By now, you probably know that yoga can do more good to your health than burn calories and tone muscles. Adding to that, a new study led by an Indian-origin researcher suggests that practicing yoga can improve the quality of life of men with prostate cancer who are undergoing radiation therapy.Researchers found that the general quality of life and measurements of side effects often experienced by prostate cancer patients – including fatigue, sexual health and urinary incontinence – were stable throughout a course of outpatient radiation therapy among the men who participated in an intensive yoga programme.”Data have consistently shown declines in these important measures among prostate cancer patients undergoing cancer therapy without any structured fitness interventions, so the stable scores seen with our yoga programme are really good news,” said Neha Vapiwala, associate professor at Abramson Cancer Centre, University of Pennsylvania in the US.The possible explanation for the benefits of yoga seen in the study stems from physiologic data demonstrating its ability to help reduce cancer-related fatigue and to strengthen pelvic floor muscles and increase blood flow. These aspects may in turn improve erectile dysfunction and urinary incontinence, Vapiwala explained .Between May 2013 and June 2014, the study participants attended twice-weekly yoga classes of 75 minutes each, taught by trained Eischens yoga instructors. “Eischens yoga incorporates ideas from movement theory and kinesiology and is accessible to all body types and experience levels,” said Tali Mazar Ben-Josef, certified Eischens yoga instructor and researcher at Abramson Cancer Centre.Most yoga participants reported a sense of well-being at the end of each class, Ben-Josef said. Severity of fatigue scores demonstrated significant variability over the time of treatment. Erectile dysfunction, urinary incontinence, and general quality of life scores demonstrated steady trends. The findings were presented at the Society of Integrative Oncology’s 12th International Conference in Boston.However, several metaanalysis and reviews show equivocal benefits for yoga.If you’re a passionate yoga practitioner, you’ve probably noticed some yoga benefits—maybe you’re sleeping better or getting fewer colds or just feeling more relaxed and at ease. But if you’ve ever tried telling a newbie about the benefits of yoga, you might find that explanations like “It increases the flow of prana” or “It brings energy up your spine” fall on deaf or skeptical ears.I myself have experienced yoga’s healing power in a very real way. Weeks before a trip to India in 2002 to investigate yoga therapy, I developed numbness and tingling in my right hand. After first considering scary things like a brain tumor and multiple sclerosis, I figured out that the cause of the symptoms was thoracic outlet syndrome, a nerve blockage in my neck and chest.Despite the uncomfortable symptoms, I realized how useful my condition could be during my trip. While visiting various yoga therapy centers, I would submit myself for evaluation and treatment by the various experts I’d arranged to observe. I could try their suggestions and see what worked for me. While this wasn’t exactly a controlled scientific experiment, I knew that such hands-on learning could teach me things I might not otherwise understand.The diagnosis and treatment of cancer poses severe psychologic distress that impacts functional quality of life. While cancer directed treatments are directed purely against tumor killing, interventions that reduce treatment related distress and improve quality of life are the need of the hour. Yoga is one such mind body intervention that is gaining popularity among cancer patients.
