Thursday, March 12, 2009

Restorative yoga may have positive effects for breast cancer patients

Restorative yoga may provide some relief of fatigue and depression problems for women with breast cancer, according to a new study.

The pilot study, published Wednesday in the journal of Psycho-Oncology, assigned 44 participants to a restorative yoga or a control group. The average age of participants was 56 and more than a third of the women were undergoing chemotherapy or radiation therapy.

The yoga group took 10 weekly 75-minute classes that combined physical postures, breathing and deep relaxation. By using props participants were able to find a comfortable position so they could hold the poses for several minutes.

Researchers found women who practiced this gentler version of the popular mind-body therapy had a 50 percent reduction in depression and a 12 percent increase in feelings of peacefulness.

Read the whole article here: http://news.medill.northwestern.edu/chicago/news.aspx?id=118827