Science shows Health Benefits from Yoga

According to The Centers for Disease Control, up to 90% of doctor’s office visits may be caused by stress. As stress takes over the body, certain physiological actions and reactions take place as well. These reactions usually are not avoidable and are inevitable. A common reaction to stress is the production of adrenaline, which is produced by the adrenal glands. When elevated levels of adrenaline and associated hormones remain at a constant, significant damage occurs within the body, starting at the cellular level.

Studies suggest that stress and the associated effects on the body lend themselves to premature aging, the formation of excess free radicals cells, and depressed immunity, all of which are precursors to disease. When the body experiences stress it increases levels of interleukin-6, which is a protein produced by the immune system. Science has revealed that intereleukin-6 promotes infections, heart disease, cancer, rheumatoid arthritis and diabetes. Stress also causes physiological changes in the brain, altering brain chemicals and neurological pathways in a negative and abnormal manner. It is inarguable; stress impairs the immune system and that allows underlying damage in the body to proliferate. In fact, stress and the study of stress on the body has opened a whole new field of study; “psyconeuroimmunology”, which simply means the study of the mind, brain, perceptions and the associated effects on the function of the immune system.

Stress and the inability to cope often causes a snowball effect that then results in a myriad of undesirable behaviors, further deteriorating the body. Those experiencing uncontrollable and constant stress reactions often do not sleep well. Diets become laden with “comfort” foods, otherwise known as junk food. Stress may catapult some people into drinking heavily, taking medications to calm anxiety and smoking tobacco products. All habits that further deteriorate the human body. A bleak picture indeed.

Can we rid ourselves of stress? No. It is part of the American way. However, we can employ constructive measures and learn to cope with stress through meditation, breathing exercises, body strengthening and becoming in tune with ourselves. In other words, learning to function as a whole as opposed to operating as disjointed functions of our parts.

An avid runner and weight lifter for over a decade, I was humbled and surprised to find that I barely made it through a yoga class offered at my local health club. In fact, it took less than 2 minutes for me fall to apart doing what I thought was a “simple” pose, the King Dancer. I was hooked. I realized how I was being ruled by stress and discontinuity even though I was doing everything right to insure my health and well-being within my scope of knowledge at the time.

My yoga experience coupled with my willingness to open up to the principles and teachings, resulted in nothing but positive results for me. After 15 years of restless nights, sleep arrived peacefully. Certain anxieties fell by the wayside. I felt as if food finally became a part of the living cells that constructed my physical being. Bowel movements were finally regular. A mild case of occasional evening muscle spasms was non existent. Indeed, equilibrium on some level had arrived.

Though I have a practice focused on natural health care, I was still treating my patients the “old fashioned way.” The way I learned to do in college, prior to my career as an assistant manager on a neuro-rehab unit. Treating only symptoms, and not the Gestalt, otherwise known as the whole person. As I started paying special attention to my patients, the writing in the wall was clear. A large majority had the earmarks of stress written all over their bodies. Furrowed brows, feet and legs nervously twitching, drumming fingers, defeated postures, shallow breathing, and an overall “tight” looking physical effect.

My own yoga experience was a personal healing on many levels. I decided that yoga would become part of the protocol for all of my patients, no matter what the condition. My client base was varied, from children to the elderly. Maladies were varied as well and included cancer, diabetes, autoimmune disorders, obesity, menopause and the like.

As I began to listen to my patient’s emotional feelings for the first time, I found almost all of them had something occurring in life that was adversely affecting their emotional selves, which in turn was affecting the physical. I heard it all. Job losses, marriages strained, unruly children. Some were caregivers of the sick in their own homes. Some had recently lost a loved one. Some were stressed and alarmed at the high cost of their medical care. Some were simply “stressed” with no apparent reason. Stress was a defining factor in at least 80% of my caseload.

I began encouraging my patients to explore yoga as a viable option to help alleviate the emotional/psychological discomforts they were feeling. A certain percentage of my patients were surprised at such a “simple” suggestion. There were those patients who explained the fact that they already exercise regularly. However, when I shared my own preconceived notions and positive experience with yoga, resistance soon melted for many. There were those patients who were willing to do anything in order to relieve their discomfort.

As a former researcher, I realized that empirical data had to be gathered in order to prove my hypothesis. Those of you who are yoga professionals, teachers and healers of the mind and spirit, already know that yoga can help unleash the peace within. Why go through all of that trouble when it already just is? I agree. However, my audiences are my colleagues and peers. They require data and some sort of scientific measure to prove that there is a definite method to the madness. A longitudinal study had commenced.

In summation, three groups were compared. Those that chose yoga as part of their therapy, those that engaged in regular daily exercise which excluded yoga and those that did nothing outside their normal clinical protocols. Patient rates of success were measured via blood analysis, urinalysis, PET/ CAT/ MRI scans, questionnaires, stress scales, sleep scales, pain scales, and periodic interviews. As expected, the group who chose to do nothing above and beyond standard clinical protocols experienced the least amount of improvement in all areas when compared to the other 2 groups. Exercise in one form or another, has irrefutable benefits as demonstrated by our exercise only group. This group had marked benefits in many areas above and beyond the group who chose no physical activity. However, measures on stress and pain scales were surprisingly low. Our yoga group’s tabulations resulted in measures that were literally off the charts. A direct correlation was revealed regarding the ability of a person’s ability to manage stress and subsequent clinical outcomes. The yoga group enjoyed restful nights, clearly demonstrated good posture, had learned proper breathing and simply were more in touch with a sense of self.

The majority of the yoga group experienced a marked rate of healing across a wide array of maladies, longer remissions and an ability to cope if their ailments were of the sort that simply required management. In the clinical setting, those that stick to exercise programs over the long term are a small percentage. Those that choose to stay with their yoga programs came in at a whopping 75%. As our clinical data suggests, the health benefits of yoga are undeniable.

Dr. Linda Posch MS SLP ND: Is a firm believer in using yoga to help patients achieve a body balance. She owns a laboratory where she formulates custom vitamin supplements and immuno-modulators for her patients. Please visit her site at http://www.liquidvitaminanswers.com to learn more about achieving body balance and vitamin supplements. Many thanks to the author.