minimizing the effects of stress.