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4
Oct 11

Yoga for health problems extends to mental conditions

With World Mental Health Day coming up, it's important to note that doing yoga for health problems can be beneficial, even for people with debilitating psychological illnesses. So can a number of group-based physical and interactive therapies.

A trending article in the New York Times pointed to a new study, published in the journal Archives of General Psychiatry, which touted the benefits of so-called "talk therapy" for patients with schizophrenia.

The report found that one-on-one talking can – when incorporating methods borrowed from cognitive-behavioral therapy – help schizophrenic adults become less withdrawn and more social.

Similar studies have found that doing yoga for a healthy mind can mitigate depression among these patients. A study published in the journal Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica determined that yoga-based treatments can turn around asocial behavior and improve occupational skills in schizophrenic adults.

With a burgeoning number of complementary therapies available to people with mental disorders, the prospects for those with schizophrenia are looking better and better.

In a given year, about 1 percent of U.S. adults are diagnosed with the condition, according to the National Institute of Mental Health.

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27
Sep 11

Q&A: How can I use yoga for health and headaches?

Maybe yoga can't help me with this, but I'm at the end of my rope… I have migraines, and they're getting worse every year. My prescriptions – Imitrex, Amerge, Maxalt – help some, but their side effects are simply awful. I have friends who use yoga for health problems, and I'd like to know if this holistic health regimen can help me with my headaches. Is there anything I can try?

-Oppressed Under Crushing Headaches, Scottsdale, AZ

Hi, OUCH, we're glad you came to us! There's plenty you can do. Quite a few doctors recommend yoga for health and headaches, and we'll explain how you can use stretching and deep breathing to your benefit, even when your migraines are at their worst.

These headaches of yours are a primary disorder, meaning they are the problem, rather than a symptom of some other condition or illness. Migraines are more common than you might think. The World Health Organization estimates that in the U.S., up to 8 percent of men and 18 percent of women suffer from migraines.

Besides the deep-set pain itself, the most common symptoms of a migraine are nausea, sensitivity to light or sound, and "auras" or strange distortions at the edges of your visual fields, the agency notes.

Yoga may reduce the pain and upset stomach, though not necessarily the heightened senses or the auras.

Studies published in several journals, like Headache and the Medical Science Monitor, have found that doing yoga regularly for at least three months appears to gradually reduce the frequency of migraines, as well as of anxiety, stress and tension related to headaches.

Fortunately, a quick Internet search shows that there are a number of Scottsdale yoga classes in your area, OUCH. You may consider signing up for one, and taking advantage of any techniques you learn for lowering blood pressure or mitigating pain.

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2
Sep 11

Study suggests diabetics may use yoga for health and fitness

If you use yoga for health and fitness, you probably already know that this healing regimen is a great way to relax your body, unburden your mind and stay physically fit. What you may not know, though, is that scientists are looking into the use of yoga for health problems like type 2 diabetes.

In fact, a recent investigation into the health effects of yoga concluded that type 2 diabetics who use the system regularly may see small dips in their weight and mild improvements in blood sugar stability.

Type 2 diabetes

With the current explosion of obesity in the U.S., the prevalence of type 2 diabetes is rising faster than ever before.

About 19 million Americans have congenital (type 1) or what was once called "adult onset" (type 2) diabetes, according to the American Diabetes Association. This organization adds that a further 79 million people are pre-diabetic, meaning that their insulin sensitivity is low enough that they may soon develop type 2 diabetes.

The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases warns that this condition is a major cause of kidney failure, lower leg amputations, blindness, heart disease and stroke, and is the seventh leading cause of death in the U.S.

Yoga and diabetes

In the new study, researchers from the Kasturba Medical College and Hospital in Mangalore, India, asked participants with type 2 diabetes to engage in a three-month yoga-based physical intervention.

The team found that this regimen was associated with a gradual decrease in volunteers' body mass indices (BMIs) and an improvement in blood glucose control.

"Yoga can be used as an effective therapy in reducing oxidative stress in type 2 diabetes. Yoga in addition to standard care helps reduce BMI and improve glycemic control in type 2 diabetic patients," researchers concluded.

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16
Aug 11

Perimenopausal women can use yoga for health and headaches, not to mention hot flashes

You're going through menopause, you're flushed, you're sweaty and your head is pounding – you need relief now! It probably doesn't help that the most popular health articles published in newspapers like the New York Times sport headlines like "For Some In Menopause, Hormones May Be Only Option." But never fear. Plenty of perimenopausal women use yoga for health and healing.

This is not to say that the Times headline is incorrect. Physicians often prescribe hormone therapy for women with particularly severe or protracted menopause symptoms. Furthermore, new studies have indicated that several alternative treatments for hot flashes and night sweats simply do not work.

