Health Tips

Yoga’s Health Benefits

By Deepak Chopra

Between work, raising a family and coping with an uncertain economy, stress has become a “normal” part of daily life for most people. That could explain why so many Americans — about 16 million at latest count — have started taking yoga classes or doing yoga at home. This ancient practice, which started in India more than 4,000 years ago, connects mind and body through a series of postures, breathing exercises and meditation. By stretching and toning the muscles, flexing the spine and focusing the mind inward, yoga helps reduce stress. That can impact your overall health since stress plays at least some role in many illnesses. Studies show that chronic stress doubles the risk of heart attack, for instance.

How yoga may promote health Research into the health benefits of yoga is still in its infancy. But recent pilot studies point in promising directions. Yoga has been shown to lower blood pressure and heart rate, which can help reduce a person’s risk of heart disease. There may be other heart benefits, too: A 2006 study found that yoga helped lower cholesterol levels and improve circulation in people who have cardiovascular disease. Some hospitals have incorporated yoga into their post-cardiac rehabilitation programs.

While the evidence of yoga’s success in reducing a person’s body mass is mixed, one study did find that yoga can help people lose weight by leading them to a healthier lifestyle. The study reported that people who regularly practiced yoga started eating less, eating more slowly, and choosing healthier foods. They also showed fewer symptoms of eating disorders.

Many people report that yoga gives them an overall feeling of wellbeing. But research shows that it may also help alleviate specific kinds of pain, including migraine headaches, lower back problems, arthritis and pain during childbirth. Researchers are not sure what mechanism is at work, but one theory is that the yoga postures work like the way massage works. When a yoga posture places pressure on a nerve fiber, the signal for “pressure” is sent quickly to the brain via myelinated (insulated) nerve fibers, while the signal for “pain” reaches the brain more slowly via less myelinated nerve fibers. The signal for “pressure” closes the receptor gate and shuts out the “pain” stimulus. Another theory is that yoga causes an increase in serotonin, the body’s natural anti-pain chemical.

While more research is needed into these areas, people who practice yoga have also reported that they experience less insomnia and better digestive health. Pregnant women in particular seem to have an easier time sleeping when they do yoga. They are also less likely to develop high blood pressure or deliver prematurely.

Calming the mind Since yoga involves the mind as well as the body, it’s not surprising that it may help reduce anxiety and depression, especially in people whose anxiety is related to an illness like cancer. More research is needed to learn exactly how yoga affects mood, but a 2007 study may provide a clue: It found that in experienced yoga practitioners, a 60-minute yoga session increased levels of a neurotransmitter called GABA. Low levels of GABA have been linked to depression and anxiety disorders. Another pilot study suggests that yoga may influence depression by increasing the alpha waves in the brain. Alpha waves are associated with relaxation. Yet another possibility is that yoga reduces the amount of cortisol, a hormone that the body releases in response to stress. Some scientists think chronic high levels of cortisol may be tied to depression, as well as impaired immune function.

If the potential health benefits of yoga aren’t enough to make you want to try it, consider this: Yoga can also make you look more toned and fit and help you move with greater ease, especially as you grow older. A 2007 study of the Hatha yoga style showed that it increased muscular strength, flexibility and endurance. It’s no wonder that many athletes use yoga to cross-train.

Getting started You don’t need a lot of expensive equipment or to be in tiptop shape to start practicing yoga. All it takes is loose clothing, a mat (some classes will provide mats) and the desire to learn.

There are several different styles of yoga. Most use a series of postures designed to stretch and strengthen muscles and also use controlled breathing to quiet your mind. The most popular style in the U.S. is Hatha yoga, a relatively slow-moving, gentle style. Other styles such as Ashtanga (also known as power yoga) are more vigorous. Find out about the different kinds of yoga that are offered at classes in your area. Choose the style that fits your goals and level of fitness. You can also get started by using a good instructional book or DVD at home, although it’s useful for beginners to start with a class. If you are pregnant or have any serious health conditions, talk to your doctor before you begin. Once you start a class, let your teacher know about any injuries or health issues.

Whichever style of yoga you choose, take it slowly at first. Don’t try to force yourself into difficult poses at the beginning. After a while, you will develop more flexibility, strength and stamina. Your teacher shouldn’t push you to do poses that aren’t comfortable. If your teacher is going too fast, talk to him or her, or look for a class that is a better fit.

While yoga won’t cure everything that ails you — or make your boss nicer — it will help you deal with stress better. And that could make a big difference in your overall health.

