Fibromyalgia Patients Benefit from Practicing Yoga

A recent study has found that practicing Yoga has positive effects on Fibromyalgia, a condition affecting about 11 million individuals in the United States alone. Fibromyalgia has a direct yearly cost for care of over $20 billion, and drug therapies are only about 30% effective in alleviating symptoms, and 20% effective in improving function. Standard care currently includes drugs accompanied by exercises and psychological coping skills. In a study published in the November issue of PAIN, researchers have reported that FM sufferers participating in a "Yoga of Awareness" program showed markedly greater improvement in Fibromyalgia symptoms and functioning when compared to patients using a standard FM care regime.


"Although yoga has been practiced for millennia, only recently have researchers begun to demonstrate yoga's effects on persons suffering from persistent pain," said lead researcher James W. Carson, PhD, Oregon Health & Science University. "The Yoga of Awareness program stands in contrast to previous multimodal interventions with FM patients in that it integrates a wide spectrum of yoga-based techniques: postures, mindfulness meditation, breathing exercises, application of yogic principles to optimal coping, and group discussions. The findings of this study give promising preliminary support for the positive effects of yoga in patients with Fibromyaliga."

Source: Med India

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