Engaging in yoga may very well be an effective cure for breast cancer, a recent study finds.
Researchers involved in the study found that practicing yoga for as short as three months already helped lower symptoms of fatigue by 57 percent and inflammation by up to 20 percent after six months. "This showed that modest yoga practice over a period of several months could have substantial benefits for breast cancer survivors," said lead study author Professor Janice Kiecolt-Glaser, from Ohio State University.
"We also think the results could easily generalize to other groups of people who have issues with fatigue and inflammation." The results of their study were published online in the journal of Clinical Oncology. In their study, they randomly assigned 200 breast cancer survivors to take either a 90-minute hatha yoga class - a gentler form than the popular bikram yoga - twice a week for 12 weeks. They found out that the more times women practiced yoga each week, the lower the levels of their tiredness and inflammation.
"Sleep was significantly improve in the women who did yoga, and that could be a major reason for the decline in their fatigue and inflammation," said Glaser. "Studies show that some patients continue to have moderate-to-severe fatigue years after treatment," as posted on the National Cancer Institute website. Chronic inflammation has been linked to numerous health problems, including heart disease, diabetes, arthritis and Alzheimer's. However, experts advised that those who are newbies at practicing yoga should not overdo it.
