Yoga as Preventative Medicine

Yoga is a Cost Effective System of Preventative Medicine

 

            In his book, “Yoga as Medicine,” Dr. Timothy McCall says, “This single comprehensive system can reduce stress, increase flexibility, improve balance, promote strength, heighten cardiovascular conditioning, lower blood pressure, reduce overweight, strengthen bones, prevent injuries, lift mood, improve immune function, increase oxygen supply to the tissues, heighten sexual functioning and fulfillment, foster psychological equanimity, and promote spiritual well-being… and that’s only a partial list.”

            There’s no doubt that yoga, when practiced right, makes you feel good. If you know how to do it, it costs nothing but time and effort. There is little or no equipment involved in a yoga practice. Unfortunately, most people will never know whether or not it works for them because they won’t do it. It is easy to take a pill; it is far more difficult to form and maintain a personal yoga practice. However, if people are compliant, it takes only a few private sessions (at around $70 per session) to prevent and treat a wide variety of health complaints.

            Placebo effect aside, it helps to get people to practice if they believe that it really works. In the past few decades, an increasing amount of studies are revealing the benefits of yoga from a modern scientific point of view. This is a long way away from the ancient yogis who sat around in caves exploring the intimate details of the mind body breath connection. Over thousands of years, yogis have examined how to manipulate and stimulate the body and mind through postural, cognitive, and breathing practices. This has evolved over the millennia into many different forms and applications, and is now being molded to fit the paradigms of our current health system through various forms of research: from case studies to randomized double blind clinical trials.

            For Example, a recent study at California State University San Bernardino showed how a basic one hour yoga class significantly reduced physiological stress responses in college students. Furthermore, a 2007 literature review has gathered all relevant information on treating asthma with a comprehensive yoga practice. A University of Boston study demonstrated how a 60 minute practice could increase GABA levels in the brain to treat anxiety and depression.

            The next question is how to apply these insights gained from the current research. Clearly a comprehensive practice in necessary, but is there an active ingredient in that practice without which the health effects would not be as prominent? The current consensus in the Yoga Therapy community is that, yes, there is an active ingredient. In her book, “Yoga for Depression,” Amy Weintraub examines much of the current research to arrive at the conclusion that inversions (poses that turn the body upside down) are the active ingredient in many yoga prescriptions for mental disorders.

            All current studies point to yoga’s overall effectiveness for preventing and treating disease. As we find more active ingredients in yoga prescriptions, these positive effects will be enhanced. As yoga becomes more effective, it will be more cost-effective since yoga therapists and teachers will take less effort to form the perfect practice for a given client. This, in turn, will help guide future research to show how yoga works, which will then lead more people to practice because they are convinced of its effectiveness.

            It all starts with sitting down and taking a breath. Breathing is free; at least, for time being.

 

Bibliography:

McCall, Timothy (2007) Yoga as Medicine. New York City, New York: Bantam Books

 

Morse, Deborah. (2007) Yoga for Asthma  International Journal of Yoga Therapy, No.17, 81-87

 

.Streeter, C.C., et al. (May 2007) Yoga Asana Sessions Increase Brain GABA Levels . Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 13, 419-26

 

Weintraub, Amy. (2004) Yoga for Depression. New York City, New York: Broadway Books

 

Wheeler, Amy, et al. (2007) A Study of the Impact of Yoga Asana on Perceived Stress, Heart Rate, and Breathing Rate. International Journal of Yoga Therapy, No. 17., 57-63