How can yoga help people with cancer?

Cancer is a broad complex of illnesses in which a weakened immune system cannot cope with the proliferation of damaged cells. Of course yoga is not a "cure" for cancer but it can help to strengthen the immune system and encourage our inner healing forces. It works in various ways:

• relaxation - calms the nervous system and alleviates the stress and anxiety which lower immune functioning and hinder healing

• breathing exercises - improves respiration, releases tension and restores balance and calm

• meditation - develops the detachment and clarity that enables us to acknowledge and accept the realities of our situation and to cope with our fears

• physical posture - clears toxins, increases energy levels and enhances the functioning of our internal organs and systems

The simplest of yoga breathing, relaxation and meditation techniques can also help us to deal with the overwhelming emotions that come with the diagnosis of a life-changing illness: shock, anger, fear, guilt to name the most obvious ones. And they can be of help in managing the stress, anxiety and pain of cancer surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

Yoga offers practical tools with which you can help yourself and mobilise your own inner resources. Yoga is empowering because you are doing something for yourself: no-one is doing it for you.

http://www.anac.org.uk/

Acupuncture, yoga for U.S. troops? Perhaps

BY GREGG ZOROYA • USA TODAY • October 9, 2008

WASHINGTON -- The Pentagon is seeking new ways to treat troops suffering from combat stress or brain damage by researching such alternative methods as acupuncture, meditation, yoga and the use of animals as therapy, military officials said.

"This new theme is a big departure for our cautious culture," said Dr. S. Ward Casscells, the Pentagon's assistant secretary for health affairs.

Casscells said he pushed hard for the new research, because "we are struggling with" post-traumatic stress disorder "as we are with suicide, and we are increasingly willing to take a hard look at even soft therapies."

So far this year, the Pentagon is spending $5 million to study the therapies. In the previous two years, the Pentagon had not spent any money on similar research, records show.

About 300,000 Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans suffer from PTSD or major depression, while about 320,000 may have experienced at least a mild concussion or brain injury in combat, according to a RAND Corp. study released earlier this year.

Some military hospitals and installations already use alternative therapies, such as acupuncture as stress relievers. The research will see whether the alternatives work so the Pentagon can see if it should use them more, said Army Brig. Gen. Loree Sutton, head of the Defense Centers for Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury.

Her office issued a request for research proposals this year on therapies ranging from art and dance to the ancient Chinese healing art of qigong to a touch therapy known as Reiki.

Exploring the physiological, psychological, and biochemical benefits of practicing Yoga.

Physiological Benefits of Yoga

• Stable autonomic nervous system equilibrium
• Pulse rate decreases
• Respiratory rate decreases
• Blood Pressure decreases (of special significance for hyporeactors)
• Galvanic Skin Response (GSR) increases
• EEG - alpha waves increase (theta, delta, and beta waves also increase during various stages of meditation)
• EMG activity decreases
• Cardiovascular efficiency increases
• Respiratory efficiency increases
• Gastrointestinal function normalizes
• Endocrine function normalizes
• Excretory functions improve
• Musculoskeletal flexibility and joint range of motion increase
• Breath-holding time increases
• Joint range of motion increase
• Grip strength increases
• Eye-hand coordination improves
• Dexterity skills improve
• Reaction time improves
• Posture improves
• Strength and resiliency increase
• Endurance increases
• Energy level increases
• Weight normalizes
• Sleep improves
• Immunity increases
• Pain decreases
• Steadiness improves
• Depth perception improves
• Balance improves
• Integrated functioning of body parts improves

Psychological Benefits of Yoga

• Somatic and kinesthetic awareness increase
• Mood improves and subjective well-being increases
• Self-acceptance and self-actualization increase
• Social adjustment increases
• Anxiety and Depression decrease
• Hostility decreases
• Concentration improves
• Memory improves
• Attention improves
• Learning efficiency improves
• Mood improves
• Self-actualization increase
• Social skills increases
• Well-being increases
• Somatic and kinesthetic awareness increase
• Self-acceptance increase
• Attention improves
• Concentration improves
• Memory improves
• Learning efficiency improves
• Symbol coding improves
• Depth perception improves
• Flicker fusion frequency improves

Biochemical Benefits of Yoga

• Glucose decreases
• Sodium decreases
• Total cholesterol decreases
• Triglycerides decrease
• HDL cholesterolincreases
• LDL cholesterol decreases
• VLDL cholesterol decreases
• Cholinesterase increases
• Catecholamines decrease
• ATPase increases
• Hematocrit increases
• Hemoglobin increases
• Lymphocyte count increases
• Total white blood cell count decreases
• Thyroxin increases
• Vitamin C increases
• Total serum protein increases

contributed by: www.cyberastro.com and www.movingintostillness.com