For instance, a study appearing in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine determined that soy isoflavones do not reduce hot flashes or improve bone health for women who have gone through menopause.

Another report, this one published in the journal Obstetrics and Gynecology, determined that the median amount of time that menopausal women experience hot flashes is – brace yourself – a little more than a decade.

What do women have left, besides expensive pharmaceutical treatments? Several studies have shown that using yoga for health and headaches may incidentally reduce hot flashes, mitigate night sweating or improve general quality of living.

Two studies have appeared on the subject in the journal Maturitas. One found that yoga-based complementary therapy reduced the incidence of hot flashes by one-third. Another determined that health professionals may feasibly prescribe yoga as an alternative way to improve the quality of sleep and of day-to-day life for menopausal women.

Plenty of ladies already use yoga as a relaxation technique or fitness regimen. According to the Yoga Journal, nearly three-quarters of the 15.8 million yoga practitioners in the U.S. are women.

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8
Aug 11

Some centenarians say that yoga for healthy aging is indispensable

Living to see your 100th birthday is not as rare as it once was, and today's centenarians are ascribing their astounding longevity to everything from nutritious diets to yoga for healthy aging. According to one of Yahoo! Health's top stories, there may soon be far more 100-year-olds extolling the virtues of eating right and using stretching exercises for seniors.

According to data collected by the UK's Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), a 20-year-old Briton is twice as likely as his or her parents to reach a triple-digit age, the news source said. It added that the likelihood of reaching 100 years has skyrocketed in the past century.

Since 1911, the odds a newborn will reach their hundredth birthday have increased 50-fold, according to the DWP, which estimated that 500,000 living Brits will have hit this milestone by 2066.

The numbers are starker in the U.S., where even more centenarians are expected in the coming decades. The Census Bureau projected that, by the year 2050, 834,000 Americans will have lived a full century or more.

How does one live to 100? No particular strategy is "proven" to work, and it assuredly takes more than a little luck to avoid the accidents and infectious diseases that claim plenty of people before their 100th birthday. However, staying fit, eating right and reducing stress certainly couldn't hurt one's chances.

Some centenarians are just wild about yoga. Chinese social worker and 114-year-old Teresa Hsu told the Asian Scientist that she couldn't have done it without the holistic system.

"My secrets of longevity are simple: I stay positive, I contribute, I eat a healthy diet and every morning I do yoga," Hsu told the source during Hong Kong's Elderly Health Day 2011.

A study published in the journal Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics noted that many centenarians report using yoga or tai chi to maintain their physical activity levels.

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4
Aug 11

Studies point to the best stretching exercises for injuries, joint pain

Neck stretching exercises, back stretching exercises, yoga for a healthy back – these are techniques that millions of Americans use to stay loose, limber and mobile. Now, a doctor profiled in the most-emailed New York Times Health article of the day is saying that yoga-based exercises like these may prevent injury or slow the onset of disease.

Dr. Loren Fishman is a physical rehabilitation expert who has been prescribing yoga as a healing technique for decades. The article stated that he has done much to diagnose and treat piriformis syndrome, a sciatica-like condition caused by the compression of a nerve in the gluteal region.

Fishman uses yoga, stretching techniques, posing and guided meditation to help patients reduce their pain levels and loosen tense muscles, the source noted. He is by no means alone, either.

Many healthcare professionals are turning to complementary and alternative therapies (CATs) as a way to supplement traditional medicines.

A survey published in the Archives of Internal Medicine determined that about 3 percent of Americans – amounting to an estimated 6.3 million people – use yoga and other CATs based on their doctors' recommendations.

It is important to practice yoga as a preventive therapy as much as post-injury treatment. In fact, the Times article focused on Fischman's use of yoga to treat or slow the progression of osteoporosis, arthritis, rotator cuff syndrome and scoliosis, all of which are skeletal or joint diseases.

Yoga as preventive care is popping up everywhere. Its stretching techniques may lower the risk of musculoskeletal injuries, which can be essential for people who make their living with their bodies.

Consider NFL football players, who recently returned to practice after a labor dispute and "lockout." An article written for SportsNews.com and trending on the Wall Street Journal's Health Blog noted that, with the lockout now over, inactivity-related injuries are expected to spike among players.

How might they avoid such a trend? There's always yoga…

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3
Aug 11

Savvy researchers push yoga for healthy knees

Using yoga for health and healing is nothing new, since Americans have been using the holistic regimen to their benefit for decades. However, while the system itself isn't a recent creation – it's ancient, in fact – yoga is constantly being put to novel uses.

Numerous researchers are utilizing yoga for healthy knees among their patients, and scads of Americans are adopting the regimen on their own for the same reason. You can find stories about yoga's arthritis-soothing effects just about everywhere.

