Breast Cancer : Treatment From Yoga
If you are a patient of breast cancer & not getting appropiate treatment for it. Then you should try yoga to get relief from breast cancer. According to a new research by reserachers yoga offers unique benefits beyond fighting fatigue.
A recent research by University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Centre, has indicated that for women with breast cancer undergoing radiation therapy, yoga offers unique benefits beyond fighting fatigue.
The researchers tested 160 woman suffering from breast cancer were assessed, over their treatment period, and in the 6 months after. They were divided into 3 groups: 1 with no exercise program, 2nd undertaking simple stretching exercises, 3rd group using both the stretching and meditation components of yoga. All the groups are monitored regularly & throughout the period asked the women to report their well-being, sense of fatigue, and how they felt about their mood and quality of life. Saliva samples, and cardiograms were also tested to check participants stress-levels & general good-health.
The researchers found that those women taking up either yoga, or simple stretching, showed lower levels of fatigue in comparison to those who didn’t exercise at all. But those patients who are in the yoga group had the best overall health levels and saw their experience in a more positive light & also largest falls in cortisol, which is an important stress hormone.
The research was done in collaboration with India’s largest yoga research institution, Swami Vivekananda Yoga Anusandhana Samsthana in Bangalore, India.
This research will be presented next month in an oral session at the 47th annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.
“The combination of mind and body practices that are part of yoga clearly have tremendous potential to help patients manage the psychosocial and physical distress associated with treatment and life after cancer, beyond the benefits of simple stretching, The transition from active therapy back to everyday life can be very stressful as patients no longer receive the same level of medical care and attention. Teaching patients a mind-body technique like yoga as a coping skill can make the transition less difficult, said Lorenzo Cohen, professor and director of the Integrative Medicine Program at MD Anderson.
