Yoga Has Healing Powers
Looking for reasons to try yoga? The benefits of yoga go far and beyond just improving flexibility. Find out why it pays to hit the mat.
From increased strength to flexibility to heart health, there are just so many reasons to start rolling out the yoga mat. An article about a study on yoga published by the National Geographic claims that Yoga has healing powers. The study on yoga which used biological measures to assess the result shows that sun salutations and downward dog poses can reduce inflammation, the body’s complex biological reaction to injury and irritation.
In the study, researchers monitored 200 breast cancer survivors who were advised to participate in yoga sessions. Half of the said participants quit practicing yoga and the other half continued and had yoga practice twice a week, 90 minute classes for 12 weeks supplied with video materials to encourage them to practice at home.
According to the study led by Janice Kiecolt-Glaser, a professor of psychiatry and psychology at Ohio State University, the group that had practiced yoga reported less fatigue and had an increased level of energy three months after the treatment had ended. The report was even published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. Very often, cancer survivors commonly experience severe fatigue for months, even years, after the treatment. The study only shows that yoga practice aided in improving the over-all health of the said participants.
To support the claim of this study, Ronald Glaser of Ohio State University’s department of molecular virology, immunology, and medical genetics went for stronger laboratory proof. Mr. Glaser examined three cytokines, proteins in the blood that are markers for inflammation. The bloods were tested before and after to see the difference. After three months of yoga practice, all three markers for inflammation were lower by 10% to 15%.
Other individual studies have shown, by measuring biological markers, that seasoned yoga practitioners have lower inflammatory responses to stress than those who do not practice yoga. Yoga is also said to reduce the inflammation of people with heart problems and can improve the levels of glucose and insulin in patients with diabetes.
Are you already convinced of the health benefits of yoga? No one can deny that more and more individuals nowadays engage themselves in yoga because of its numerous health benefits. In fact, there are already about 20 million individuals in the US alone who are engaged in the yoga practice.
