yoga and published research

[LilleLobo]

Hi all, long time lurker, few times poster here.

We are having a debate at my workplace about Yoga (two of my co-workers are attending a yoga class).
They made various claims about yoga making it possible to "train your brain" to release stress and such things. My initial reaction was that this sounds to weird. I have never heard of anyone able to train their brain to use what I presume are bodily functions better by any form of meditating.
However I have spent some time searching for the terms yoga, research and so on, and I can not seem to find any relevant studies about this (i.e a study that compares stress-level and/or oxygenlevel in the blood of someone performing yoga compared to someone just relaxes).
This probably means that my research skills sucks, so could anyone in here point me in the direction of any proper studies on yoga and its effects (if any) ?

PS : I've been to Quackwatch, but apart from yoga beeing generally "debunked" as not proven in articles about general CAM's, I can't find anything specific on that particular subject.

 

[LilleLobo]

Seems like I haven't started the most interesting topic, but I'll give it a little *bump* just in case before I let the post fall back to the pages that are hardly read

 

[geni]

Any medical studies will be listed at www.pubmed.com

 

[The Don]

LilleLobo,

I've had a look at Pubmed on your behalf. I've found a few things:

Our results show that yoga training optimises the sympathetic response to stressful stimuli like isometric handgrip test and restores the autonomic regulatory reflex mechanisms in hypertensive patients.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/...ve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=15270370

Tiny study though.

CONCLUSION: These observations suggest that yogic practices can be used as psychophysiologic stimuli to increase endogenous secretion of melatonin, which, in turn, might be responsible for improved sense of well-being.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/...ve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=15165407

At least they had a control group


A lot of the research, as you'd expect is done in India. There have been a number of questions raised about the quality of some Indian research (after all, Indian medical researchers backed up a man's claim that he hadn't eaten or drunk for 68 years) but that should not necessarily be viewed as a big negative.


A European study says

CONCLUSIONS--Relaxation therapy was an ineffective method of lowering 24 hour blood pressure, being no more beneficial than non-specific advice, support, and reassurance--themselves ineffective as a treatment for hypertension.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=2196946

So take your pick

 

[Zep]

Yoga is good simple exercise and stretching. Like any good mild exercise of that type, you feel better afterwards (usually), and, if done properly, it benefits the body physically. Which leaves moot the necessity for people to claim identical effects due to "magick". Ditto pilates, jazzercise, tai-bo, etc, etc.

 

[LilleLobo]

More or less as I expected then.

Thanks alot for the help guys (special thanks to The Don for the detailed response)

 

[Benguin]

Yoga research for cat lovers