Scientific Evidence for the Health Benefits of Yoga
Menstrual Pain
Menstrual cramps can be divided into two types: functional and organic.
In general, people who say they have menstrual cramps can be considered to have functional dysmenorrhea (primary dysmenorrhea), which is thought to be caused by the shape of the uterus itself (e.g. narrow cervix), not by any organ disease.
The review presented here evaluates exercise for primary dysmenorrhea, and depending on the frequency and intensity of exercise, it may reduce pain. That's the one.
This does not apply to organic pain, so please take this into consideration.
Contents of the study
The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of exercise in women with menstrual pain and to compare exercise with recommended oral medications.
The study will be a review of 12 studies involving 854 women.
We included 10 trials with 754 women in the meta-analysis because two trials did not report data suitable for inclusion in the meta-analysis.
Eleven trials compared exercise with no treatment, and one compared exercise with an NSAID.
The results showed that exercise, whether low intensity like yoga or high intensity like aerobics, can significantly reduce the intensity of menstrual pain compared to doing nothing.
This pain reduction could be important for women with menstrual cramps, as it is more than twice the minimal amount of pain reduction that might be needed to notice a difference.
Most studies asked women to exercise at least three times a week, for about 45-60 minutes each time. It is unclear if they exercise less frequently or if shorter exercise sessions would yield the same results.
Exercise should be done regularly throughout the month, and some studies have asked women not to exercise during their menstrual periods.
Evidence on the safety of exercise has not been well reported, so no conclusions can be drawn. Other outcomes, such as effects on overall menstrual symptoms and overall quality of life, have not been well reported, and the evidence is of very low quality, so we do not know if exercise affects these outcomes.
There are no studies reporting on rates of missing work or school or limitations in daily activities.
There is not enough evidence to determine if there is a benefit of exercise when compared to NSAIDs, a class of medications commonly used to treat the intensity of menstrual pain, the need for additional pain medication, or absence from (e.g. ibuprofen). In addition, there are no studies reporting on quality of life or limitations in daily living.
Armour M, Ee CC, Naidoo D, Ayati Z, Chalmers KJ, Steel KA, de Manincor MJ, Delshad E. Exercise for dysmenorrhoea. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2019, Issue 9. Art. No.: CD004142. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD004142.pub4.
Post-stroke rehabilitation.
There have been many studies investigating the extent of health effects of yoga and positive results have been found, making yoga a common choice as one of the rehabilitation options for many diseases.
Contents of the Study
The conclusion of the study is that yoga may improve the quality of life of stroke survivors, but it does not necessarily have such an effect.
The research.
72 participants from two RCTs conducted in 2017, which reviewed.
Physical
Emotional
Communication
Social participation
Stroke recovery
Memory
There was no significant change in memory, but there was a slight change in other areas. However, did this improve the quality of life? However, the results were not so clear.
Secondary outcomes included
Exercise
Strength
Endurance
Psychological variables
Pain
Disability
and were validated and measured with the Berg Balance Scale, which showed that these did not have a significant clinical effect. (MD 2.38, 95% CI -1.41 to 6.17, P = .22) The Balance Confidence Scale by Movement (MD 10.60, 95% CI -7.08, = 28.28, P = 0.24) was used to measure balance self-efficacy, with no significant results.
Walking was measured using the Comfort Speed Walking Test (MD 1.32, 95% CI -1.35 to 3.99, P = 0.33) and motor function was measured using the Motor Function Rating Scale (MD-4.00, 95% CI -12.42 to 4.42, P = 0.33) with no significant effect.
These results suggest that yoga may be a part of rehabilitation, but whether it can be considered beneficial compared to other forms of rehabilitation will not be known until it is tried.
Lawrence M, Celestino Jr FT, Matozinho HHS, Govan L, Booth J, Beecher J. Yoga for Stroke Rehabilitation: A Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2017, No. 12. Number: CD011483. doi: 10.1002 / 14651858.CD011483.pub2.
Chronic low back pain
Yoga approach to chronic low back pain as an alternative to physical therapy.
The results of an NCCIH-funded study show that yoga has similar pain reduction and physical functional benefits for people suffering from chronic low back pain as physical therapy.
And yoga through this intervention is not self-taught, indicating that a structured yoga program may be a viable alternative to physical therapy.
It is well known that yoga is useful for chronic low back pain.
The study, which focused on people of low socioeconomic status who have difficulty accessing physical therapy, was conducted at Boston University and included researchers from the University of Pittsburgh, the Group Health Research Institute in Seattle, the University of Washington, and RANDCorporation. It was published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
The study.
In the first 12 weeks, the researchers randomly assigned 320 low-income, racially diverse adults aged 18-64 years with chronic low back pain (no specific cause) to one of three groups.
Group 1 participated in a 75-minute yoga class once a week, led by a yoga instructor, and practiced at home.
Group 2 received up to 15 one-hour sessions of physical therapy, provided by a physical therapist in combination with home care.
Group 3 received a handbook on self-care for low back pain and received a brief newsletter with key points every three weeks. Members of this group received regular telephone follow-up.
Results.
At the beginning of the study and at 6, 12, 26, 40, and 52 weeks thereafter, the researchers measured the average pain intensity and disability associated with the participants' low back pain and found that yoga and physical therapy produced similar results for pain and function, and both were superior to the educational group.
Saper RB, Lemaster C, Delitto A, et al. Yoga, physical therapy, or education for chronic low back pain: a randomized controlled noninferiority trial. Annals of Internal Medicine. 2017;167(2):85-94
Weight loss programs
of overweight adults.
50 were randomly assigned to follow a 6-month behavioral weight loss program that included weekly group sessions on diet and behavioral strategies that reduced caloric intake and fat intake, and practiced either Hasa Yoga or Vinyasa Yoga.
Hasa Yoga focuses on relaxation and holding poses, while Vinyasa Yoga is said to be a more rigorous style of yoga with a series of poses.
Most participants in the Hasa Yoga group rated the intensity of the exercise as similar to a brisk walk because of its characteristics. In contrast, the vinyasa yoga group felt that its characteristics made it more intense than a walk.
The study.
Participants were instructed to practice yoga five days a week, starting with 20 minutes a day for the first eight weeks, increasing to 40 minutes a day and then to 60 minutes a day; four days were home-based sessions and one day was a supervised session.
People in both yoga groups lost a significant amount of weight and improved their cardiovascular fitness. And there was no difference between the two styles, with those who spent more time in yoga over the six months losing more weight.
However, participants increased the length of their yoga sessions to 60 minutes, indicating that time is a barrier to changing the planned time and that they may have difficulty continuing.
Jakicic JM, Davis KK, Rogers RJ, et al. Feasibility of integration of yoga in a behavioral weight-loss intervention: a randomized trial. Obesity (Silver Obesity (Silver Spring). Obesity (Silver Spring). 2021;29(3):512-520.