Learn more about the benefits of exercise

Simple exercise can actually delay aging, study finds

New Canadian research is showing that regular exercise may be the long-sought fountain of youth, not only helping to prevent an early death, but actually delaying aging.

The study, published in the prestigious science journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, used mice to compare the effects of a lifetime of regular exercise over a sedentary lifestyle.

The researchers from McMaster University in Hamilton, Ont. worked with a litter of mice that were genetically programmed to age quickly. The mice were engineered to have a defect in a gene that alters the repair system of their mitochondria – which are the cellular powerhouses responsible for generating energy for nearly every cell in the body.

The researchers forced some of the mice to exercise by putting them on a treadmill to jog at a brisk pace three times a week for 45 minutes.

After five months, they found that premature aging was prevented in nearly every organ in the mice that ran on the treadmill.

“We surprised at how effective [exercise] was,” the study’s lead researcher Dr. Mark Tarnopolsky told CTV News. “It turned out to be more effective than we thought.”

The exercising mice looked as young as ever, while the sedentary mice were balding and going grey. They were also inactive, more socially isolated and less fertile. The muscle tissue of the inactive mice showed signs of damage, while those that exercised had muscle structure that was completely normal.

“What really shocked us was the gonads, the spleen, liver – every tissue we looked at was made better with the exercise. It has a systemic effect and even prevented a slight shrinkage of the brain,” said Tarnopolsky, who’s a professor of pediatrics and medicine at McMaster’s DeGroote School of Medicine.

Perhaps most surprising is what the scientists discovered in the mitochondria of the mice. Mitochondria are unique in that they have their own DNA. It’s long been thought that accumulation of mitochondrial DNA mutations over our lifetimes leads to the progressive decline in tissue and organ function that results in aging.

But in the exercising mice, their mitochondria had gone from damaged to young and healthy.

So are the results seen in the mice applicable to humans? Absolutely, says Tarnopolsky, who hopes the mice inspire humans worldwide to get moving .

“When you see the video with the mice barely moving and their sisters moving around healthy, that may shock them into getting their buts off the couch and get some exercise,” he says.

He notes that studies have shown that even those who have spent most of their lives sedentary can reap the benefits of exercise, with increased energy, more mobility and healthier organs.

“Get moving, get active and get your kids moving while they are young,” he advises.

Health Benefits of getting out once in a while

There is an old saying that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. This of course refers to our health and well being since by making healthier lifestyle choices, we can improve our quality of life and greatly reduce our chances of becoming sick.

In our busy lifestyles, we find ourselves increasingly sedentary and spending more and more time in front of computers or on our smart phones/media devices etc.

However, all this lack of interacting with the real world has been linked to diabetes, heart disease, depression and a host of other illnesses of both body and mind. The best way of preventing this has been shown to involve simply getting out and visiting green spaces such as parks, gardens, and other natural environments.

By interacting more with our world we are essentially improving the health of our selves both physically and mentally, which in turn helps fight off illness and depression. It is well known that people who are constantly stressed out are more likely to catch ailments whether it is physical or even mental since our minds and bodies are both intimately involved in our health and too much stress can weaken the immune system.

As a result, doing things such as visiting the park, socializing with others, spending time with family and friends, and exercise will all have beneficial effects on our health. As an added bonus, many of these activities are free and so will have minimal effect on ones finances, making it much more accessible.

With health care such an important issue, prevention is starting to look all the more tantalizing since, after all, people would rather avoid becoming sick or depressed instead of having to find treatment once it happens. Spending some time with the natural world has been making its way back into people’s minds because of its ability to improve people’s outlook on life, and improve the emotional state of the ill, which in turn can help the healing process.

Research carried out by researcher Dr. Roger Ulrich had found that surgery patients who’s beds had a view of nature, such as trees, rivers, mountains etc had a faster rate of healing compared to those who could only see buildings and walls. In fact, more and more doctors are beginning to prescribe simply getting out and around nature, as a growing number of research studies are discovering the positive effects of spending time with the natural world and taking in some natural light.

All of these discoveries are also influencing the design of hospitals all over the world. A field referred to as evidence based design in health care architecture, involves taking these new findings and implementing them in the build and layout of hospitals and clinics; such as more natural light, reducing noise, and increased view of nature and gardens, all for the purpose helping the healing process. In addition, providing comfortable and positive spaces for family and friends of patients will also help heal as it fosters interaction and support for one another by alleviating stress for patients, family/friends, and hospital staff as well.

Further Reading:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/30/health/30brody.html?_r=1&ref=health

http://www.webmd.com/depression/guide/exercise-depression

http://www.asianhhm.com/healthcare_management/hospitals_heal.htm