Results of a not-yet-published study hint that gentle forms of yoga can help improve quality of life for cancer patients. Time's Alice Parks has the story:
Called YOCAS, the four-week program involved sessions of hatha and restorative yoga twice a week for 75 minutes each, in combination with breathing exercises and meditation. Among the 410 participants, who were divided into yoga and traditional follow-up care groups, those practicing yoga recorded nearly double the improvement in sleep quality and reduction of fatigue compared to those not practicing yoga. They also reported better quality of life overall, [Dr. Karen Mustian of the University of Rochester Medical Center] says. "And the yoga group had all of these benefits while reducing their use of sleep medication," she says.
The work follows previous studies showing that yoga can provide benefits (including emotional help) to cancer patients, and I wrote about ways restorative yoga was aiding Stanford patients a few years ago.
Previously: Book explores use of yoga to combat pain
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