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Research on the use of Yoga for Parkinson's disease

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   In the United States around 1 million people live with Parkinson’s disease (1). Parkinson’s disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disease worldwide. Parkinson’s disease affects functional mobility, balance and gait. For this reason, people with Parkinson’s disease have an increased risk of falls. The clinical signs of Parkinson’s disease include bradykinesia, rigidity, resting tremors and postural instability. Depression, anxiety and cognitive impairment are common.     There is no cure for this chronic condition. Therefore, the goals of the treatment for Parkinson’s disease are to ameliorate symptoms and to slow the progression of it with the combination of medications and routine rehabilitation training. The management offered can improve the patients’ quality of life. However, the long-term use of medications has potential complications.   Research on the use of yoga to improve the quality of life of patients with yoga has been promising. In 2019 a randomized co
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Adding Yoga to group CBT for depression and anxiety improved outcome (study)

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  Evidence supports the use of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) as treatment for anxiety and depression (1). Cognitive Behavioral Therapy uses strategies to address unhelpful thoughts and patterns of behavior to enable mechanisms that help to make a shift in the conditions that trigger and exacerbate symptoms of depression and anxiety.   Even though CBT is considered an effective therapy, fifty percent of adults who complete CBT continue to have symptoms (2). Therefore, adding strategies to augment the effectiveness of CBT is a path that warrants attention and research.   Incorporating mindfulness into CBT has shown promising results. Yoga is an ancient practice that integrates mindfulness and physical exercise through the combination of breathing, gentle movements and physical postures. Research has shown that yoga as a mind-body discipline has multiple benefits on health and wellbeing (3). Also, small studies have indicated that the practice of yoga may be beneficial to relie
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Online Chair Yoga to support adults with dementia

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  There are various challenges to tackle for caregivers of adults with dementia. Social isolation and the demands of taking care of a person with dementia require new approaches to support the patients’ health and social interactions while creating conditions that are feasible and accessible.   The pandemic added new limitations to a complicated situation. Is online supervised Chair Yoga a feasible resource to offer for adults with dementia?   A small study funded by the Florida Atlantic University showed that it is. The results of this study were published by the Journal Complimentary Therapies in Clinical Practice. A study to assess the feasibility of online Chair Yoga in adults with dementia had never been done before.   The study explored the feasibility of supervised online Chair Yoga in a group of patients with dementia by evaluating the retention, adherence and safety of the approach. A home-based Chair Yoga intervention was provided to 10 older patients with dementia (m
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Research on the use of yoga for cancer as a complementary approach to standard of care

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  The diagnosis of cancer is a life-changing experience on many levels: physical, emotional, social and financial. Stress, uncertainty, fear and the challenges of navigating the medical system are all part of the reality of facing this diagnosis (1). Depending on the type of cancer and the stage at which it is diagnosed, the condition may cause new symptoms and may affect somebody’s ability to function.     Being diagnosed and treated for cancer requires social support and a strategy to deal with stress. How can yoga support patients through their treatment and after they complete it?   Research has shown that yoga can be beneficial as a complementary therapy to support patients with cancer while they receive their treatment and after they complete it (2, 3).   A study published in October 2020 by the Support Care Center examined the effects of weekly yoga sessions during eight weeks (2). Cancer patients were randomized to receive yoga (intervention group) or to not receive yog
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The benefits of yoga as an adjuvant to medical treatment for migraine

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  Chronic migraine is a complication of episodic migraines. Each year 25 percent of patients with episodic migraines develop chronic migraines. Chronic migraine is a disabling complication that leads to loss of working hours and reduced productivity (1).  According to a study, preventive treatment was discontinued or switched at least once by 26.4 percent of episodic migraineurs and by 53.3 percent of chronic migraineurs. Of the 382 patients who gave reasons for discontinuation or switching treatment, over 70 percent selected lack of efficacy and tolerability/safety (2).   Despite taking acute and/or preventive treatments, 29.2 percent of episodic cases and 73.2 percent of chronic ones had moderate to severe headaches related to disability (2).    Stress is a common trigger for migraines, playing a role in almost 70 percent of cases (3). It also increases the risk of turning episodic migraines into chronic migraines.   Body mind therapies play a role in the response to stress. Yo
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Yoga helps patients with recurrent vasovagal syncope

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   A recent study showed that yoga can help people with recurrent vasovagal syncope.  How common is vasovagal syncope?   Vasovagal syncope is the most common syncope in adults. It comprises more than 85 % of syncopal events in people age 40 or less. In geriatric patients vasovagal syncope is responsible for at least fifty percent of syncopal episodes.   What is a vasovagal syncope?    A vasovagal syncope happens when there is a transient loss of consciousness due to a temporary reduced perfusion of the brain as a result of a sudden decrease in blood pressure and heart rate. In this kind of syncope there is a sudden autonomic response to pain or emotional distress, but in some cases the trigger is not clear. However, it is important to know that the healthcare professional needs to rule out other causes of the syncope before establishing the diagnosis of vasovagal syncope. Being thorough in the approach of a patient with syncope is crucial to make the right diagnosis.   Seve
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Yoga and quality of sleep in school-children: a recent study published by the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine

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    Good quality sleep is necessary for physical and mental health. In the case of children and adolescents sleep is a crucial pillar of physiological, psychological and emotional development (1). Despite the need to prioritize sleep to support health and normal development, a study found that only 15.6 percent of middle school students meet the optimal nine hours of sleep recommended by the National Sleep Foundation. 46 percent of students sleep less than seven hours per night (2 and 3).   Children in communities of low socioeconomic status experience even shorter sleep duration and poorer quality of sleep (4 and 5). As a result of this, they are more likely to have behavioral problems, poor academic performance, risky behaviors and obesity. Many factors play a role in the dysregulation of sleep in children of lower socioeconomic status such as social and family stress, food and housing insecurity, crowded and/or noisy environments.   Early interventions that teach children to cop
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