Take the Huffington Post's Michael Boblett, who posted a brand new piece about his mother's battle with rheumatoid arthritis, which she had starting at age 11. The columnist, who is also a mountaineer and marathoner, noted that even with her infirmity, his mom still emphasized the importance of doing exercises to keep the muscles and joints flexible.

Why is this important? Boblett wrote that it goes beyond mere physical health to the ability to overcome life's challenges.

"It has to do with running through brick walls," he said figuratively.

Still, even without imparting the literal ability to bust through barriers, yoga is proven to help people with knee pain and joint aches jump up and get going.

A study in the journal Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice found that regular yoga classes helped women with osteoarthritis improve their gait and balance. Another paper, this one in the journal Integrative Cancer Therapies, found that stretching and posing can reduce athralgias – or joint aches, in layman's terms – for women on breast chemotherapy regimens.

Yoga can get people with arthritis off their knees, on their feet or even lying flat on their backs. According to a study in the journal Sleep Medicine, routinely using yoga techniques can improve sleep quality and duration for middle-aged and elderly women.

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22
Jul 11

Veterans with back problems use yoga for health and healing

If you have back pain, you may be considering using yoga for health and healing. Should you? Shouldn't you? Maybe it will help to know that many veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces use yoga for health problems just like this one.

An article published by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) profiled a group of veterans who use yoga, meditation, stretching and mindfulness to ease chronic back pain. Many servicemen and -women interview for the story reported being skeptical of the practice – until they tried it, that is.

"Before, I'd think of yoga as some old Japanese gentlemen in meditation. It's not like that – it's more like an exercise that teaches you how to breathe, and here I am and I'm enjoying it," Lewis Leithner, a 31-year veteran of the Navy, told the source.

He and his peers take yoga therapy classes at a local VA center, just like thousands of retired military retirees across the U.S. Leithner said that he and his wife have already detected a difference in his back pain levels after just three weeks of yoga treatments.

Chronic back pain is nothing to take lightly. According to the American Chiropractic Association (ACA), about 31 million Americans suffer from backaches at any one time.

People of any age can be affected by this condition. The ACA notes that, among people under the age of 45, back pain is the most common cause of physical activity limitations. However, age is a big factor in the risk of backaches. The organization estimates that up to 85 percent of Americans suffer from back pain in their lifetimes.

Yoga may be able to help, for the enlisted and unenlisted alike. A study in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine found that veterans – age 55, on average – reported reductions in chronic back pain after using yoga-based interventions.

"Significant improvements were found for pain, depression, energy/fatigue and the Short Form-12 Mental Health Scale," the authors concluded.

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15
Jun 11

Representative Gabrielle Giffords’ physical therapy may borrow yoga techniques

After being shot and suffering a traumatic brain injury (TBI) on January 8 of this year, U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona is recovering well, numerous sources say. According to TIME, her rehabilitation schedule may borrow yoga equipment and techniques to ensure her good health.

The magazine stated that Giffords has been progressing well since being shot in the head in Tucson while meeting with her constituency. So far, she has been taking hours of physical, cognitive, psychological and speech therapies each day.

These treatments, which have helped her weakened muscles build strength and endurance, likely include walking on a treadmill or using a yoga ball, an air-filled sphere that helps the body improve balance and range of motion, the news source said.

Several studies have suggested that yoga may help TBI survivors get some of their former physical function back.

One, published in the Australian health journal Atypon, even notes that yoga sessions can allow TBI patients to gradually reintegrate with their community, since group yoga combines physical activity with interpersonal involvement.

Dahn Yoga offers countless community-based classes for individuals of all ages, backgrounds and levels of health.

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10
Jun 11

NFL players hit the turf (gently) with yoga

When the NFL and professional football players come to mind, you may envision monster tackles and diving catches, but yoga? The pairing may seem incongruous, but it is not – at least, not for a number of NFL players trying to stay fit this summer, anyway.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel recently reported that Green Bay Packers wide receiver Greg Jennings has included yoga as a part of his summer workout regimen, which he described as "rapid-fire." He even made a pilgrimage to Arizona to work with a nationally renowned speed trainer.

Jennings is reportedly experiencing the benefits of yoga, though to hear him talk about it, you might wonder just what kind of high-octane stretching and posing he is doing.

"Yoga has been kicking my behind," he told the newspaper.

Other NFL players have opted for gentler, less taxing forms of the mind-body regimen. KUSA-TV 9 News reported that Broncos defensive tackle Mitch Unrein and offensive lineman Jeff Byers have taken up a milder, though hotter, form of yoga that involves more stretching and deep breathing.

They told the news channel that they hoped the exercises would keep them limber, which might help the game if ever the NFL lockout ends.

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