Yoga News and Research

RSS

Yoga is an ancient system of practices used to balance the mind and body through exercise, meditation (focusing thoughts), and control of breathing and emotions. Yoga is being studied as a way to relieve stress and treat sleep problems in cancer patients.

No compelling evidence that meditation has therapeutic value

While it's not likely to do you any harm, there is also no compelling evidence that meditation has therapeutic value, says a new report from the University of Alberta.

10 Jul 2007

Therapeutic value of meditation unproven

There is an enormous amount of interest in using meditation as a form of therapy to cope with a variety of modern-day health problems, especially hypertension, stress and chronic pain, but the majority of evidence that seems to support this notion is anecdotal, or it comes from poor quality studies, say Maria Ospina and Kenneth Bond, researchers at the University of Alberta/Capital Health Evidence-based Practice Center in Edmonton, Canada.

29 Jun 2007

Lifestyle changes and prostate cancer

Up to 73% of men with prostate cancer take nonprescription supplements, and smaller numbers use diet, exercise, or both in the hope of improving their outcome.

29 Jun 2007

Examination of cancer-related fatigue

In a special publication sent to thousands of oncologists nationwide this month, University of Rochester Medical Center scientists offer an in-depth examination of cancer-related fatigue, with hope that a better understanding of the topic will prompt new research and treatment.

8 Jun 2007

Yoga shows promise in improving symptoms associated with depression, anxiety and epilepsy

Researchers at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) and McLean Hospital have found that practicing yoga may elevate brain gamma-aminobutyric (GABA) levels, the brain's primary inhibitory neurotransmitter.

23 May 2007

Cedars-Sinai helps Doug Fieger battle brain tumors

When singer/songwriter/guitarist Doug Fieger, lead singer of The Knack, found out last year that he had two brain tumors, he was concerned that either the tumors or the side effects of surgery would leave him unable to pursue his livelihood.

16 May 2007

Community interventions help tackle childhood obesity

A community-based environmental change intervention to prevent obesity in culturally diverse, early elementary school children reduced weight gain over one school year.

11 May 2007

Mellowing with age helps you live longer!

While mellowing with age has often been thought to have positive effects, a Purdue University researcher has shown that doing so could also help you live longer.

17 Apr 2007

CleveMed awarded $245,000 NIH grant to develop a device for quantifying the efficacy of alternative medicine techniques

Cleveland Medical Devices has announced that it has been awarded $245,000 in NIH SBIR funding.

2 Dec 2006

Which works best in fighting the risk factors for diabetes - exercise or diet?

It's a toss up, according to a new study by a Saint Louis University researcher who is a member of a Washington University team of scientists examining whether a calorie-restrictive diet can extend people's lifespan.

8 Nov 2006

Insufficient evidence exists to support the use of complementary and alternative therapies to relieve menopause

Complementary and alternative therapies show little benefit in treating menopause symptoms.

25 Jul 2006

Exercise improves physical health, quality of life for breast cancer survivors

Researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center have found that exercise decreases pain and helps breast cancer survivors feel healthier and increase participation in daily activities.

18 Jul 2006

Study looks at the cellular basis for immune activation in fatigued breast cancer survivors

Breast cancer survivors who suffer from persistent, debilitating fatigue years after their diagnosis have something in common: their immune systems don't shut down following treatment, according to researchers at UCLA's Jonsson Cancer Center.

3 May 2006

Yoga improves respiratory function

Young and healthy Thais who participated in just 18 short yoga sessions showed significant improvements on six of seven measures of respiratory function, according to research from Khon Kaen University.

6 Apr 2006

Herbal supplements and plastic surgery don't mix well

Natural herbal supplements are supposed to help boost our immune systems, give us more energy and make us generally healthier.

14 Feb 2006

'Mindfulness' lifts depression for many, but not all

Mindfulness, a central concept in yoga and various forms of meditation, has proven to be effective against depression, but difficult to grasp for a significant number of people who try it, according to a University of Calgary researcher.

23 Jan 2006

Gentle yoga gives relief from chronic back pain

For people who suffer from on-going chronic lower backache they may find some relief in a yoga class.

21 Dec 2005

Meditation may slow down brain aging

The regular practice of meditation appears to produce structural changes in areas of the brain associated with attention and sensory processing.

14 Nov 2005

Meditation associated with increased cortical thickness

Meditation is known to alter resting brain patterns, suggesting long lasting brain changes, but a new study by researchers from Yale, Harvard, Massachusetts General Hospital, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology shows meditation also is associated with increased cortical thickness.

13 Nov 2005

Middle-age people more likely to use complementary and alternative medicine

"Midlife adults entered adulthood at a time of more widespread use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in the population and when public health policy was shifting attention toward individual responsibility for health and health promotion," said Joseph G. Grzywacz, Ph.D., and his colleagues, writing in the October issue of the Journal of Aging and Health.

25 Oct 2005