In another study, researchers at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center focused on 61 women who had had surgery for breast cancer and were undergoing six weeks of radiation treatment. The women who took twice-weekly yoga classes in addition to radiation treatment reported significantly improved physical functioning when compared to those with only radiation. The yoga group had higher scores in almost every area and reported less fatigue and fewer problems with daytime sleepiness.
"Everyone was very open to the idea of conducting the research," says Dr. Lorenzo Cohen, director of the Integration Medicine Program at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Centre in Houston. "The main challenge was getting people to practice the yoga on a regular basis," he says.
Until recently, the medical benefits of yoga had not been sufficiently researched due to lack of funding. "Although the study was small and preliminary, it's one of the few to try to rigorously measure the benefits of this form of exercise," notes Cohen. "Many medical centres in Canada realize the psychosocial benefits that yoga has to offer and provide programs based on this knowledge. Yoga allows us to age more gracefully and reduces the medical burden of an aging population," he adds.
The National Cancer Institute in the U.S. recently awarded Cohen and his team US$2.4 million to study the effects of Tibetan yoga on women with breast cancer who are undergoing chemotherapy. It was the largest grant ever given for the study of Tibetan yoga in cancer patients.
For more information on yoga, read the following articles:
• Yoga for pregnancy
• Postnatal yoga
• Bedtime yoga routine
• Yoga and middle age weight control
• Yoga or Pilates?
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