According to a new study in the prestigious Journal of Clinical Oncology a few months of yoga could help fatigue and inflammation, in women who have survived breast cancer.
One of the study researchers Janice Kiecolt-Glaser, M.D. particularly pointed out that the benefits derived from yoga in this group of women were significantly different compared to a group that had only done aerobic exercise.
She is quoted as saying “We were really surprised by the data because some more recent studies on exercise have suggested that exercise interventions may not necessarily lower inflammation unless people are substantially overweight or have metabolic problems.” However she went on to say “In this group, the women didn’t lose weight but we saw really marked reductions in inflammation. So this was a particularly striking finding biologically.”
The data from the study was particularly impressive. At the end of three months of yoga, participants who were in the yoga group, reported a 41% decrease in fatigue a 12% increase in vitality. In addition, the yoga group had lower levels of inflammatory molecules in the blood compared to the non-yoga group.
Excitingly, the researchers continued to follow the patients for an additional three months, after the intervention with yoga had ended. They found that the beneficial effects of the three months of yoga did not wear off in the yoga group compared with the control group.
This is a most exciting finding, and certainly if you have friends with breast cancer, please encourage them to do yoga.
Other popular articles about these findings are
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Please leave me your comments and thoughts about all this new information !
About Dr. Soram Khalsa
As an MD, Dr Soram specializes in Integrative Medicine combining diet, nutrition, acupuncture, herbs and nutrition. Visit Dr Soram’s Healthy Living Store where you’ll find high-quality nutritional supplements:
