- ALLERGY, RESPIRATORY
- Keep Asthma, Allergies at Bay for the Holidays
- Know Your Asthma Triggers
- Asthmatics Who Quit Smoking May Reverse Lung Damage
- ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE
- Acupuncture May Trigger Natural Painkiller
- Regular Yoga May Improve Eating Habits
- Pain-Relieving Powers of Acupuncture Unclear
- ANIMAL CARE
- Rest Easy. When It Comes to Swine Flu, Your Pet Is Safe
- Separation Anxiety, Canine-Style
- Animals Respond to Acupuncture's Healing Touch
- BONES & JOINTS
- Frankincense Provides Relief for Osteoarthritis
- Stem Cells Might Treat Tough Fractures
- Rheumatoid Arthritis May Harm Gums
- CANCER
- Tanning Beds Shown To Raise Cancer Risk, Study Says
- Lifting Weights Can Ease Arm Swelling in Breast Cancer Survivors
- To Quit Smoking, Try Logging On
- CAREGIVING
- Bariatric Surgery Centers Don't Deliver Better Outcomes
- Obese Children More Likely to Suffer Lower Body Injuries
- 3 Steps Might Help Stop MRSA's Spread
- CIRCULATORY SYSTEM
- Varicose Veins May Mask Larger Problem
- Laughter Can Boost Heart Health
- Bad Marriages Harder on Women's Health
- COSMETIC
- Get Sugared!.... Its a sweet choice for hair removal
- Study Evaluates Laser Therapies for Hair Removal
- With Psoriasis, the Internet May Offer Hope
- DENTAL, ORAL
- Sports Drinks May Be Tough on Teeth
- Rheumatoid Arthritis May Harm Gums
- Dental Implants Need More Work Than Root Canals
- DIABETES
- Study Shows Turmeric May Prevent Type 2 Diabetes
- Older Diabetics With Depression Face Higher Death Rate
- Treatment for Type 2 Diabetes Updated
- DIET, NUTRITION
- Want to Stop Cancer? You Can, Experts Say
- Heart Disease May Be Prevented By Taking Fish Oils, Study Shows
- Omega-3 May Reduce Endometriosis Risk
- DISABILITIES
- Review Finds Marijuana May Help MS Patients
- Could Your Cell Phone Help Shield You From Alzheimer's?
- ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
- Improved Fungicides May Be Easier on Environment
- Heavy Traffic Can Be Heartbreaking
- Golf Course Insecticides Pose Little Danger to Players
- EYE CARE, VISION
- Don't Lose Sight of Halloween Safety
- Diabetic Eye Disease Rates Soaring
- Brain Pressure More Likely to Cause Vision Loss in Men
- FITNESS
- Diet, Exercise May Slow Kidney Disease Progression
- FDA Mandates New Warnings for Botox
- Exercise Key Player in Knee Replacement Recovery
- GASTROINTESTINAL PROBLEMS
- Traditional Nonsurgical GERD Treatments Not Impressive
- Peppermint Oil, Fiber Can Fight Irritable Bowel
- Japanese Herbals May Ease Gastro Woes
- GENERAL HEALTH
- Olde Time Medicine Therapy May Prevent Alcoholic Relapse
- Hand-Washing Habits Still Need Improvement: Survey Says
- Whole Grains, Bran May Fight Hypertension in Men
- HEAD & NECK
- Many Children Will Outgrow Headaches
- Ski Helmets Encouraged for All
- Zen May Thicken Brain, Thwart Pain
- HEALTH & TECHNOLOGY
- E-Mailing Your Way to Healthier Habits
- Save Your Aging Brain, Try Surfing The Web
- Study Suggests Link Between Cell Phones and Brain Tumors
- HEART & CARDIOVASCULAR
- How Weight Loss Can Help the Heart
- Rheumatoid Arthritis a Threat to the Heart
- Kids With Vitamin D Deficiency Linked to Heart Trouble
- INFECTIOUS DISEASE
- Swine Flu Closes Three Schools in NYC
- Surgical Masks Could Prevent Flu, Maybe
- Hand Washing 10 Times a Day May Help Keep Flu Away
- KID'S HEALTH
- School Phys. Ed. Injuries Up 150 Percent
- Wood Fires Can Harm the Youngest Lungs
- Eating Fish, Breast-Feeding Boost Infant Development
- MEN'S HEALTH
- Vigorous Exercise Cuts Stroke Risk for Men, Not Women
- Could Chinese Herb Be a Natural Viagra?
- Low Vitamin D Levels May Boost Men's Heart Attack Risk
- MENTAL HEALTH
- Green Spaces Boost the Body and the Mind
- The 3LS Wellness Program for Reversing Chronic Symptoms and Creating Lasting Health
- Common Social Groups and Race, Seem to Help People Relate
- PREGNANCY
- For Baby and Mom Alike, Breast-Feeding May Be Best
- Pre-Pregnancy Weight Linked to Babies' Heart Problems
- Breast-Feeding May Protect a Woman's Heart
- SENIORS
- Seniors Cope With Sleep Loss Better Than Young Adults
- Rapid Weight Loss in Seniors Signals Higher Dementia Risk
- Save Your Aging Brain, Try Surfing The Web
Yoga May Bring Calm to Breast Cancer Treatment
By eHolistic.com Published: 02/26/2009
THURSDAY, Feb. 26 (HealthDay News) -- Yoga can improve the emotional health of breast cancer patients, contends a new U.S. study.
"Given the high levels of stress and distress that many women with breast cancer experience, the opportunity to experience feeling more peaceful and calm in the midst of breast cancer is a significant benefit," lead researcher Suzanne Danhauer, of the Wake Forest University School of Medicine, said in a university news release.
The study involved 44 women with breast cancer. About a third of them were undergoing cancer treatment during the study, and the others had completed their treatment. Half were enrolled in a yoga program, and half were put on a waiting list for the program.
Women in the yoga group participated in 75-minute classes in restorative yoga -- a more passive and gentle form of yoga that uses props such as cushions and blankets for support. At the beginning and end of the study, both groups of women completed questionnaires evaluating their quality of life.
After 10 weeks of classes, the yoga participants showed greater improvements in areas of mental health such as depression, positive emotions and spirituality -- feeling calm and peaceful -- than did the women still waiting to begin the yoga program. The yoga group reported, on average, a 50 percent reduction in feelings of depression and a 12 percent increase in feelings of peace and meaning. Yoga participants also reported less fatigue than the others, the study found.
The results, which Danhauer said "are very promising and will allow us to embark on a much larger scale study," were published Feb. 24 in a special physical activity issue of the journal Psycho-Oncology.
"Evidence from systematic reviews of randomized trials is quite strong that mind-body therapies improve mood, quality of life and treatment-related symptoms in people with cancer," Danhauer said. "Yoga is one mind-body therapy that is widely available and involves relatively reasonable costs."
More information
The American Cancer Society offers tips on coping with breast cancer.
-- Robert Preidt
SOURCE: Wiley-Blackwell, news release, Feb. 24, 2009
Last Updated: Feb. 26, 2009
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